Vipassana Meditation

Considered by some to be the form of meditation practiced by Gautama the Buddha more than 2,500 years ago, Vipassana, or insight meditation, is practiced primarily in south and southeast Asia but is also a popular form of meditation in Western countries. Vipassana is the oldest of the Buddhist meditation techniques that include Zen (Soto and Rinzai schools) and Tibetan Tantra.

Vipassana Meditation

The Pali term “Vipassana”, though not directly translatable to English roughly means “looking into something with clarity and precision, seeing each component as distinct, and piercing all the way through so as to perceive the most fundamental reality of that thing.”

The goal of Vipassana is the understanding of the 3 characteristics of nature which are impermanence (anicca), sufferings (dhuka), and non-existence (anatta). Vipassana meditation helps practitioners to become more highly attuned to their emotional states. Through the technique, meditators are trained to notice more and more of their flowing life experience, becoming sensitive and more receptive to their perceptions and thoughts without becoming caught up in them. Vipassana meditation teaches people how to scrutinize their perceptual processes, to watch thoughts arise, and to react with calm detachment and clarity, reducing compulsive reaction, and allowing one to act in a more deliberate way.

Main components: Vipassana meditation requires the cultivation of a particular attitude or approach:

(1) don’t expect anything, (2) don’t strain; (3) don’t rush, (4) observe experience mindfully, that is, don’t cling to or reject anything, (5) loosen up and relax, (6) accept all experiences that you have, (7) be gentle with yourself and accept who you are, (8) question everything, (9) view all problems as challenges, (10) avoid deliberation, and (11) focus on similarities rather than differences.

Vipassana meditation is practiced in a seated position when focusing on the breath; otherwise, no posture is prescribed and the meditator may sit, stand, walk, or lie down. Traditionally, if a static position has been taken, it is not to be changed until the meditation session has ended. However, many Western teachers allow students to move, though mindfully, to avoid persistent pain caused by being in the same position for too long. The time devoted to seated meditation should be no longer than one can sit without excruciating pain. The eyes should be closed.

Breathing: Air is inhaled and exhaled freely through the nose. There is a natural, brief pause after inhaling and again after exhaling.

Attention and its object: The focus of attention or awareness in Vipassana can be categorized into 4 groups:

Body, Emotions and Feelings, Thoughts, and Mental Processes. In focusing attention on the breath, novice Vipassana meditators attain a degree of “shallow concentration.” This is not the deep absorption or pure concentration of the mantra meditation techniques. Gradually, the focus of attention is shifted to the rims of the nostrils, to the feeling of the breath going in and out. When attention wanders from the breath, the meditator brings it back and anchors it there. To help concentrate on the breath, a novice meditator may silently count breaths or count between breaths. The meditator notices the feeling of inhaling and exhaling and ignores the details of the experience. The movement of the abdominal wall while inhaling and exhaling may also be used as a focus of attention. The primary technique for focusing on bodily sensations is the body scan. Beginning with the top of the head, the practitioner observes the sensations as if for the first time, and then scans the scalp, the back of the head, and the face. When visualizations of the body distract the meditator, the thoughts are simply directed back to the sensations. The focus of attention is moved continuously over the body, moving down the neck, to the shoulders, arms, hands, trunk, legs and feet. Throughout the entire scan, an attitude of nonanticipation and acceptance is maintained. Mindfulness can be practiced during any activity and practitioners are encouraged to practice being mindful and fully aware during other activities such as walking, stretching, and eating.

Spirituality and belief: Though often described as a profound religious practice, no particular spiritual or philosophical system is required to practice Vipassana meditation.

Training: Vipassana should be practiced twice daily, morning and evening, for about 5 to 10 minutes. Western interpreters of Vipassana have recommended that novice meditators should be instructed to sit motionless for no longer than 20 minutes. Ideally, a meditator works up to at least two 1-hour sessions per day, and does at least one 10-day retreat per year. Longer meditation sessions allow for deeper periods of meditation. The length of time required to become proficient in Vipassana meditation varies by individual, some students progress rapidly, others slowly.

Criteria of successful meditation practice: As instructions for this technique are available in books and articles and there is no explicit instruction in the literature that an
experienced practitioner teach the technique or that individualized instruction is necessary, it
is presumed that the criteria for successful meditation practice rests with the subjective evaluation of the meditator. However, instruction may be given and, if this is the case, presumably successful practice is judged by an experienced meditator.


Recommended:

This report is based on research conducted by the University of Alberta Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services

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