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Orchid Garden
The Orchids in this country are amazing To all my friends,
The past twenty days I have been traveling within myself. Unlike my travels in New Zealand, which I enjoied very much. My travels to date in SE Asia have been about personal growth and experience. No longer am I moving from place to place searching for something more to see or the next tourist attraction. Now the only place to travel is within and the only thing to see is what happens next.
As some of you may know I have developed a great interest in a type of meditation called Vipassana. This meditation does not work with imagination, dogma, blind belief, rites or rituals. This meditation works with the truth, the truth, the truth. Every step you take on the path is with the truth. Not the truth as the scripture says, or the truth as the teacher says, or even the truth described by the enlightened one. This truth comes from within and can only be obtained through direct experience. Unless you experience it for yourself in this moment it is no truth for you.
So how to experience this truth? Very simply the technique starts with observation of breath. No need
Meditation Hall
Morning mist on the meditation hall to control the breath, just observe the breath, as it is from moment to moment. Practicing this ten hours a day for three days leads me to one conclusion. I have no control over my mind. I ask my mind to do one thing, and a simple thing at that. Yet ever moment my mind is wondering away, generating a new thought or an old thought, and dwelling in it. Despite my fleeting mind I find after 3 days I have some control, and I am able to hold my mind in the moment for short periods at a time. These few moments are wonderful moments for me.
The technique then asks you to obsurve the sensations on the body. Again no imagination, no delusion, no blind faith, just sit there and obsurve the sensations that you feel on your body at this moment. You may feel; heat, pressure, itching, tingling, numbness, pain, strain, moisture, dryness... it make no difference what you feel. However whatever you feel this is the truth for you at this moment and you need to maintain equanimity of the mind through objective observation. Asked to sit for long hours at a time, your first
Lake
This lake is on the center, and surrounded by jungle realization is that there is pain on my body. This is the trut and you have to accept that at this moment I have pain on my body... So far as the technique is concerned there is only one way to handel this. DO NOTHING, don't react, dont create aversion or anger towards the pain. Just observe and accept the reality that, yes at this moment I am experiencing pain on my body. But I know as I have experienced pain befor that, " this pain will not last" it will change. Law of nature is such that everything material or imaterial, arises seems to stay for some time but sooner or later [passes away. The pain you experience along with every other sensation on the body must also follow this law of nature. So insted of reacting (which is the habit pattern of the mind) I will just observe objectivly, like a doctor examining the paitent, without aversion, without the desire for the pain to go away and without ignoring it., just observe with an equanimus mind. I will DO NOTHING. After all what is the point in reacting to something that by its very nature is already passing
Sunset
Sunset over the center, with the gong in the forground away.
As you consider to observe body sensations all kinds of different realities become aparent to you. One gross reality is that all sensations on the body arise and pass away. All sensations gross or subtle, painful or pleasent, arise and pass away. This, one can understand at an intelectual level, because one has lived a life and all sensations felt throughout the life ar no longer present. But throught this meditation practice one starts experiencing this on a physical level from moment to moment, and this strengthens the reality, the truth the law of nature within the framework of the body. Arising-passing away, Arising-Passing away, all day all night sensations arise seem to stay for some time but ultimatly pass away.
The more I experience this truth within my body, the greater ability I have to apply it to everyday life. It has become so clear to me that whenever I generate anger, fear, animosity, greed, jelusy, ill will, ect. There is a ver unpleasent sensation on the body. It is this sensation that I am reacting to. Not the external objects that seemed to cause these emotions. And when I react to these sensations I multiply them and they become a bondage for me. Throught this teaching I have learned to treat these sensations as the really are; sensations on the body that are indeed arising and passing away. Whan they arise I samile and say, "oh look a sensation, let me observe and see how long it lasts." No aversion no desire to be rid of the sensation, no supression just observation and understanding that this too must obey the law of nature, the law of imperminance. With this practice I have become more aware, more peaceful, more equanimous with the turmoil of life. As you read this you may understand, you may even accept that what I am saying is logical, resonable, pragmatic, maybe even scientific. But these words are no truth for you. The truth needs to be experienced not read about or heard. It is only through your own experience that you can develope the truth within yourself.
Be Happy,
P.S. My purpose for writing this is to inspire, to inspire others to give a trial to this technique, that has helped me so much in my life, that I feel like sharing it with others. So if you feel like experiencing the truth pertaining to the framework of your own body. I would encourage you to try a vipassana meditation course. They are 10 day long, free of charge and their centers are worldwide. Please understand this is not a religion or a sect. It is science of mind and matter, it is a mental excersize to keep the mind healthy.
On the other hand if you feel like this sounds like a bunch of B.S. please let me know. I would be very interested in hearing your opinion. Of course in order to form a proper opinion you should experience it for yourself and then decide.
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