Basic Exercises on Mindfulness or Vipassana Meditation

Venerable Saddhammaransi Sayadaw

English translation by Sayamagyi Daw Hnin Yi
Mawlamyaing, Myanmar
o!o
"ntroduction
# ll those who ha$e come to practice Vipassana Meditation want to gain
"nsight $ery %uic&ly' (hose who ha$e not experienced any "nsight yet
would li&e to gain "nsight $ery %uic&ly' (hose who ha$e experienced some
"nsights would li&e to gain further "nsights $ery %uic&ly' E$eryone wants to
gain "nsights $ery %uic&ly' (o reach these goals, one must first listen $ery
attenti$ely and closely to the )Basic Exercises on Vipassana Meditation) so
that one will remember each and e$ery word of the instruction thoroughly
when you practice' !ne must read and study them diligently' !nly then
will one be able to reach the goal'
Vipassana Meditation practice is not something that has to do with physical
effort or $erbal recitations' "t has to do with the mental faculty or mind'
(hus, it is absolutely crucial that one &nows how to*
&eep the mind on the ob+ect of meditation with pinpoint precision
train the mind so that it does not wander to outside ob+ects
train the mind so that it will wander for long, if and when it wanders to
outside ob+ects
(o be able practice in such a way, one must read, study, memori,e, listen
and pay close attention to the details of the Basic Exercises in a diligent
and meticulous manner' (hus all those who want to practice Vipassana
Meditation effecti$ely should read and study the Basic Exercises with
special care and attention'
Saddhammaransi Sayadaw
o!o
Basic Exercises on Mindfulness or Vipassana Meditation
(his is the first lecture on Basic Exercises or Basic -rinciples of
Mindfulness Meditation by the most Venerable Sayadaw of Saddhamma
.ansi Yei&tha /Meditation 0enter1 for those yogis who ha$e come to
practice Vipassana Meditation at Saddhamma .ansi Yei&tha /Meditation
0enter1'
!f those who ha$e come to practice Vipassana Meditation, those who ha$e
not experienced any "nsight would li&e to gain "nsight as %uic&ly as
possible' (hose who ha$e already experienced some "nsight would li&e to
gain further "nsights more %uic&ly' (o be able to reach the highest goal
%uic&ly, you must listen with utmost care and attention to the following
discourse )Basic Exercises on Mindfulness Meditation) and practice
accordingly'
(o mention briefly, there are three &inds of )Basic Exercises on
Mindfulness Meditation)' (hey are*
meditating while in the sitting position
meditating while wal&ing
meditating while performing daily acti$ities or )Meditating on the
2eneral Details)
"' Meditating while in the sitting position
" will first explain about meditating while in the sitting position' 3irst you
must pic& a %uiet and peaceful place' (hen, choose the most comfortable
posture which will enable you to sit for %uite some time' You may sit with
your &nees bent under you or you may sit cross legged, but you must
choose a posture which will enable you to meditate for a long time' #fter
you are satisfied with your sitting posture, &eep your bac& and head
straight' (hen, close your eyes and focus your attention on you abdomen'
4hen you inhale or breathe in, the abdomen .ises or Expands' You must
note this rising with close concentration so that your mind is pinpointed on
it from the start of the .ising, as it rises in stages, to the end of the rising
without your mind wandering anywhere and note as* ).ising)'
4hen you exhale or breathe out, the abdomen 0ontracts or 3alls gradually'
You must also note this from the beginning of the falling, in stages, to the
end of the falling, with pinpointed precision so that your mind does not
wander anywhere and note as* )3alling)'
4hen noting the .ising and 3alling of the abdomen, you should try not to
concentrate on the physical form of the abdomen' You should try to
concentrate on how the air, when inhaled, affects some tension and
pressure that pushes up from the inside' You must try to feel and &now or
reali,e this pushing up of the air from the inside, the tension and pressure,
etc', and not the physical form of the abdomen' (he abdomen is so called
only for its namesa&e, )-annat) /0oncept or 0on$ention1' Vipassana is not
for -annat /0oncepts1 but for the true nature, )-aramat) /.eality1' (he
nature of air pushing up from inside, the tension, pressure, etc', is
)-aramat), the real thing that is happening when you breathe in' (hus you
must concentrate closely and precisely to try to &now this .eality'
