This is a (personal) overview of the most important theory explained during the 10-day Vipassana meditation course. The theory is drawn from the book: The Discourse Summaries of S.N. Goenka published by Vipassana Research Publications in 1987. The notes are organised based on the day of the lecture.
You can find this book at anya-books (German webshop).
The purpose of meditation (day 1)
Vipassana is a technique of truth-realisation, self-realisation, investigating the reality of what one calls ‘oneself.’
One begins with a simple truth, in our case that of respiration. Whatever is unknown about yourself must become known to you. Respiration acts as a bridge from the known to the unknown, because it can be either conscious or unconscious, intentional or automatic.
The breath is also strongly connected to the mind. Whatever state the mind inhibits, the breath will follow—shallow or deep, quick or slow.
The mind seeks always to wander, either toward the past, or toward the future. It does not want to stay in the present moment, but life can only be lived in the present.
Remembering the past and giving thought to the future are important, but only to the extent that they help one to deal with the present. But for most, the tool has enslaved the master, an excessive habit spun out of control.
This is the first truth one must realise and live; that the wandering mind is simply an old habit patter. All one can do is bring it back, smilingly, without any judgement or resentment. Once one realises the mind has wondered, awareness of respiration will return.
Thoughts can follow from one-another, but can also arise without sequence.
All thoughts have as their object something that is either pleasant or unpleasant. If it is pleasant, one starts reacting with liking, which develops into craving, clinging. If it is unpleasant, one starts reacting with disliking, which develops into aversion, hatred. The mind is constantly filled with ignorance, craving, and aversion.
By observing respiration, you have started not only to concentrate the mind, but also to purify it. Every moment of awareness is the habit pattern of the mind. In that moment, you are aware of the present reality, you live. In such a moment, the mind is free from the three basic defilements, it is pure.
The noble eightfold path (day 2 & 3)
Like a wild animal, the more powerful it is, the more it will resist being tamed. But, once tamed, the most powerful animal can achieve the greatest good. Don’t be discouraged when your mind seems uncontrollable, realise that all this power will once be yours to yield. But you must work very patiently, persistently, and continuously. Continuity of practice is the only key to success.
On the path of Dhamma, one cannot engage in action that harms others, that disturbs their peace and harmony, because one cannot perform an action that harms others without first generating a defilement in the mind (anger, fear, hatred, etc.). Similarly, one can only perform actions that help others, that contributes to their peace and harmony, because to do so, one first generates love, compassion and good will. As soon as one starts developing such pure mental qualities, one starts enjoying heavenly peace within.
When you help others, simultaneously you help yourself; when you harm others, simultaneously you harm yourself. This is Dhamma, the universal law of nature.
The path of Dhamma has three sections:
- Sīla is morality—abstaining from unwholesome deeds of body and speech.
- Sammā-vācā—right speech, purity of vocal action. Abstaining from lying, saying words that hurt others, purposeless chatter, etc.
- Sammā-kammanta—right action, purity of physical action. Abstain from action that harms, and engage in action that helps another, but also oneself.
- Sammā-ājīva—right livelihood. Everyone must have some way to support himself and those who are dependent on him, but if the means of support is harmful to others, then it is not a right livelihood. This also happens when earning money becomes a means to inflate the ego, because an inflated ego is harmful to the self and to others.
- Samādhi is the wholesome action of developing mastery over one’s mind.
- Sammā-vāyāma—right effort, right exercise. There are four exercises to strengthen the mind:
- removing from it any unwholesome qualities it may have,
- closing it to any unwholesome qualities it does not have,
- preserving and multiplying those wholesome qualities that are present in the mind, and
- opening it to any wholesome qualities that are missing.
- Sammā-sati—right awareness, awareness of the reality of the present moment. You have started practicing sammā-sati by training yourself to remain aware of whatever reality manifests at the present moment. You must develop the ability to be aware of the entire reality, from the grossest to the subtlest level.
- Sammā-samādhi—right concentration; concentration without craving, aversion, or illusion
- Sammā-vāyāma—right effort, right exercise. There are four exercises to strengthen the mind:
- Paññā, the development of wisdom, of insight, which totally purifies the mind.
