Lo que no es la meditación
La meditación es una palabra. Has escuchado esta palabra antes, o nunca habrías recogido este libro. El proceso de pensamiento opera por asociación, y todo tipo de ideas están asociadas con la palabra ' meditación '. Algunos de ellos son probablemente precisos y otros son bazofias (tonterías). Algunos de ellos pertenecen más apropiadamente a otros sistemas de meditación y no tienen nada que ver con la práctica Vipassana. ….
No te vamos a enseñarte a contemplar tu ombligo o a cantar sílabas secretas. No estás conquistando demonios ni aprovechando energías invisibles. No hay cinturones de colores dados para su rendimiento y usted no tiene que afeitarse la cabeza o usar un turbante. Ni siquiera tienes que regalar todas tus pertenencias y mudarte a un monasterio.
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Hay muchos, muchos libros sobre el tema de la meditación. La mayoría de ellos están escritos desde el punto de vista que se encuentra directamente dentro de una tradición religiosa o filosófica particular, y muchos de los autores no se han molestado en señalar esto. Hacen declaraciones acerca de la meditación que suenan como
El concepto erróneo #1
La meditación es sólo una técnica de relajación
Un objeto imaginario del del
Es un estado de tal tranquilidad suprema que equivale a éxtasis. Es una forma de placer que se encuentra por encima y más allá de todo lo que se puede experimentar en el estado normal de la consciencia. La mayoría de los sistemas se detiene aquí. Ese es el objetivo, y cuando lo logres, simplemente repites la experiencia por el resto de tu vida. No es así con la meditación Vipassana. Vipassana busca otro objetivo: la conciencia (awareness). La concentración y la relajación se consideran concomitantes necesarios para la sensibilización. Son precursores requeridos, herramientas útiles y subproductos benéficos. Pero no son la meta. El objetivo es la Perspicacia [Insight] (*). La meditación Vipassana es una práctica religiosa profunda dirigida a nada menos que la purificación y transformación de su vida cotidiana. Trataremos más a fondo con las diferencias entre la concentración y la perspicacia en el capítulo 14.
El concepto erróneo #2
Meditación significa entrar en trance
Aquí, otra vez, la declaración se podía aplicar exactamente a ciertos sistemas de la meditación, pero no a Vipassana. La meditación Vipassana ( Insight meditation) no es una forma de hipnosis. No estás tratando de desmayar tu mente para quedar inconsciente. No estás tratando de convertirte en una verdura sin emociones. En todo caso, lo contrario es cierto. Volverás más y más en sintonía con tus propios cambios emocionales. Aprenderás a conocerte con una claridad y precisión cada vez mayor. En el aprendizaje de esta técnica, algunos Estados ocurren que pueden aparecer trance-como al observador. Pero son realmente todo lo contrario. En trance hipnótico, el sujeto es susceptible al control por otro partido, mientras que en la concentración profunda el meditador permanece mucho bajo su propio control. La similitud es superficial, y en cualquier caso la ocurrencia de estos fenómenos no es el punto de Vipassana. Como
Si encuentras que te estás volviendo inconsciente en la meditación, entonces no estás meditando, de acuerdo con la definición de la palabra usada en el sistema Vipassana. Es así de simple.
El concepto erróneo #3
La meditación es una práctica misteriosa que no se puede entender
Aquí de nuevo, esto es casi cierto, pero no del
El concepto erróneo #4
El propósito de la meditación es convertirse en un Superman psíquico
No, el propósito de la meditación es desarrollar conciencia (awareness). Aprender a leer mentes no es el punto. La levitación no es el objetivo. El objetivo es la liberación. Hay un vínculo entre los fenómenos psíquicos y la meditación, pero la relación es algo compleja. Durante las primeras etapas de la carrera del
El concepto erróneo #5
La meditación es peligrosa y una persona prudente debe evitarlo
Todo es peligroso. Caminar al otro lado de la calle y puede ser golpeado por un autobús. Toma una ducha y te puedes romper el cuello. Meditar y probablemente dragar varias cosas repugnantes de su pasado. El material suprimido que ha sido enterrado allí durante bastante tiempo puede ser aterrador. También es muy rentable. Ninguna actividad es totalmente sin riesgo, pero eso no significa que debamos envolvernos en algún capullo protector. Eso no es vivir. Eso es muerte prematura. La forma de lidiar con el peligro es saber aproximadamente cuánto hay, dónde es probable que se encuentre y cómo lidiar con él cuando surja. Ese es el propósito de este manual. Vipassana es el desarrollo de la conciencia. Que en sí mismo no es peligroso, pero justo lo contrario. El aumento de la conciencia es la salvaguardia contra el peligro. Bien hecho, la meditación es un proceso muy suave y gradual. Tómalo despacio y fácil, y el desarrollo de tu práctica ocurrirá muy naturalmente.