You must note as carefully when breathe out' You must try not to
concentrate on the form or shape of the abdomen, but on the gradual and
slow mo$ement, $ibration and recession of the air as you breathe out'
(hus you must &eep noting these 5 mo$ements as ).ising, 3alling)6
concentrating on the gradual force of air that ma&es the abdomen rise and
the gradual contraction of the abdomen as you breathe out'
"f you feel that you cannot &eep your calm by noting these 5 mo$ements as
).ising, 3alling), you may add another ob+ect and note ).ising, 3alling,
(ouching')
4hen concentrating on )(ouching), you should not allow yourself to be
carried away by the form or shape of your limbs touching the floor7mat or
each other, but concentrate on the hardness or tension of the touch'
"f you still cannot concentrate enough and your mind tend to wander with
these three mo$ements, then you can add another and note ).ising, 3alling,
Sitting, (ouching)'
4hen you concentrate on the )Sitting), try to concentrate by encompassing
from the upper part of your body down and try to feel the stiffness and
tension on your body /from the force of air element that has pushed you up
into the sitting position1' You should not concentrate on the shape or form
of the head, hands, legs or body' (he )desire to sit) has set in motion the air
element that supports and props up the body into this position called
)Sitting)' You must try to feel the stiffness, tension, pressure, etc' of this
support and not the form of body, hands or legs'
So now you ha$e 8 ob+ects to note* ).ising, 3alling, Sitting, (ouching)'
4hen you note with 8 ob+ects as such, your mind will usually become
calm' "f you find noting as ).ising, 3alling, Sitting, (ouching) with the 8
ob+ects is helpful, you may continue with such noting' Howe$er, if you find
that noting with 8 ob+ects as such puts your mind in so much strain and
worry that you cannot concentrate well, you may want to note with +ust 9
ob+ects as* ).ising, 3alling, (ouching)' "f you still find that noting e$en
with 9 ob+ects is not helping you, you can note with +ust 5 ob+ects as
).ising, 3alling)' (he main ob+ecti$e is to calm the mind and de$elop
concentration'
#s a beginner, while noting ).ising, 3alling, Sitting, (ouching), your mind
may wander here and there to the pagoda, monastery or temple, to the
shopping centers, to the house, etc' 4hen this occurs, you must also ma&e
note of your wandering mind as )4andering, "magining, -lanning, etc') #s
your concentration becomes strong and your "nsight progress, you will find
that your wandering thoughts disappear after a few notings' You will come
to reali,e for yourself that the thoughts pass away with a few continuous
notings by obser$ing precisely and closely in a meticulous manner'
#s you progress in you concentration and reach the "nsight &nowledge
&nown as )(he :nowledge of Dissolution) /Bhanga ;yana1, you will find
the thoughts disappear with each noting'
4ith further progress in your "nsight, you will come to see not only the
thoughts disappear with each noting, but the noting mind /or awareness1
also disappears with the noting' (hus you will come to reali,e that* )(he
thoughts are not e$erlasting' #lso the noting mind /or the awareness of
them1 is not e$erlasting #nicca')
Being so oppressed by such rapid succession of #rising and -assing away,
the yogi comes to reali,e their <nsatisfactory nature or Suffering' #t the
same time, the yogi finds that this #rising and -assing away as well as the
resulting Suffering cannot be warded off in any way or by anyone' !ne
cannot do anything about it' "t is <ncontrollable #natta' (here and then
you come to the reali,ation or "nsight into the truth about* )#ll conditioned
things being (ransient /#nicca1, being ob+ects of Suffering /Du&&ha1 and
being <ncontrollable /#natta1)' (hus, a yogi comes to a clear "nsight or
&nowledge of #nicca /"mpermanence1, Du&&ha /Suffering1 and #natta
/<ncontrollability1'
Mindfulness on the pain
#s you go on concentrating ).ising, 3alling, Sitting, (ouching) for about
an hour or 8= minutes, you will notice that your limbs start to ache, become
painful or numb' 4hen this occurs, you ha$e to change your concentration
from ).ising, 3alling, Sitting, (ouching) onto the pain, and concentrate
your mind on the pain'
(here are 9 ways of being mindful or fixing your concentration regarding
the pain*
(he first is to concentrate on the pain with the ob+ecti$e of ma&ing the pain