- Sammā-saṅkappa—right thoughts. Thoughts free of craving, aversion, and delusion.
- Sammā-diṭṭhi—right understanding. Understanding reality as it is, not just as it appears to be.
There are three stages in the development of paññā:
- Suta-mayā paññā, wisdom acquired by hearing or reading the words of another.
- Cintā-mayā paññā, intellectual understanding, acceptance, of what one has heard or read.
- Bhāvanā-mayā paññā, understanding through experience. This is real wisdom and the only wisdom that can liberate, as it is one’s own wisdom, based on one’s own experience.
Everything is ephemeral, arising and passing away every moment—anicca; but the rapidity and continuity of the process create the illusion of permanence. The only way to break the illusion is to learn to explore within oneself, and to experience the reality of ,one’s own physical and mental structure. This is what Siddhattha Gotama did to become a Buddha.
As the understanding of anicca develops within oneself, another aspect of wisdom arises: anattā, no ‘I,’ no ‘mine.’ Within the physical and mental structure, there is nothing that lasts more than a moment, nothing that one can identify as an unchanging self or soul.
Then the third aspect of wisdom develops: dukkha, suffering. Attachment to what is ephemeral is certain to result in suffering.
Many illusions are created by apparent, consolidated, integrated reality—for example, the illusion of physical beauty. The body appears beautiful only when it is integrated. Any part of it, seen separately, is without attraction, without beauty. Physical beauty is superficial, apparent reality, not ultimate truth.
Vipassana (day 4)
In day 4, you start exploring the truth about yourself at the level of bodily sensations. In the past, these sensations were the cause of misery, but as you will learn, they can also be tools to eradicate it. The instruction is to go through your body in a consistent order, moving from one part to the next as soon as you have observed a sensation there. Stop a minute where a sensation does not appear immediately, maintaining equanimity and free of desire of sensations.
Furthermore, don’t jump to other sensations when they occur. Don’t push them away, but don’t give them any attention either. A full body scan can take from 10 minutes up to an hour. The duration is not important, however. The area of focus should be 5-8 cm wide ideally, but can be as big as a body part (face, upper arm) when the mind is dull.
All misery, whether originating in aversion or craving, ultimately manifest of the level of bodily sensations. Hence, this is the level at which one must work to purify the mind. One must learn to be aware of all the different sensations without reacting to them, accepting their changing, impersonal nature.
Anything that one feels at the physical level is a sensation. Never ignore a sensation on the grounds that it is caused by atmospheric conditions, or by sitting for long hours, or by an old disease. whatever the reason, the fact is that you feel a sensation.
Previously you tried to push out the unpleasant sensations, to pull in the pleasant ones. Now you simply observe objectively, without identifying with the sensations. You are learning to be aware and not to react, to feel whatever is happening at the physical level and to maintain equanimity.
Mind precedes all phenomena; mental, vocal, and physical. There are four major segments or aggregates of the mind, and one of the body:
- Viññāṇa, which may be translated as consciousness. The sense organs are lifeless unless consciousness comes into contact with them.
- Saññā, perception. According to one’s past experience and conditioning, one evaluates the sensation; good or bad.
- Vedanā, sensation. As soon as a sensation comes, there is a sensation on the body, but when the perception recognises it and gives it a valuation, the sensation becomes pleasant or unpleasant, in accordance with that valuation.
- Saṅkhāra, the mental reaction. Based on the pleasantness of the sensation, one starts to like or dislike the sensation. This momentary liking develops into great craving; this disliking develops into great aversion. One starts tying knots inside.
- Rupa, form. The physical body and the material aspects of existence. It includes the sense organs and the physical sensations that arise from contact with external objects.
Suffering can be eradiated by learning not to identify with either of the 5 aggregates.
At each of the sense doors, the same process occurs; eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body. Similarly, when a thought or imagination comes into contact with the mind, in the same way a sensation arises on the body initiates a similar process.
