Vipashyana / Vipassana (clear or superior seeing) is insight into the nature of reality. Though it is a native trait of the mind, it must be developed by studying emptiness of self and phenomena and meditating on the resultant experience.
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How to Experience shamatha-vipashyana
Generally, lhaktong (Tib term) can only be accessed fully through meditation. You can develop some levels of relative insight simply through contemplation or understanding. But the deepest levels need to rely on that understanding which is then applied in meditation to truly ascertain reality.
It’s often thought, that there is a difference between Vipassana meditation and shamatha meditation. For me, the truth is that insight meditation is a subset of shamata — peaceful abiding. Another way of looking at this is that all meditation is Shamatha. Shamatha is the ability to focus the mind on the object of meditation.
What is Vipassana / Vipashyana?
Hinayana lhaktong
vipashyana is an object that increases insight into the nature of reality – for example: emptiness, mind, suchness, luminosity, karma, etc. Lhaktong then is both the meditation to attain insight and the insight itself. The two canons–the Abhidharma Pitaka and the Pali Canon–have somewhat of a disagreement here, but this way of looking at it solves the disagreement. The Abhidharma speaks of shamata and insight as two separate things. Theravada, by contrast, defines it as insight into the nature of reality. These insights would be the three marks of existence, impermanence, suffering, and egolessness.
In order to see those, however, there is a general agreement that shamatha is necessary. The mind needs to slow down enough, eliminate distractions enough, and establish a firm enough focus so that it can see, contemplate, and ultimately understand and realize these factors. At any rate, the general method is to slow the mind down enough through shamatha and meditate upon the meditator. The meditational object becomes the self and the mind.
How does the mind operate? What is the body made of? What are the components of reality? How does time work? Various questions like that. What are thoughts? How does the mind think? How do the five skandhas work? Is the self truly composed of the five skandhas? How does karma work? Are the twelve nidanas actually the mechanism for producing karma?
An important concept or practice here is called bare insight. This practice involves noticing the emptiness of self, the process of karma, and so forth, with the barest attention, the slightest focus, but that attention is always noticing it without becoming distracted. Whether that’s a form of shamatha or not is open to debate. However, it is a focusing of the mind. The mind maintains attention in a specific and intentional manner. I would argue that it is shamatha. This is said to be a path to liberation from suffering. One can discover and realize non-self through this method.
Attaining Vipashyana
The best results are going to arise from a process of shamatha or tranquility being established, then examining that tranquility in the mind with the insight of lhaktong, with the clear seeing, using the insight and the clear seeing to stabilize the mind, to release any agitation.
When the mind experiences insight, it often experiences agitation. Insight is not a naturally settling or stabilizing force. It will destabilize the ego because it is an insight saying ego does not exist. Ego, disliking that, will create karmic repercussions. However, the Lhaktong can be used to dissolve the agitation, to see through the agitation, to see that it also is without self. It is a part of the false self of the person and is without true being, just as the ego is. In this way, shamatha and lhaktong can work back and forth with each other to increase tranquility and insight, just like walking on two legs.
Benefits of vipashyana Meditation:
- Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Insight meditation helps cultivate a sense of calm and equanimity by observing your thoughts and emotions without judgment. This allows you to detach from negativity and develop a more mindful response to stressful situations.
- Increased Self-Awareness: Through observing your bodily sensations, emotions, and mental states, insight meditation cultivates a deeper understanding of your own patterns and processes. This self-awareness can be transformative in navigating life’s challenges.
- Deeper Understanding of Suffering (Dukkha): A core tenet is observing the impermanent and unsatisfactory nature of experience. By observing this impermanence, you can gain a deeper understanding of suffering (dukkha) and develop strategies to detach from its grip.
- Cultivating Equanimity: Lhaktong meditation emphasizes observing experience with a balanced and non-reactive mind. This equanimity allows you to respond to life’s ups and downs with greater composure and acceptance.
- Progress Towards Liberation: The ultimate goal of insight meditation, as taught in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, is liberation from suffering (nirvana). Through consistent practice, you can develop the wisdom and equanimity necessary to break free from the cycle of attachment and suffering.
- Improved Concentration: By focusing your attention on the present moment during meditation, you can develop your ability to concentrate and reduce mind-wandering. This enhanced focus can benefit many aspects of your life.
- Greater Self-Compassion: As you observe your own struggles and imperfections during meditation, you can develop a sense of compassion for yourself and others. This self-compassion can foster healthier relationships and a more positive outlook.
