Comprehensive List of Practices and Meditation Styles

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
Majjhima Patipada
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:04 pm

Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles

Post by Majjhima Patipada »

To help clarify, let me rephrase the original question.

What would you call the practice (or set of practices) you do when you set aside time to practice?

For example, I practice zazen, shikantaza, kinhin, satipatthana-vipassana, anapanasati, and metta bhavana.
daverupa
Posts: 5980
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles

Post by daverupa »

Majjhima Patipada wrote:What would you call the practice (or set of practices) you do when you set aside time to practice?
If I've set time aside, it's anapanasati. If I haven't set time aside, I am striving to abide with satipatthana established with the result that there is mindfulness and distraction in turn, with increasing stretches of time spent well-established. I recall the metaphor of a drop of water falling onto a hot plate (SN 35.244) for the sudden re-establishment of mindfulness in this connection.

Metta et al is part of the experience of others; it's not a separate practice according to how I frame it, but rather gets brought along with satipatthana when other beings appear to the senses, according to the "protecting others protects oneself & vice versa" of SN 47.19.
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
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