Hello Beautiful People, I have a quick question. After years of meditating with a mixture of Mahasi and Goenka style, I would like to ask the following. Very often when I sit to mediate, it is a matter of seconds to experience a subtle sense of pleasure and/or spaciousness. But more interestingly, is that after meditating a bit more there comes a feeling that my eyes want to move upwards, almost like if they want to see behind my head/brain. The first times this eye movement happened, years ago, there was fear in me because this was unusual and unexpected - it was even a bit painful. But after letting this movement happen I realized that the traditional lights, pleasure, and spaciousness became more present. Sometimes this leads to a very focalized pleasure spot at the top of my head and sometimes to the feeling that from that spot a very strong and interesting sense of pleasure would come from it (like if there is a cascade of pleasure emanating from the top of my head). The eye movement I am describing is not like REM. It is rather slow and it is directed upwards. So, I guess my question is: what is this eye movement thing? Is it anywhere described? Is it a Jhana thing? a symptom of any stage of the path? Thanks!

The Vipassana as taught by Gautam Buddha in his Maha Sati Patthana Sutta talks about four different feilds of meditation : Body, Sensations,mind and mental contents. Goenka focuses solely on sensations - Isthis not an incorrect application of Buddhas teaching. If focussing on only one frame of reference could liberate the bhikku, why then would he have specifically mentioned four?

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.

Should one visualize while scanning different parts of the body? If not, should one try to suppress it? When I do body scanning practice, automatically an image of the corresponding body part arises in my mind. In fact, every single time when I am changing attention from a part to another it is the mental image of that part that arises first and sensations after that (if any). I have a hunch that this is not the right practice. I tried to "stop" it, but I could not...and hence the question. Can you give your insight on this? Also please share a method to avoid visualizing automatically (if that is indeed correct).

People who have done 10 Days of Vipassana Meditation retreat 5 to 100 times often say that from 5th day the Mind becomes very subtle & remains 24 * 7 like that. However when they're back to their families & life an average normal lifestyle. The Mind becomes similar to what it was before (in most cases, as per my experience). Is our Mind is similar to any other muscle of the body, The bodybuilders can come back in shape quicker than someone who has never achieved it before. If someone is doing the vipassana 1st time & someone else has a good experience. Would a 10 days vipassana a waste of time if not practiced after?

- Purpose: I want to know which sutta is this story coming from. - Background: I remember that when I joined the 10-day Vipassana course held by S.N.Goenka, he said, You can carve your Sankhara like an ocean wave. If you keep carving the Sankhara, eventually, it becomes stronger, like carving it on wood. Someday, it becomes like carving it on a rock. Something like this. It might be incorrect. - Comment: Does anyone know it?

I have been practicing Vipassana in S.N. Goenka's lineage for two years. I have read some of Mahasi's and Webu's Sayadaw writings as well. The biggest hindrance I've thus come across is Doubt. Every now and then I find myself full of questions regarding the technique, especifically about the way it works in pavimenting the path to liberation. I would like some pretty direct answers to questions as... 1. 'why noting and paying attention to the movement of the stomach helps creating understanding' or 2. 'how not reacting to sensations throught the body leads to insight' or 3. 'how restraint of the senses and mindfulness leads to liberation' 4. etc. I'm aware that I may have read satisfactory answers to those questions in the past. But I really would like to get something directand easy to come back to, instead of reading full long texts full of heavy explanations. Thanks.

If a meditation teacher is not enlightened, is there any point in learning from him/her? According to [Satipatthana Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wayof.html) , the awakening should usually take some time between 7 days and 7 years. If somebody who devoted his life to teaching meditation still hasn't got enlightened, there must be something wrong with his method, then? Or am I missing something? The question is general, but to give some context: I have been to a meditation retreat using S.N. Goenka's method, and what I learnt seems to have some merits. But if I assumed a Buddhist point of view that the awakening is the ultimate goal, there is no reason to follow his advice, since Goenka has stated that he is not enlightened. Is there any point in using his techniques?

