Hello,
And welcome to Methods,
An exploration in guided prayer and meditation.
Today our practice is Vipassana.
Vipassana is a Pali word that means insight or clear seeing.
It is a traditional Buddhist practice dating back to 6th century BC.
Vipassana meditation,
As taught in the last few decades,
Comes from the Theravada Buddhist tradition and was popularized by S.
N.
Goenka and the Vipassana movement.
Due to the popularity of Vipassana meditation,
The mindfulness of breathing component of it has gained further popularity in the West as mindfulness.
We touched on this in the first episode of this season,
So if you'd like,
You can go back and try that method first.
There are some differing opinions on how to practice Vipassana.
In general,
However,
Most teachers emphasize starting with mindfulness of breath in the first stages to stabilize the mind and achieve access concentration.
This is more like focused attention meditation,
Which is distinguished from open awareness or effortless presence.
Then the practice moves on to developing clear insight on the bodily sensations and mental phenomena,
Observing them moment by moment and not clinging to any.
Don't worry about all the details yet though.
Our purpose with methods is just to showcase different methods of prayer,
Meditation,
And contemplation,
So that you can choose the one that works best for you.
Whichever practice brings you closer to God,
The divine,
A higher power,
Or yourself,
Do that.
The purpose of this is also to showcase the fact that most faith traditions,
Although they differ in belief and practice,
Have many similarities at the mystical,
Inward,
Or esoteric levels.
It may be frightening for those brought up in a Western or American Protestant Christianity to engage in a method of spiritual practice from another faith tradition.
That is completely normal.
However,
Whatever your faith,
If God is truly boundless and His love unconditional,
Then we can see that He doesn't care what word we use to describe Him,
And He doesn't care what method we use to devote ourselves to Him.
This interfaith work can additionally help us to become more loving and accepting of our fellow humans,
Knowing there's far more that binds us together than separates us.
The method goes like this.
Find somewhere quiet and comfortable to sit.
It doesn't matter if you sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor,
Or on a cushion,
Or rolled up blanket on the ground.
You can sit cross-legged,
Or in a half-lotus position if you have good flexibility,
Or you can kneel with a cushion between the back of your lower legs and your seat.
You may have a prayer closet,
Or a corner of a spare room,
Or a space next to your bed.
You can light a candle,
Or burn incense in a scent you find calming.
What matters is that you are in a calm and quiet environment to aid in your relaxation and concentration.
Pause this meditation if you need time.
Remove the tension from your hands and place them on the upper portion of your legs.
Close your eyes and breathe calmly and normally through your nose if possible.
Watch your breath as it goes into your body,
Expanding your chest and belly.
And then watch as it goes out,
Collapsing your chest and belly.
Notice how this feels.
Try to feel the air as it passes over your lips and nostrils on the way into your nose.
And out,
Passing back over your upper lip.
As you focus on your breath,
You will notice that other thoughts and feelings continue to appear.
Sounds,
Physical sensations in the body,
Pain,
Emotions.
Simply notice these as they emerge in your field of awareness and then return to the sensation of breathing.
The attention is kept on the breath while these other thoughts or sensations are there simply as background noise.
The object that is the focus of the practice,
In this case the movement of the breath,
Is called the primary object.
And the secondary object is anything else that arises in your field of perception,
Either through sound,
Smell,
Sensation,
Or through the mind like a thought,
Memory,
Or feeling.
If a secondary object hooks your attention and pulls it away,
Or if it causes attraction or aversion,
Focus on the secondary object for a moment or two,
Labeling it with a mental note.
This identifies an object in general,
But not in detail,
Helping you to not be carried away by the thought.
When you're aware of a sound,
For example,
Label it hearing instead of motorcycle,
Voices,
Or barking dog.
Try not to judge the intrusion as distracting or negative.
See it as it is without giving it a quality.
If an unpleasant sensation arises,
Note pain or feeling instead of knee pain or back pain,
And then gently return your attention to the breath.
Pain like this for a while.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Come back to the room.
Stretch your arms,
Your legs,
And your neck,
And move about.
If you come from a Christian,
Jewish,
Or Muslim background,
We commend you for being brave and seeking God in all things and in all people.
Feel free to continue replaying any of these guided meditations in your daily practice,
Or if you memorize the practice,
Even better.
Thank you for participating in this episode of Methods.
For more information,
Find us on www.
MethodsPodcast.
Com or on social media at MethodsPodcast.
Until next time.
