Analysis of Meditation

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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Jack
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:54 pm

Analysis of Meditation

Post by Jack »

I'm curious how your normal meditation breaks down into the following objects of meditation.

Attention on breath
Rest of body
Vedana (feeling tone)
Mental contents
Mental condition
5 hindrances
Drifting off not being mindful
Other

I'm also curious what technique you usually follow:

Mahasi Sayadaw rapid noting
IMs/Kornfield, etc.: slow movement between objects of meditation
Body sweeping
Undirected just sitting there
Following anapanasati steps
Other


Jack
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Spiny O'Norman
Posts: 851
Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 8:46 am
Location: Suffolk, England

Re: Analysis of Meditation

Post by Spiny O'Norman »

Jack wrote:I'm curious how your normal meditation breaks down into the following objects of meditation.

Attention on breath
Rest of body
Vedana (feeling tone)
Mental contents
Mental condition
5 hindrances
Drifting off not being mindful
Other

I'm also curious what technique you usually follow:

Mahasi Sayadaw rapid noting
IMs/Kornfield, etc.: slow movement between objects of meditation
Body sweeping
Undirected just sitting there
Following anapanasati steps
Other


Jack
I've been working a lot with the hindrances recently. ;) It seems to be a useful way of classifying mental activity too, so I guess it's a form of noting.
I'm trying to follow the anapanasati steps - slow progress, with some access to the lower jhanas on a good day. :smile:

What do you do?

Spiny
Jack
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:54 pm

Re: Analysis of Meditation

Post by Jack »

Spiny,

The last 3-4 months I have been doing a Mahasi Sayadaw rapid noting meditation technique. It involves consciously noting and labeling 1-5 objects every second. Before the last 3-4 months I have done sessions exclusively on being mindful of vedana, the steps of the Anap. Sutta, 4 Material Elements, Hindrances and probably other objects I can't think of. So, they are now part of how I meditate without my having to consciously focus on them.

Usually in a session I might be mindful 80-90% of the time and caught up in mental proliferation the rest of the time. (Today my morning sitting was probably only 40-50% being mindful but I think that is unusual.) That 80-90% is usually split up maybe 10% on the breath, 10% on mental activity and the rest on body sensations not including those involving the breath.

An experiment of one.

jack
rowyourboat
Posts: 1952
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location: London, UK

Re: Analysis of Meditation

Post by rowyourboat »

Sorry Jack, the purpose of your question isn't clear. I suspect that is why not many people are answering.

As for the Mahasi-system I would say it comes under the dhammanupassana- under the category of either the six sense bases, or the five aggregates.

with metta

Matheesha
With Metta

Karuna
Mudita
& Upekkha
Jack
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:54 pm

Re: Analysis of Meditation

Post by Jack »

rowyourboat wrote:Sorry Jack, the purpose of your question isn't clear. I suspect that is why not many people are answering.

As for the Mahasi-system I would say it comes under the dhammanupassana- under the category of either the six sense bases, or the five aggregates.

with metta

Matheesha
===
I'm not sure how I can be more clear. Most of us follow some sort of technique while meditating. Most of us are mindful of different objects of meditation.

The Mahasi system starts off with being mindful and noting body movement caused by breathing, other body activities such as swollowing, and mental activities such as thinking. It goes on to further refined objects of meditation.

jack
rowyourboat
Posts: 1952
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location: London, UK

Re: Analysis of Meditation

Post by rowyourboat »

If I understand correctly you are asking people (correct me if I am wrong) what method of meditation they are practicing and what they use as objects of their meditation when they do that. My curiosity was, what prompted you to ask others this question.

My personal practice currently is cittanupassana, anapanasati, purifying my samadhi and removing defilements of all shapes and sizes.

With metta

Matheesha
With Metta

Karuna
Mudita
& Upekkha
Jack
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:54 pm

Re: Analysis of Meditation

Post by Jack »

[quote="rowyourboat"]If I understand correctly you are asking people (correct me if I am wrong) what method of meditation they are practicing and what they use as objects of their meditation when they do that. My curiosity was, what prompted you to ask others this question.
==
Just curious.

Jack
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