By Anastacia Mott Austin
The goal of Vipassana meditation is "the personal purification of the mind." "It is the highest form of awareness ? the total perception of the mind-matter phenomena in its true nature. It is the choiceless observation of things as they are," writes the Vipassana Research Institute on their website.
Similar to other forms of meditation, the idea behind the practice is to achieve the ability to observe the world and one?s surroundings as they truly are, without judgment.
The path to achieving this pure mind is related to the "three trainings" as taught by Buddha. The first is the observance of a "sila," a code of behavior which includes refraining from killing, drunkenness, stealing, sexual misdeeds, and lying. Once one adheres to this code, it leads to the second training, which is a focus of the mind, called "samadhi." With the mind deeply focused, the third level, called panna, can be achieved - the unbiased observation of reality.
Vipassana is described as a way to transformation through observation, particularly observation of the self, and the mind-body connection.
The Dhamma Siri group located in Kaufman, Texas, clarifies that through close and careful enough attention to one?s physical sensations and how they interact with the mind, one can eventually "dissolve" mental impurity and lead to "nibbana," or freedom from all suffering.
"The scientific laws that operate one?s thoughts, feelings, judgments and sensations become clear. Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace," states the Dhamma Siri website.
There are three main schools of thought in Buddhism through which Vipassana can be viewed: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
In the Theravada method, Vipassana is utilized to comprehend the Four Noble Truths as taught by Buddha. The primary focus is that the "I" doesn?t exist, and the goal is the dissolution of the essential self; the practitioner strives to attain the knowledge of self-dissolution.
In the Mahayana school, the practice of Vipassana revolves around meditating on two essential truths: conventional truth and absolute truth. One gradually realizes the nature of emptiness or lack of existence in all things through meditative observation.
In the Vajrayana method, the goals are similar yet employ the assistance of a guru.
Typically the technique is taught in ten-day courses at specific Vipassana centers with trained instructors. There should never be any charge for these trainings ? costs are covered by donations, and none of the instructors receive monetary benefits.
True mastery of the Vipassana meditation technique cannot be achieved in a ten-day course, and must be practiced over time to attain life-long benefits.
Though originally Buddhist in nature, Vipassana practice is non-sectarian and can be practiced by anyone wishing to achieve a purity of mind ? it is not necessary to become a Buddhist to partake in Vipassana.
The Vipassana Research Institute emphasizes that the practice is open to all, and that "the technique works on the simple basis that all human beings share the same problems, and a technique that can eradicate these problems will have a universal application." Be certain to find a very good site to understand about Kabbalah from.
