NOV 4TH TO NOV 7TH
(You may extend your retreat until 18th Nov)
If you are interested in joining us for this retreat please write to me for more details. ginny570@hotmail.com
Monday, October 31, 2011
REPORT FROM BRO. RICHARD KHOO
My Experience at Retreat in Maha Karuna (27th to 31st August 2011)
After the weekend Vipassana retreat at KCBA, which I found, very tough I was rather hesitant to attend the 5 days retreat. I was not sure if I will be able to stay for the whole retreat. Nevertheless, on the advice and encouragement of other fellow yogis I decided to give it a go.
1st and 2nd Day: I found it rather difficult to concentrate for a long period and the mindfulness was not good. The mind kept wandering away and I felt sleepy most of the timeI felt pricking pain on the lower back and noted the pain there. However, the pain persisted even on changing the sitting position.
Walking Meditation: I was able to feel the heat element as I felt the coldness on the sole of the foot on the floor as well as the wind element as I could feel wind on the side of my feet. I also felt the tingling sensation/pulsating on the inner side of the foot on lifting, pushing and dropping.
After the 3rd day, my practice seemed to improve and the mind was generally much clearer.
During walking I was able to observe and follow closely the movement of lifting, pushing and dropping of the foot in a continuous manner. I felt vibrations on the inner side of the foot during the lifting, pushing and dropping process. When dropping the foot, I felt softness and then coldness on the sole when the foot came in contact with the floor. When the weight shifted onto the other foot, I felt hardness on the sole. During the standing meditation I felt the heel bones pressing hard onto the floor and air flowing under the sole of the feet.
In the morning sitting meditation I had a vision like looking at a wide screen of a busy street. It disappeared after I noted it. I was able to observe and follow the rising and falling for a longer duration compared to the 1st two days. I felt pain on various parts of the body like on my back, shoulder blades and legs. It was very painful like a knife cutting into the flesh. The pain disappeared after noting for some time. However a short while later the pain reappeared and I directed the mind to note the pain until it disappeared again. I also felt itchiness on the nose. I resisted the temptation to scratch the nose and noted it for some time until the itchiness disappeared.
Later, I had a strange experience - I suddenly realised I did not have any feeling on my hands, legs and body and my mind was very clear and feeling blissful. I felt the calmness all over my body. I was able to sit still without moving and stayed in the same position for at least close to one hour.
4th and 5th Day: During the sitting meditation, I felt sharp pain on the back and the pain disappeared after noting. However the pain reappeared after a short while. I also felt pulsating sensations on the fingers, right lower arm and right leg. After noting it, it promptly disappeared. In one of the sitting session, I felt warm in the upper part of the body which lasted for some time but eventually the body returned to the normal temperature. During the last two days of the sitting meditation, I experienced pain on several parts of the body and at times, the pain moved to other parts of the body from the original position. This made me realised that the pain is impermanent as it appeared and disappeared as I noted it continuously.
Summary
I am glad to have attended the five days Vipassana Meditation Retreat as I had a better experience than in the 2 days meditation retreat held earlier. I am grateful to Sister Gin for her guidance, interview sessions and the encouragement given by her. I would also like to thank all the brothers and sisters who have offered food dana as well as voluntary service in the retreat. Last but not least I greatly appreciate Ti-Ratana NBC, Klang for organising the retreat.
After the weekend Vipassana retreat at KCBA, which I found, very tough I was rather hesitant to attend the 5 days retreat. I was not sure if I will be able to stay for the whole retreat. Nevertheless, on the advice and encouragement of other fellow yogis I decided to give it a go.
1st and 2nd Day: I found it rather difficult to concentrate for a long period and the mindfulness was not good. The mind kept wandering away and I felt sleepy most of the timeI felt pricking pain on the lower back and noted the pain there. However, the pain persisted even on changing the sitting position.
Walking Meditation: I was able to feel the heat element as I felt the coldness on the sole of the foot on the floor as well as the wind element as I could feel wind on the side of my feet. I also felt the tingling sensation/pulsating on the inner side of the foot on lifting, pushing and dropping.
After the 3rd day, my practice seemed to improve and the mind was generally much clearer.
During walking I was able to observe and follow closely the movement of lifting, pushing and dropping of the foot in a continuous manner. I felt vibrations on the inner side of the foot during the lifting, pushing and dropping process. When dropping the foot, I felt softness and then coldness on the sole when the foot came in contact with the floor. When the weight shifted onto the other foot, I felt hardness on the sole. During the standing meditation I felt the heel bones pressing hard onto the floor and air flowing under the sole of the feet.
