Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Practical Insight Meditations Basic and Progressive Stages by Mahasi Resources for ’s book “The Manual of Insight” # The Manual of Insight is the most comprehensive guide for the practice of Mahasi Vipassana (Insight) meditation. It is considered to be the magnus opus of Mahasi Sayadaw and it is a must read - or even better a must study - for practicioners that want to go deeper in Mahasi Vipassana. Chapter 5 of this book is the most easily understandable and practical how-to for Mahasi Sayadaw’s famous noting technique . The exact same text but with an older English translation, can also be found on this website by pressing these links: In Chapter 6 , Mahasi Sayadaw provides an extended analysis on the stages (map) of the progress of insight. For further information about this map, please read “The Progress of Insight Map”. Alternative translation # Below you may find an older (1984) and freely distributed translation of the same book by U MIN SWE (Min Kyaw Thu), under the name of “The Treatise on Vipassana Insight Meditation” : Additional material # Book summary/analysis on Reddit (r/streamentry) # Back in 2017, members of r/streamentry organised an online study group for The Manual of Insight . Below you will find the outcome of their discussions, divided per chapter: E-book: A r/streamentry summary of Mahasi Sayadaw’s book “The Manual of Insight” # This e-book created by MVMR, is a collection of texts from the above r/streamentry online study group. It contains the summaries of 3 r/streamentry members: u/filpt, u/TetrisMcKenna and u/xugan97. The purpose of this text collection is not to be read instead of or before the “The Manual of Insight” , but to be used as an additional resource that will assist the reader to better understand Mahasi Sayadaw’s book. Downloads: e-book version: 2.2 - 2019-12-30. This is the link of the discussion about this e-book on r/streamentry. George Haas Podcast # George Haas has created a 47 episode (in fact 45, as 2 of them deal with a different subject) podcast about (a part of ) the “Manual of Insight” named Deepening Your Practice (DYP). Note: George Haas (a student of Shinzen Young) does not teach Mahasi Vipassana. His approach is based on a mixture of Metta/Vipassana. His podcast deals with both the “Manual of Insight” book analysis and his own meditation technique. Practical Insight Meditations: Basic and Progressive Stages by Mahasi Sayadaw. MAHASI MEDITATION CENTER. Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization. 16 Sasana Yeiktha Road. Tel: 50392 / 52501. Cable: Mahasi Yangon. Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization was founded in 1947 in Burma (now ) with the object of propagating the Buddha Sasana (i.e. Teaching of the Buddha) through scriptural learning and practice of Vipassana (Insight) meditation. None-profit in character, it operates the Mahasi Meditation Center with subscriptions from its members and voluntary donations (Dana) from devout Buddhists throughout the country. Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha. This meditation center was opened two years after the establishment of the above Organization, with the most Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw as its Principal Preceptor. It is located on approximately twenty acres of quiet pleasant garden land in Hermitage (now Sasana-yeiktha) Road, Bahan Township of Rangoon (now Yangon, off Kaba Aye Road). There are over one hundred buildings on the grounds for housing the meditation teachers and Yogis (meditation trainees) both and laity, men as well as women and providing complete retreat facilities. How to reach the Center. The Center is within easy reach, only about twenty minutes drive by taxi from the Yangon Mingaladon International Airport, or about ten minutes by car from the Tourist Center in downtown Yangon. It is shown in Tourist guide maps and there is a prominent signboard at the junction of Kaba Aye Pagoda and Sasana-yeiktha Road to guide the visitor. Admission And Entry Visa. Foreign Yogis seeking admission should be ready and willing to undergo full-time Vipassana meditation for about six to twelve weeks which is considered and appropriate period of retreat for one to gain a basic knowledge and experience of Vipassana meditation. Yogis from abroad intending to meditate at the Center should contact the organization in writing beforehand furnishing such particulars as their knowledge of the Buddha-dhamma and previous experience (if any) of , the name and address of the center where they have mediated and the Mediation Teacher under whom they have been trained. On receipt of such information the Organization will issue to acceptable person a "Sponsorship letter" to be attached to his or her application to the Myanmar Embassy or Consulate nearest to one'� residence. Then only, issue of a "Special Entry Visa" for meditation for a period of six to twelve weeks will be considered by the authorities. Candidates are advised not to come with a Tourist Visa of