Walking meditation vs brick laying

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
SarathW
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Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by SarathW »

Walking meditation vs brick laying

What is the difference between a person who practice walking meditation and a person who lay bricks one by one?
:thinking:
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Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

The former will never get the wall built, while the latter won't gain insight into the arising and passing away of mental and physical phenomena, unless he or she is trained in mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness of all daily activities is comparable to the mortar in a wall, while the bricks are comparable to walking and sitting meditation. Without the mortar, the wall will be very weak, so a meditator should always practice mindfulness of daily activities, including laying bricks if that is the current task to be done.
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Pinetree
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by Pinetree »

If you mean literally, walking takes you on a path to here and now, while brick laying probably will result in a wall.
SarathW
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by SarathW »

Good article about walking meditation.
Please share your experience. This is one of the topic we least discuss in this forum.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... bl137.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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ubeysekaramapa
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by ubeysekaramapa »

Walking meditation is a very powerful way to understand 'anatta'.

Before you begin to do walking meditation, just stand and watch your mind. It has commanded the body to stand; then it commands the physical body to move forward - by walking. The body obeys and walks. When it is told to turn back it turns. At the same time you will realize that the mind has to give commands to the body; only what is possible. Ex: even if the mind issues a command 'to walk' to a cripple-body can it perform? No. it cannot. In this way anatta is explicitly observed.

Even anicca (moment to moment disappearance) can be discerned from walking meditation. Observe carefully: while the mind issues a command to the body, both body and mind vanishing instantaneously and a new 'thought and action' (by the body) arises.To see the above one has to be very alert.

This is the Law of Causality (paticca Samuppada). Without a cause (a command by the mind) the body cannot move! now a question will arise what motivated the mind to issue a command to the body? It may be due to thinking:- to walk or sit or recline or sleep.
SarathW
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by SarathW »

Then how I can breath without a command?
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Thisperson
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by Thisperson »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:The former will never get the wall built, while the latter won't gain insight into the arising and passing away of mental and physical phenomena, unless he or she is trained in mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness of all daily activities is comparable to the mortar in a wall, while the bricks are comparable to walking and sitting meditation. Without the mortar, the wall will be very weak, so a meditator should always practice mindfulness of daily activities, including laying bricks if that is the current task to be done.
:bow:
ubeysekaramapa
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by ubeysekaramapa »

Sarath W wrote:
Then how I can breath without a command?
Breathing is automatic. It stops only when the person is dead or when in ashta samapatthi. Breating is a bodily saklhara

Culavedalla sutta gives the answer.

Walking meditation cannot take place when the mind does not function- eg: when one is unconscious or asleep.
SarathW
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by SarathW »

Breathing cannot take place when the mind does not function too.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
ubeysekaramapa
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by ubeysekaramapa »

Sarath W wrote:
Breathing cannot take place when the mind does not function too.
Agreed; but even when a person is unconscious he breaths; but can he perform any mediation (including walking meditation) in such a state? Life is dependent on breathing, That is why anapana sati is so important.
ubeysekaramapa
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by ubeysekaramapa »

Adding to my earlier note:

“Lady, how many formations are there?”
“There are three formations, friend Visakha: the bodily formations, the verbal formations, and the mental formations.”
“ But lady, what is the bodily formation......?
“In-breathing and out-breathing, friend Visakha, are bodily formations.....”
Friend Visakha, in-breathing and out-breathing are bodily, these are states bound up with the body; that is why in-breathing and out-breathing are the bodily formation. .....”
Culavedalla Sutta MN
SarathW
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by SarathW »

Thanks Mapa
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SarathW
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by SarathW »

It appears that meditation activity should fulfil four conditions.
- Prpose
- Suitalbility
- Pasture
- Non-delusion

It appears brick laying fail this test.

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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by Spiny Norman »

SarathW wrote:What is the difference between a person who practice walking meditation and a person who lay bricks one by one?
:thinking:
I used to work on building sites and the impression I had watching brick-layers is that because of the repetitive nature of the task they are on "auto-pilot" much of the time. Hopefully that isn't the case with people doing walking meditation!
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thepea
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Re: Walking meditation vs brick laying

Post by thepea »

Spiny Norman wrote:
SarathW wrote:What is the difference between a person who practice walking meditation and a person who lay bricks one by one?
:thinking:
I used to work on building sites and the impression I had watching brick-layers is that because of the repetitive nature of the task they are on "auto-pilot" much of the time. Hopefully that isn't the case with people doing walking meditation!
Yup, as a bricklayer I can vouch that there are plenty of times you are on autopilot. This can be an excellent, relatively quiet, time to be aware of body and sensation, or you can just do a lot of thinking about past and future and how sore your back is and how much you wish you stayed in school.
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