This is my effort to share the invaluable experience that I acquired by practicing Vipassana meditation. I had this opportunity to take basic course of meditation in International Buddhist Meditation Center, founded in 1985 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The main objective of the centre is to provide a forum for Satipatthana Vipassana meditation practice according to the teaching of the, Venn. Mahasi Sayadaw, Burmese Guru. I went through the steps provided below one by one and had tremendous opportunity to know myself from within. The following steps written below are the excerpts of the book published by International Meditation Centre, Kathmandu, Nepal. Of course, taking an intense course like I did which is generally of 10-12 days helps a lot but you can have incredible insight just by trying to follow the basic steps provided below.

This is the continuation of the Vipassana Meditation Exercise. Please look at the tag below for the exercises 1 and 2.

Basic Exercise III

You are likely to experience an intense feeling of fatigue, stiffness in the body or in the arms and legs since you must continue contemplating for a long time while in one position, that of sitting or lying down. Should this happen, simply keep the mind on that part of the body where such feelings occur and carry on the contemplation, noting tired or stiff. Do this naturally; that is, neither too fast nor too slow. These feelings gradually become fainter and finally cease altogether. Should one of these feelings become more intense until the bodily fatigue or stiffness of joints is unbearable, and then change your position. However, do not forget to make a mental note of intending, before you proceed to change your position. Each movement must be contemplated in its respective order and in detail.

If you intend to lift the hand or leg, make a mental note ‘intending’. In the act of lifting the hand or leg, ‘lifting’. Stretching either the hand or the leg. ‘Stretching’. When you bend it, ‘bending’. Should either the hand or leg touch, ‘touching’. Perform all of these actions in a slow and deliberate manner. As soon as you are settled in the new position, continue with the contemplation in another position keeping to the procedure outlined in this paragraph.

Should an itching sensation be felt in any part of the body, keep in mind on that part and make a mental note, ‘itching’. Do this in a regulated manner, neither do too fast nor too slow. When the itching sensation disappears in the course of full awareness, continue with the exercise of noticing the rising and falling of the abdomen. Should the itching continue and become too strong and you intend to rub the itchy part, be sure to make a mental note, ‘intending’. Slowly lift the hand, simultaneously noting the actions of lifting; and touching, when the hand touches the part that itches. Rub slowly incomplete awareness of rubbing. When the itching sensation has disappeared and you intend to discontinue rubbing be mindful by making the usual mental note of intending. Slowly withdraw the hand, concurrently making a mental note of the action, ‘withdrawing’. When the hand rests in its usual place touching the leg, touching. Then again devote your time to observing the abdominal movements.

If there is pain or discomfort, keep the knowing mind on that part of the body where the sensation arises. Make a mental note of the specific sensation as it occurs, such as painful, aching, pressing, piercing, tired, and giddy. It must be stressed that the mental note must not be forced nor delayed but made in acclaim and natural manner. The pain may eventually cease or increase. Do not be alarmed if it increases. Firmly continue the contemplation. If you do so, you will find that the pain will almost always cease. But if, after a time, the pain has increased and becomes unbearable, you must ignore the pain and continue with the contemplation of rising and falling.

As you progress in mindfulness you may experience sensations of intense pain; stifling or choking sensations, such as pain from the slash of a knife, the thrust of a sharp-pointed instrument, sensations of being pricked by sharp needles, or small insects crawling over the body. You might experience sensations of itching, biting, intense cold. As soon as you discontinue the contemplation you will have them again as soon as you gain mindfulness will. These painful sensations are not to be considered as something wrong. They are not manifestations of disease but are common factors always present in the body and are usually obscured when the mind is normally occupied with more conspicuous objects. When the mental faculties become keener you are more aware of these sensations.

With the continued development of contemplation the time will come when you can overcome them and they will cease altogether. If you continue contemplation, firm in purpose, you will not come to any harm. Should you lose courage, become irresolute in contemplation and discontinue for sometime you may encounter these unpleasant sensations again and again as your contemplation proceeds. If you continue with determination you will most likely overcome these painful sensations and may never again experience them in the course of contemplation. Should you intend to sway the body, then knowingly note ‘intending’. While in the act of swaying, ‘swaying’. While contemplating you may occasionally discover the body swaying back and forth. Do not be alarmed, nether be pleased nor wish to continue to sway. The swaying will cease if you keep the knowing mind on the action of swaying and continue to note swaying until the action ceases. If swaying increases in spite of you making a mental note of it, then lean against wall or post or lie down for a while. Thereafter proceed with contemplation. Follow the same procedure if you find yourself shaking or trembling. When contemplation is developed you may sometimes feel a thrill or chill pass through the back or the entire body. This is a symptom of the feeling of intense interest, enthusiasm or rapture. It occurs naturally in the course of good contemplation. When your mind is fixed in contemplation you may be started at the slightest sound. This takes place because you feel the effect of sensory impression more intensely while in a state of concentration.