disappear'
(he second is to ma&e a strong determination to ma&e the pain disappear
within this one sitting or within one day, and to fight it all out in an
aggressi$e manner'
(he third is to concentrate so as to &now the true nature of the pain'
Method >?' 0oncentrating with the ob+ecti$e of )wanting to be relie$ed of
the pain)' (he first way means that the yogi is actually cra$ing for the
pleasure of ha$ing no pain' (hat means the yogi is ha$ing greed for
pleasure' Mindfulness Meditation is to rid oneself of greed, to stop being
greedy' "nstead, this greed /@obha1 now becomes an obstacle to the
progress and reali,ation of the true nature of things' (hus, a yogi should not
contemplate in this way'
Method >5' (he second way, where you determine yourself to get rid of
this suffering, is not good either, because there is anger /Dhosa1 in the
determination to fight' "n other words, the determination is colored with
anger' !ne will not be able to ma&e progress if one allows anger to creep
in' (hat is why one should not adopt this method'
Method >9' (he third way is to concentrate your mind on the pain so that
you will come to &now the )true nature) of the pain' !nly when one comes
to &now the true nature /of pain, in this case1, <daya Vaya /the #rising and
-assing away1 will be re$ealed or &nown'
4hen pain occurs, yogis usually tend to become tense both in body and
mind' !ne should not tense up li&e that, but try to relax both in body and
mind' You should also try not to worry about whether you will ha$e to
endure the pain the whole time or during this whole hour' You must try not
to ha$e such worries'
You should &eep yourself calm and adopt the attitude that* )-ain will come
and go at its own will, and my duty is to &eep mindful of the pain)' You
must also adopt the attitude that you will practice )patience with the pain)'
-atience is the most crucial element in dealing with pain' (he saying that
)-atience leads to ;ibbana) is the most useful maxim in Mindfulness
Meditation'
#fter ma&ing a determination that you will be patient, &eep both your body
and mind calm and relaxed' DonAt be taut' (hen, pinpoint your mind on the
pain and try to concentrate on the intensity of the pain /)How painful is
itB)1 and on where the pain is most crucial /)!n the flesh or s&in, in the
muscles or right down in the bones or marrowB)1'
You must try to concentrate on the intensity of the pain with each noting,
then note as* )-ainful, -ainful6 #ching, #ching6 etc'), and &now exactly
where they occur and how painful it is' Mindfulness on the pain should be
deep and penetrati$e, and not superficial' #s you &eep noting, if you are
deeply mindful, you will notice $ery clearly that after 8 or = notings, these
pains and aches become more and more se$ere and unbearable'
#fter reaching the pea&, the pain will tend to lessen and subside following
its own course' 4hen this occurs, you should not relax your concentration'
"nstead, you should earnestly and enthusiastically continue being mindful'
You will then experience for yourself the pain becoming less and less after
e$ery 8 or = notings and the pain shifting to another location'
(hus seeing the changing nature of pain, the yogi becomes interested in the
practice' 0ontinuing in this way, as the mind gets more and more steep in
concentration, you will find that the pain increases with each noting'
#fter reaching a pea&, the pain usually subsides' !ne must not relax the
intensity of oneAs noting when the pain starts to subside' "nstead, one must
continue with the same intensity of effort, and one will find the pain
subsiding with each noting, and the pain changing locations' (hus the yogi
will come to reali,e that pain is not e$erlasting6 it is always changing' "t
increases as well as decreases' "n this way, the yogi comes to &now more
about the real nature of pain'
0ontinuing noting in this way, when a yogi reaches the stage of "nsight
&nown as )(he :nowledge of Dissolution) /Bhanga ;yana1, he7she will
reali,e, as if seeing clearly by his own eyes, that the pain disappears
completely with each noting, as if suddenly pluc&ed away' "n this way, the
yogi comes to reali,e that* )-ain is not permanent' "t is "mpermanent') (he
yogi is now gaining the upperhand on the pain'
4ith further deepening of "nsight, those yogis whose "nsight :nowledge of
)Bhanga ;yana :nowledge of Dissolution) are sharp, are able to
experience that* )with each noting, not only the pain but also the noting