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* Added note for explanation:
* Added note for explanation:
Profound insight, the insight which can elucidate, illuminate your consciousness to understand much deeper how things are inter-connected, how they are formed and disformed, how they vanish at one time and could come back (in another form) later, years later; how the voidness in them can be seen and recognized etc.
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Una perspicacia/penetración profunda, la perspicacia/penetración que puede dilucidar, iluminar su conciencia para entender mucho más profundo cómo las cosas están interconectadas, cómo se forman y se diforman, cómo se desvanecen en un momento y podría volver (en otra forma) más tarde, años más tarde; cómo el la vacuidad en ellos se puede ver y reconocer, etc.
Source :
Meditation is a word. You have heard this word before, or you would never have picked up this book. The thinking process operates by association, and all sorts of ideas are associated with the word 'meditation'. Some of them are probably accurate and others are hogwash. Some of them pertain more properly to other systems of meditation and have nothing to do with Vipassana practice. Before we proceed, it behooves us to blast some of the residue out of our own neuronal circuits so that new information can pass unimpeded. Let us start with some of the most obvious stuff.
We are not going to teach you to contemplate your navel or to chant secret syllables. You are not conquering demons or harnessing invisible energies. There are no colored belts given for your performance and you don't have to shave your head or wear a turban. You don't even have to give away all your belongings and move to a monastery. In fact, unless your life is immoral and chaotic, you can probably get started right away and make some sort of progress. Sounds fairly encouraging, wouldn't you say?
There are many, many books on the subject of meditation. Most of them are written from the point of view which lies squarely within one particular religious or philosophical tradition, and many of the authors have not bothered to point this out. They make statements about meditation which sound like general laws, but are actually highly specific procedures exclusive to that particular system of practice. The result is something of a muddle. Worse yet is the panoply of complex theories and interpretations available, all of them at odds with one another. The result is a real mess and an enormous jumble of conflicting opinions accompanied by a mass of extraneous data. This book is specific. We are dealing exclusively with the Vipassana system of meditation. We are going to teach you to watch the functioning of your own mind in a calm and detached manner so you can gain insight into your own behavior. The goal is awareness, an awareness so intense, concentrated and finely tuned that you will be able to pierce the inner workings of reality itself.
There are a number of common misconceptions about meditation. We see them crop up again and again from new students, the same questions over and over. It is best to deal with these things at once, because they are the sort of preconceptions which can block your progress right from the outset. We are going to take these misconceptions one at a time and explode them.
Misconception #1
Meditation is just a relaxation technique
The bugaboo here is the word 'just'. Relaxation is a key component of meditation, but Vipassana-style meditation aims at a much loftier goal. Nevertheless, the statement is essentially true for many other systems of meditation. All meditation procedures stress concentration of the mind, bringing the mind to rest on one item or one area of thought. Do it strongly and thoroughly enough, and you achieve a deep and blissful relaxation which is called Jhana. It is a state of such supreme tranquility that it amounts to rapture. It is a form of pleasure which lies above and beyond anything that can be experienced in the normal state of consciousness. Most systems stop right there. That is the goal, and when you attain that, you simply repeat the experience for the rest of your life. Not so with Vipassana meditation. Vipassana seeks another goal--awareness. Concentration and relaxation are considered necessary concomitants to awareness. They are required precursors, handy tools, and beneficial byproducts. But they are not the goal. The goal is insight. Vipassana meditation is a profound religious practice aimed at nothing less that the purification and transformation of your everyday life. We will deal more thoroughly with the differences between concentration and insight in Chapter 14.
