I.B.M.C.::The International Buddhist Meditation Centre.

		What is Vipassana The meaning of Vipassana The benefits of Vipassana Basic Walking, Sitting, Standing and Turning Guideline for Meditators on retreats The benefits of Vipassana The benefits of Vipassana meditation are manifold. Successful practice can lift depression, cure many stress-related diseases and at the very least add a little joy to life. It can help a harassed housewife cope with a family of young children. It can help a person control his temper or do well in examinations. It can help to expand and intensity an artist’s perception of the world. All of these benefits are side effects of the wisdom that arises during the practice of Vipassana meditation. The practice of Vipassana meditation enables us to calm down and look within, in order to develop wisdom and freedom. The substantial benefits to be gained from practicing Insight Meditation include : Cultivating the " Ling of Wisdom " in dispelling the " Darkness of Ignorance " in life. Eradicating the wrong view of life. Eliminating the " Multiplier " of adverse feeling or suffering in life. Getting relief from mental wandering and suffering. Achieving wholesome and highly beneficial memory power. Enhancing the ability to cope effectively with extremely harmful memory power. Attaining the right techniques of living through direct and full awareness and realization, leading to the attainment of " Perpetual Happiness " (Nibbhana) Well, speaking in short, Vipassana is the way to study within ourselves, look within ourselves. When the three characteristics appears in your mind, you will see everything as it really is, the intuitive wisdom will arise, then we will see the truth, not attached to lives and finally we will be freed from all defilement.
	Basic Walking, Sitting, Standing and Turning Be mindful of the standing position. Try to be aware of " body " standing, not " I " am standing. The head should be held upright and the eyes focused at a point about 2 metres ahead. Mindfulness now is focused on the feet, keep it there and try to be aware of the tensions in your feet accompanying the desire to walk, synchronously saying in mind " INTENDING TO WALK, INTENDING TO WALK, INTENDING TO WALK" . The gaze should now be lowered slightly and fixed a little in front of foot that is moving or up to about one and a half metres ahead. The head may be very slightly bent. It is usual to start with the right foot when practising in a group. Lift the right foot about 3 inches from the floor, and then set it down about 5 or 6 inches in the front of the left foot. Focus attention on the movement of the foot from the moment it is lifted until it is set down, simultaneously making the acknowledgement " RIGHT GOES THUS ". The movement of the foot is perceived as continuous, and is not divided into separate stages. When the left foot is being lifted, moved and set down, be aware of the movement and simultaneously say in mind " LEFT GOES THUS ". The acknowledgement should neither precede nor lag behind the movement. Continue walking, with awareness focused on the movement of the feet until coming to the end of the walk space. Put your feet together on the last step. Be mindful of standing as before, making 3 acknowledgements of " Standing ". Be clearly aware of " body " standing. Turning Keeping attention on the feet, try to feel the tension there as you become aware of the wish to turn. Make three mental acknowledgements while being aware of wanting to turn ie. " INTENDING TO TURN, INTENDING TO TURN, INTENDING TO TURN ". For the first three walking exercises, turning is usually divided into four sections. Turn right. Move your right foot clockwise keeping your heel on the ground, but lifting your toes, saying in mind " TURN " and as you put your toes down, you say in mind " ING " . The angle of movement should be about 45. Next lift your left foot straight up about 3 inches saying in mind " TURN ". Then put it down parallel to the right foot, saying in mind " ING " Then say " one ". Make four pairs of movements in this way in order to complete a 180 - degree turn. Having turned, again be mindful of " Standing " and " Intending to walk " as before. This first walking exercise should be practised until the meditator can achieve good concentration. At first, the instructor may pace the exercise calling out the acknowledgements. When the meditator practices privately the acknowledgements are not made out-loud ad the meditator will pace himself. This exercise may continue for up to 30 minutes. While performing the walking exercise attention should be trained the movements of the feet. It should not be on the sound of the words. The acknowledgements should be made contemporaneously with the movements, not before or after them. One of the benefits of walking meditation is that it enables the meditator to accumulate energy and increase mindfulness, allowing him or her to maintain concentration more easily