Ajahn Chah explains some of Buddhisms most important principles, including nirvana, samadhi, and why it's important to "Be really careful!" The Buddha taught to see the body in the body. What does this mean? We are all familiar with the parts of the body, such as hair, nails, teeth, and skin. So how do we see the body in the body? If we recognize all these things as being [...]
Who Was Sayadaw U Pandita?
Jake Davis recalls the legacy of Burmese meditation master Sayadaw U Pandita and his influence on the Western Insight movement. From the Fall 2016 issue of Buddhadharma. When Sayadaw U Pandita came to Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, in 1984 to lead a retreat primarily for a small group of Western teachers and senior Western students, most knew him then only [...]
Cultivate Tranquility, Harvest Insight
The classical Theravada model of meditation employs the practices of shamatha and vipassana, both. Ajahn Brahmavamso explains the path of tranquility and insight. Introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi. In America, Theravada Buddhist meditation is often flatly identified with the practice of vipassana, even to the extent that those who practice within this tradition speak of [...]
The Insight Revolution
Determined to save Buddhism in Burma during colonial rule, Ledi Sayadaw popularized the teachings of the Abhidharma and introduced thousands of laypeople to the practice of insight meditation. As Erik Braun tells us, he set in motion a revolution in Buddhist practice still being felt around the globe. More than a century ago, as the British were taking over his country, a [...]
Shamatha–Vipashyana: Our Original Nature
Gaylon Ferguson says through the practice of both shamatha and vipashyana we bring our mind back to its original state. In the tradition of the buddhadharma that traveled from ancient India to Tibet (and, more recently, to various points west), the two main kinds of meditation practiced are shamatha (peaceful or calm abiding) and vipashyana (insight). These are two different [...]
How to Practice Vipassana Insight Meditation
Step-by-step instructions on how to do this important practice — the foundation of all Buddhist meditations — from the late Vipassana master Sayadaw U Pandita. What is Vipassana? Vipassana, or insight meditation, is the practice of continued close attention to sensation, through which one ultimately sees the true nature of existence. It is believed to be the form of [...]
Full-Stop Mind
The late Burmese teacher Mahasi Sayadaw helped to revitalize the Vipassana tradition with his precise teachings on meditation. His student Bhante Bodhidhamma presents Mahasi’s simple and direct method for slowing down and ultimately halting conceptual thinking. It has been more than 2,500 years since the Buddha first expounded the teachings. Throughout history, the teachings, [...]
Inner Victory: How to do Insight meditation and walking meditation
While concentrating or settling the mind is common to many spiritual traditions, the special practice of Buddhism is applying that concentrated mind to develop insight: examining our experience closely and precisely in order to understand the true nature of mind and its objects. This is the famed practice of vipassana, taught to us here by the renowned Burmese master Sayadaw U [...]
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana on Vipassana Meditation
In the direct, insightful style for which he is known, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana teaches the meditation technique known as Vipassana and explains why only meditation addresses the human condition. Meditation is not easy. It takes time and it takes energy. It also takes grit, determination, and discipline. It requires a host of personal qualities that we normally regard as [...]
Deep Seeing
Vipashyana meditation can eventually show us the basic nature of everything, says Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. It has the power to cut samsara at the root—to liberate us from ignorance. When things work out the way we think they should, we call it a good day. We feel successful when we can make the world do what we want it to do. In meditation practice, though, we begin to see [...]