mind /or consciousness1 disappears with it)'
"n the case of yogis whose "nsight &nowledge are exceptionally sharp, they
will see distinctly 9 phases disappearing, that is* the passing of the pain, the
consciousness that recogni,es or becomes aware of the pain, and the noting
mind registering the pain'
(hus the yogi comes to reali,e that pain is not e$erlasting or permanent,
neither does the consciousness /or feeling of the pain1, nor the noting mind'
Being oppressed by such %uic& succession of -assing away or Dissolution,
the yogi feels that it is <nsatisfactory Suffering or Du&&ha' #s these
cannot be warded off, it is <ncontrollable #natta'
(hus, the yogi comes to reali,e that*
-ain is #nicca "mpermanent'
-ain is Du&&ha Suffering C<nsatisfactoryD'
-ain is #natta <ncontrollable'
4hen such &nowledge become $ery distinct and clear, progress will be
made into further "nsights'
Mindfulness on Hearing
4hile meditating, you may hear sounds, see things or smell things that are
around you' You may especially hear the sounds of cor&s, birds,
hammering and beating sounds, sounds of people, cars, etc' 4hen you hear
such sounds, you must note as* )Hearing, Hearing') You must try to pay
only )bare attention) to the sounds' (hat is, you must try not to let your
mind follow these sounds or let your imagination get you about them'
4hen your concentration gets relati$ely strong, as you note )Hearing,
Hearing), the sounds may become indistinct as if from far away, or as if
being carried far away, or getting nearer, or hoarse and not clear' (hat
means you are getting better concentration on your noting' You are
progressing in your noting'
#s you go noting in this way and your concentration get better, you will
find that as you note )Hearing, Hearing), the sounds disappear syllable by
syllable and the noting mind also disappear after hearing each syllable'
Yogis, whose "nsight &nowledge are sharp, are able to experience this $ery
clearly and distinctly'
E$en yogis, who are beginners in noting )Hearing, Hearing), will be able to
experience distinctly that the sounds disappear in dis+ointed syllables,
without being connected to each other to ma&e any sense'
3or example, when one hears the sound of the word )2entleman) and note
it as )Hearing, Hearing') You will notice hearing the sound of the syllable
)2en) first and then pass away' You will next hear the sound )tle) and pass
away, and finally the sound )man)' (he sounds arising and passing away in
such bro&en se%uence that the meaning of the word becomes obscure and
unintelligible' !nly the -assing away of the sounds in bro&en se%uences
becomes e$ident'
4hen you experience the sounds disappearing, you will come to reali,e
that the sound is not permanent' 4hen you experience the noting mind also
$anishing or passing away, you will reali,e that the noting mind is also not
permanent' (hus you will reali,e further that the sound being heard is not
permanent nor is the noting mind permanent' (hus it is #nicca
C"mpermanentD'
Being oppressed by the %uic& succession of such passing away means
<nstisfactoriness or Du&&ha'
Since one cannot stop or ward off this oppression of passing away, it is
<ncontrollable /#natta1'
(hus while noting )Hearing, Hearing), one will come to reali,e the "nsight
&nowledge of #nicca, Du&&ha and #natta, and progress to further "nsight
&nowledge'
Mindfulness in the sitting position
;oting during the sitting position as ).ising, 3alling, Sitting, (ouching)
has to do with the physical body, it is &nown as :ayanupassana
Satipatthana'
;oting as )-ainful, ;umb or #ching) has to do with the feelings, it is
&nown as Vedananupassana Satipatthana'
;oting as )4andering, 4andering, -lanning, -lanning, (hin&ing,
(hin&ing, etc') has to do with the mind or acts of consciousness, it is
&nown as 0ittanupassana Satipatthana'
;oting as )Seeing, Seeing, Hearing, Hearing, Smelling, Smelling, etc') has
to do with the dhammas, it is &nown as Dhammanupassana Satipatthana'
So we see that while practicing in one sitting of Mindfulness Meditation, as
instructed by our benefactor, the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, there is
included all the 8 practices of Satipatthana'
""' Meditating while wal&ing
(here are 8 ways of noting 4al&ing Meditation6 they are*
Ma&ing one noting with one step
Ma&ing 5 notings with one step
Ma&ing 9 notings with one step
Ma&ing E notings with one step
Method >?' (he first way is to ma&e note of the step as one mo$ement as*