Vipassana teaches the art of dying: how to die peacefully and harmoniously. And one learns the art of dying through the art of living: how to become master of the present moment, not to generate saṅkhāras. How to live a happy life here and now. There are two aspects of the technique:
- Breaking the barrier between the conscious and unconscious levels of the mind.
- Equanimity: aware of all experiences, of every sensation, one does not react.
When you begin, you will mostly react to sensations. However, a few moments will come when you remain equanimous, despite severe pain and discomfort. Such moments change the habit pattern of the mind. Gradually you will reach the stage in which you can smile at any sensation, knowing it is anicca, bound to pass away.
The origin of suffering (day 5)
There are 4 types of attachment that one develops in life:
- Attachment to desires; craving. Whenever craving arises in the mind, it is accompanied by a physical sensation. One likes the sensation and wishes it to continue. As soon as a desire is fulfilled, the sensation that accompanied the desire is also gone, and so one generates a fresh desire in order that the sensation may continue.
- Clinging to ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ One cannot bear any criticism or harm to one’s ‘I.’ The attachment spreads to include whatever belongs to ‘I;’ whatever is ‘mine.’ As such, one clings to oneself and its possessions. The ego, in this context, is the constructed sense of self or identity that we believe to be real and enduring. It is the ‘I’ that we defend, promote, and cling to. Attachment to the ego and what it perceives as “mine” leads to suffering because everything in life is impermanent (anicca).
- Attachment to one’s views and beliefs. One cannot bear any criticism of them, or even accept that there might be others. One remains attached to the colour of one’s glasses, to one’s own preconceptions and beliefs.
- Clinging to one’s rites, rituals, and religious practices. Just as religious individuals might cling to rituals, another might rigidly adhere to specific routines, community activities, or societal norms. If they encounter situations where these practices or ideologies are challenged or prove ineffective, it can lead to frustration and a sense of loss.
All the sufferings of life, if examined closely, will be seen to arise from one or another of these four attachments.
Liking develops into great craving; disliking into great aversion and both turn into attachment.
Liking and disliking emerge from sensation: whenever a pleasant sensation arises, one likes it and wants to retain and multiply it. Whenever an unpleasant sensation arises, one dislikes it and wants to get rid of it.
Sensations occur because of the contact between any of the senses and an object of that particular sense: contact of the eye with a vision, of the ear with a sound, of the nose with an odour, of the tongue with a taste, of the body with something tangible, of the mind with a thought or an imagination. As soon as there is a contact, a sensation is bound to arise, pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
Awareness of sensations (Day 6)
One might interpret the practice of Vipassana as a practice of passiveness. This is, however, not the case. You will learn to act instead of react. When a difficult situation arises, you will observe the situation, take some time to contemplate the right course of action, and then take action.
Gradually, as one learns to observe the phenomenon of mind and matter within, one comes out of reactions. This is a difficult process because mental processes occur so rapidly that one cannot follow them unless one has been trained to do so.
The entire external universe exists for a person only when he or she experiences it, when a sensory object comes into contact with one of the sense doors. As soon as there is a contact, there will be a sensation. The perception gives a valuation to the sensation as good or bad, based on one’s past experiences and conditionings (past saṅkhārā). In accordance with this valuation the sensation becomes pleasant or unpleasant, and according to the type of sensation, one starts reacting with liking or disliking, craving or aversion.
The unique element of the teaching of Siddhattha Gotama is that at the point of observing the sensation, the point where craving and aversion begin, craving and aversion—suffering—can be eliminated. Unless one deals with sensations, one will be working only at a superficial level of the mind, while in the depths the old habit of reaction will continue.
There are five enemies that you will encounter when practicing Vipassana:
- Craving
- Aversion
- Laziness, drowsiness
- Agitation
- Doubt
Awareness and equanimity (day 7)
There are two aspects of the technique: awareness and equanimity. One must develop awareness of all the sensations that occur within the framework of the body, and at the same time one must remain equanimous towards them. One’s progress on the path can be measured only by the equanimity one develops towards every sensation.
