SPECIAL FEATURES OF VIPASSANA

[admin]

Till the Buddha’s time like physical yogic practices various meditations were also practiced by the Indian Yogis and ascetics. All these practices are just mind controlling systems technically called “Samatha Bhavana” which means concentration one meditative object. The Buddha found the truth that all these methods practiced by the yogis of his time only suppress the defilements of the mind. But Vipassana is an invent of Lord Buddha. This new approach in meditative life made a vast change in the spiritual history of India. Buddha’s new doctrines and practical methods attracted many people from all walk of life right from the members of noble family to peasants and serfs. Within span of one year after his Enlightenment, there were twenty thousand followers and devotees followed his noble teachings and practiced his new system of Vipassana Meditation. The term Vipassana literally means “insight”, “knowing ourselves” or probe into our own real nature or knowing the outer cosmos and mental cosmos or knowing the facts of happenings in the body and mind eventually we are freed from basic defilements hatred, agreed and delusion and attain full enlightenment Nibbana. He has expounded the practical sessions of Vipassana, in one of his discourses called Maha Satipatthana Sutta (Sutta Pitaka, Digha Nikaya, MahaVagga 9th verse)

[Srinivas]

Venerable Sir,

I have trained in vipassana under the Goenka technique and also the techniques of Andrew Quernmore. I have been told that versions that are considered "purer" are better. Is it better to train in samatha techniques and brahmaviharas before approaching vipassana or is it better to go directly to vipassana and awareness.

I am an ex-meditator because I have to work in a competitive environment where I have to use threats and ill language to enforce discipline and I thought that it would be a shame to both meditate and use foul language.kindly advise me as to the path I should take.

With Metta
Srinivasa Reddy