Advancement in contemplation

After having practiced for a day and a night you may find your contemplation considerably improved. You may be able to prolong the basic exercise of noticing the abdominal movements. At this time you will notice that there is generally break between the movements of rising and falling. If you are in the sitting posture, fill in this gap with a mental note of the fact of sitting in this way: rising, falling, and sitting. When you make a mental note of sitting, keep your mind on the erect position of the upper body. When you are lying down you should proceed with full awareness as follows: rising, falling and lying. If you find this easy continue with noticing these three sections. Should you notice that a pause occurs at the end of the rising as well as at the end of the falling movement, then continue in this manner: rising, sitting, falling, sitting. Or when lying down: rising, lying falling, lying. Suppose you no longer find it easy to make a mental note of three or four objects in the above manner, then revert to the initial procedure of noting only the two sections; rising and falling.

While engaged in the regular practice of contemplating bodily movements you need not be concerned with objects of seeing and hearing. As long as you are able to keep your mind on the abdominal movements of rising and falling, it is assumed that the purpose of noticing the acts and objects of seeing is also served. However, you may intentionally look at an object; two or three times, note as seeing.

Suppose a person comes into our view, make a mental note of seeing, two or three times and then resume attention to the rising and falling movements of the abdomen. Did you happen to hear the sound of a voice? Did you listen to it? If so, make a mental note of hearing, listening and revert to rising and falling. But suppose you heard a loud noise, such as barking of dogs, loud talking or shouting, if so, immediately make a mental note two or three times, hearing, then return to your basic exercise. If you fail to note and dismiss such distinctive sounds as they occur, you may inadvertently fall into reflections about them instead of proceeding with intense attention to rising and falling, which may then become less distinct and clear. It is by such weakened attention that mind defiling passions breed and multiply. If such reflections do occur, make a mental note reflecting two or three times, then again take up the contemplation of rising and falling. Should you forget to make a mental note of body, leg or arm movements then mentally note forgetting, and resume your usual contemplation on abdominal movements. You may feel at times that breathing is slow or that the rising and falling movements are not clearly perceived. When this happens and you are in the sitting position, simply move the attention to sitting, touching; or if you are lying down, to lying, touching. While contemplating touching, your mind should not be kept on the same part of the body but on different parts successively: there are several places of touch and at least six or seven should be contemplated.

Basic Exercise IV

Up to this point you have decided quite some time to the training course. You might begin to feel lazy after deciding that you have inadequate progress. By no means give up. Simply note the fact, lazy. Before you gain sufficient strength in attention, concentration and insight, you may doubt the correctness or usefulness of this method of training. In such circumstance turn to contemplation of the thought, ‘doubtful’. Do you anticipate or wish for good results? If so, make such thoughts the subject of your contemplation; anticipating, or wishing. Are you attempting to recall the manner in which the training was conducted up to this point? Yes?  Then take up contemplation of recollecting. Are there occasions when you examine the object of contemplation in order to determine whether it is mind or matter? If so, then be aware of examining. Do you regret that there is no improvement in your contemplation? If so, attend to the feeling of regret. Conversely are you happy that your contemplation is improving? If you are, then contemplate the feeling of being happy. This is the way in which you make a mental note every item of mental behavior as it occurs, and if there are no intervening thoughts or perceptions to note, you should revert to the contemplating of rising and falling abdomen. During a strict course of meditation, the time of practice is from the first moment you wake up until the last moment before you fall asleep. To reiterate, you must be constantly occupied either with the basic exercise or with mindful attention throughout the day and during those night hours when you are not asleep. There must be no relaxation. Upon reaching a certain stage of progress with contemplation you will not feel sleepy in spite of these prolonged hours of practice. On the contrary, you will be able to continue the contemplation day and night.

Summary

It has been emphasized during this brief outline of the training that you must contemplate on each mental occurrence, good or bad; on each bodily movement large or small; on every sensation (bodily or mental feeling) pleasant or unpleasant; and so on; If, during the course of training, occasions arise when there is nothing special to contemplate upon, be fully occupied with attention to the rising and falling of the abdomen.

When you have to attend to any kind of activity that necessitates walking, then, in complete awareness, each step should be briefly noted as walking. But when you are taking a walking exercise, contemplate on each step in three sections; up, forward, down. The student who thus dedicated himself or herself to the training day and night, will be able to develop concentration to the initial stage of the fourth degree of insight (knowledge of arising and passing away) and onward to higher stages of insight meditation (Vipassana bhavana)

Reference:   Practical Vipassana Meditation Exercises, Mahasi Sayadaw, International Buddhist Meditation Centre, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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