- Increased Emotional Regulation: By observing your emotions non-judgmentally, you can learn to regulate them more effectively. This can help you avoid being swept away by strong emotions and make more conscious choices in your responses.
- Enhanced Creativity: Vipassana meditation can help clear your mind and allow for new ideas and perspectives to emerge. This can be beneficial for creative problem solving and fostering a more innovative mindset.
- Improved Physical Health: Studies suggest that regular meditation practice can have positive effects on physical health, such as lowering blood pressure and improving sleep quality.
Mahayana Vipashyana
In the Mahayana, lhaktong is also related to Prajna. Prajna means insight into emptiness, the nature of reality, Shunyata. This can be expanded into the idea of the two truths in Buddhism: the relative and absolute truth, and clarity or bliss and emptiness, and into the idea of Dharmata or the suchness of reality beyond any subject.
This differs from the Hinayana method of controlling the kleshas, the negative aspects of mind. The core text of this is the Heart Sutra or Prajnaparamita Sutra, which states that all dharmas or all phenomena are empty. The ability to investigate these ideas skillfully is best established by attaining the nine stages of meditation, especially the stage of even placement or equanimity. With the skill of equanimity or the power of equanimity, the mind can penetrate even profound topics such as non-self and even emptiness.
Vipashyana In Vajrayana
In many Buddhist forms, the study of emptiness is considered necessary. The study and the understanding can take one surprisingly close if it is well constructed and well understood by the student. However, at some point, direct experience in meditation is necessary to perceive emptiness or suchness as it were.
In the Vajrayana, this suchness would be equated to luminosity generally, the quintessential nature of the mind, luminous yet empty. Vipashyana and shamatha are generally practiced in a somewhat flowing way, so that there is a period of contemplation specifically on a factor of insight, emptiness, or luminosity, for example. When that is somewhat established and the mind is focused clearly on it, the contemplation can be allowed to drop away and the mind can focus directly or as directly as it can upon what it has seen through contemplation.
After a time that tends to destabilize, and the mind can go back to contemplating the aspect of emptiness again, attempting to deepen the insight in a back and forth manner. This is a very common technique. It is also helpful to use the mind’s natural tendency to think, so that when thoughts begin to arise, they are folded back into the meditation to deepen and increase the meditation.
Mahamudra Vipashyana
4 yogas of Mahamudra
- One-pointedness
- Simplicity
- One Taste
- Non-meditation
Finally, in the practice of Mahamudra and somewhat the same in Dzogchen, insight is spoken of in four stages. The first stage is mastery of shamatha or one-pointedness when the mind becomes completely placed upon the object. The next stage is insight, also called simplicity. This is the stage of actually seeing emptiness that correlates to the great joy of the first Bhumi.
The third stage is one-taste, sometimes referred to as non-duality. When there is no difference between inner and outer, all things are essentially the same in emptiness or suchness. The fourth stage is called non-meditation. This is when the mind is enlightened or very close to enlightenment, and continually experiences the deepest nature of reality without regard to meditating or non-meditating. It simply always is there.
vipashyana Summary Graph
| Entity | Description | Attributes | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vipassana/ vipashyana | An ancient Indian meditation technique | * Focuses on non-reactive observation of mental and physical phenomena. * Aims to develop insight into the impermanent nature of reality. | * Theravada Buddhism |
| Theravada Buddhism | An branch of Buddhism | * Founded in the 3rd century BCE. * Focuses on individual liberation through following the teachings of the Buddha. | * Siddhartha Gautama (founder of Buddhism), Nirvana |
| Siddhartha Gautama | Founder of Buddhism | * Lived in the 6th-4th centuries BCE. * Believed to have attained enlightenment through meditation. | * Vipassana, Nirvana |
| Nirvana | The ultimate goal in Buddhism | * A state of perfect peace and liberation from suffering. * Achieved through detachment from desire and clinging. | * Vipassana, Theravada Buddhism |
| Synonyms | Alternative terms used to describe vipashyana | * Insight meditation, clear seeing meditation | ལྷག་མཐོང་། |
| Tibetan | ལྷག་མཐོང་། | Lhaktong | Superior Seeing |
| Sanskrit | vipaśyanā | vipashyana | |
| Pali | vipassanā |
How to meditate like a yogi
and enter profound samadhi
How to meditate like a yogi
and enter profound samadhi
Related Terms: Vipashyana
LSI Keywords for Vipassana Meditation:
Core Concepts:
- Insight Meditation
- Theravada Buddhism
- Anicca (impermanence)
- Dukkha (suffering)
- Anatta (non-self)
- Sati (mindfulness)
- Samatha (concentration)
Stages of Practice:
- Sila (morality)
- Anapana Sati (mindfulness of breathing)
- Noting Phenomena (vitarka)
- Vipassana Jhanas (stages of insight development)
Techniques:
- Body Scan
- Observing sensations
- Observing emotions
- Observing mental states
Benefits:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Increased self-awareness
- Deeper understanding of suffering
- Cultivating equanimity
- Progress towards liberation
Related Searches:
- Vipassana meditation retreats (e.g., Goenka Vipassana retreats)
- Mindfulness meditation vs. Vipassana meditation
- Buddhist meditation techniques
- Theravada Buddhist teachings
- Vipassana meditation teachers (S.N. Goenka, Mahasi Sayadaw)
Prominent Teachers:
- S.N. Goenka: Founder of Dhamma Vipassana, a worldwide organization offering Vipassana meditation courses in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.
