This is an introduction to the method of meditation I am teaching at the moment. I am using the traditional word ‘yogi’ for meditator, and have included a few vocabulary words in Pali, the ancient language in which these meditation instructions were originally taught. This will be a continuing series. This is a adapted from a lecture given by the late Mahasi Sayadaw, a famous meditation instructor from Burma.
Basic Development of Insight
The method of developing this wisdom is to observe materiality (rupa) and mentality (nama) — the two sole elements existing in a living being — with a view to knowing them in their true nature. At present, experiments in the analytical observation of materiality are usually carried out in laboratories with the aid of various kinds of instruments, yet these methods cannot deal with the mind. Meditation makes use of one’s own mind for analytical purposes by fixing bare attention on the activities of materiality and mentality as they occur within oneself. By continually repeating this form of exercise, the necessary concentration can be gained, and when concentration is keen enough, the ceaseless course of arising and passing away of materiality and mentality will be vividly perceptible.
The living being consists solely of the two distinct groups of materiality and mentality. The solid substance of body as it is now found belongs to the group of materiality. According to the usual enumeration of material phenomena, there are altogether twenty-eight kinds in this group, but in short it may be noted that body is a mass of materiality. For example, it is the same as a doll made of clay or wheat, which is nothing but a collection of particles of clay or flour. Materiality changes its form (ruppati) under physical conditions of heat, cold, etc., and because of this changeableness under contrary physical conditions, it is called rupa in Pali. It does not possess any faculty of knowing an object.
The Foundations
It has already been explained that the actual method of practice in insight meditation is to note, or to observe, or to contemplate, the successive occurrences of seeing, hearing, and so on, at the six sense doors. However, it will not be possible for a beginner to follow these on all successive incidents as they occur because his mindfulness (sati),concentration (samadhi), and knowledge (ñana) are still very weak. The moments of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking occur very swiftly. It seems that seeing occurs at the same time as hearing, that hearing occurs at the same time as seeing, that seeing and hearing occur simultaneously, that seeing, hearing, thinking and imagining always occur simultaneously. Because they occur so swiftly, it is not possible to distinguish which occurs first and which second.
In reality, seeing does not occur at the same time as hearing, nor does hearing occur at the same time as seeing. Such incidents can occur only one at a time. A yogi who has just begun the practice and who has not sufficiently developed his mindfulness, concentration and knowledge will not, however, be in a position to observe all these moments singly as they occur in serial order. A beginner need not, therefore, follow up on many things. He needs to begin with only a few things.
Seeing or hearing occurs only when due attention is given to their objects. If one does not pay heed to any sight or sound, one may pass the time without any moments of seeing or hearing taking place. Smelling rarely occurs. The experience of tasting can only occur while one is eating. In the case of seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting, the yogi can note them when they occur. Body impressions, however, are ever present. They usually exist distinctly all the time. During the time that one is sitting, the body impression of stiffness or the sensation of hardness in this position is distinctly felt. Attention should therefore be fixed on the sitting posture and a note made as “sitting, sitting, sitting.”
Rising and Falling of the Abdomen
A simple and easy form of the exercise for a beginner is this: With every breath there occurs in the abdomen a rising-falling movement. A beginner should start with the exercise of noting this movement. This rising-falling movement is easy to observe because it is coarse and therefore more suitable for the beginner. As in schools where simple lessons are easy to learn, so also is the practice of insight meditation. A beginner will find it easier to develop concentration and knowledge with a simple and easy exercise.
Again, the purport of insight meditation is to begin the exercise by contemplating prominent factors in the body. Of the two factors of mentality and materiality, the former is subtle and less prominent, while the latter is coarse and more prominent. At the outset, therefore, the usual procedure for an insight meditator is to begin the exercise by contemplating the material elements.