In the morning sitting meditation I had a vision like looking at a wide screen of a busy street. It disappeared after I noted it. I was able to observe and follow the rising and falling for a longer duration compared to the 1st two days. I felt pain on various parts of the body like on my back, shoulder blades and legs. It was very painful like a knife cutting into the flesh. The pain disappeared after noting for some time. However a short while later the pain reappeared and I directed the mind to note the pain until it disappeared again. I also felt itchiness on the nose. I resisted the temptation to scratch the nose and noted it for some time until the itchiness disappeared.
Later, I had a strange experience - I suddenly realised I did not have any feeling on my hands, legs and body and my mind was very clear and feeling blissful. I felt the calmness all over my body. I was able to sit still without moving and stayed in the same position for at least close to one hour.
4th and 5th Day: During the sitting meditation, I felt sharp pain on the back and the pain disappeared after noting. However the pain reappeared after a short while. I also felt pulsating sensations on the fingers, right lower arm and right leg. After noting it, it promptly disappeared. In one of the sitting session, I felt warm in the upper part of the body which lasted for some time but eventually the body returned to the normal temperature. During the last two days of the sitting meditation, I experienced pain on several parts of the body and at times, the pain moved to other parts of the body from the original position. This made me realised that the pain is impermanent as it appeared and disappeared as I noted it continuously.
Summary
I am glad to have attended the five days Vipassana Meditation Retreat as I had a better experience than in the 2 days meditation retreat held earlier. I am grateful to Sister Gin for her guidance, interview sessions and the encouragement given by her. I would also like to thank all the brothers and sisters who have offered food dana as well as voluntary service in the retreat. Last but not least I greatly appreciate Ti-Ratana NBC, Klang for organising the retreat.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
HARI RAYA RETREAT TALKS
THE TEN CORRUPTIONS OF INSIGHT (VIPASSANUPAKILESA)
These ten phenomena, arise together with the arising of the insight knowledge at the immature (“weak”/”tender”) stage of Knowledge of Rise and Fall. Some arise associated with the insight knowledge like equanimity and mindfulness. The term used for them, in Pali, is rather misleading as these phenomena are not by themselves defilements except for the 10th (Nikanti). They are defilements or corruptions only when they become the objects of contentment or when they lead to conceit.
Due to contentment with the phenomena, the yogi becomes attached and fascinated by them so the contemplation of rise and fall is interrupted and eventually subsides. Thus, the knowledge of rise and fall does not progress to its mature stage. Some very new yogis experiencing this stage for the first time can so deluded by conceit connected with these corruptions, to the extent of concluding that they have attained Stream-Entry. They, thereafter will have even stronger feelings of contentment, convincing themselves that they have achieved their cherished goal in the practice. Once they have such ideas, it is very difficult for them to let go of it due to the powerful influence of conceit (mana). Here again, the timely intervention of a teacher is crucial or else the yogi will end up becoming an Adhimanika or Ullapana Sotapana (fake Stream-Enterer) for his or her whole life time.
Unless this conviction is given up in a decisive manner, that yogi’s condition is indeed pathetic as he cannot progress any further in the practice.
The ten corruptions or hindrances to insight knowledge are:
1. Brilliant Lights (Obhasa) – like electric lights, rays of light, light sparks and floating lights may appear in front of the face, at the corner of the eyes, around the head or body.
2. Rapture (Piti) – feelings of elation arises, 5 types:
i) Minor Rapture – causes ‘goose-bumps’ on hands
ii) Momentary Rapture - tingling sensation all over the body that moves then vanishes like in flashes.
iii) Showering Rapture – spreads upwards and throughout the body, tremors in the limbs, subtle thrills going through the body.
iv) Transporting Rapture – feeling like the body is being lifted up suddenly, hopping about, being pushed forward, involuntary movements like jerking of limbs occur suddenly
v) Pervading Rapture – the strongest type of rapture, feeling a sense of coolness and comfort pervading the whole body, strong elation so no desire to open eyes or to get up, one may become unconscious momentarily and mistake it to be Nibbana.*
3. Tranquility (Passaddhi) – feelings of lightness, calmness and satisfaction in body and mind
4. Bliss (Sukha) – feelings of subtle gladness and joy.
5. Faith (Adhimokkha/Saddha) – excessive faith arises especially towards one’s meditation teacher and the Dhamma, eg. wanting to do dana to the teacher, adore the teacher, wanting to persuade family and friends to come and practice, wanting to teach meditation to others.
