This summer I got the chance to spend 20 days at Pa-Auk Tawya forest meditation center in Myanamar and I did Anapana-Sati for 20 days. Now I'm back at my university, but when I look back I see that during those days at Pa-Auk even a single talk of 2 mins would make my practice weaker as samatha practice requires strong concentration. \ Given that in our daily lay life we have a lot of interactions and distractions, I think it would take decades to even reach first jhana in samatha meditation. **Is it really possible to make progress (attain jhana) in samatha meditation in our day-to-day lay life in a realistic way? Has any lay person had profound experience in samatha practice?**

When I am very angry or very fearful, my work efficiency work increases and I can concentrate more. But now that I have been practicing Vipassana for a couple of years, my fear and anger has diminished. I am worried whether this will hamper or worsen my work or not. Please guide me

I can devote 7 hours total to meditation + sleep per day. Should I do 5 hours of sleep and 2 hours of mediation (1 hour twice) **or** 6 hours of sleep and 1 hour of meditation? Please explain your reasons why. Will 2 hours of meditation increase my productivity? Please explain from your own experience, not any bookish knowledge Will meditating twice give me **twice** as much benefit as meditating once?

When we study with concentration and our mind gets distracted, we bring it back to the very subject we study. The same thing we do in meditation; when our mind gets distracted we bring it back to breath. So isn't studying also meditation?

I've been meditating for 1 hour, and I'm planning to extend it to 90 minutes. Will there be any significant change in my experience? Has anyone had a real experience with this? SHOULD I INCREASE TO 90 MINS? Follow up: Why does everyone say to do twice a day instead of once a day? In the [Vipassana 10 day retreat](https://www.dhamma.org/) , they said to not go beyond 60 mins as it will lead to different state. That's why I ask. Why is it getting more and more difficult as I am increasing the duration?

I understand from the Pāli terms in Anāpānasati: - Pajānāti means “to know” (as in knowing long or short breaths). - Śikhāti means “to train” or “to cultivate.” For the first two steps of the practice, it’s clear how one “knows” the breath - simply observing the natural in/out breath without controlling it, but with the effort to know it. For the 3rd step, my understanding is that one trains to be aware of the whole body in connection with the breath. However, for the 4th step, I am unclear: How does one trains to tranquil or calm the body? Does this tranquillity arise through deliberate effort, or does it occur naturally with the right effort to watch or know the breath from earlier stages? What exactly is meant by kāyasaṅkhāraṁ (bodily formation) in this context? I would appreciate clarification on how the 3rd and 4th steps are actually trained in Anāpānasati practice.

My question is subtle. When we meditate we move our body because of some physical pain . My question is why its so painful to keep my mind on breath . Its not physical pain then what type of pain we face when we try to keep our mind on beath away from distraction.

Does choosing a timer imply that meditation has a fixed goal or endpoint, while choosing a stopwatch suggests that awareness itself sets the boundaries? If time is an illusion we impose on the eternal now, why do we measure it at all in moments of stillness? What might emerge if you meditated without any clock, letting the universe's rhythm guide you instead?

If I do meditation just before and after sleep, will the whole sleep will be counted as a meditation session ? I don't have time, how to make sleep as meditation ? Is afternoon nap permissible according to buddha ?

**Are there Pali Sutta teachings or other Buddhist teachings that suggest:** - Anapanasati is an ideal practice for non-stream entrants (beginners) and it can lead them to stream entry? - Attainment of stream entry is a prerequisite for Anapanasati's proper or 'ideal' practice? - Other practices are prescribed as an ideal path for attaining stream entry, separate from Anapanasati?" Also, I assume that Satipatthana is a form of Anapanasati, is that true?

I am practicing Vipassana meditation and I want to know is it possible to practice samadhi/anapana and pragya/Vipassana without following Sila.

I am going for minor operation. Should I ask for anesthesia or do without it(seeing the unpleasant sensation equanimously) ? And when I have orgasm or very tasty food it's very difficult to see the sensation equanimously. What to do? Any tips to remain in equanimity in orgasm ?(too difficult!) Isn't anesthesia same as alcohol ? (numb your consciousness )

In his book Breath by Breath Larry Rosenberg writes about meditating on the three kleshas directly i.e. meditating on craving, aversion and delusion. He is talking in the context of the Anapanasati Sutta . I can understand how one could recognise aspects their own hatred or craving. But how could someone recognise their own delusion in that moment of meditation? Specifically, I can see that anger would be very obvious and one would become very familiar with the burning, energetic, dominating quality of this. In the same way, one's own craving and desire could become recognisable - we are familiar with what wanting actually feels like. However what does delusion actually feel like. What bodily sensations are associated with it. What does the mental quality actually feel like. I can imagine looking back and with hindsight been able to see that at that point in time I was very deluded and thinking some very strange things. But how can the deluded mind see itself as deluded in that moment? How can we meditate on this? What does delusion feel like and how can we learn to recognise it?