)@eft step, .ight step)' 4hen you note )@eft step,) you must &eep your
mind closely pinpointed on the mo$ement, from the beginning of the step
to the end of the step' You must concentrate closely on the gradual forward
mo$ement of the step' (ry not to concentrate on the physical form of the
foot' Similarly with the ).ight step,) you must concentrate on the gradual
forward mo$ement of the step, mo$ement by mo$ement' You must not
concentrate on the physical form of the foot'
Method >5' (he second way is to ma&e note of the step as 5 mo$ements
as* )@ifting, Dropping, @ifting, Dropping)' You must be aware of the
nature of the gradual upward mo$ement of the foot, mo$ement by
mo$ement, and again not the physical form of the foot, as you note*
)@ifting') Similarly, when you note )Dropping,) you must &eep aware of
the nature of the foot dropping slowly, mo$ement by mo$ement, and not
the physical form'
(he name of the physical form, such as )foot), is so called for its namesa&e
only' (hey are )-annat), 0oncepts or 0on$entions' 0oncepts are not
ob+ects of Vipassana' (he element of motion or mo$ement is )-aramat),
.eality' !nly .ealities are the ob+ects of Vipassana'
"t is the element of Vayo dhatu /the air element or the element of motion1,
)-aramat) /.eality1 that is ma&ing the mo$ement possible' You must
concentrate closely and precisely to &now this element of Vayo dhatu'
Method >9' (he third way is to note 9 mo$ements as* )@ifting, -ushing
3orward, Dropping)' 4hen you are @ifting your foot, you must &eep aware
of the gradual upward mo$ement of your foot as explained abo$e' 4hen
you note as )-ushing 3orward,) you must &eep aware of the gradual
mo$ement of the foot forward' 4hen you note )Dropping,) you must pay
careful attention to the dropping gradually of the foot downward'
#ll these mo$ements must be closely and &eenly obser$ed so that you are
with the )present moment) of the mo$ement of your foot as well as the
)&nowing) of the nature of the mo$ement itself, which is -aramat' 4hen
your concentration is strong, as you note )@ifting), you will come to reali,e
for yourself not only the gradual upward mo$ement, mo$ement by
mo$ement, but also that it becomes lighter and lighter as it mo$es upward'
#s you note )-ushing 3orward,) also you will come to reali,e not only the
gradual forward mo$ement, mo$ement by mo$ement, but also that it
becomes light as it mo$es forward' 4hen you drop your foot and note
C)Dropping)D as such, you will again reali,e not only the downward
mo$ement, mo$ement by mo$ement, but also that it becomes hea$y as it
goes down' Such reali,ation results in the yogis becoming interested in
their practice' "t means the start of the emergence of the "nsight
/-enetrati$e1 :nowledge for the yogi'
Experiencing @ightness means experiencing the characteristics of (e+o
dhatu element of heat and cold, and VFyo dhatu element of motion or
mo$ement'
Experiencing Hea$iness means experiencing the characteristics of -atha$i
dhatu element of extension, toughness or hardness, and #po dhatu
element of cohesion and fluidity'
(he &nowledge or awareness of such mental and physical phenomena is the
beginning of "nsight &nowledge into the intrinsic nature of mental and
physical process as it really is'
Method > 8' (he fourth way is to ma&e note as E mo$ements Cand there are
9 techni%ues'D
?1 ;oting E mo$ements as* )Beginning to @ift, End of @ifting6 Beginning
to -ush 3orward, End of -ushing 3orward6 Beginning to Drop, End of
Dropping)'
)Beginning to @ift) means only the heal has been raised'
)End of @ifting) means the whole feet together with the toes has been
raised'
)Beginning to -ush 3orward) means the foot has +ust )started) to push
forward'
)End of -ushing 3orward) means the stage of the foot that is +ust about to
descend for dropping'
)Beginning to Drop) means the stage of descending to drop'
)End of Dropping) means when the foot touches the ground or floor'
#ctually, this is +ust di$iding the 9 mo$ements into E as )beginning and
ending)'
51 #nother way is to note as* )4anting to @ift, @ifting6 4anting to push
forward, -ushing forward6 4anting to drop, Dropping') "n this type of
noting, the mental phenomena /4anting to'''1 and physical phenomena
/@ifting, etc'1 are noted separately'
91 Still another way is to note as* )@ifting, .aising6 -ushing 3orward6
Dropping, (ouching, -ressing')
4hen you note )@ifting,) it is the stage where only the heel starts to lift'