seven days as it cannot be extended on any grounds. Processing of a Special entry Visa usually takes three to four weeks as it involves 2 or 3 government departments. It should be noted that the period of stay granted is normally intended for the practice of intensive Vipassana meditation only. Preference will be accorded to those applicants who are recommended by the Organization and teachers known to Mahasi Meditation Center. Accommodation. Boarding and lodging are free for foreign Yogis for the entire period of their stay and practice at the Center. Accommodation for Bhikkhus (monks) laymen, Thilashins (nuns) and woman Yogis is separate and assigned on arrival. Rooms are either single or double and furnished with bed and bedding. Toilets and washing facilities are adequately provided. The Organization endeavors to provide single rooms for foreign Yogis wherever possible, but if sufficient single-room accommodation is not available, yogis are expected to share the same room with another Yogi. Yogis should provide themselves with daily personal requisites such as toiletries, towels, their regular vitamins and mineral supplements and medicines. They should also provide themselves with their own meditation cushions if they are in the habit of using them. Either vegetarian or non-vegetarian breakfast and lunch are served in Myanmar style. Breakfast is at 5:30 a.m. and lunch at 10:00 a.m. There is no evening meal, all the Yogis at the Center, observing the Precept of abstaining from food after 12 noon. But soft drinks, jelly and Su-tu-ma-du, an emulsion containing honey, molasses, ghee and sesame oil) may be taken. Yogis will find this diet regime definitely helpful for meditative practice. Medicare Care. There is a dispensary at the center for treatment of minor aliments open every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday form 4 to 6 p.m. Cases needing special attention will be treated at the State Hospital. Yogis preferring treatment at a private clinic will themselves have to bear the necessary expenses for the same. Climate Condition of Yangon, Myanmar. Rainy season starts towards the end of May and lasts until first or second week of October with an average rainfall of 80-100 inches. Cool season begins about the month of November and lasts until the middle of February. Night temperature varies between 55-56 degrees F. Dry weather prevails from middle of October until end of April. Maximum temperature in the months of aril and May could reach 103-104 degrees F. Vipassana Meditation. Satipatthana Vipassana is insight meditation through and is practiced with a view to positive realization of the truths of , suffering and impersonality of all conditioned mental and physical phenomena, especially of those phenomena as manifested in the Yogi�s own person. This way was taught by the Buddha for all who seek to grow spiritually and eventually attain enlightenment. It should not be confused with "Samantha Bhavana" which aims at tranquillity of mind and acquisition of certain psychic or occult powers. Program of Meditation. There are no periodically scheduled or weekend Courses, but the Center is open throughout the year to receive those who are prepared to undertake full-time Satipatthana Vipassana meditation for six to twelve weeks. All lay Yogis are expected to observe the throughout the length of their stay, which will be explained by the Meditation Teacher at the time of introduction. The observance of those moral Precepts conduces to the development of Vipassana Insight knowledge. At the time of their induction, a tape-recorded talk on Satipattana Vipassana Meditation, its purpose, method of practice and benefits derived there-form is played for the new Yogi. MAHASI MEDITATION CENTRE Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organisation. 1. Dr. Than Naung(U Sunanda) (Interpreter - Myanmar), 2. U Sakkinda (Myanmar), 3. U Osadha (Myanmar). 4. U Sandara (Korea),5. U Silavanta (Switzerland), 6. U Dhammadhara (Czeh), 7. U Indacara (Myanmar), 8. Kammathanacariya Bhaddanta Vasava, 9. U Vijjobhasa (Myanmar Interpreter), 10. U Pabhakara (Thailand), 11. U Vidhura (Thailand), 12. U Suddhacitta (Thailand),13. U Uttama (Switzerland), 14. U (Korea). 1. U Kusala (Korea), 2. U Indavara (Laos), 3. U Pavita (Laos), 4. U Pandita (Laos), 5. U Sundara (Laos), 6. U Vayania (Laos), 7. U Uttama (Laos), 8. U Vimala (Laos), 9. U Chanthasara (Laos), 10. Nanasamvara (Thailand), 11. U Punna (Korea), 12. U Sumana (Laos), 13. U Pannananda (Korea), 14. U Nanaloka (Korea). PAST AND PRESENT PRESIDENTS. SIR U THWIN President (1947-1963) Sithu U BA TIN President (1963-1972) U TIN (Myan Aung) President (1972) U CHIT PE President (1972-1974) Wunna Kyaw Htin Sithu U NYI PU President (1974-1976) U PWINT KAUNG President (1976-1993) U HLA KYAING President (1993-1999) U TIN WAN President (1999-) Telephone: (+95) 01 541971, 552501 Fax: (+95) 01 289960, 289961. Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization was founded in 1947 in Burma (now Myanmar) with the object of propagating the Buddha Sasana (i.e. Teaching of the Buddha) through scriptural learning and practice of Vipassana (Insight) meditation. Non-profit in character, it operates the Mahasi Meditation Center with subscriptions from its members and voluntary donations (Dana) from devout Buddhists throughout the country. Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha. This meditation center was opened two years after the establishment of the above Organization, with the most Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw as its Principal Preceptor. It is located on approximately twenty acres of quiet pleasant garden land in Hermitage (now Sasana-yeiktha) Road, Bahan Township of Rangoon (now Yangon, off Kaba Aye Pagoda Road). There are over one hundred buildings on the grounds for housing the meditation teachers and Yogis (meditation trainees) both Bhikkhus and laity, men as well as women and providing complete retreat facilities. The Center is within easy reach, only about twenty minutes drive by taxi from the Yangon Mingaladon International Airport, or about ten minutes by car from the Tourist Center in downtown Yangon. It is shown in Tourist guide maps and there is a prominent signboard at the junction of Kaba Aye Pagoda and Sasana-yeiktha Road to guide the visitor. Admission And Entry Visa. Foreign Yogis seeking admission should be ready and willing to undergo full-time Vipassana meditation for about six to twelve weeks which is considered and appropriate period of retreat for one to gain a basic knowledge and experience of Vipassana meditation. Yogis from abroad intending to meditate at the Center should contact the organization in writing beforehand furnishing such particulars as their knowledge of the Buddha-dhamma and previous experience (if any) of Buddhist meditation, the name and address of the center where they have mediated and the Mediation Teacher under whom they have been trained. On receipt of such information the Organization will issue to acceptable person a "Sponsorship letter" to be attached to his or her application to the Myanmar Embassy or Consulate nearest to one''residence. Then only, issue of a " Special Entry Visa " for meditation for a period of six to twelve weeks will be considered by the authorities. Candidates are advised not to come with a Tourist Visa of seven days as it cannot be extended on any grounds. Processing of a Special entry Visa usually takes three to four weeks as it involves 2 or 3 government departments. It should be noted that the period of stay granted is normally intended for the practice of intensive Vipassana meditation only. Preference will be accorded to those applicants who are recommended by the Organization and teachers known to Mahasi Meditation Centre. Boarding and lodging are free for foreign Yogis for the entire period of their stay and practice at the Center. Accommodation for Bhikkhus (monks) laymen, Thilashins (nuns) and woman Yogis is separate and assigned on arrival. Rooms are either single or double and furnished with bed and bedding. Toilets and washing facilities are adequately provided. The Organization endeavors to provide single rooms for foreign Yogis wherever possible, but if sufficient single-room accommodation is not available, yogis are expected to share the same room with another Yogi. Yogis should provide themselves with daily personal requisites such as toiletries, towels, their regular vitamins and mineral supplements and medicines. They should also provide themselves with their own meditation cushions if they are in the habit of using them. Either vegetarian or non-vegetarian breakfast and lunch are served in Myanmar style. Breakfast is at 5:30 a.m. and lunch at 10:00 a.m. There is no evening meal, all the Yogis at the Center, observing the Precept of abstaining from food after 12 noon. But soft drinks, jelly and Su-tu-ma-du, an emulsion containing honey, molasses, ghee and sesame oil) may be taken. Yogis will find this diet regime definitely helpful for meditative practice. There is a dispensary at the center for treatment of minor aliments open every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday form 4 to 6 p.m. Cases needing special attention will be treated at the State Hospital. Yogis preferring treatment at a private clinic will themselves have to bear the necessary expenses for the same. Climate Condition of Yangon, Myanmar. Rainy season starts towards the end of May and lasts until first or second week of October with an average rainfall of 80-100 inches. Cool season begins about the month of November and lasts until the middle of February. Night temperature varies between 55-56 degrees F. Dry weather prevails from middle of October until end of April. Maximum temperature in the months of aril and May could reach 103-104 degrees F. Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation. Satipatthana Vipassana Bhavana is insight meditation through mindfulness and is practiced with a view to positive realization of the truths of impermanence, suffering and impersonality of all conditioned mental and physical phenomena, especially of those phenomena as manifested in the Yogi's own person. This way was taught by the Buddha for all who seek to grow spiritually and eventually attain enlightenment. It should not be confused with "Samantha Bhavana" which aims at tranquillity of mind and acquisition of certain psychic or occult powers. Program of Meditation. There are no periodically scheduled or weekend Courses, but the Center is open throughout the year to receive those who are prepared to undertake full-time Satipatthana Vipassana meditation for six to twelve weeks. All lay Yogis are expected to observe the eight Precepts throughout the length of their stay, which will be explained by the Meditation Teacher at the time of introduction. The observance of those moral Precepts conduces to the development of Vipassana Insight knowledge. At the time of their induction, a tape-recorded talk on Satipattana Vipassana Meditation, its purpose, method of practice and benefits derived there-form is played for the new Yogi. The Daily Program of Meditation Practice. The day starts at a 3 a.m. and continues until 11 p.m. with breaks for meals, bath etc. almost the entire day is spent in silent individual meditative practice diversified with group sitting in a meditation hall. Individual sitting meditation is alternated with walking meditation. Individual interviews with the meditation teacher are scheduled at regular intervals to enable the Yogis to report their meditational experiences and to receive necessary guidance by their teacher for further progress. In addition, Dhamma discourses will be given from time to time to the practicing Yogis by the senior meditational Teachers. These discourses are meant to assist the Yogis in deepening their meditation practice. In this way each Yogi will receive personal attention and guidance throughout the entire course of meditation and will have an opportunity of gaining sufficient personal knowledge and experience of Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation through all stages of progressive Vipassana insight. N.B. All instructions and discourses for foreign yogis will be given through the medium of English of which the Yogis should have at least a working knowledge. ( from left to right ) U Tin Yi, U Win Shwe, U Nyo Maung, U Thein Nwe, U Thein Han, U Ko Ko, U Phone Myint. U Tun Yi, U Hla Ngwe, U Tin Wan, U Maung Maung, U Hla Myint, U Hla Kyaing, U Than Aung, U Chane Saing, U Win Htain, U Myo Wai, Dr. U Kyaw Myint. U Saw Myint, U Kyaw Zaw, U Taik Soe, U Chu Than, Dr. Tin Soe Lin ( passport photo) World Wide List of Affiliated Mahasi Meditation Centers. The Burmese Buddhist Foundation of WA ( Ven. U Vijjhobhasa ) 539 High Road, Parkwood WA 5147 Perth. Sakyamuni Meditation Center. 33 Emile Gemton 89340 Saint-Agnan, Montbeon, France Tel: 00 33 3 86 96 19 44. International Meditation Centre ( Ven. Dr. Rastrapal Mahathera ) Buddhagaya, PO Bodh-Gaya 824231 Dist. Gaya, Bihar. Dhamma Dipa ( Ven. U Vicitasara ) 2F, 1-3-4 Nakai Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 161. Buddhist Association ( Mr. Issei Suzuki ) 203, Mejiro Roze-Haim 3-17-2 Mejiro Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171. Vipassana Korea Centre ( Bhante Cho Amarayano ) 277-39 Hong Eun 3 Dong Seodae Moonku Seoul 120-100. Vipassana Meditation Center ( Ven. Thannanando ) Kamerlingh Omnesstraat 71 9727 HG Groningen Tel: 050-276051. Buddhist Hermitage Lunas ( Ven. Suvana ) Lot 297, K6 Seberang Sungai 09600 Lunas Kodah. Karti Buddhist Study Circle ( Nun Daw Gunawaddy ) Shreagha, Naghal Tole, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 24595. Bodegravenstraat 68 5043 BR Tilburg The Netherlands Tel: 013-710787. Vipassana Bhavana Center. Kanduboda, Delgoda Sri Lanka. Teras Theravada Buddhist Vihara. Mjornerbacken 45 Rissne 17248-Sundbyberg Stockholm Tel: 08-7334593. Postfach 5909 CH-3001, Bern. Mahadhatu , ( Ven. Phra Maha Pithoon vidhuro ) Section 5, Taprachan, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Wat Tamao ( Ven. U Dhammannanda ) 304 Wat Tamao Lampang, 52000 Thailand. Wat Vivek Asom ( Dr. Asbha ) C/O Samnuk Vipassana Vivekasom Ampher Muang, Chonburi 20000 Thailand. The United Kingdom. Brimingham Buddhist Vihara ( Ven. Dr. Uttara Nyana ) 41 Carlyle Road Edgbasten Brimingham B16 9BH U.K. Britain Burma Buddhist Trust ( Ven. U Kumara/ Ven. U Sobhita ) The Vihara, No.1, Old Church Lane, London NW9 8TG. The United States. America Burma Buddhist Association ( Ven. U Indaka ) 619 Bergen Street Brooklyn, NY 11238 Tel: (718) 622-9019. 63 Gordons Corner Road Manaplan, NJ 07726 Tel: (732) 792-1484. Dhammanada Vihara ( Ven. U Silananda ) 17450 South Callibro Hwy Half Moon Bay, CA 94014 Tel: (415) 726-7604. Are the 16 stages of Insight mentioned by the Buddha in the early texts or are they a later addition to the Dharma? I am reading Practical Insight Meditation: Basic and progressive stages by Mahasi Sayadaw. In the book he elaborates on the 16 stages of insight meditation as a kind of road map of what to expect. I was wondering if these stages are part of the Theravada tradition or an integral part of the Dharma canon. 