6. Exertion (Paggaha) – extraordinary diligence in the practice to the extent of forgoing rest and sleep at night
7. Mindfulness (Upatthana) – strong momentum of mindfulness as if compelled to note, can note everything without missing
8. Knowledge (Nana) – knowledge about the 5 Aggregates
9. Equaniity (Upekkha) – feeling uninterested in all phenomena being noted
10. Contentment (Nikanti) – feeling contented and satisfied as one enjoys & indulge in all the other 9 mental factors mentioned above so one becomes deluded by them.
*The state of unconsciousness in vipassana meditation, can be due to any one of the 5
a) Joy (Piti)
b) Tranquility (Pasaddhi)
c) Equanimity (Upekkha)
d) Concentration (Samadhi)
e) Sloth & Torpor (Thina-Midha)
Some yogis mistakenly think that falling into an unconscious state is attainment of Path Knowledge so this a helpful reminder to all yogis.
These ten phenomena, arise together with the arising of the insight knowledge at the immature (“weak”/”tender”) stage of Knowledge of Rise and Fall. Some arise associated with the insight knowledge like equanimity and mindfulness. The term used for them, in Pali, is rather misleading as these phenomena are not by themselves defilements except for the 10th (Nikanti). They are defilements or corruptions only when they become the objects of contentment or when they lead to conceit.
Due to contentment with the phenomena, the yogi becomes attached and fascinated by them so the contemplation of rise and fall is interrupted and eventually subsides. Thus, the knowledge of rise and fall does not progress to its mature stage. Some very new yogis experiencing this stage for the first time can so deluded by conceit connected with these corruptions, to the extent of concluding that they have attained Stream-Entry. They, thereafter will have even stronger feelings of contentment, convincing themselves that they have achieved their cherished goal in the practice. Once they have such ideas, it is very difficult for them to let go of it due to the powerful influence of conceit (mana). Here again, the timely intervention of a teacher is crucial or else the yogi will end up becoming an Adhimanika or Ullapana Sotapana (fake Stream-Enterer) for his or her whole life time.
Unless this conviction is given up in a decisive manner, that yogi’s condition is indeed pathetic as he cannot progress any further in the practice.
The ten corruptions or hindrances to insight knowledge are:
1. Brilliant Lights (Obhasa) – like electric lights, rays of light, light sparks and floating lights may appear in front of the face, at the corner of the eyes, around the head or body.
2. Rapture (Piti) – feelings of elation arises, 5 types:
i) Minor Rapture – causes ‘goose-bumps’ on hands
ii) Momentary Rapture - tingling sensation all over the body that moves then vanishes like in flashes.
iii) Showering Rapture – spreads upwards and throughout the body, tremors in the limbs, subtle thrills going through the body.
iv) Transporting Rapture – feeling like the body is being lifted up suddenly, hopping about, being pushed forward, involuntary movements like jerking of limbs occur suddenly
v) Pervading Rapture – the strongest type of rapture, feeling a sense of coolness and comfort pervading the whole body, strong elation so no desire to open eyes or to get up, one may become unconscious momentarily and mistake it to be Nibbana.*
3. Tranquility (Passaddhi) – feelings of lightness, calmness and satisfaction in body and mind
4. Bliss (Sukha) – feelings of subtle gladness and joy.
5. Faith (Adhimokkha/Saddha) – excessive faith arises especially towards one’s meditation teacher and the Dhamma, eg. wanting to do dana to the teacher, adore the teacher, wanting to persuade family and friends to come and practice, wanting to teach meditation to others.
6. Exertion (Paggaha) – extraordinary diligence in the practice to the extent of forgoing rest and sleep at night
7. Mindfulness (Upatthana) – strong momentum of mindfulness as if compelled to note, can note everything without missing
8. Knowledge (Nana) – knowledge about the 5 Aggregates
9. Equaniity (Upekkha) – feeling uninterested in all phenomena being noted
10. Contentment (Nikanti) – feeling contented and satisfied as one enjoys & indulge in all the other 9 mental factors mentioned above so one becomes deluded by them.