during the sitting exercises. It is a good idea to arrange the place where you intend to sit before you start to walk, so that on completion of the walking exercise, you can move slowly and mindfully onto sitting position without distractions. Imagine that you are carrying a bowl brimful of the " Sati " or mindfulness that has been accumulated during the walking exercise, if you make unmindful movements or if your mind starts wandering during the change from walking to sitting, some of that energy will spill over the edge of the bowl and be lost. In addition, there are six stages of walking exercise : 1. Stages: Right goes thus, Left goes thus 2. Stages: Lifting, Treading 3. Stages: Lifting, Moving, Treading 4. Stages: Heel up, Lifting, Moving, and Treading 5. Stages: Heel up, Lifting, Moving, Lowering, Touching 6. Stages: Heel up, Lifting, Moving, Lowering, Touching, and Pressing Sitting Meditation When meditating, be aware of the sinking in and bulging out of the abdomen, which accompanies natural breathing. The chest is usually kept at rest. Diaphragm breathing occurs when the body is at rest and the mind is not too emotional. Be aware of the rising and falling of the abdomen only, and not the passage of the air through the nostrils. Initially, if the meditator finds it difficult to fix attention on the movement of the abdomen. Various aids can be employed, such as wearing a tight belt or rubbing some balm on the spot on the abdomen where attention is to be fixed. For the first sitting exercise, be mindful of the movement of the abdomen in two stages. When the abdomen rises, say in mind " Rising " and when it falls, say in mind " Falling ". Do not try to control the movements but be aware of the movements as they occur naturally. It is very easy to fall into a chant and to lose track of the movement. If this happens, at the point where awareness returns, say in mind " Knowing, Knowing, Knowing " and return your attention to the movements of the abdomen. While practicing Vipassana meditation, if the sound occurs, acknowledge in mind " HEARING " when the sound dies away, return the attention to the movement of the abdomen. If your attention " follows " the sound, at the point that you become aware of what has happened say in mind " Knowing, Knowing, Knowing " and return your attention to the main object of meditation, ie. The movement of the abdomen. Do the same in a smelling, seeing, tasting, touching and thinking. If a feeling occurs, try not to be affected by it in any way, but simply acknowledge it " FEELING, FEELING, FEELING " . This remains the same whether the feeling is positive or negative, strong or weak. Try not to be drawn by any sensation, feeling or thought, but simply use " mindfulness " or on other words " bare awareness " to acknowledge whatever occurs. Because some of the sensations that occur may be unfamiliar or very intense it is easy to assign them greater importance than everyday occurrences and so wish to stay with them, or to avoid them. Attempt to maintain equanimity and deal with all that occurs simply by acknowledgement, without prejudice or partiality and the return your attention to the main object. The length of the first sitting exercise is usually determined by the instructor, but the time is gradually lengthened as proficiency increases 20 minutes is usually sufficient for the first sessions. Food for Thought It is difficult to see the way to freedom from materialism, because normally no one wants to think that he had become a slave to materialism. There are many people consuming and using material goods to raise their status and impress friends, they believe that they are the masters of these goods and that they are already free of them. No one thinks of the variety of sorrows that come from attachment to materialism. These sorrows are due to the influence of material goods that have overcome the mind; they trample over the mind according to their whims. (Buddhadas Bhikkhu) SAYING OF THE BUDDHA THE ANCIENT LAW In this word, hatreds are never appeased by hatreds, they appease by love alone. LOVING KINDNESS Radiate your loving kindness to every living being without any discrimination. DO NOT WORRY Where your physical body is sick, do not allow your mind to be sick. DO NOT BE IDLE A useful single day’s life of intense effort (at meditation) is better than a hundred years of idleness and inactivity. Wise Saying 1. A well-trained mind is the beacon of happiness 2. You are stained by your own evil deeds. 3. The top of all the best is self-conquest. 4. He who thinks of his own benefits has his mind stained. 5. Giving brings friendship. Kiccho manussapatililabho Kiccham maccana jivitam Kiccham saddhammasavanam Kiccho buddhanamuppado Hard is it to be born human Hard is the life of mortals Hard is it to hear the sublime truth Hard is the arising of the Buddha. The Buddha taught in the famous words of the Dhammapada.
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