5 Answers 5. The Seven Stages of Purification are summarised in the Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification), a 5th century Theravada text (about 800 years after the Buddha lived). the seven visuddhis come from the Ratha-vinita Sutta (MN 24), and the sixteen stages of knowledge are found in the Patisambhidamagga. – yuttadhammo This comparison between practice and "seven relay chariots" points at the goal. Each purity is needed to attain the next. They are often referred to as the "Seven Stages of Purification" (satta-visuddhi):[3] The "Purification by Knowledge and Vision" is the culmination of the practice, in four stages leading to liberation and . The emphasis in this system is on understanding the , dukkha, , anicca. This emphasis is recognizable in the value that is given to vipassana over , especially in the contemporary . The earliest source for the enumeration of sixteen stages of knowledge that I know of is the Paṭisambhidāmagga, a treatise ascribed to Sāriputta, included in the Myanmar version of the Khuddaka Nikāya. So yeah, pretty standard Theravada. Discussion of the knowledges is found throughout the commentaries and makes up most of the section on wisdom in the Visuddhimagga. They are also enumerated in the Abhidhammattha-Sangaha, a famous summary of the Abhidhamma. Reference to each of the knowledges can be found in the Buddha's words, for example: udayabbaya-ñāṇa: yo ca vassasataṃ jīve, apassaṃ udayabbayaṃ. ekāhaṃ jīvitaṃ seyyo, passato udayabbayaṃ. "And better than a hundred years lived without seeing arising & passing away, is one day lived seeing arising & passing away." -- Dhp. 113. ādīnava-ñāṇa: “katamā cānanda, ādīnavasaññā? idhānanda, araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā iti paṭisañcikkhati — ‘bahudukkho kho ayaṃ kāyo bahuādīnavo? iti imasmiṃ kāye vividhā ābādhā uppajjanti, seyyathidaṃ — cakkhurogo sotarogo ghānarogo jivhārogo kāyarogo sīsarogo kaṇṇarogo mukharogo dantarogo oṭṭharogo kāso sāso pināso ḍāho jaro kucchirogo mucchā pakkhandikā sūlā visūcikā kuṭṭhaṃ gaṇḍo kilāso soso apamāro daddu kaṇḍu kacchu nakhasā vitacchikā lohitaṃ pittaṃ madhumeho aṃsā piḷakā bhagandalā pittasamuṭṭhānā ābādhā semhasamuṭṭhānā ābādhā vātasamuṭṭhānā ābādhā sannipātikā ābādhā utupariṇāmajā ābādhā visamaparihārajā ābādhā opakkamikā ābādhā kammavipākajā ābādhā sītaṃ uṇhaṃ jighacchā pipāsā uccāro passāvo’ti. iti imasmiṃ kāye ādīnavānupassī viharati. ayaṃ vuccatānanda, ādīnavasaññā. "What, Ananda, is contemplation of disadvantage (danger)? Herein, Ananda, a monk having gone to the forest, or to the foot of a tree, or to a lonely place, contemplates thus: 'Many are the sufferings, many are the disadvantages (dangers) of this body since diverse diseases are engendered in this body, such as the following: Eye-disease, ear-disease, nose-disease, tongue-disease, body-disease, headache, mumps, mouth- disease, tooth-ache, cough, asthma, catarrh, heart-burn, fever, stomach ailment, fainting, dysentry, swelling, gripes, leprosy, boils, scrofula, consumption, epilepsy, ringworm, itch, eruption, tetter, pustule, plethora, diabetes, piles, cancer, fistula, and diseases originating from bile, from phlegm, from wind, from conflict of the humors, from changes of weather, from adverse condition (faulty deportment), from devices (practiced by others), from kamma-vipaka (results of kamma); and cold, heat, hunger, thirst, excrement, and urine.' Thus he dwells contemplating disadvantage (danger) in this body. This Ananda, is called contemplation of disadvantage (danger). -- AN 10.60 (Piyadassi, trans.) nibbidā-ñāṇa: “sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā””ti, yadā paññāya passati. atha nibbindati dukkhe, esa maggo visuddhiyā. "'All formations are impermanent' — When one sees thus with wisdom, one becomes disenchanted in regards to dukkha. This is the path to purity." -- Dhp 277. now. Welcome to Buddhism Now an online Buddhist magazine, giving advice on how to practise Buddhism. Home › Bhante Bodhidhamma › Vipassana as taught by The Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. Vipassana as taught by The Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. by Bhante Bodhidhamma. Observing the Breath at the Abdomen. We observe the breath, or rather the sensations caused by breathing, in order to bring a moment-to-moment concentration. This calms the heart- mind because it is a neutral object. There are various places where people feel the sensations of breathing more acutely—at the nostrils or upper lip, at the rising and falling of the chest, and in the abdomen. All of these places are valid in terms of vipassana meditation. The Mahasi, however, favoured the abdomen as a place of observation. Observing the abdomen is related to slow walking. Just as we observe and experience the foot rising and falling, so we experience the abdomen rising and falling. This means that for the better part of the day, a meditator is aware of the