*The state of unconsciousness in vipassana meditation, can be due to any one of the 5
a) Joy (Piti)
b) Tranquility (Pasaddhi)
c) Equanimity (Upekkha)
d) Concentration (Samadhi)
e) Sloth & Torpor (Thina-Midha)
Some yogis mistakenly think that falling into an unconscious state is attainment of Path Knowledge so this a helpful reminder to all yogis.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
HARI RAYA RETREAT TALKS
CONTEMPLATION OF IMPERMANENCE (ANICCANUPASSANA)
In the practice of Insight meditation, we are constantly reminded to “see things as they really are”. This actually means training the mind to see the five aggregates of clinging according to reality. And the reality is their inherent nature of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and non-self also known as the Three Universal Characteristics. Not seeing this reality in them, is ignorance, the root cause of suffering in Samsara.
You may ask, “But don’t we see this in the ordinary life without having to go into a meditative state?” Yes, but in a very superficial way which does not remove ignorance as the perception of permanence is still firmly embedded in the mind.
Let us take for example, the first characteristic; it is all too easy to assume one knows what impermanence is all about when one notices a flower in full bloom and a short while later it is drooping and wilting. Or after listening to a Dhamma talk by an eloquent speaker about the 3 Characteristics, one goes away thinking that one has fully understood the meaning of it. No matter how much one reads or talks about impermanence, one can never fully understand this reality as it results only in theoretical understanding which occurs at the conceptual level based on learning and reasoning (sutta and cinta maya panna). Therefore, one should not be complacent with this level of understanding.
This brings us to a very deep subject, one that is not so easily understood by those who have yet to experience the penetrative wisdom of insight meditation. The direct perception of reality is possible only with effort in the actual practice of insight meditation (vipassana bhavana). It is not within the domain of ordinary perception as it can only arise, associated with concentration, strong mindfulness and clear comprehension. This perception can be described as ‘direct perception by insight knowledge’ because it is experiential and does not involve any intellectual process of reasoning or thinking.
In this connection, let us recall how the Ven. Sariputta elaborated Buddha’s statement in Silavanta Sutta. The Ven. Kothhika asked Ven. Sariputta, “If a monk with sila wishes to attain Nibbana, what should he do?”
Ven. Sariputta replied, “The monk must keep his mind steadfastly on his five aggregates (khandhas) in order to perceive the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature of these khandhas. If he can do so, he will certainly achieve Sotapatti Magga.”
And how does one keep the mind steadfastly on the five aggregates? By the practice of vipassana meditation.
Below are notes taken mostly from a talk given by my teacher, Sayadaw U Panditabhivamsa in Yangon (20.3.96) which will give you a good idea about the manner in which impermanence is comprehended in vipassana practice starting with the mark of impermanence.
The Sign/Mark of Impermanence (Aniccalakkhana) - means the nature of not lasting, originating and perishing, undergoing transformation or change or decay. The yogi first begins to see the mark of impermanence at the third vipassana insight (Knowledge of Comprehension) where he can see the beginning, middle and end of the object. It is manifested in a more obvious manner, at the ‘tender’ stage of the Knowledge of Arising and Passing Away (Udaya Bhaya Nana). At this stage, the yogi sees the dissolution of the object after seeing the arising of it and before seeing the arising of the next object. The middle of the object is not discernible to him. As a result of this, the yogi may describe seeing segments or discrete units of rising and falling. He sees one phenomena ends before the other begins, disctinctly. He can be mindful of each object as they come and go, although the speed is very swift. This discernment is clearest in the contemplation of sensations; the sensation of pain or itchiness appears to move from one spot to another as the yogi notes it. He may report that the pain disappears on the spot where it arose only to give rise to another painful sensation in another spot. Having experienced this the yogi is convinced of the impermanent nature of the formations.
Prior to this experience, the personality or psycho-physical process was perceived as a compact mass. This erroneous perception is due to the rapidity of change in the psycho-physical process, beyond normal comprehension creating the illusion of continuity. It is too rapid for the ordinary undeveloped human faculties to comprehend. For example, when the light switch is turned on, darkness in the room vanishes instantly and is replaced by light but we cannot observe the light materiality originating from the bulb as it is too swift for us to perceive.
It is only through insight that the change in materiality and mentality can be comprehended.
