Vipassana means 'insight.' Or 'to see clearly.' It's the kind of meditation a lot of people do the world over. The Buddhists developed it--and give it away freely. Meditation is not inherently religious. But it's a marvelous tool for spiritual people.
Vipassana is also translated as 'to see clearly.' Before I knew this translation, I already 'knew it' from meditating. Early on, doing vispassana meditation as part of my morning quiet time, I found myself singing "to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more nearly, follow Thee more nearly--day by day."
I knew that meditating would help me see, and love, and follow Jesus in a much richer way. For me this is pretty much the same thing as following my life path--living into Irenaeus's words: "The glory of God is a human being fully alive."
Spirituality gets moldy, vapid, feeble without day to day spiritual formation.
What follows is a clear, helpful description of how to 'DO' vipassana meditation. It's from Tara Brach, (the book is Radical Acceptance).
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Find a sitting position that allows you to be alert—spine
erect but not rigid—and also relaxed. Close your eyes and rest your hands in an
easy, effortless way. Allow your awareness to scan through your body and,
wherever possible, soften and release obvious areas of physical tension.
Because we so easily get lost in thoughts, vipassana begins
with attention to the breath. Using the breath as a primary anchor of
mindfulness helps quiet the mind so that you can be awake to the changing
stream of life that moves through you.
Take a few very full breaths, and then allow your breath to
be natural. Notice where you most easily detect the breath. You might feel it
as it flows in and out of your nose; you might feel the touch of the breath
around your nostrils or on your upper lip; or perhaps you feel the movement of
your chest or the rising and falling of your abdomen. Bring your attention to
the sensations of breathing in one of these areas, perhaps wherever you feel
them most distinctly.
There is no need to control the breath, to grasp or fixate
on it. There is no “right” way of breathing. With a relaxed awareness, discover
what the breath is really like as a changing experience of sensations.
You will find that the mind naturally drifts off in
thoughts. Thoughts are not the enemy, and you do not need to clear your mind of
thoughts. Rather, you are developing the capacity to recognize when thoughts
are happening without getting lost in the story line. When you become aware of
thinking, you might use a soft and friendly mental note: “Thinking, thinking.”
Then, without any judgment, gently return to the immediacy of the breath. Let
the breath be home base, a place of full presence. While you might notice other
experiences—the sounds of passing cars, feelings of being warm or cool,
sensations of hunger—they can be in the background without drawing you away.
If any particular sensations become strong and call your
attention, allow those sensations, instead of the breath, to become the primary
subject of mindfulness. You might feel heat or chills, tingling, aching,
twisting, stabbing, vibrating. With a soft, open awareness just feel the
sensations as they are. Are they pleasant or unpleasant? As you fully attend to
them, do they become more intense or dissipate? Notice how they change. When
the sensations are no longer a strong experience, return to mindfulness of
breathing. Or if the sensations are so unpleasant that you are unable to regard
them with any balance or equanimity, feel free to rest your attention again in
the breath.
In a similar way, you can bring mindfulness to strong
emotions—fear, sadness, happiness, excitement, grief. Meet each experience with
a kind and clear presence, neither clinging to nor resisting what is happening.
What does this emotion feel like as sensations in your body? Where do you feel
it most strongly? Is it static or moving? How big is it? Are your thoughts
agitated and vivid? Are they repetitive and dull? Does your mind feel
contracted or open? As you pay attention, notice how the emotion changes. Does
it become more intense or weaken? Does it change into a different state? Anger
to grief? Happiness to peace? When the emotion is no longer compelling, turn
your attention back to the breath. If the emotion feels overwhelming for you,
or if you are confused about where to place your attention, relax and come home
to your breath.
The particular sensations, emotions or thoughts that arise
when we practice mindfulness are not so important. It is our willingness to
become still and pay attention to our experience, whatever it may be, that
plants the seeds of Radical Acceptance. With time we develop the capacity to
relate to our passing experience, whether in meditation or daily life, with
deep clarity and kindness.