With regard to materiality, it may be mentioned here that derived materiality (upada-rupa) is subtle and less prominent, while the four primary physical elements (maha-bhuta-rupa) — earth, water, fire and air — are coarse and more prominent. The latter should therefore have priority in the order of objects for contemplation. In the case of rising-falling, the outstanding factor is the air element, or vayo-dhatu. The process of stiffening and the movements of the abdomen noticed during the contemplation are nothing but the functions of the air element. Thus it will be seen that the air element is perceptible at the beginning.
One should be mindful of the activities of walking while walking, of those of standing, sitting and lying down while standing, sitting and lying down, respectively. One should also be mindful of other bodily activities as each of them occurs. In this connection, it is stated in the commentaries that one should be mindful primarily of the air element, in preference to the other three elements. As a matter of fact, all four primary elements are dominant in every action of the body, and it is essential to perceive any one of them. At the time of sitting, either of the two movements of rising and falling occurs conspicuously with every breath, and a beginning should be made by noting these movements.
Some fundamental features in the system of insight meditation have been explained for general information. The general outline of basic exercises will now be dealt with.
Outline of Basic Exercises
When contemplating rising and falling, the disciple should keep his mind on the abdomen. He will then come to know the upward movement or expansion of the abdomen on breathing in, and the downward movement or contraction on breathing out. A mental note should be made as “rising” for the upward movement and “falling” for the downward movement. If these movements are not clearly noticed by simply fixing the mind on them, one or both hands should be placed on the abdomen.
The disciple should not try to change the manner of his natural breathing. He should neither attempt slow breathing by the retention of his breath, nor quick breathing or deep breathing. If he does change the natural flow of his breathing, he will soon tire himself. He must therefore keep to the natural rate of his breathing and proceed with the contemplation of rising and falling.
On the occurrence of the upward movement of the abdomen, the mental note of “rising” should be made, and on the downward movement of the abdomen, the mental note of “falling” should be made. The mental notation of these terms should not be vocalized. In insight meditation, it is more important to know the object than to know it by a term or name. It is therefore necessary for the disciple to make every effort to be mindful of the movement of rising from its beginning to its end and that of falling from its beginning to its end, as if these movements are actually seen with the eyes. As soon as rising occurs, there should be the knowing mind close to the movement, as in the case of a stone hitting a wall. The movement of rising as it occurs and the mind knowing it must come together on every occasion. Similarly, the movement of falling as it occurs and the mind knowing it must come together on every occasion.
When there is no other conspicuous object, the disciple should carry on the exercise of noting these two movements as “rising, falling, rising, falling, rising, falling.” While thus being occupied with this exercise, there may be occasions when the mind wanders about. When concentration is weak, it is very difficult to control the mind. Though it is directed to the movements of rising and falling, the mind will not stay with them but will wander to other places. This wandering mind should not be let alone. It should be noted as “wandering, wandering, wandering” as soon as it is noticed that it is wandering. On noting once or twice the mind usually stops wandering, then the exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued. When it is again found that the mind has reached a place, it should be noted as “reaching, reaching, reaching.” Then the exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be reverted to as soon as these movements are clear.
On meeting with a person in the imagination, it should be noted as “meeting, meeting,” after which the usual exercise should be reverted to. Sometimes the fact that it is mere imagination is discovered when one speaks with that imaginary person, and it should then be noted as “speaking,speaking.” The real purport is to note every mental activity as it occurs. For instance, it should be noted as “thinking” at the moment of thinking, and as “reflecting,” “planning,” “knowing,” “attending,” rejoicing,” “feeling lazy,” “feeling happy,” “disgusted,” etc., as the case may be, on the occurrence of each activity. The contemplation of mental activities and noticing them is called cittanupassana,contemplation of mind.
