Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
User avatar
m0rl0ck
Posts: 1193
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:51 am

Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by m0rl0ck »

I have some experience doing various samatha and other concentrative meditation practices (koan, huatou), have gotten some interesting results doing these and my concentration is probably pretty good. Lately tho i have been feeling that i wanted to expand my meditative horizons. So today i tried some anapanasati with instructions i got from two youtube videos by Bhante Vimalaramsi. A method that he says is directly from the suttas rather than from commentary or particular tradition.
I have to say that just on one sit using this method i feel i got some good results.

My questions are:

1. Anyone else here with similar experience to mine, that is, coming from huatou or koan practice or other samatha practice to the method above? Any advice?

2. What is the consensus on Bhante Vimalaramsi anapanasati methods as compared to others?

Thank you :bow:
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” ― Robert M. Pirsig
PeterB
Posts: 3909
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:35 pm

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by PeterB »

I didnt know anything about Bhante Vimalaramsi Morlock, so I had a wee google.
His approach to anapanasati appears to be traditional and solid.
User avatar
Aloka
Posts: 7797
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:51 pm

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by Aloka »

.

Hi M0rl0ck,

Although I haven't tried them myself,I've heard positive things about Bhante Vimalaramsi's teaching methods.


Kind regards,

Aloka
Moggalana
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:31 am
Location: Germany

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by Moggalana »

Aloka wrote:.

Hi M0rl0ck,

Although I haven't tried them myself,I've heard positive things about Bhante Vimalaramsi's teaching methods.


Kind regards,

Aloka
Yes, mostly. But there are also some critics. As always. http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/crit ... itique.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; This critic might be biased, however. But I don't know these people. See and think for yourself ;)
Let it come. Let it be. Let it go.
User avatar
Modus.Ponens
Posts: 3853
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:38 am
Location: Gallifrey

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by Modus.Ponens »

Moggalana wrote: Yes, mostly. But there are also some critics. As always. http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/crit ... itique.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; This critic might be biased, however. But I don't know these people. See and think for yourself ;)
Hello Moggalana

I don't know if you're aware, but the link you provided is from Jhanananda. Jhanananda is a self ordained person called Jeffrey Brooks, and thus is in the Sangha by theft. His criticisms of Bhante Vimalaramsi are unreliable.

Metta
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
Moggalana
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:31 am
Location: Germany

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by Moggalana »

Modus.Ponens wrote:
Moggalana wrote: Yes, mostly. But there are also some critics. As always. http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/crit ... itique.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; This critic might be biased, however. But I don't know these people. See and think for yourself ;)
Hello Moggalana

I don't know if you're aware, but the link you provided is from Jhanananda. Jhanananda is a self ordained person called Jeffrey Brooks, and thus is in the Sangha by theft. His criticisms of Bhante Vimalaramsi are unreliable.

Metta
Hi,

I didn't know this, but after reading on this site, I became suspicious. That's why I added the bit with the bias. Thanks for letting me know :) However, I have also read a similar critique of Bhante Vimalaramsi on a german blog. Some people seem to find his approach a bit dogmatic. But the same goes for Ajahn Brahm and others. It's probably more a matter of "my teacher is better than yours". There are many ways, and if you can learn something from him, that's good.
Let it come. Let it be. Let it go.
User avatar
jcsuperstar
Posts: 1915
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:15 am
Location: alaska
Contact:

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by jcsuperstar »

i was going to go on retreat with Bhante Vimalaramsi, but i'm now not able to.
there are some things about him though i'm not so sure about, like he claims to be able to cure aids..
สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
User avatar
bodom
Posts: 7215
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by bodom »

jcsuperstar wrote:there are some things about him though i'm not so sure about, like he claims to be able to cure aids..
Wow thats crazy. Do you have a link to the source by any chance?

:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
User avatar
jcsuperstar
Posts: 1915
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:15 am
Location: alaska
Contact:

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by jcsuperstar »

i think it's on a dvd i have but i''ll check to see if it's online as well
สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
User avatar
jcsuperstar
Posts: 1915
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:15 am
Location: alaska
Contact:

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by jcsuperstar »

it's mentioned here

สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
User avatar
m0rl0ck
Posts: 1193
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:51 am

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by m0rl0ck »

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input. On the subject of Jeffery Brooks, it seems to me from reading some of his stuff and belonging to his mailing list for a while, that he and his followers are more interested in pursuing extreme mental states than anything else.
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” ― Robert M. Pirsig
User avatar
m0rl0ck
Posts: 1193
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:51 am

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by m0rl0ck »

I'm running out of steam with anapanasati. I have gone back to huatou practice which seems alot more robust to me. This tells me that im probably doing something wrong with anapanasati.

Using a huatou as a method i feel i get pretty powerfully concentrated. With the huatou, there is no real tactile object thats the subject of concentration.

With anapanasati, i waffle around a bit, i think because there is so much tactile input involved. I would still like to investigate anapanasati, but unless i can find a way to narrow the tactile input and field of concentration, i fear my experience with huatou wont translate that well to anapanasati. Anyone have advice on narrowing the field of concentration in anapanasati and still remain true to the method as outlined in the suttas?
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” ― Robert M. Pirsig
User avatar
bodom
Posts: 7215
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by bodom »

m0rl0ck wrote:Anyone have advice on narrowing the field of concentration in anapanasati and still remain true to the method as outlined in the suttas?
I have no clue what huatou is. :shrug: Where are you watching the breath? Nostrils? Chest? Abdomen? In my own experience watching the breath at the nose tip has produced the best results and is good for "narrowing" the field of experience.

:anjali:
Last edited by bodom on Sun Apr 18, 2010 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
Kenshou
Posts: 1030
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:03 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by Kenshou »

It sounds like to me that, and I could be wrong, since you're talking about a large amount of tactile input, that you've been doing anapanasati as a method to develop mindfulness of the body. Using anapanasati to develop the 4 frames of reference is something that I think works very nicely.

How far do you waffle, though? I think a little wiggling is inevitable because of all the things that you're trying to keep in focus, but as long as the wiggling takes place within the confines of where you want the mind to be, then I don't think it's a problem. If you waffle completely off subject, then, that's just a matter of practice, I'm afraid.
User avatar
m0rl0ck
Posts: 1193
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:51 am

Re: Meditator with some experience beginning anapanasati

Post by m0rl0ck »

A huatou is a question one asks oneself, similar to a koan. Im using the "not locating the breath any particular place" method.
Maybe i will try the nostril method. I rejected that at first because it seemed artificial and not in line with the suttas.
My focus usually goes to the sensation of the air going in and out of the nose, but the pauses between in and out breath are there. Its alot tricker than i would have first thought, not really an object with constancy, even tho its a tactile sensation unlike a huatou, which in practice seems to resolve itself to a subverbal constant.
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” ― Robert M. Pirsig
Post Reply