Choosing a meditation technique

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
form
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Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2016 3:23 am

Re: Choosing a meditation technique

Post by form »

Just keep trying without judging till one day when you review and see that your experience is in line with some contents in the nikaya. Then you can be sure that you are on the right track.
Maarten
Posts: 195
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:14 pm

Re: Choosing a meditation technique

Post by Maarten »

Ceisiwr wrote: Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:02 pm
joladhamma wrote: Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:31 pm Dear online sangha,

I wonder what you think about meditation techniques. I have studied several techniques; been on goenka retreat and mahasi retreat and in my ”home sangha” in the city where I live there is vipassana but also with slightly different touch. I am also keen to practice anapanasati. Do you think it is a bad ideato practice several techniques at the same time? Is it important to pick just one or can I vary them?

I have the impression that the Buddha tough several different techniques so it should make sense for me to do more than one as wheel. I mean, the Buddha tought anapanasati and sathipatthana mindfulness as well as contemplations and metta for example.

With metta,
Joel
If a certain hindrance is particularly strong then working with an appropriate meditation can help. For example, loving-kindness to diminish hate. The key to achieving the Jhānas is to abandon said hindrances. This begins with virtue, sense restrain, mindfulness and clear comprehension which starves the hindrances and nourishes the enlightenment factors. Then, when you sit down to meditate you build on this sense restraint and mindful awareness by becoming mindfully aware of the body via the breath. This is the 1st aspect of satipaṭṭhāna. When meditating certain feelings, mind states and dhammas such as the hindrances or awakening factors will be present. If a particular hindrance is strong, use a certain meditation to overcome it. All of this is making use of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th aspect of satipaṭṭhāna (i agree with Ven. Sujato regarding his argument that the 4th satipaṭṭhāna originally only included the hindrances and 7 awakening factors). Once the hindrances have been abandoned and the awakening factors nourished then Jhāna and insight will occur. Personally, for me, uddhacca-kukkucca is usually the problem. I have a tendency to think too much about the meditation instead of actually meditating and so mindfulness of breathing is my usual meditation, but sometimes kasiṇa instead.

That would be my advice.
:goodpost:
I totally agree.
It's all about overcoming the hinderances and that requires different approaches at different times. Metta for hate, buddhanusati for doubt, asuba for lust etc.

It would be best to figure out what hinderance is strongest in oneself and then make the antidote to that your main practice.
'Suppose there were a beetle, a dung-eater, full of dung, gorged with dung, with a huge pile of dung in front of him. He, because of that, would look down on other beetles: 'Yes, sirree! I am a dung-eater, full of dung, gorged with dung, with a huge pile of dung in front of me!' - SN 17.5
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