Is doing 10 min meditation 6 times same as doing 1 hour meditation? Or is doing 30 mins 4 times same as 2 hour meditation ? Thanks for answer can i go more than 1 hr say 90 mins?

studying the two, and reading the list of the 4 tetrads, in the Anapanasati - first breathe and body, second studying the two, and reading the list of the 4 tetrads, in the Anapanasati - first breathe and body, second feelings. third mind, fourth dhammas. in the Satipatthana it is the same. I have read Analayo's book on Sati a number of times as well as many other books - sat contemplating both practices, is it the fact that in the Ana they suggest which dhammas to sit with? where in Sati it is much greater? 4nt 8fp, awakening factors....

I have been following Goenka tradition of vipassana for a few months now(one 10 day retreat and 5 months of daily practice). We are instructed to keep our attention below the nostrils and observe the flow of breath (i.e., just know that you are inhaling or exhaling). My problem with the instructions is that I can feel the sensations under my nostrils, but I don’t understand what that sensation means i.e., if it is inhalation or exhalation. For the longest time, in an attempt to figure/know what the sensation corresponded to, I think I was controlling my breath, which proved to be counterproductive as I was having trouble breathing normally. Even extending to normal day-to-day affairs. I tried using harder breaths, longer breaths, but I never could go beyond understanding that there is sensation under my nostrils. I understand that it is for building shamata, and the knowing of if the sensation corresponds to inhalation or exhalation doesn’t matter that much. But I am assuming there is a reason the instruction is a certain way. Am I doing something wrong. Any help is appreciated. I read that the Mahasi tradition emphasises keeping the attention on the rising and falling of the belly, but I don’t think I am ready to mix traditions yet. Does anyone know what might be happening here or have any suggestions on what can be done to help better my practice.

I have started facing a weird problem which I wouldn't earlier. While meditating during daytime, I sometimes doubt whether I am actually experiencing *nimitta* or my *vittaka* has waned and, instead of making way for *ekaggata*, my closed eyes are in fact picking up ambient light. This inevitably keeps me from attaining stable *anapana-nimitta* in that session and the progression plateaus, irrespective of how effortless maintaining concentration has become. That leads to restlessness and I either don't feel like keeping my *aditthana*, or if I can nullify that I emerge from the session somewhat disappointed that I didn't utilize the session well. I'd like to clarify that I not seeking any *jhanic* factor or for *anapana-nimitta* to emerge, and I can attain *anapana-nimitta* and subsequently absorption for desired time period before progressing to the higher *jhanas* during night-time because I know I can't be confounded by ambient light... So, other than only sitting at nighttime, which isn't really a solution, what do I do? Any pointers?

Can anyone post a video of what a "bhamakāro" from ancient India would be doing? If not, can anyone explain very clearly what we are talking about in terms of the tool that would have been used, the process, and what the person would have been doing? Pali: > Seyyathāpi bhikkhave dakkho **bhamakāro** vā bhamakārantevāsī vā dīghaṃ vā > añchanto dīghaṃ añchāmīti pajānāti, rassaṃ vā añchanto rassaṃ > añchāmīti pajānāti, evameva kho bhikkhave bhikkhu dīghaṃ vā assasanto > dīghaṃ assasāmīti pajānāti. Dīghaṃ vā passasanto dīghaṃ passasāmīti > pajānāti. Translation of MN 10 from Thanissaro Bhikkhu: > Just as a skilled **turner** or his apprentice, when making a long turn, > discerns, 'I am making a long turn,' or when making a short turn > discerns, 'I am making a short turn'; in the same way the monk, when > breathing in long, discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or breathing > out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long' Translation of MN 10 from Sujato: > It’s like a deft **carpenter** or carpenter’s apprentice. When making a > deep cut they know: ‘I’m making a deep cut,’ and when making a shallow > cut they know: ‘I’m making a shallow cut.’ ...

What is the interpretation of parimukham in the context of Buddhist Meditation? This seems to have different interpretation and translations? What are the different interpretations and translations and what might be the most correct interpretation according to different line of practice? How is the particular interpretation rationalised?

About 'sankhara' in Dependent Origination as found in SN 12.2 of the Pali suttas, Bhikkhu Analayo said the following: Bhikkhu Thanissaro said the following: Which is right and why? Bhikkhu Analayo or Bhikkhu Thanissaro?