I have done 4 10-day vipassana retreats as taught by Goenkaji some 4-5 years back. As of now, from readings online and reading questions and answers on this BSE website I come to understand that vipassana does not mean 'body scanning' for sensations to eradicate samkharas but the word 'vipassana' means 'insight'. But as Goenkaji teaches it in the retreats he means (if I interpreat him correctly) by vipassana as the 'body scan' technique that he teaches. Are there any suttas which explain this technique or which tell that by body scan, insight or vipassana will arise? Is the technique also taught by Buddha somewhere?

I have been on three 10-day Goenka Vipassana retreats in the past four years. I continue to meditate every day, although I question my technique, my progress, and eventually if this is the right tradition for me. Hence, I am naturally caught up in doubt as a primary hindrance. Goenka Vipassana being my only real exposure to any type of Buddhist meditation, I am trying to learn more about tradition because, for one, I feel like I still haven't gotten a handle on my samadhi. By that, I mean I still haven't achieved a quiet mind or a fully absorbed mind. - I am wondering if I should pursue a tradition that doesn't dismiss the dhyanas the way that Goenka Vipassana does? I like that there ares stages. I do better with structure in general, and could be more intent and directed in my practice if I have had more defined path with clear markers along the way. However, I do keenly sense my bodily sensations and can achieve a free flow of energy. Still, even as I experience awareness of subtle sensations and a free flow, my mind is not clear of thought. - Which brings me to another question -- am I supposed to observe thoughts as they arise, or keep my focus on my breathe (if pracaticing anapana) or sensations when doing Vipassana? - A final question: is bhanganana a type of dhyana? I have not reached bhanga, and I am not even sure that I have reached the first dhyana, but the definitions of each that I have read seem to correspond. How does one skip the dhyanas but then achieve bhanga? Forgive my relative ignorance of these matters. I live in a urban area that has a lot of different meditation centers in the vicinity, including a Shambhala (Tibetan) Center. I am curious to explore, although I am a bit hesitant about the more ritual-based Mahayana traditions as they seem too much like organized religion to me. Essentially, my goal, if I admit that I have one, is to make progress, is to deepen my practice, to achieve profound states of peace and clarity, to experience impermanence directly, to gain this ultimate wisdom. I am not attached Goenka Vipassana, and open to different approaches that will help me to improve my concentration (samadhi) that will, in tern, allow for panna (wisdom). Thank you.

A very short summary of the Vipassanā technique taught by S.N. Goenka would be: "observe your bodily sensations with equanimity". The role of physical bodily sensations is the key aspect of the technique and other traditions do not attach such a great importance to them. It is said that Goenka's technique of scanning the body to feel increasingly subtle sensations was passed on though several lay teachers and that it goes back to the Burmese monk [Ledi Sayadaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledi_Sayadaw) . Ledi Sayadaw left a large quantity of writings; some of them are available [here](http://www.aimwell.org/ledi.html) and/or [here](http://www.aimwell.org/LediSayadaw/) . I looked through some of them, and in no place did I see any passage that would present observing bodily sensations as the technique to be followed. If he really taught this, it is hard to imagine he would not mention that this is the key aspect of the technique. **Can anyone provide a relevant quote from Ledi Sayadaw's texts?** **Update:** The question is whether Ledi-style Vipassanā should be practised by observing bodily sensations/body scanning. Mindfulness of the body in Ānāpāna Dīpanī is presented as something distinct from Vipassanā, so it doesn't answer my question. Moreover, it looks like Ledi Sayadaw understood "mindfulness of the body" to mean "mindfulness of the breath", not body scanning. See [Ānāpāna Dīpanī, part XIV](http://www.aimwell.org/A%20Manual%20of%20Respiration.pdf) : > [...] establishing mindfulness of the body (kāyānupassana satipaṭṭhāna). The out-breath and in-breath, being part of the aggregate of materiality (rūpakkhandha) are called body (kāya).

There are some very influential meditation masters of the 20th century such as Mahasi Sayadaw and S.N. Goenka who have many people today who follow their methods. Is it possible to summarize the methods particular to modern meditation masters (type of meditation, etc.) and provide links to their teachings? This might be helpful to those new to meditation or those looking to expand their understanding of the many styles of meditation available today. This is a community wiki and a work in progress. Please consider adding your knowledge to this post. Thank you!