- Mahasi Sayadaw: A prominent Burmese meditation master known for his systematic and analytical approach to Vipassana meditation.
- Chandrakirti, Manjushri, Nagarjuna, Mipham Rinpoche
Vipassana Hinayana
vipashyana meditation, also known as insight meditation, is a Theravada Buddhist practice focused on developing deep self-awareness through observing impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta). While there aren’t necessarily distinct subcategories within Vipassana itself, the practice emphasizes a systematic investigation of experience through different aspects. Here’s a breakdown of some key areas of focus within Vipassana meditation:
1. vipashyana on bodily sensations (Kayanupassana):
This aspect focuses on observing bodily sensations with equanimity, noticing how they arise, change, and pass away. You might feel tingling in your leg, tightness in your shoulders, or the coolness of air against your skin. The practice is to simply observe these sensations without judgment or attachment.
2. vipashyana on emotions (Vedananupassana):
Similar to bodily sensations, emotions are also impermanent. Here, you observe the arising, intensity, and fading of emotions like joy, anger, or sadness. The goal is to acknowledge emotions without getting swept away by them.
3. Vipassana on mental states (Cittanupassana):
This aspect involves observing the nature of your mind itself. You might notice thoughts, judgments, or distractions arise. The practice is to simply witness these mental fluctuations without getting caught up in their content.
4. Vipassana on Dhamma (Dhammanupassana):
Dhamma refers to the teachings of the Buddha, particularly the principles of anicca, dukkha, and anatta. In this aspect, you contemplate these core concepts through your meditation experience. By observing the impermanence of sensations, emotions, and thoughts, you gain a deeper understanding of these universal truths.
It’s important to note that these areas of focus aren’t necessarily practiced in isolation. A vipashyana meditation session might involve observing a combination of bodily sensations, emotions, and mental states arising and passing away. The key is to maintain a quality of non-reactive awareness throughout the experience.
Stages of vipashyana Meditation Practice
- Preparatory Stage (Śīla): Develop morality by giving up worldly thoughts and desires.
- Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness of Breathing): Observe your breath, noticing when it is long or short.
- Noting Phenomena (Vitarka): Notice any arising mental or physical phenomenon without judgment.
- Developing Awareness: Become aware of how sense impressions arise from the contact between the senses and physical and mental phenomena.
- Insight into Dukkha, Anatta, and Anicca: Through observing sensations, gain insight into suffering (dukkha), non-self (anatta), and impermanence (anicca).
- Reflection Subdues: As understanding deepens, reflection becomes less necessary.
- Noting in General: Notice phenomena without necessarily naming them.
4 vipashyana jhānas:
- Exploring Non-Duality: The meditator begins by examining the connection between body and mind as a unified whole, discovering impermanence, suffering, and non-self. This stage involves mental noting (vitarka) and investigation (vicara). Phenomena are seen as arising and passing away.
- Effortless Practice: The practice becomes effortless in the second stage. Mental noting and investigation disappear.
- Joy and Concentration: Joy (piti) fades in the third stage, leaving only happiness (sukha) and concentration.
- Purity of Mindfulness: The fourth stage is characterized by a pure, balanced state of mindfulness. Direct knowledge arises. The practice reveals the impermanence and unsatisfactoriness of all phenomena, leading to a desire for liberation.
May all beings be happy
May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be safe
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature
May all beings be free
May all beings be happy
May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be safe
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature
May all beings be free
