3 votes
Accepted

Samatha while studying

Higher levels of concentration is not possible while the mind is active but you can have some level of non-exclusive focus on like the breath or bodily sensations while working. You need to develop ...
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena's user avatar
3 votes

How to maintain a Buddhist practice through dark times?

I am in your state. I am sick as well. I want to be a monk but I can't. The difference is I don't feel bad because I can see my effort when looking back to check what I did. I can say I never sit as ...
Bonn's user avatar
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3 votes
Accepted

Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?

Samatha = citta-samatha = Leading to wholesome mind = seclusion of unwholesome in 5 strings, kāmaguṇa. Vipassanā = samatha-vipassanā = Leading to sabbasaṅkhāra-samatha, nibbāna = seclusion of whole ...
Bonn's user avatar
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3 votes

I was wondering about deep meditation and out of body experiences

I suddenly looked down and saw myself sitting, I was out of my body, I tried to look around and I saw what I can only describe as many beautiful places/doors This is an effect of certain Samatha ...
Sankha Kulathantille's user avatar
2 votes

I was wondering about deep meditation and out of body experiences

What you're describing is one of the many superpowers you can develop when practicing meditation. In the Kevatta sutta http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.11.0.than.html the Buddha ...
beginner's user avatar
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2 votes

Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?

If AN 5.176 was a genuine sutta then most Buddhist laypeople would easily develop jhana and be not interested in sex. The fact that most Buddhist laypeople have not developed jhana & are unable to ...
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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2 votes
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Is Dhamma-thinking considered wise attention?

Yes, if that Dhamma-Thinking is arising continuously without five strings, without five hindrances, and with understanding the real reality, more than trillion times in a second, with it's real ...
Bonn's user avatar
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2 votes
Accepted

How to maintain a Buddhist practice through dark times?

The first thing I noticed in your question is the ultra long hours you put into meditation. You might find this advice from Ven. Ajahn Chah useful. From "The Teachings of Ajahn Chah: A collection ...
ruben2020's user avatar
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2 votes

How to maintain a Buddhist practice through dark times?

While sitting meditation is good, it shouldn't be your sole activity of cultivation. Obviously a sick and frail body won't get one very far. You'd need a strong healthy body to take on the task too. ...
santa100's user avatar
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2 votes

Former hedonist started with Samatha, worried about dukkha nanas

The end point of practice is liberty: not the commonly-heard but overly simplistic notion pf political liberty, but the essential principle that underpins that concept. Unfortunately, this sense of ...
Ted Wrigley's user avatar
  • 4,908
1 vote

How to maintain a Buddhist practice through dark times?

There is lot more benefit from sincerely observing precepts, giving into generosity and tune ones life, while being all around observant, especially on reflection, rather the foolish modern ...
Samana Johann's user avatar
1 vote

Scattered mind while doing Body Scanning in Vipassana

I have read some suggestions for this like having the perception of light, walking meditation etc. but none of these are helping me out. I would be very grateful if someone could point out my mistakes ...
OyaMist's user avatar
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1 vote

Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?

We cannot conclude something just because some particular person wrote it or some particular monk said it. Buddha himself told against such mindsets and practices. Samatha meditation is actually ...
Aatreya Dutta's user avatar
1 vote

Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana?

Is samatha meditation more suited to lay people than vipassana? From Pali Canon it does not seem that Buddha ever taught "samatha meditation" and "vipassana meditation" as two distinct and separate ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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1 vote

Does samatha practice always come before vipassana practice?

Without any previous concentration exercises or Samatha training, no Insight is possible. How can you register the different sensations which arise and pass away so fast without a sharpened ...
ruzickaw's user avatar
1 vote

Does samatha practice always come before vipassana practice?

Well, according to AN 9.44 PannaVimutta Sutta Doing Samatha-Vipassana at the same time is the best way to Obtain and realizing Wisdom. Without getting into Jhana, it would be hard to grab the true ...
LomX's user avatar
  • 399
1 vote

Ajahn Brahm versus others

Everybody is right. You need to decide what is right for you and which teacher you follow. I practice Suizen (meditating by playing the Shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute). My way to breath and my ...
Christian's user avatar
  • 250
1 vote

Ajahn Brahm versus others

This stems from the different interpretation of Parimukham in Anapanasati Sutta and relate other Suttas. Here in Ajahn Brahm's tradition what is said is to simply establish mindfulness. (See Ven. ...
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena's user avatar

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