Mike, Thanks for the post and the references.
What little I do know about Vipassana meditation did lead me to believe it was goal-oriented. Many teaching techniques employed by Zen Buddhism which involve zazen are also goal-oriented. But as you know and as is stated in this post shikantaza is not. Thanks again...Bill! --- In [email protected], uerusuboyo@... wrote: > > Bill!,l<br/><br/>I just found this from Gil Fronsdal who is both a Zen and > Vipassana teacher.<br/><br/>"How was it to practice Vipassana after years of > Zen training?<br/>The core of Vipassana is mindfulness, or the practice of > being clearly present to what is happening in the present. In a sense it is a > tool that can be practiced within a variety of practice approaches. The > context for the Vipassana teaching I encountered in Asia was one of being > goal-oriented. U Pandita, my Burmese teacher, was adamant about striving for > nirvana, for deep insights and attainments. If I had been a new meditator, I > wouldnât have survived in that kind of environment. I wouldâve gotten > tied up in ambition and self-judgment. But in my Zen practice I had been > practicing a radical acceptance of the present moment for many years. I was > pretty resilient and not easily discouraged. While I tried to follow the > Vipassana instructions as best I could, at the same time I saw how > helpful they were for me to be more thorough in the Zen practice of > shikautaza-just sitting.<br/><br/>Did working within the two different > traditions bring up any conflicts for you?<br/>I struggled a fair amount, > trying to reconcile goal-less Zen practice-in which practice and realization > are thought to occur together-with the goal-oriented Theravada tradition, in > which you work toward later realization. Eventually I came to understand that > these approaches not only complemented each other but could be seen as two > sides of the same coin. Soto Zen taught me to emphasize the purity of the > moment-to-moment process of sitting in meditation; Vipassana taught me how > that process opens to greater freedom even when we donât fixate on freedom > as a goal. My Vipassana practice taught me that the radical acceptance of > myself and of things-as-they-are that I learned in Zen included an innate, > natural impulse toward liberation. I didnât have to be goal-oriented > as much as I needed to let go of any obstacles to this innate impulse. One > of the hindrances I had faced in Zen practice was complacency-a comfort-able, > lightweight acceptance-in which I lacked the motivation to see the ways in > which I was still subtly attached or resistant to reality. Vipassana, > especially with its emphasis on seeing clearly what is happening in the > present, helped break me out of my complacent state.<br/><br/>Do you bring > Zen elements into your Vipassana teachings?<br/>From the Zen tradition I > emphasize that each moment of sincere mindfulness practice is complete and > satisfying in and of itself. I encourage practitioners to investigate what > gets in the way of realizing this. I teach that the goal should be reflected > in the means, in the practice. If the goal is to be at peace, some form of > peacefulness should be a part of the practice. To become compassionate, > practice compassion. To be generous, practice generosity. To be free, > donât let the practice or attainments be objects of > grasping."<br/><br/>This is only part of a larger blog you can find at: > insightmeditationcenter.org/books<br/><br/>Mike<br/><br/><br/>Sent from > Yahoo! Mail for iPhone > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