Vipassana-style meditation has been adapted to treat patients to prevent recurrence of depression and anxiety through MBCT, and to treat chronic pain and stress through MBSR. More info on this can found in this answer . On the other hand, there have been some reported cases (see here ) of people who attended the 10-day Goenka vipassana retreats and became psychotic and suicidal. I have also heard that such negative effects may be a normal part of a meditator's progress, called the "dark night" or "death of the ego" (according to this answer ). These could be part of the sixteen stages of insight (according to this page ), namely bhaya nana or "knowledge of the appearance as terror" and adinava nana or "knowledge of the contemplation of disadvantages". Questions: 1. Are episodes of psychosis resulting from 10-day vipassana retreats the result of something not right (e.g. pre-existing mental conditions, the side effect of combining other techniques such as mantra or tantra with vipassana), or is it a normal part of progress in vipassana meditation? If the two are different, then what is the difference? 2. For lay people, are the Goenka retreats considered too intense and thus out-of-moderation? Is it better for lay people to attend weekly sessions and spend less than an hour daily in meditation, rather than the intense and rigorous Goenka retreats? 3. Is it better for lay people to practise in such a way that they will not reach the "dark night" stages because these stages are more suited for monks? 4. Is it required for lay people to find a teacher who can determine what is moderate for them, or can they just follow generic instructions?

I recently completed a 10 day Goenka retreat. When we began vipassana on the 4th day, I noticed that I was getting a lot of tension/pressure/movement around my eyes. I informed the teacher of this and she instructed me to try practicing with my eyes open to train my eyes to not move to the same point of focus as my mind (presuming that that's what was happening). It's been several weeks now since the end of the retreat and I've remained practicing 2.5-3 hours a day, every day, except since the end of the retreat I've practiced with eyes closed. The tension/pressure/movement hasn't gone away; if anything its gotten worse, to the point now that it's getting very difficult to do full body scans because the intensity of sensation around my eyes fully averts my attention back to the forehead area. Sometimes it's just a very intense but dull pressure, other times it's random and very sporadic movement of sensations, other times its a very intense energetic feeling. How do I deal with this?

It appeared that most students learning Buddhism will automatically assume Vipassana Meditation taught by Mr. S. N. Goenka synonymous with Buddhist meditation, methods taught by the Buddha, is it so? ===== **Remark Added 15/03/2017** The knowledgeable Suminda (@Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena) pointed to an article which attempted to establish the *"U Ba Khin Vipassana method **told by** Mr. Goenka"* its connection with Mahayana (of the Chinese Lineage), this should definitely be refuted. Mr. Goenka himself with his entire Insight Movement is completely unrelated to the Mahayanist teaching. In the article Ven. Analayo wisely drew inspiration from the Mahayanist Sutra however, it's uncertain under what circumstance someone provided him an incorrectly translated work: > 念諸息遍身, 亦念息出入, 悉觀身中諸出息入息, 覺知遍至身中乃 至足指遍諸毛孔, 如水入沙, 息出覺知從足至髮遍諸毛孔亦, 如水 入沙. Mindfulness [during] all breaths pervades the body, [while] being as well mindful of the out- and in-breaths. Completely contemplating the inside of the body [during] all out-breaths and in-breaths, awareness pervades and reaches inside the body up to the toes and the fingers and pervades every pore [on the surface of the body], just like water entering sand, aware from the feet to the hair [while] breathing out [and in], pervading every pore as well, just like water entering sand. This should read as (translation is mine): > Set the mind to all the breaths be aware of their permeating the whole > body (念諸息遍身). Also be mindful of the breath going-out and going-in > (亦念息出入). Thoroughly observe all the out-going and in-going breaths > inside the body (悉觀身中諸出息入息), be conscious of their permeating from > inside the body unto the toes and fingers even pervading all the > pores, as if water entering sands (覺知遍至身中乃至足指遍諸毛孔, 如水入沙). [When] > breath going-out, be conscious of it from feet unto the hairs > pervading all the pores, also as if water entering sands > (息出覺知從足至髮遍諸毛孔, 亦如水入沙). It definitely has nothing to do with Mr. Goenka's "body-scanning" technique. Here *breath* *息* is not simply the air coming in-out the nose-mouth that we do in breathing. Ānāpānasmṛti (Pali: Ānāpānasati) meditation taught by most of the general media is incorrect. There are at least 3 stages: counting, following, stillness; progressed gradually.

