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Samatha and Vipassana
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04-19-2011, 04:58 AM
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lapyignipinge
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Oct 2005
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This is a really good teaching. I think it would probably clear up any confusion somebody might have.
I am not familiar with samatha meditation being taught as going into a trance or focusing on something imagined. Relaxation techniques, such as picturing yourself sitting by the ocean, or imagining a cloud or whatever, are methods that some people (perhaps psychologists and yoga instructors) use.
The only imaginary thing that I have ever been taught was counting the breaths (if we consider counting numbers to be imaginary) up to a certain number, then starting over, or, alternately focusing on the sounds "bu - do" with each inhale and exhale, but these are supports and the need for them falls away after a while.
Samatha that I am familiar with focuses on watching the breath, which, I think, is similar to watching your stomach rise and fall (as he mentions). He also mentions that attainment of samatha meditation comes when one is able to focus without mental distraction on an object of meditation, but this can be achieved either with an imagined focus, (he mentions imagining a color) or with watching the breath or something else 'real', and applying that focus, as he says, to seeing things as they really are, constantly changing and so forth is Vipassana.
I know that some teachers teach Samatha first and Vipassna second, and others teach both together.
Thank you for sharing this!!
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