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[samma-sambodhi]

- ABDOMEN: RISING, FALLING - As the yogi inhales, the abdomen arises. Before inhalation, there was no rising of the abdomen. The yogi’s mind should go on observing the rising movement of the abdomen from its beginning to its end. Only then would the yogi be able to “see” the real nature of this movement. What is its real nature (characteristic or quality)? With the in breath, the wind goes in. And what is wind? It is the wind element with the characteristic of tension, pressure or motion. It is this real nature of the wind element that the yogi comes to “see.” He will “see” it only when he observes it the moment it arises and continues until it passes away. Otherwise, he won’t even see its form or shape or mode or manner, not to speak of its true characteristic; far less he will “see” it. Continuing to pay concentrated and concurrent attention to the meditative object, that is, the rising and falling of his abdomen, he will progressively strengthen his concentrative power. As his concentration strengthens, he will no longer “see” the form or shape of his abdomen, or the mode or manner of its rising or falling. His insight will go beyond them by seeing the individual characteristics, such as tension, pressure and movement involved in the movement of the abdomen. As he breathes out, he will feel the tension subsiding and the falling movement of the abdomen coming to an end as he comes to the end of his exhalation. He also has similar experiences with the movements involved in walking meditation including the lifting of the foot, pushing it forward, dropping and placing it on the floor or the ground. - (Fundamentals of Vipassana - Mahasi Sayadaw) . . #Buddha #Buddhism #Dhamma #Buddhist #wisdom #MahasiSayadaw #Mindfulness #Spiritual #Enlightenment #meditation #meditator #awakening #Consciousness #namaste #om #lifeforce #Knowledge #yogalife #meditator #positvevibes #goodvibrations #energy #insight #power #art #Truth #vipassan #sunday #yoga #mind

[thoughtprovoke]

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Chapter 4: Attitude

Part 3 of 3

11. Don't dwell upon contrasts: Differences do exist between people, but dwelling upon then is a dangerous process. Unless carefully handled, it leads directly to egotism. Ordinary human thinking is full of greed, jealousy and pride. A man seeing another man on the street may immediately think, "He is better looking than I am." The instant result is envy or shame. A girl seeing another girl may think, "I am prettier than she is." The instant result is pride. This sort of comparison is a mental habit, and it leads directly to ill feeling of one sort or another: greed, envy, pride, jealousy, hatred. It is an unskillful mental state, but we do it all the time. We compare our looks with others, our success, our accomplishments, our wealth, possessions, or I.Q. and all these lead to the same place--estrangement, barriers between people, and ill feeling.

The meditator's job is to cancel this unskillful habit by examining it thoroughly, and then replacing it with another. Rather than noticing the differences between self and others, the meditator trains himself to notice similarities. He centers his attention on those factors that are universal to all life, things that will move him closer to others. Thus his comparison, if any, leads to feelings of kinship rather than feelings of estrangement.

Breathing is a universal process. All vertebrates breathe in essentially the same manner. All living things exchange gasses with their environment in some way or other. This is one of the reasons that breathing is chosen as the focus of meditation. the meditator is advised to explore the process of his own breathing as a vehicle for realizing his own inherent connectedness with the rest of life. This does not mean that we shut our eyes to all the differences around us. Differences exist. It means simply that we de-emphasize contrasts and emphasize the universal factors. The recommended procedure is as follows:

When the meditator perceives any sensory object, he is not to dwell upon it in the ordinary egotistical way. He should rather examine the very process of perception itself. He should watch the feelings that arise and the mental activities that follow. He should note the changes that occur in his own consciousness as a result. In watching all these phenomena, the meditator must be aware of the universality of what he is seeing. That initial perception will spark pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feelings. That is a universal phenomenon. It occurs in the mind of others just as it does in his, and he should see that clearly. Following these feelings various reactions may arise. He may feel greed, lust, or jealousy. He may feel fear, worry, restlessness or boredom. These reactions are universal. He simple notes them and then generalizes. He should realize that these reactions are normal human responses and can arise in anybody. 

The practice of this style of comparison may feel forced and artificial at first, but it is no less natural than what we ordinarily do. It is merely unfamiliar. With practice, this habit pattern replaces our normal habit of egoistic comparing and feels far more natural in the long run. We become very understanding people as a result. we no longer get upset by the failings of others. We progress toward harmony with all life.

Next: Chapter 5: The Practice