Because people have no practical knowledge in insight meditation, they are generally not in a position to know the real state of the mind. This naturally leads them to the wrong view of holding mind to be “person,” “self,” “living entity.” They usually believe that “imagination is I,” “I am thinking, ” “I am planning,” “I am knowing,” and so forth. They hold that there exists a living entity or self which grows up from childhood to adulthood. In reality, such a living entity does not exist, but there does exist a continuous process of elements of mind which occur singly, one at a time, in succession. The practice of contemplation is therefore being carried out with the aim of discovering the true nature of this mind-body complex.
Faring far. Mind usually wanders far and wide. While the yogi is trying to carry on with the practice of contemplation in his meditation room, he often finds that his mind has wandered to many far-off places, towns, etc. He also finds that his mind can wander to any of the far-off places which he has previously known at the very moment of thinking or imagining. This fact is discovered with the help of contemplation.
Alone. Mind occurs singly, moment to moment in succession. Those who do not perceive the reality of this believe that one mind exists in the course of life or existence. They do not know that new minds are always arising at every moment. They think that the seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking of the past and of the present belong to one and the same mind, and that three or four acts of seeing, hearing, touching, knowing usually occur simultaneously.
This is distorted perception. In reality, single moments of mind arise and pass away continuously, one after another. This can be perceived on gaining considerable practice. The cases of imagination and planning are clearly perceptible. Imagination passes away as soon as it is noted as “imagining, imagining,” and planning also passes away as soon as it is noted as “planning, planning.” These instances of arising, noting and passing away appear like a string of beads. The preceding mind is not the following mind. Each is separate. These characteristics of reality are personally perceptible, and for this purpose one must proceed with the practice of contemplation.
Formless. Mind has no substance, no form. It is not easy to distinguish as is the case with materiality. In the case of materiality, the body, head, hands and legs are very prominent and are easily noticed. If it is asked what matter is, matter can be handled and shown. Mind, however, is not easy to describe because it has no substance or form. For this reason, it is not possible to carry out analytical laboratory experiments on the mind.
One can, however, fully understand the mind if it is explained as that which knows an object. To understand the mind, it is necessary to contemplate the mind at every moment of its occurrence. When contemplation is fairly advanced, the mind’s approach to its object is clearly comprehended. It appears as if each moment of mind is making a direct leap towards it object. In order to know the true nature of the mind, contemplation is thus prescribed.
The mind should be contemplated at each moment of its occurrence. The mind can thus be controlled by means of contemplation. On his successful controlling of the mind, the yogi will win freedom from the bondage of the undisciplined mind. It will now be seen that it is important to note the mind at every moment of its occurrence. As soon as it is noted, the mind passes away. For instance, by noting once or twice as “intending, intending,” it is found that intention passes away at once. Then the usual exercise of noting as “rising, falling, rising, falling” should be reverted to.
While one is proceeding with the usual exercise, one may feel that one wants to swallow saliva. It should be noted as “wanting,” and on gathering saliva as “gathering,” and on swallowing as “swallowing,” in the serial order of occurrence. The reason for contemplation in this case is because there may be a persisting personal view as “wanting to swallow is I,” “swallowing is also I.” In reality, “wanting to swallow” is mentality and not “I,” and “swallowing” is materiality and not “I.” There exist only mentality and materiality at that moment. By means of contemplating in this manner, one will understand clearly the process of reality. So too, in the case of spitting, it should be noted as “wanting” when one wants to spit, as “bending” on bending the neck (which should be done slowly), as “looking, seeing” on looking and as “spitting” on spitting. Afterwards, the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued.
Because of sitting for a long time, there will arise in the body unpleasant feeling of being stiff, being hot and so forth. These sensations should be noted as they occur. The mind should be fixed on that spot and a note made as “stiff, stiff” on feeling stiff, as “hot, hot” on feeling hot, as “painful, painful” on feeling painful, as “prickly, prickly” on feeling prickly sensations, and as “tired, tired” on feeling tired. These unpleasantness of those feelings are dukkha-vedana and the contemplation of these feeling is vedananupassana, contemplation of feeling.