characteristic of transience in a very obvious way. Transience or impermanence (anicca) is one of the ways in which the Buddha asks us to investigate ourselves. Is there anything we experience which is permanent? Two other avenues of investigation are unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and not-self (anatta). Insights into these Three Characteristics of Existence lead to liberation from all suffering. The Mahasi did not teach the method of placing one’s attention on the breath at the nostrils because by this means there is a tendency, by way of concentration, to lose contact with the body. That is why observing the breath at the nostrils is a popular and effective way of achieving those higher states of concentration known as the Absorptions (jhana). When concentration becomes locked into one-pointedness on a single object, the effect is to suppress everything else, and this stops the process of purifying the heart, our emotional life. This is not to say that concentration practice cannot go hand in hand with vipassana. Indeed, it is well supported in the discourses. Rather, the Mahasi espoused the direct path of vipassana only (ekayano maggo) as it is taught in the Discourse on How to Establish Mindfulness (satipatthanasutta MN 10). Nor does this mean that observing the breath at the nostrils is not a valid technique in vipassana meditation. Indeed, although the Mahasi preferred the abdomen as a place of primary observation, he did not ban anyone from observing sensations at the nostrils. However, when we centre on the abdomen or the chest (when the breath is shallow), we remain very much in contact with body. This allows any turbulence in the body caused by our states of mind to manifest and burn off. This is the psychotherapeutic effect of vipassana. Our emotions, moods and mental states express themselves through the body often as blocks, aches and pains and so on, and sometimes as raw emotion. All this mental turbulence has to be allowed to express itself within consciousness, and it all has to be borne patiently. Noting. The second technique, which is specific to the Mahasi method, is noting. Paradoxically this is to take a meditator beyond thinking. It is not an end in itself. The Mahasi was a highly respected scholar. As a young man he had passed Dhammacariya (Teacher of the Dhamma) examination with distinction. At the Sixth Buddhist Council in 1945, when all the texts where reviewed and for the first time all the commentarial literature was edited, the Mahasi Sayadaw was given the task of Pucchaka (Questioner) and Osana (Final Editor) of the texts. Although a scholar, he was not one to confuse intellectual understanding with true experiential insight. Indeed, he put that intellect to the service of the Dhamma. He wrote many books on Dhamma and the best introduction to his system still remains his opening talk to beginners—satipatthana vipassana, Discourse on the Basic Practice of the Application of Mindfulness. A more detailed description will be found in his book, Practical Insight Meditation. According to the Buddha’s teaching, there are two stages of concentrated thought before full concentration is established. The first is a simple noting or naming of the object. This simple labelling, naming, noting—whereby attention is pointed at the object—is known as vitakka and is likened to a bee flying towards a flower. It is a word which encapsulates the whole experience. In a child this is very obvious and simplistic. When two-year-olds begin to speak they rejoice at being able to name an object: Car! Car! For that mind the word ‘car’ simply points at the object. There is not much thought around it since language itself, which allows us to think about an object, is not developed enough for this to happen. For us, the word ‘car’ conjures up a host of memories and desires. This is thinking about an object. This mentation is known as proliferation (papanca). The purpose of thinking and daydreaming is to keep us off the present object and to distract the mind. The Buddha likened this to a monkey jumping from branch to branch. This is exactly what we have to bring to a stop. Shrinking thought down to a single word is the preliminary effort. But at this stage the meditator has to constantly pull the attention out of wandering and into observing. Indeed, this is what training through a technique is all about—reconditioning consciousness to be present, to be attentive to what is happening now. To be effective, this noting has to be done with precise effort. It has to be an acknowledgement of what the body, heart or mind are doing. For instance, when one wakes from a fantasy, there is the first noting—arguing, planning, lusting—and then the second and consequent noting which is an acknowledgement of what is obsessing the mind. In the same way, if a sensation or feeling arises in the body, the first thing to be noted is the recognition that this is taking place, and the second and all consequent noting is the acknowledgement: ‘This is what is really happening now.’ Although there is careful noting, however, the attention is never placed on the word, only on the experience—the feeling of a sensation, the feeling of an emotion, the knowing of a thought. It is as though the intuitive intelligence sees through the word and experiences the presenting object directly. In this way the intellectual faculty is brought into the service of that intuitive intelligence rather than intuitive intelligence being fogged by conceptual thinking. Thought itself can be split into two categories—conceptual and image making. As we note the breath, for instance, there will be a concept of rising and falling and also a mental image of the abdomen. We do not try to destroy them or in any way obliterate them. We just keep pointing the attention at the feeling of movement, the sensations. This attention, as it grows in strength, will eventually take all the energy out of thinking to the point where there is just the noting word. The meditator is still noting, but the attention becomes stuck, as it were, onto the object instead of wanting to wander off. This is likened to a bee landing and sucking on a flower. It is the second stage of developing right concentration and is called vicara. If the meditator continues to note, placing the attention more and more on the object—really feeling those sensations, really experiencing them as they arise and pass away—all the energy will be drawn out of the thinking mind. It will stop! Thinking is always about something. It is an attempt to categorise. What we experience is seen in the light of past experience. What we have experienced in the past is filtered through the way we look at things, our dispositions (sankhara). That is why thought will not allow us to see things anew. If we want to experience things as they really are, then thought about those things must come to an end. When thinking stops, we must be right there with what is happening. It is at that point that true vipassana consciousness arises, right awareness (samma ), and our intuitive intelligence (panna)—free of the distortion of thought and image—can finally begin to understand and see the way things really are (nanadassana- yatha-bhutam). So we don’t have to worry about when to stop noting. It will stop once we have arrived at a high enough level of awareness and concentration. Such moments of pure vipassana are usually of very short duration, but they have great potential for insight. These moments are known as khanika , momentary concentration which lengthen into a moment-to-moment concentrated awareness. This sort of concentration does not depend on a single object as does absorption concentration (arambana samadhi). It takes anything that arises within the mind—sensation, emotion, or thought—as its object, but for the purpose of seeing the Three Characteristics of Existence (lakkhana samadhi). In other words, the concentration in vipassana is only there to support awareness (sati) and intuitive intelligence (panna). It is that steady gaze and exploration of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and not-self that leads to liberation. For some meditators noting comes with its difficulties. For instance, the word is very loud and dominates the meditation. This is simply showing the meditator how blocked they are by conceptual thinking. By patiently pointing the attention at feelings, intelligence will extricate itself from the conceptual mind. It is often quite a discovery to find that there is another way of experiencing the world. Another difficulty is the attempt to find the right word. One starts to look for a word as a poet might. But the simplest word is enough. A general term, such as ‘feeling’ will do. This kind of noting is not limited to the sitting posture. Indeed, it has to become continuous from the moment we wake to the moment we fall asleep. The Mahasi was fond of saying, ‘The continuity of awareness is the secret of success. ‘It is therefore important to note the most ‘insignificant’ actions of the day, such as opening a door. We have to abandon all hierarchy, believing that sitting is more important than walking which is more important than eating, and so on. It is not only sensations, emotions, the wandering mind, and actions, that have to be noted, the category of thought which we experience as intentions also needs to be acknowledged. An intention is thought laced with desire, and not all desires are unskilful. In fact, we are trying to empower those intentions that are skilful such as the desire to meditate. The reason we note intention is because all actions of body, speech and thought have intentions as their instigators. To note an intention gives us the time to recognise it as either wholesome or unwholesome. We can then let go of the intentions we discern will lead us to dissatisfaction, and empower those which will lead us to contentment. This is the understanding of kamma. It is the will (cetana) that the Buddha calls kamma. Will is that power that takes something out of the potential into the actual. We have to