In the way that Yoga has proven useful for the development of a healthy body without needing a specific set of beliefs, Vipassana is being viewed the same way.
Although there are a few methods of Vipassana today, two dominate in the west:
- The Sayagyi U Ba Khin method, and
- The Mahasi Sayadaw method
I mentioned that anapanasati or breathing concentration meditation forms the basis for everything we do with the mind. The same is true of Vipassana.
The main differences between Vipassana and anapanasati are the object of meditation, and the intention of the meditation.
In anapanasati, the goal is to increase concentration strength and endurance by willfully focusing on an object (such as the breath) to the exclusion of all others. Without getting into the theory, the goal of Vipassana is to reprogram the habit patterns of the mind.
The Sayagyi U Ba Khin method has spreadly widely throughout the world by an organization headed by his student, S N Goenka. These two people were the first lay people (as opposed to monks) who had a major influence on the teaching of Vipassana.
It is generally only taught in 10 day meditation retreats as the organization feels that to experience the benefits and clear up misunderstandings, this is the best way to do it.
I'm guessing the ulterior motive is to try to get people hooked on a good habit, which is not something I disagree with. However, the retreats are far from relaxing and should be considered more of a boot camp, where it is rewarding but hard work. Many people don't make it to the end of the 10 days.
The method starts with a system of body scanning. You are taught in progressive steps to focus part by part throughout the body just acknowledging what is there. Just feeling it, and not judging it. Then after a while moving on. As with the concentration meditation, practicing over time reveals greater and greater detail about the body and the mind.
The theory is that all mental events have a physical component and so by observing the body, you are also observing the mind. However I believe at more advanced levels, other objects are also observed.
There is a lot of both criticism and praise of this organization and method. The system is designed to be able to teach as many students as possible, so the system is "simplified" in a way, but not less complete than other methods. I started with this method but studied another style as it just suited my personality more.
The Mahasi Sayadaw method is another popular style. This is the method I will attempt to explain now.
The Mahasi Sayadaw method starts with breathing meditation in the belly. In concentration meditation we aim to stay with the breath regardless of what sensations or events arise. In Vipassana meditation, we allow the mind to be led to these sensations (mental or physical) and we attempt to observe it without reacting to it.
Although it sounds simple or incomplete, the process is quite varied and complex. This is because literally anything that occurs to the mind can become an object of meditation. And different reactions can sometimes benefit from different counter measures.
In practice, what the meditator finds is that if the meditator rests with the object and is able to observe it without reacting, after a time, the reaction involved to this object "unwinds" and what felts solid becomes empty, intangible. After a while the mind will have a tendency to go to another object.
At first stages of meditation, the mind usually goes to very mundane things such as pain from sitting too long or some other physical discomfort. It is important to remember that these are also objects of meditation and form part of the practice. Also, they will not be the only objects of meditation.
Putting Vipassana into practice has many hurdles and complexities, which is why most traditions recommend only learning it through a teacher. There is also a lot of theory behind how this meditation works. I will try and cover some in later posts, but bear in mind this theory comes about to explain what is already been shown to happen in meditation in everyone who goes through the process.