Contemplation of Impermanence (Aniccanupassana)
With further refinement of mindfulness, following this stage, the yogi sees rising comprising of a series of rising whereas previously he saw only ‘one rising’, that is rising as a single whole. Similarly, with sound as the object, he perceives a series of discrete units of sound, each with its own beginning and end. For the yogi with keen insight, even thinking can be seen as occurring in a series of discrete units of thoughts. This experience is known as Aniccanupassana, the repeated observation associated with insight-knowledge, of the impermanence of the five aggregates. This perception is extraordinary as it arises only with mindfulness and clear comprehension through the exertion of special effort in vipassana practice. This is the effort of keeping one’s mindfulness steadfastly on the five aggregates so as to see its true nature. As soon as one perceives an object through any one of the six sense doors, one must be mindful of the consciousness connected with that object for eg. as seeing, hearing, smelling etc. There will be no thinking or likes or dislikes with regards to the objects and instead they would be perceived as disappearing as soon as they appear.
This perception is a radical shift from our habitual mode of perception – that of permanence which has been deeply embedded in our minds through innumerable past existences. It is no wonder when this perception occurs for the very first time, some yogis may be puzzled and would find difficulty in describing their experience. Nevertheless, they are able to recall this unique realization, for it had been perceived clearly in the mind, despite their initial inability to comprehend it in conventional terms. This clarity is the unmistakable feature of all genuine insight knowledges.
With the repetition of this knowledge, the yogi is even more convinced of the characteristic of impermanence. However, this is still considered the immature stage of the knowledge of rise and fall (Udaya Bhaya Nana) because the ten corruptions of vipassana (vipassanupakkilesa) can arise at this point, which may distract the yogi and weaken the contemplation of impermanence. The yogi who continues steadfastly in the contemplation without being affected by these corruptions of vipassana, would arrive at the mature stage of this knowledge. Getting over these obstacles is crucial to the yogi’s progress of insight knowledge and this is where the timely guidance and advice from an experienced teacher is much needed.
When the momentum of mindfulness picks up, this contemplation of impermanence is further strengthened and with the yogi no longer sees the discrete units of the object. Instead he sees only the ‘flow’ that is, the moment to moment change in a continuous manner as his notings become faster and more precise. This is the (Knowledge of Dissolution). The yogi is no longer concerned with the arising stage of the phenomena. There is precise attention on the present moment so it is difficult to know in conventional terms what the object is or if it is a mental or physical object. The yogi is only aware of the ‘flow’ going on uninterruptedly due the strong momentum of noting. This is a distinctive feature of good Vipassana Samadhi (also known as Vipassana Jhana). The mind is, as if fixed onto this characteristic of impermanence. This powerful contemplation is the driving force for the unfolding of the series of higher stages of insight knowledges right up to the realization of Nibbana.
In the practice of Insight meditation, we are constantly reminded to “see things as they really are”. This actually means training the mind to see the five aggregates of clinging according to reality. And the reality is their inherent nature of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and non-self also known as the Three Universal Characteristics. Not seeing this reality in them, is ignorance, the root cause of suffering in Samsara.
You may ask, “But don’t we see this in the ordinary life without having to go into a meditative state?” Yes, but in a very superficial way which does not remove ignorance as the perception of permanence is still firmly embedded in the mind.
Let us take for example, the first characteristic; it is all too easy to assume one knows what impermanence is all about when one notices a flower in full bloom and a short while later it is drooping and wilting. Or after listening to a Dhamma talk by an eloquent speaker about the 3 Characteristics, one goes away thinking that one has fully understood the meaning of it. No matter how much one reads or talks about impermanence, one can never fully understand this reality as it results only in theoretical understanding which occurs at the conceptual level based on learning and reasoning (sutta and cinta maya panna). Therefore, one should not be complacent with this level of understanding.
This brings us to a very deep subject, one that is not so easily understood by those who have yet to experience the penetrative wisdom of insight meditation. The direct perception of reality is possible only with effort in the actual practice of insight meditation (vipassana bhavana). It is not within the domain of ordinary perception as it can only arise, associated with concentration, strong mindfulness and clear comprehension. This perception can be described as ‘direct perception by insight knowledge’ because it is experiential and does not involve any intellectual process of reasoning or thinking.
In this connection, let us recall how the Ven. Sariputta elaborated Buddha’s statement in Silavanta Sutta. The Ven. Kothhika asked Ven. Sariputta, “If a monk with sila wishes to attain Nibbana, what should he do?”
Ven. Sariputta replied, “The monk must keep his mind steadfastly on his five aggregates (khandhas) in order to perceive the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature of these khandhas. If he can do so, he will certainly achieve Sotapatti Magga.”
And how does one keep the mind steadfastly on the five aggregates? By the practice of vipassana meditation.
