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Basic
Walking, Sitting, Standing and Turning ![](../images/bullet.gif)
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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