Owing to the absence of knowledge in respect of these feelings, there persists the wrong view of holding them as one’s own personality or self, that is to say, “I am feeling stiff,” “I am feeling painful,” “I was feeling well formerly but I now feel uncomfortable,” in the manner of a single self. In reality, unpleasant feelings arise owing to disagreeable impressions in the body. Like the light of an electric bulb which can continue to burn on a continuous supply of energy, so it is in the case of feelings, which arise anew on every occasion of coming in contact with disagreeable impressions.
It is essential to understand these feelings clearly. At the beginning of noting as “stiff, stiff,” “hot, hot,” “painful, painful,” one may feel that such disagreeable feelings grow stronger, and then one will notice that a mind wanting to change the posture arises. This mind should be noted as “wanting, wanting.” Then a return should be made to the feeling and it should be noted as “stiff, stiff” or “hot, hot,” and so forth. If one proceeds in this manner of contemplation with great patience, unpleasant feelings will pass away.
There is a saying that patience leads to perfect happiness. Evidently this saying is more applicable in the case of contemplation than in any other. Plenty of patience is needed in contemplation. If a yogi cannot bear unpleasant feelings with patience, but frequently changes his posture during contemplation, he cannot expect to gain concentration. Without concentration there is no chance of acquiring insight knowledge (vipassana-ñana) and without insight knowledge the attainment of the path, fruition and Nibbana cannot be won.
Patience is of great importance in contemplation. Patience is needed mostly to bear unpleasant bodily feelings. There is hardly any case of outside disturbances where it is necessary to exercise patience. This means the observance of khantisamvara, restraint by patience. The posture should not be immediately changed when unpleasant sensations arise, but contemplation should be continued by noting them as “stiff, stiff,” “hot, hot,” and so on. Such painful sensations are normal and will pass away. In the case of strong concentration, it will be found that great pains will pass away when they are noted with patience. On the fading away of suffering or pain, the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued.
On the other hand, it may be found that pains or unpleasant feelings do not immediately pass away even when one notes them with great patience. In such a case, one has no alternative but to change posture. One must, of course, submit to superior forces. When concentration is not strong enough, strong pains will not pass away quickly. In these circumstances there will often arise a mind wanting to change posture, and this mind should be noted as “wanting, wanting.” After this, one should note “lifting, lifting” on moving it forward.
These bodily actions should be carried out slowly, and these slow movements should be followed up and noted as “lifting, lifting,” “moving, moving,” “touching, touching,” in the successive order of the process. Again, on moving one should note “moving, moving,” and on putting down, note “putting, putting.” If, when this process of changing posture has been completed, there is nothing more to be noted, the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued.
In the practice of insight meditation, it is important to follow the example of a person who tries to make fire. To make a fire in the days before matches, a person had to constantly rub two sticks together without the slightest break in motion. As the sticks became hotter and hotter, more effort was needed, and the rubbing had to be carried out incessantly. Only when the fire had been produced was the person at liberty to take a rest. Similarly, a yogi should work hard so that there is no break between the preceding noting and the one which follows, and the preceding concentration and the one which follows. He should revert to his usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” after he has noted painful sensations.
While being thus occupied with his usual exercise, he may again feel itching sensations somewhere in the body. He should then fix his mind on the spot and make a note as “itching, itching.” Itching is an unpleasant sensation. As soon as it is felt, there arises a mind which wants to rub or scratch. This mind should be noted as “wanting, wanting,” after which no rubbing or scratching must be done as yet, but a return should be made to the itching and a note made as “itching, itching.” While one is occupied with contemplation in this manner, itching in most cases passes away and the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should then be reverted to.
If, on the other hand, it is found that itching does not pass away, but that it is necessary to rub or scratch, the contemplation of the successive stages should be carried out by noting the mind as “wanting, wanting.” It should then be continued by noting “raising, raising” on raising the hand, “touching, touching” when the hand touches the spot, “rubbing, rubbing” or “scratching, scratching” when the hand rubs or scratches, “withdrawing, withdrawing” on withdrawing the hand, “touching, touching” when the hand touches the body, and then the usual contemplation of “rising, falling” should be continued. In every case of changing postures, contemplation of the successive stages should be carried out similarly and carefully.