empower an intention for it to be realised. If we take the standing position and note the intention to walk—we can do so for a long time—suddenly the foot will move. The power that has translated intention into an action is will and, in so doing, has committed an act of kamma. These actions, when repeated, create our habits, and a compendium of habits is our personality. It is this personality that is driving us to our destiny. So, noting intentions becomes an essential part of the progress towards liberation. Noting, then, is a technique, a contrivance, whereby we can begin to train the attention to remain still on the presenting object and, more importantly, trick the intellect into coming to a full stop. It is all that conceptual thinking that distorts the way ‘knowing’ sees; it knows only by way of categories, memory and concepts. By halting that process of conceiving, and by keeping perception in its simplest form at the point of contact, this intuitive intelligence sees everything again as a child—but not with a child’s understanding. That intelligence is primed to observe the Three Characteristics which is how it liberates itself from the delusion of a mistaken identity and the possession of the psychophysical organism. This body, this heart, this mind is not me, not mine, and do not in themselves constitute a self. Going Slowly. Going slowly, doing things slowly, refers to all those areas of activity the Buddha talks of in the Discourse on How to Establish Mindfulness, in the section on doing things mindfully (sampajana-kari hoti), whether looking, dressing, attending to one’s toiletry, eating, and so on. When we perform actions very slowly and deliberately, it sharpens our attentiveness and makes ‘the way things are’ easier to perceive. This is much the same as slowing down a film. A film shown in slow motion allows us to see more—the flick of a frog’s tongue as it catches a fly, for example. We would not usually see such a thing, but with special film techniques, the whole process can be discerned. In the same way, the more we slow down our own movements, the more easily do we perceive how the body, heart and mind inter-react. Progress of Insight. Such is the power of this technique that it is possible to guide a meditator through the classic stages of the Insight Knowledges (vipassana nana). These are the insights that lead to the direct experience of nibbana, the first time known as Stream-entry (sotapanna); the whole process being repeated three times leading to the attainment of the Path and Fruit of the Once-returner (), the Non-returner (anagami), and the Arahat, the enlightened being. The Mahasi explains all this in clear detail in his book, The Progress of Insight. The Mahasi has completed tours in Southeast Asia, USA and Europe. In Britain he came to lead courses at the Oakenhalt centre near Oxford owned by the Burmese Saw family. Later came his chief disciples, Sayadaw U Janaka and Sayadaw U Pandita. Unfortunately, the Saw family had to sell Oakenhalt on the sad passing of Mr Saw and the impetus faded. However, now there are city viharas in London and Manchester where Mahasi monks dwell and teach this system. It is also hoped that the Satipanya Trust will raise enough interest to establish a Mahasi meditation centre and carry on the work of one of the most eminent vipassana teachers of the last century, the Mahasi Sayadaw. More articles by Bodhidhamma Bhikkhu here. The Mahasi Sayadaw. It has been over two and half thousand years since the Buddha first expounded the teachings (the Dhamma). As time passed, these teachings became dulled. There have, however, been reformation movements throughout the —some large and some small. The Mahasi Sayadaw must be credi​ted as being one of the key teachers in revitalising the practice of vipassana in Theravada Buddhist countries. U Sobhana Mahathera became known as the Mahasi Sayadaw after the name of the temple in which he resided, the Big Drum. In Burma/Myanmar, monks are often referred to by the place name where they were born or in which they dwell. The Mahasi had been teaching in the north of Myanmar when some high ranking people—including the then prime minister, U Nu—went looking for a teacher to start a meditation centre in Rangoon/Yangon. The centre was not to be just a monastery, but a place where lay ​people would be able to practise vipassana. This, it seems, was a little revolution. Up until then it was generally presumed that only mon​astics could gain anything from meditation. This aspect has indeed become a special feature of the Mahasi centres in that there are lay teachers and lay practitioners, and many of the centres are within the city boundaries, easily accessible to lay people. It was at this centre in Yangon that the Mahasi Sayadaw, U Sobhana Thera, began to teach a technique which he had developed through his own renowned teacher, U Narada, known as the Mingun Jetawun Sayadaw in Upper Myanmar. It has three main characteristics—observing the breath at the abdomen, noting, and moving very slowly.