I have completed 10-days Vipassana course and I would like to keep on practicing back home. Goenkaji's discourse tells us to practice Vipassana 1 hour each morning and evening every day.Is there a need to practice Anapana along with Vipassana if so how often?

Let me clarify,what I want to know is (a) 'An established monastic order' - This the Goenka school is not. (b) With principles and beleifs and aims as close to the Goenka school as possible?

I have recently participated in a 10 days S.N. Goenka Vipassna course, which had incredible positive results. I feel like I shed 20 tons off my heart, and most importantly I am able to practice daily and to be aware of Sankaras before they 'stick'. My life has improved significantly in each and every aspect, and I was even able to bring positive awareness to the lives of my beloved ones. Naturally I want *everyone* to participate in a course immediately, especially people I am close to, and especially those who are in great suffering. But while trying to understand whether the course is safe for everyone or not, I've developed some doubt. Some experiences sound really unhealthy, like these: - The 10 Day (Goenka) Vipassana Retreat – A Warning - TERRIBLE and TRAUMATIC experience at Goenka retreat - Vipassana : Diary of a Bipolar episode following meditation - Mental breakdown triggered by Goenka retreat meditation (TL;DR - People are describing long periods of suffering, depression and even a bipolar episode). To be fair, it's not that easy to find many negative reports about the course, but seems like some people were significantly hurt, and the Vipassana course organizers / teachers weren't able to screen them beforehand or to guide them to the safe, healing zone of the technique. Another issue is the big amount of people leaving the course in the middle. This doesn't necessarily indicate they had an overall bad experience, but surely for many people leaving in the middle comes with some negative effects. I assume going on a course at a bad time, and leaving in the middle, might cause the participant to lose the chance of acquiring the technique for life (which is, IMHO, quite terrible). I have the option of remaining totally neutral towards whether a friend goes on a course or not, but I believe this is not necessarily the right, responsible approach. If I have the power to influence someone to acquire this amazing tool in a healthy manner, I think I also have the responsibility to do so. Similarly, if the course might be dangerous for someone, I must at least warn her / him. What approach should be taken while deciding whether to go on a course or not, or whether to encourage someone to go on a course?

Just asking if someone is aware of a **complete English translation** of *Anattadīpanī* by Ledi Sayadaw. While an extract is contained in "A Collection of Manuals of Buddhism by Ledi Sayadaw" I was unable to locate a full translation. The reason for my interest is the following: According Braun's *The Birth of Insight *, *Anattadīpanī* was focused on *vedana* contemplation (pag. 132): > Even the Manual on No-Self, which takes the feelings (vedana) as its subject matter, still begins with an explanation of meditative mindfulness of the body (kayagatasati) and its physical elements as a preparatory exercise. And according the book *A Brief Biography of Anagam Sayagyi U Thet And His Teaching * (pag. 124), U Thet found inside that book (as well as in *Bhāvanādīpanī*) a confirmation of his experience and "technique" which he later would pass to U Ba Khin and finally would arrive to Goenka: > He [Saya Thet] was quite satisfied with his new-found insightful perceptions of the continually changing nature of rupa and nama. But his findings need to be verified or validated by some authority. [...] Saya Thet read "Anatta Dipani" and "Bavana Dipani", the books he had brought back from his home, and checked up all his findings by personal experience. He felt as if the [Ledi] Sayadaw was teaching him at close quarters. The concepts, explanations and instructions heard over ten years ago came back bit by bit, and checked well against his personal findings.

I have some questions regarding this Buddhadhasa text saying there is no rebirth in Buddhism. Is rebirth not what enlightenment is supposed to bring an end to? Is there no rebirth because rebirth is actually to be understood in a moment-to-moment manner unrelated to the end of life (rebirth as pertaining to the condition of willing no more)? Then why does Goenkaji talk about "good fortune from a past life"? I thought I also heard him imply the rebirth of our consciousness in the context of suicide being a bad idea for this reason.