While thus carefully proceeding with the contemplation, one may find that painful feelings or unpleasant sensations arise in the body of their own accord. Ordinarily, people change their posture as soon as they feel even the slightest unpleasant sensation of tiredness or heat without taking heed of these incidents. The change of posture is carried out quite heedlessly just while the seed of pain is beginning to grow. Thus painful feelings fail to take place in a distinctive manner. For this reason it is said that, as a rule, the postures hide painful feelings from view. People generally think that they are feeling well for days and nights on end. They think that painful feelings occur only at the time of an attack of a dangerous disease.
Reality is often the opposite of what people think. Let anyone try to see how long he can keep himself in a sitting posture without moving or changing it. One will find it uncomfortable after a short while, say five or ten minutes, and then one will begin to find it unbearable after fifteen or twenty minutes. One will then be compelled to move or change one’s posture by either raising or lowering the head, moving the hands or legs, or by swaying the body either forward or backward. Many movements usually take place during a short time, and the number would be very large if they were to be counted for the length of just one day. However, no one appears to be aware of this fact because no one takes any heed.
Such is the order in every case, while in the case of a yogi who is always mindful of his actions and who is proceeding with contemplation, body impressions in their own respective nature are therefore distinctly noticed. They cannot help but reveal themselves fully in their own nature because he is watching until they come to full view.
Though a painful sensation arises, he keeps on noting it. He does not ordinarily attempt to change his posture or move. Then on the arising of mind wanting to change, he at once makes a note of it as “wanting, wanting,” and afterwards he returns again to the painful sensation and continues his noting of it. He changes his posture or moves only when he finds the painful feeling unbearable. In this case he also begins by noting the wanting mind and proceeds with noting carefully each stage in the process of moving. This is why the postures can no longer hide painful sensations. Often a yogi finds painful sensations creeping from here and there or he may feel hot sensations, aching sensations, itching, or the whole body as a mass of painful sensations. That is how painful sensations are found to be predominant because the postures cannot cover them.
If he intends to change his posture from sitting to standing, he should first make a note of the intending mind as “intending, intending,” and proceed with the arranging of the hands and legs in the successive stages by noting as “raising,” “moving,” “stretching,” “touching,” “pressing,” and so forth. When the body sways forward, it should be noted as “swaying, swaying.” While in the course of standing up, there occurs in the body a feeling of lightness as well as the act of rising. Attention should be fixed on these factors and a note made as “rising, rising.” The act of rising should be carried out slowly.
During the course of practice it is most appropriate if a yogi acts feebly and slowly in all activities just like a weak, sick person. Perhaps the case of a person suffering from lumbago would be a more fitting example here. The patient must always be cautious and move slowly just to avoid pains. In the same manner a yogi should always try to keep to slow movements in all actions. Slow motion is necessary to enable mindfulness, concentration and knowledge to catch up. One has lived all the time in a careless manner and one just begins seriously to train oneself in keeping the mind within the body. It is only the beginning, and one’s mindfulness, concentration and knowledge have not yet been properly geared up while the physical and mental processes are moving at top speed. It is thus imperative to bring the top-level speed of these processes to the lowest gear so as to make it possible for mindfulness and knowledge to keep pace with them. It is therefore desirable that slow motion exercises be carried out at all times.
