(Keeping in mind that I wrote all of the above in English as much as possible to make it understandable to anyone without much knowledge of Pali or Buddhism)Volo wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 6:05 am I'm not very familiar with Goenka's technique, therefore I can rely only on what you have quoted. And I don't see in the above quote the word "feeling". He is taking about "sensations" (i.e. bodily experiences), feelings (at least in Abhidhamma and very often in the suttas) is mental aggregate.
My understanding of the Goenka technique in its primary sense is that it's about sensations, but that the logic behind the choice of sensations as the object of meditation is that they serve as connection or interface to all things, including feelings, and how one might feel about, or react to the sensations... but I'm sure someone more well versed with the rationale behind the Goenka technique can clarify. I believe once upon a time Ben posted a copy of a paper on this subject published by the Vipassana Research Institute, but I wouldn't know where to find it now.
And as you know, this talk of "every consciousness produces some materiality" is not in the suttas, so you may need to excuse my lack of interest in it.Volo wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 6:05 am What does it have to do with Jains? Jains (at least from buddhist suttas) did self-mortification, i.e. they created on purpose an unpleasant bodily sensations thinking that this sensation has something to do with their past kamma. I don't see where Goenka suggests to do anything like that.
What he says is that (I'm rephrasing the way I understand him) every consciousness produces some materiality (this is also according to Abhidhamma, or to be more precise "every consciousness, which depends on the heart base), which we experience as bodily sensations or as changes in the breath pattern. If mind is unwholesome, the sensation/breath would be unpleasant. If we react to it with greed, hatred or delusion, we create new unwholesome kamma. Whereas if we simply stay with it (i.e. not trying to create this unpleasant sensation), we exhaust bad mind tendency, which caused it to arise (note that in your quote Goenka doesn't use word "kamma").
Regarding "Jains (at least from buddhist suttas) did self-mortification, i.e. they created on purpose an unpleasant bodily sensations thinking that this sensation has something to do with their past kamma. I don't see where Goenka suggests to do anything like that."... this is not an uncommon position amongst Burmese Vipassana Practitioners. Apparently it is better for their practice to discern a strong unpleasant sensation than a weaker neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant one, and some will self-mortify (though I doubt they would call it that) in order to give rise to such unpleasantness.
Again, consult your nearest BVT practitioner if you want a second opinion on their practices as my purpose with this writing is not to explain their techniques, but to explore the limits of technique itself.
Metta,
Paul.