Advices : practice for long periods

[aloun]

Dear @Edwin

Still concerning that travel – retreat. I’ll perform a 10 days retreat in march. But I started trying to practice for 4 hours a day (including 1 hour walking) since four days now.

It’s more difficult than I expected. Some days went well but today I felt more tired after my sessions than before.

I try to stay relax and not to put too much energy to be aware but still I can find tensions in my neck and there are times when I feel I’m just waiting. I guess there are tensions because my mind is feeling frustrated to stay sit and there are thoughts as “Why am I staying here loosing your time instead of doing some useful or enjoyable activities ?” or “Oh this is really unpleasant, there must be something I’m doing wrong”.

I was wondering if you had any specific advices when we try to practice for long periods. Does it just take time for the mind to get use to it and gain patience ? Or are there “wrong ways” of practicing that might make things worse and be counterproductive ?

Aloun,

Topic

[aloun]

Dear @Edwin

I just made a 10 days silent retreat with the “Vipassana Meditation organization” (S.N. Goenka). I would like to ask your point of view but don’t answer if you’re too busy.

Goenka’s theory (he present it as “the truth” found by Bouddha (underlying … the only one)) is that :

1. Any information from the 6 sens door make a body sensation arise.
2. The deep part of the mind react (aversion/craving) only to theses sensations.
3. The only good technique to practice vipassana is to focus on the body sensations (a kind of very focus and concentrated body scan).
4. By developing awareness of body sensations and equanimity towards these sames sensations one can “purify” his subconscious mind from its old reactive patterns.

It’s been a hard time for me and I’m very skeptical about the very focused, concentrated and strict technique. (3 times a day you are encourage to sit without any movements during one hour). It seems to me at the opposite of what Mingyour rinpoche teaches when he says that “no meditation” is the best meditation.

After 7 days my body and mind were both tired and I felt sick at the idea to sit and meditate so I just stop following the instructions and got back to the meditations I knew from tergar. They were really helpful to me. And I also remembered Myoshin’s audios (the ones that can be found on the “listen” part of the website) and they really supported me in the difficult moments.

All the others participants seemed very satisfied at the end of the course. My point of view is that most of them felt good because it was over and they were finally able to speak and did not have to suffer three hours a day but I guess there can be different relative realities isn’t it ?

I learned a lot of that experience, I’m more sensitive to my body sensations and I can sit longer (my body is probably more flexible) but I won’t do another retreat with that organization.

My question is the following :
– Do you agree with Goenka’s point of view that meditation is about training your subconscious to be equanimous to body sensations (by the understanding of impermanence) ?
– Do you feel in your personal experience that every emotion or thought generate a sensation and that the craving or aversion is only toward this sensation ?

[aloun]

Ok thanks for you support

[edwin]

@Alon – I would not read too much into the fact that there is tension in the body. At its basic form the practice says just be aware of the tension. See that it is your choice to add whether that means something or not. But of course the mind wants to judge our experience and make meaning of it. That’s just what the mind does. When we practice we begin to affect the energies of our subtle body and that can manifest as uncomfortable body sensations anywhere, anytime. It just is. Try not to make a big deal out of it.

So why do long term or more intensive practice? Because that is what is needed if we wish to see the true nature of our mind (that is Buddhist code for get enlightened). Our habits of the mind to get distracted are very strong. It takes a lot of time and training to let go of those habits and be able to just rest in the way things truly are. It requires a lot of patience and perseverance. And a willingness to let go over and over, endlessly. It can be very frustrating at times, our mind will try every trick in the book to avoid the practice and justify doing something else. That’s OK, just let it go.

It sounds like it is going well. Good luck. Edwin

[Author]

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