Further, it is advisable for a yogi to behave like a blind person throughout the course of training. A person without any restraint will not look dignified because he usually looks at things and persons wantonly. He also cannot obtain a steady and calm state of mind. The blind person, on the other hand, behaves in a composed manner by sitting sedately with downcast eyes. He never turns in any direction to look at things or persons because he is blind and cannot see them. Even if a person comes near him and speaks to him, he never turns around and looks at that person. This composed manner is worthy of imitation. A yogi should act in the same manner while carrying out the practice of contemplation. He should not look anywhere. His mind should be solely intent on the object of contemplation. While in the sitting posture he must be intently noting “rising, falling.” Even if strange things occur nearby, he should not look at them. He must simply make a note as “seeing, seeing” and then continue with the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling.” A yogi should have a high regard for this exercise and carry it out with due respect, so much so as to be mistaken for a blind person.
It is necessary for a yogi to behave like a deaf person also. Ordinarily, as soon as a person hears a sound, he turns around and looks in the direction from which the sound came, or he turns towards the person who spoke to him and makes a reply. He does not behave in a sedate manner. A deaf person, on the other hand, behaves in a composed manner. He does not take heed of any sound or talk because he never hears them. Similarly, a yogi should conduct himself in like manner without taking heed of any unimportant talk, nor should he deliberately listen to any talk or speech. If he happens to hear any sound or speech, he should at once make a note as “hearing, hearing,” and then return to the usual practice of noting “rising, falling.” He should proceed with his contemplation intently, so much so as to be mistaken for a deaf person.
It should be remembered that the only concern of a yogi is the carrying out intently of contemplation. Other things seen or heard are not his concern. Even though they may appear to be strange or interesting, he should not take heed of them. When he sees any sights, he must ignore them as if he does not see. So too, he must ignore voices or sounds as if he does not hear. In the case of bodily actions, he must act slowly and feebly as if he were sick and very weak.
Walking Meditation
It is therefore to be emphasized that the act of pulling up the body to the standing posture should be carried out slowly. On coming to an erect position, a note should be made as “standing, standing.” If one happens to look around, a note should be made as “looking, seeing,” and on walking each step should be noted as step, step” or “walking, walking.” At each step, attention should be fixed on the sole of the foot as it moves from the point of lifting the leg to the point of placing it down.
In the case of walking slowly, each step may be divided into three sections — lifting, moving forward and placing down. In the beginning of the exercise, a note should be made of the two parts of each step: as “lifting” by fixing the attention on the upward movement of the foot from the beginning to the end, and as “dropping” by fixing on the downward movement from the beginning to the end. Thus the exercise which starts with the first step by noting as “lifting, placing” now ends.
Normally, when the foot is put down and is being noted as “dropping,” the other leg begins lifting to begin the next step. This should not be allowed to happen. The next step should begin only after the first step has been completed, such as “lifting, dropping” for the first step and “lifting, placing” for the second step. After two or three days this exercise will be easy, and then the yogi should carry out the exercise of noting each step in three sections as “lifting, stepping, dropping.”
Sitting
While one is walking, one may feel the desire to sit down. One should then make a note as “wanting.” If one then happens to look up, note it as “looking, seeing, looking, seeing”; on going to the seat as “lifting, placing”; on stopping as “stopping, stopping”; on turning as “turning, turning.” When one feels a desire to sit, note it as “wanting, wanting.” In the act of sitting there occur in the body heaviness and also a downward pull. Attention should be fixed on these factors and a note made as “sitting, sitting, sitting.” After having sat down there will be movements of bringing the hands and legs into position. They should be noted as “moving,” “bending,” “stretching,” and so forth. If there is nothing to do and if one is sitting quietly, one should then revert to the usual exercise of noting as “rising, falling.”
Lying Down
If in the course of contemplation one feels painful or tired or hot, one should make a note of these and then revert to the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling.” If one feels sleepy, one should make a note of it as “sleepy, sleepy” and proceed with the noting of all acts in preparation to lie down: note the bringing into position of the hands and legs as “raising,” “pressing,” “moving,” “supporting”; when the body sways as “swaying, swaying”; when the legs stretch as “stretching, stretching”; and when the body drops and lies flat as “lying, lying, lying.”