).aising) means the whole foot together with the toes is raised'
)-ushing 3orward) means pushing the foot forward as +ust one
mo$ement'
)Dropping) means starting to put the foot down'
)(ouching) means the foot touches the ground or floor'
)-ressing) means pressing the foot in order to lift the other foot'
(hus you will note as )@ifting, .aising, -ushing 3orward, Dropping,
(ouching, -ressing) in E mo$ements' Yogis can ma&e real progress by
noting with such E mo$ements and gain further "nsight'
"""' Meditation while performing daily acti$ities or on the general
details
)Mindfulness on the 2eneral Details) means being mindful of the little
details in the daily acti$ities as one goes through the daily routine' "t is not
the time for Sitting Meditation or 4al&ing Meditation' (hey are little
details that you do when you return to your li$ing %uarters, such as*
opening the door, closing the door, ma&ing the bed, changing clothes,
washing clothes, preparing meals, eating, drin&ing, etc' You must &eep
aware and note all these little details, too'
Mindfulness while ha$ing a meal
(he moment you see the meal, you must note as )Seeing, Seeing)'
4hen you stretch your hand to reach the food, note as )Stretching,
Stretching)'
4hen you touch the food, note as )(ouching, (ouching)'
4hen you collect and arrange your food, note as )#rranging, #rranging)'
4hen you bring it to your mouth, note as )Bringing, Bringing)'
4hen you bend your head to ta&e the food, note as )Bending, Bending)'
4hen you open your mouth, note as )!pening, !pening)'
4hen you put the food into your mouth, note as )-utting, -utting)'
4hen you straighten or raise your head again, note as ).aising, .aising)'
4hen you chew, note as )0hewing, 0hewing)'
4hen you are aware of the taste, note as ):nowing, :nowing)'
4hen you swallow, note as )Swallowing, Swallowing)'
(he abo$e instructions are in accordance with the way our benefactor, (he
Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, who practiced and noted while ta&ing a morsel
of food' You should also be mindful or aware of such mo$ements, closely,
precisely and energetically'
"t will not be easy in the beginning to be aware of all the mo$ements' You
will forget to note many of the mo$ements, but you must not be
discouraged' 4hen your concentration deepens, you will be able to note all
the mo$ements'
#t the beginning of the practice of such mindfulness, you must first try to
focus on the most distincti$e mo$ement to you as your main ob+ect' 4hat
is the most distincti$e mo$ement to youB "f stretching your hand is the
most distincti$e mo$ement, then you must try to note )Stretching,
Stretching) without missing or forgetting' "f bending your head is most
distinct, try to note )Bending, Bending) without missing or forgetting' "f
chewing is most distinct, try to note )0hewing, 0hewing) without missing
or forgetting' You should thus try to note at least one distincti$e mo$ement
as your main ob+ect without missing or forgetting'
!nce you can focus your mind on one ob+ect closely and precisely and gain
in concentration, you will be able to focus and note the other mo$ements
and sustain your concentration' "n this way, you can ma&e progress in the
$arious stages of Vipassana "nsights while ta&ing your meal'
(he chewing mo$ement is especially more distincti$e' !ur benefactor, (he
Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, has once said that* )!f the 5 +aws, it is the
lower +aw that is in$ol$ed in the chewing mo$ement' (his mo$ement of the
lower +aw is actually what we call G0hewingA )'
"f you can note this gradual mo$ement of the +aw well and ha$e good
concentration, you will find noting on the chewing mo$ement to be %uite
well and good' Beginning with this chewing mo$ement, you will be able to
note all the mo$ements in$ol$ed in ta&ing food'
Mindfulness on the motion of sitting down
;oting )Sitting, Standing, Bending, Stretching) are also part of );oting the
2eneral Details)' "f one really &eeps &eenly aware, one will reali,e that
there arises first the )Desire to sit) before the actual act of sitting' (his
awareness is usually experienced by those yogis whose concentration is
basically good' (hus one must start with noting this desire as )4anting to
sit, 4anting to sit)' !nly when the actual mo$ement of sitting begins, one
will note as )Sitting, Sitting)'
4hen you note )Sitting, Sitting), try also not to concentrate on the forms of
head, body, legs, etc' You must concentrate closely on the )nature) of the