As one goes deeper, it becomes clear that whatever arises in the mind is also accompanied by a physical sensation. Sensation is of central importance for experiencing the reality of both body and mind, and it is the point at which reactions start.
Similarly to that there are five enemies, there are also five friends along the path that help and support you:
- Faith, devotion, confidence
- Effort
- Awareness
- Concentration (sustained awareness)
- Wisdom (experienced)
Equanimity (day 8)
The body needs food only two or three times a day, but the flow of the mind requires an input every moment. The mental input is saṅkhāra. If one reacts to the sensation, again one starts making new saṅkhārā, planting new seeds of misery. But if one observes the sensation with equanimity, the saṅkhāra loses its strength and is eradicated. So long as one remains aware and equanimous, layer after layer of old saṅkhārā will come to the surface and be eradicated; this is the law of nature.
Awareness and equanimity will lead to purification of mind. Whatever one experiences on the way, whether pleasant or unpleasant, is unimportant. The important point is to not react with craving or aversion.
The ten pāramī (day 9)
An alternative way to deal with negativity in one’s life is to suppress it: to think about something else. However, this does not eliminate the negativity, but merely creates a layer of peace over it. By observing the sensation, one does not suppress it or allow it to express itself in harmful action. Not only does the present impurity lose its power, but a portion of the old stock will be eradicated.
It is, however, very hard to observe a mental defilement. By the time it reaches the conscious level, it is far too strong to observe without reacting. When a defilement arises in the mind, respiration will become abnormal and a biochemical reaction will start within the body, producing a sensation.
A way around observing the mental defilement is to observe its physical manifestations; respiration and sensation. By observing a defilement in its physical aspect, one allows it to arise and pass away without causing any harm. One becomes free from the defilement.
It takes time to master this technique, but as one practices, gradually one will find that in more and more external situations in which previously one would have reacted with negativity, now one can remain balanced.
From our first breath, we are trained always to look outside. We only get a single perspective on which we base our decisions, and when our problems lie within, we are unable to find solutions. By practicing Vipassana, we learn to see the reality of the inside as well.
There are ten good mental qualities—pāramī—that one must perfect to reach the final goal of egolessness:
- Nekkhamma: renunciation
- Sīla: morality
- Viriya: effort
- Paññā: wisdom
- Khanti: tolerance
- Sacca: truth
- Adhiṭṭhāna: strong determination
- Mettā: pure, selfless love
- Upekkhā: equanimity
- Dāna: charity, donation
All ten pāramī can be practiced during a Vipassana course.
The path of Dhamma (day 10)
Someone who discovers the way to enlightenment is a Buddha. The way that he finds is called the Dhamma. All who practice this way and reach the stage of saintliness are called Sangha.
In the technique of Vipassana, the meditator must pass through four stations, experiences on the path to the final goal:
- The experience of arising and passing away separately.
- The experience of arising and passing away simultaneously.
- The experience of the ultimate truth: that everything constitutes mere vibrations, constantly arising and passing away, without any solidity.
- The experience of liberation.
Practice after the course (day 11)
Meditate one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. This regular, daily practice is essential. At first it may seem a heavy burden to devote two hours a day to meditation, but you will soon find that much time will be saved because:
- You will need less time for sleep
- You will be able to complete your work more quickly
- You can deal with problems effectively, being proactive rather than reactive
When you go to bed, for five minutes be aware of sensations anywhere in the body. Next morning, as soon as you wake up, again observe sensations within for five minutes.
If you live in an area where there are other Vipassana meditators, once a week meditate together for an hour.
Once a year, a ten-day retreat is a must. Daily practice will enable you to maintain what you have achieved here, but a retreat is essential in order to go deeper.
Daily meditation of two hours and yearly retreats of ten days are only the minimum necessary to maintain the practice. However, if time allows, you may engage with short (self-)courses as well. There, devote a third of time to the practice of Anapana, and the rest to Vipassana.
When you are working, all attention should be on your work; consider it as your meditation at this time. But if there is spare time, even for five or ten minutes, spend it in awareness of sensations; when you start work again, you will feel refreshed.