Waking
A yogi should begin his contemplation from the moment of awakening. To be fully occupied with intense contemplation throughout his waking hours is the routine of a yogi who works hard with true aspiration for the attainment of the path and fruit. If it is not possible to catch the moment of awakening, he should begin with the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling.” If he first becomes aware of the fact of reflecting, he should begin his contemplation by noting “reflecting, reflecting” and then revert to the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling.” If he first becomes aware of hearing a voice or some other sound, he should begin by noting “hearing, hearing” and then revert to the usual exercise. On awakening there may be bodily movement in turning to this side or that, moving the hands or legs and so forth. These actions should be contemplated in successive order.
If he first becomes aware of the mental states leading to the various actions of body, he should begin his contemplation by noting the mind. If he first becomes aware of painful sensations, he should begin with the noting of these painful sensations and then proceed with the noting of bodily actions. If he remains quiet without moving, the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued. If he intends to get up, he should note this as “intending, intending” and then proceed with the noting of all actions in serial order in bringing the hands and legs into position. One should note “raising, raising” on raising the body, “sitting, sitting” when the body is erect and in a sitting posture, and one should also note any other actions of bringing the legs and hands into position. If there is then nothing in particular to be noted, the usual exercise of noting “rising,falling” should be reverted to.
Thus far we have mentioned things relating to the objects of contemplation in connection with the four postures and changing from one posture to another. This is merely a description of the general outline of major objects of contemplation to be carried out in the course of practice. Yet in the beginning of the practice, it is difficult to follow up on all of them in the course of contemplation. Many things will be omitted, but on gaining sufficient strength in concentration, it is easy to follow up in the course of contemplation not only those objects already enumerated, but may many more. With the gradual development of mindfulness and concentration, the pace of knowledge quickens, and thus many more objects can be perceived. It is necessary to work up to this high level.
Washing and Eating
Contemplation should be carried out in washing the face in the morning or when taking a bath. As it is necessary to act quickly in such instances due to the nature of the action itself, contemplation should be carried out as far as these circumstances will allow. On stretching the hand to catch hold of the dipper, it should be noted as “stretching, stretching”; on catching hold of the dipper as “holding, holding”; on immersing the dipper as “dipping, dipping”; on bringing the dipper towards the body as “bringing, bringing”; on pouring the water over the body or on the face as “pouring, pouring”; on feeling cold as “cold, cold”; on rubbing as “rubbing, rubbing,” and so forth.
There are also many different bodily actions in changing or arranging one’s clothing, in arranging the bed or bed-sheets, in opening the door, and so on. These actions should be contemplated in detail serially as much as possible.
At the time of taking a meal, contemplation should begin from the moment of looking at the table and noted as “looking, seeing, looking, seeing”; when stretching the hand to the plate as “stretching, stretching”; when the hand touches the food as “touching, hot, hot”; when gathering the food as “gathering, gathering”; when catching hold of the food as “catching, catching”; after lifting when the hand is being brought up as “bringing, bringing”; when the neck is being bent down as “bending, bending”; when the food is being placed in the mouth as “placing, placing”; when withdrawing the hand as “withdrawing, withdrawing”; when the hand touches the plate as “touching, touching”; when the neck is being straightened as “straightening, straightening”; when chewing the food as “chewing, chewing”; while tasting the food as “tasting, tasting,” when one likes the taste as “liking, liking”; when one finds it pleasant as “pleasant, pleasant”; when swallowing as “swallowing, swallowing.”
This is an illustration of the routine of contemplation on partaking of each morsel of food till the meal is finished. In this case too it is difficult to follow up on all actions at the beginning of the practice. There will be many omissions. Yogis should not hesitate, however, but must try to follow up as much as they can. With the gradual advancement of the practice, it will be easier to note many more objects than are mentioned here.
The instructions for the practical exercise of contemplation are now almost complete. As they have been explained in detail and at some length, it will not be easy to remember all of them. For the sake of easy remembrance, a short summary of the important and essential points will be given.