Misconception #2
Meditation means going into a trance
Here again the statement could be applied accurately to certain systems of meditation, but not to Vipassana. Insight meditation is not a form of hypnosis. You are not trying to black out your mind so as to become unconscious. You are not trying to turn yourself into an emotionless vegetable. If anything, the reverse is true. You will become more and more attuned to your own emotional changes. You will learn to know yourself with ever- greater clarity and precision. In learning this technique, certain states do occur which may appear trance-like to the observer. But they are really quite the opposite. In hypnotic trance, the subject is susceptible to control by another party, whereas in deep concentration the meditator remains very much under his own control. The similarity is superficial, and in any case the occurrence of these phenomena is not the point of Vipassana. As we have said, the deep concentration of Jhana is a tool or stepping stone on the route of heightened awareness. Vipassana by definition is the cultivation of mindfulness or awareness. If you find that you are becoming unconscious in meditation, then you aren't meditating, according to the definition of the word as used in the Vipassana system. It is that simple.
Misconception #3
Meditation is a mysterious practice which cannot be understood
Here again, this is almost true, but not quite. Meditation deals with levels of consciousness which lie deeper than symbolic thought. Therefore, some of the data about meditation just won't fit into words. That does not mean, however, that it cannot be understood. There are deeper ways to understand things than words. You understand how to walk. You probably can't describe the exact order in which your nerve fibers and your muscles contract during that process. But you can do it. Meditation needs to be understood that same way, by doing it. It is not something that you can learn in abstract terms. It is to be experienced. Meditation is not some mindless formula which gives automatic and predictable results. You can never really predict exactly what will come up in any particular session. It is an investigation and experiment and an adventure every time. In fact, this is so true that when you do reach a feeling of predictability and sameness in your practice, you use that as an indicator. It means that you have gotten off the track somewhere and you are headed for stagnation. Learning to look at each second as if it were the first and only second in the universe is most essential in Vipassana meditation.
Misconception #4
The purpose of meditation is to become a psychic superman
No, the purpose of meditation is to develop awareness. Learning to read minds is not the point. Levitation is not the goal. The goal is liberation. There is a link between psychic phenomena and meditation, but the relationship is somewhat complex. During early stages of the meditator's career, such phenomena may or may not arise. Some people may experience some intuitive understanding or memories from past lives; others do not. In any case, these are not regarded as well-developed and reliable psychic abilities. Nor should they be given undue importance. Such phenomena are in fact fairly dangerous to new meditators in that they are too seductive. They can be an ego trap which can lure you right off the track. Your best advice is not to place any emphasis on these phenomena. If they come up, that's fine. If they don't, that's fine, too. It's unlikely that they will. There is a point in the meditator's career where he may practice special exercises to develop psychic powers. But this occurs way down the line. After he has gained a very deep stage of Jhana, the meditator will be far enough advanced to work with such powers without the danger of their running out of control or taking over his life. He will then develop them strictly for the purpose of service to others. This state of affairs only occurs after decades of practice. Don't worry about it. Just concentrate on developing more and more awareness. If voices and visions pop up, just notice them and let them go. Don't get involved.
Misconception #5
Meditation is dangerous and a prudent person should avoid it
Everything is dangerous. Walk across the street and you may get hit by a bus. Take a shower and you could break your neck. Meditate and you will probably dredge up various nasty-matters from your past. The suppressed material that has been buried there for quite some time can be scary. It is also highly profitable. No activity is entirely without risk, but that does not mean that we should wrap ourselves in some protective cocoon. That is not living. That is premature death. The way to deal with danger is to know approximately how much of it there is, where it is likely to be found and how to deal with it when it arises. That is the purpose of this manual. Vipassana is development of awareness. That in itself is not dangerous, but just the opposite. Increased awareness is the safeguard against danger. Properly done, meditation is a very gentle and gradual process. Take it slow and easy, and development of your practice will occur very naturally. Nothing should be forced. Later, when you are under the close scrutiny and protective wisdom of a competent teacher, you can accelerate your rate of growth by taking a period of intensive meditation. In the beginning, though, easy does it. Work gently and everything will be fine.
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