Below are notes taken mostly from a talk given by my teacher, Sayadaw U Panditabhivamsa in Yangon (20.3.96) which will give you a good idea about the manner in which impermanence is comprehended in vipassana practice starting with the mark of impermanence.
The Sign/Mark of Impermanence (Aniccalakkhana) - means the nature of not lasting, originating and perishing, undergoing transformation or change or decay. The yogi first begins to see the mark of impermanence at the third vipassana insight (Knowledge of Comprehension) where he can see the beginning, middle and end of the object. It is manifested in a more obvious manner, at the ‘tender’ stage of the Knowledge of Arising and Passing Away (Udaya Bhaya Nana). At this stage, the yogi sees the dissolution of the object after seeing the arising of it and before seeing the arising of the next object. The middle of the object is not discernible to him. As a result of this, the yogi may describe seeing segments or discrete units of rising and falling. He sees one phenomena ends before the other begins, disctinctly. He can be mindful of each object as they come and go, although the speed is very swift. This discernment is clearest in the contemplation of sensations; the sensation of pain or itchiness appears to move from one spot to another as the yogi notes it. He may report that the pain disappears on the spot where it arose only to give rise to another painful sensation in another spot. Having experienced this the yogi is convinced of the impermanent nature of the formations.
Prior to this experience, the personality or psycho-physical process was perceived as a compact mass. This erroneous perception is due to the rapidity of change in the psycho-physical process, beyond normal comprehension creating the illusion of continuity. It is too rapid for the ordinary undeveloped human faculties to comprehend. For example, when the light switch is turned on, darkness in the room vanishes instantly and is replaced by light but we cannot observe the light materiality originating from the bulb as it is too swift for us to perceive.
It is only through insight that the change in materiality and mentality can be comprehended.
Contemplation of Impermanence (Aniccanupassana)
With further refinement of mindfulness, following this stage, the yogi sees rising comprising of a series of rising whereas previously he saw only ‘one rising’, that is rising as a single whole. Similarly, with sound as the object, he perceives a series of discrete units of sound, each with its own beginning and end. For the yogi with keen insight, even thinking can be seen as occurring in a series of discrete units of thoughts. This experience is known as Aniccanupassana, the repeated observation associated with insight-knowledge, of the impermanence of the five aggregates. This perception is extraordinary as it arises only with mindfulness and clear comprehension through the exertion of special effort in vipassana practice. This is the effort of keeping one’s mindfulness steadfastly on the five aggregates so as to see its true nature. As soon as one perceives an object through any one of the six sense doors, one must be mindful of the consciousness connected with that object for eg. as seeing, hearing, smelling etc. There will be no thinking or likes or dislikes with regards to the objects and instead they would be perceived as disappearing as soon as they appear.
This perception is a radical shift from our habitual mode of perception – that of permanence which has been deeply embedded in our minds through innumerable past existences. It is no wonder when this perception occurs for the very first time, some yogis may be puzzled and would find difficulty in describing their experience. Nevertheless, they are able to recall this unique realization, for it had been perceived clearly in the mind, despite their initial inability to comprehend it in conventional terms. This clarity is the unmistakable feature of all genuine insight knowledges.
With the repetition of this knowledge, the yogi is even more convinced of the characteristic of impermanence. However, this is still considered the immature stage of the knowledge of rise and fall (Udaya Bhaya Nana) because the ten corruptions of vipassana (vipassanupakkilesa) can arise at this point, which may distract the yogi and weaken the contemplation of impermanence. The yogi who continues steadfastly in the contemplation without being affected by these corruptions of vipassana, would arrive at the mature stage of this knowledge. Getting over these obstacles is crucial to the yogi’s progress of insight knowledge and this is where the timely guidance and advice from an experienced teacher is much needed.
When the momentum of mindfulness picks up, this contemplation of impermanence is further strengthened and with the yogi no longer sees the discrete units of the object. Instead he sees only the ‘flow’ that is, the moment to moment change in a continuous manner as his notings become faster and more precise. This is the (Knowledge of Dissolution). The yogi is no longer concerned with the arising stage of the phenomena. There is precise attention on the present moment so it is difficult to know in conventional terms what the object is or if it is a mental or physical object. The yogi is only aware of the ‘flow’ going on uninterruptedly due the strong momentum of noting. This is a distinctive feature of good Vipassana Samadhi (also known as Vipassana Jhana). The mind is, as if fixed onto this characteristic of impermanence. This powerful contemplation is the driving force for the unfolding of the series of higher stages of insight knowledges right up to the realization of Nibbana.
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