Summary of Essential Points
In walking, a yogi should contemplate the movements of each step. While one is walking briskly, each step should be noted as “right step, left step” respectively. The mind should be fixed intently on the sole of the foot in the movements of each step. While one is in the course of walking slowly, each step should be noted in two parts as “lifting, placing.” While one is in a sitting posture, the usual exercise of contemplation should be carried out by noting the movements of the abdomen as “rising, falling, rising, falling.” The same manner of contemplation by noting the movements as “rising, falling, rising, falling” should be carried out while one is also in the lying posture.
If it is found that the mind wanders during the course of noting “rising, falling,” it should not be allowed to continue to wander but should be noted immediately. On imagining, it should be noted as “imagining, imagining”; on thinking as “thinking, thinking”; on the mind going out as “going, going”; on the mind arriving at a place as “arriving, arriving,” and so forth at every occurrence, and then the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling” should be continued.
When there occur feelings of tiredness in the hands, legs or other limbs, or hot, prickly, aching or itching sensations, they should be immediately followed up and noted as “tired,” “hot,” “prickly,” “aching,” “itching,” and so on as the case may be. A return should then be made to the usual exercise of noting “rising, falling.”
When there are acts of bending or stretching the hands or legs, or moving the neck or limbs or swaying the body to and fro, they should be followed up and noted in serial order as they occur. The usual exercise of noting as “rising, falling” should then be reverted to.
This is only a summary. Any other objects to be contemplated in the course of training will be mentioned by the meditation teachers when giving instructions during the daily interview with the disciples.
If one proceeds with the practice in the manner indicated, the number of objects will gradually increase in the course of time. At first there will be many omissions because the mind is used to wandering without any restraint whatsoever. However, a yogi should not lose heart on this account. This difficulty is usually encountered in the beginning of practice. After some time, the mind can no longer play truant because it is always found out every time it wanders. It therefore remains fixed on the object to which it is directed.
As rising occurs the mind makes a note of it, and thus the object and the mind coincide. As falling occurs the mind makes a note of it, and thus the object and the mind coincide. There is always a pair, the object and the mind which knows the object, at each time of noting. These two elements of the material object and the knowing mind always arise in pairs, and apart from these two there does not exist any other thing in the form of a person or self. This reality will be personally realized in due course.
The fact that materiality and mentality are two distinct, separate things will be clearly perceived during the time of noting “rising, falling.” The two elements of materiality and mentality are linked up in pairs and their arising coincides, that is, the process of materiality in rising arises with the process of mentality which knows it. The process of materiality in falling falls away together with the process of mentality which knows it. It is the same for lifting, moving and placing: these are processes of materiality arising and falling away together with the processes of mentality which know them. This knowledge in respect of matter and mind rising separately is known as nama-rupa-pariccheda-ñana, the discriminating knowledge of mentality-materiality. It is the preliminary stage in the whole course of insight knowledge. It is important to have this preliminary stage developed in a proper manner.
On continuing the practice of contemplation for some time, there will be considerable progress in mindfulness and concentration. At this high level it will be perceptible that on every occasion of noting, each process arises and passes away at that very moment. But, on the other hand, uninstructed people generally consider that the body and mind remain in a permanent state throughout life, that the same body of childhood has grown up into adulthood, that the same young mind has grown up into maturity, and that both body and mind are one and the same person. In reality, this is not so. Nothing is permanent. Everything comes into existence for a moment and then passes away. Nothing can remain even for the blink of an eye. Changes are taking place very swiftly and they will be perceived in due course.
While carrying on the contemplation by noting “rising, falling” and so forth, one will perceive that these processes arise and pass away one after another in quick succession. On perceiving that everything passes away at the very point of noting, a yogi knows that nothing is permanent. This knowledge regarding the impermanent nature of things is aniccanupassana-ñana, the contemplative knowledge of impermanence.