is vipassana the main stream everywhere or just in the west?

[Mr Man]

Hi Billymac29, You certainly gave me a smile. Yes that was pretty much the main point.

The "side note" is also interesting.

[Mr Man]

In my opinion, old students are discouraged from practicing & mixing other techniques because of many reasons: Mixing the techniques may confuse the mediator or a teacher while diagnosing the stages of practice; it may sometimes even harm the student himself. Furthermore, Goenkaji gives emphasis to keep the purity of the technique for a long time to come, and so discourages to add or subtract anything from the teachings.

Hi SamKR, This is a the standard view. I wonder if there is anything in the Sutta to support this (not that there has to be)?

[Cittasanto]

I wonder if there is anything in the Sutta to support this (not that there has to be)?

The problem with answering this is that these will only deal with monastics, not lay teachers, so only infer the traditional take on this matter when it comes to lay people.

The best example I can think of is one of the Vinaya rules.

A bhikkhu is also forbidden from luring another bhikkhu's following away. The Commentary states that following means student novices or bhikkhus.

[SamKR]

In my opinion, old students are discouraged from practicing & mixing other techniques because of many reasons: Mixing the techniques may confuse the mediator or a teacher while diagnosing the stages of practice; it may sometimes even harm the student himself. Furthermore, Goenkaji gives emphasis to keep the purity of the technique for a long time to come, and so discourages to add or subtract anything from the teachings.

Hi SamKR, This is a the standard view. I wonder if there is anything in the Sutta to support this (not that there has to be)?

Well, we may not find any sutta that directly tells not to mix approaches. But, like you said, there doesn't have to be any as long as there are no suttas which say directly against it, and as long as the method is in accordance to Dhamma.

[Mr Man]

I would like to open my earlier question up to see if anyone else can help to clarify.

There is a quote from Sayagi U Ba Khin in Jack Kornfields book "Living Buddhist Masters - "with the awareness of the truth of anicca and or dukkha and or anatta.he develops in him what we may call the sparkling illumination of nibbana dhatu a power that dispels all impurities or poisons -the product of bad actions,which are the sources of his physical and mental ills.In the same way as fuel is burnt away by ignition,the negative forces[imputities or poisons]within are eliminated by nibbana dhatu which he generates with the true awareness of anicca in the course of meditation.the process of elimination should go until such time as both the mind and body are completely cleansed of such impurities or poisons." Jack Kornfield refers to nibbana dhatu as the "agent or mode of purification" does this all fit in with how Goenkaji teaches? Would penetrative insight a be substitute term we could use for nibbana dhatu or is nibbana dhatu something more from the perspective of your tradition? Is nibbana dhatu the same as a light nimitta.

I also believe that there is some kind of view about purity of energy within the tradition, which would explain the reluctance to share meditation facilities or to sit/practice with those from other traditions within the Theravada, is this correct? If it is so do you think it ij just a cultural thing, which has come out of Myanmar with the practice or is there more to it?