gradual downward mo$ement, mo$ement by mo$ement' You must
concentrate in such a way that your mind stays pinpointed on the )present
moment) of the downward mo$ement, mo$ement by mo$ement'
You ha$e to concentrate $ery closely and precisely so that you can reali,e
the )real nature) /-aramat1 of the mo$ement' "f you can concentrate in that
way on the mo$ement and your mind also is able to stay with the )present
moment), you will reali,e for yourself clearly that you are not only aware
of the gradual downward mo$ement but also able to feel it getting hea$ier
and hea$ier as it mo$es downwards'
Mindfulness on the motion of standing up 7 getting up
4hen you want to stand up, if you &eep closely and &eenly aware, you will
be aware of the )Desire to get up) first' You must note this as )4anting to
get up, 4anting to get up)' (he desire to get up sets in motion Vayo dhatu
/the element of motion1 which pushes you up' #s you bend forward to
collect your energy to get up, note as )0ollecting energy, 0ollecting
energy)' "f you stretch your hand to the side for support, note )Supporting,
Supporting)'
4hen the body becomes filled with energy, it will gradually rise upwards'
(his mo$ement is what we call )standing up) or )getting up)' 4e note this
as )Standing up, Standing up)' (hese )phrases) are used +ust for its
namesa&e /0oncept1' #gain, we must try to reali,e the nature of the gradual
upward mo$ement' (hus we must concentrate closely and precisely on the
nature of the upward mo$ement as well as to be with the )present moment)
as it rises upwards'
"f you can ma&e your mind stay pinpointed on the )present moment) as
well as closely and precisely aware of the nature of the upward mo$ement
/the .eality6 -aramat1, you will come to reali,e that as you reach higher
and higher up, the body becomes lighter and lighter as it rises upward'
(hus you come to reali,e for yourself the hea$iness with the gradual
mo$ement downwards, and the lightness with the gradual mo$ement
upwards' .eali,ing the )@ightness) means seeing the nature of (e+o dhatu
Cthe 3ire elementD and Vayo dhatu Cthe 4ind elementD' .eali,ing the
)Hea$iness) means the nature of -atha$i dhatu Cthe Earth elementD and
#po dhatu Cthe 4ater elementD'
Seeing the #rising and -assing away
M!((!* !nly when the nature /particular mar& or characteristic1 is
&nown, <daya Vaya will be seen'
#fter coming to &now the nature of the particular phenomena, one will
come to &now <daya /the #rising1 and Vaya /the -assing away1' !ne will
come to see the #rising and -assing away from moment to moment' (here
is one arising and passing away6 then another arising and passing away6
another arising and passing6 and so on' Seeing clearly the #rising and
-assing away is San&hata @a&&hana /mar& or sign of 0onditionality of
#rising and Dissolution1'
0ontinuing noting in this way after seeing the #rising and -assing away, if
oneAs concentration becomes strong and ad$anced, you will find the
#rising not so distinct, but the -assing away becoming more prominent'
Experiencing the -assing way more distinctly, the yogi come to reali,e that
no phenomena is permanent'
4hen the yogi becomes clearly aware that the noting mind also passes
away, he7she will come to reali,e that the noting mind is also not
permanent, that both mental and physical phenomena are "mpermanent
/#nicca1'
Being oppressed by such rapid succession of -assing away means
Suffering /Du&&ha1' Such Dissolution cannot be stopped or warded off6 it
is ta&ing place at its own will means <ncontrollable /#natta1' 4hen your
"nsight &nowledge of this #nicca, Du&&ha and #natta becomes $ery clear
and thorough, one can progress to further "nsights'
(hus while noting the process of sitting down and standing up, one will
come to reali,e the )characteristics of #nicca, Du&&ha and #natta)
/Sannanna @a&&hana1' 4hen one is clear and thorough about this Sannanna
@a&&hana, one will gain further "nsights that one has been aspiring for'
Mindfulness on bending and stretching
;oting the bending and stretching are also part of );oting the 2eneral
Details) of daily acti$ities' 4hen you are about to bend your arm, if you
&eep attenti$ely aware, you will find that there is first the )desire to bend)'
(hus you must note as )4anting to bend, 4anting to bend)' ;ext, you
must concentrate closely and attenti$ely to &now the nature of the gradual
mo$ement of the bending of the arm' Here also one will be able to
experience the lightness of the arm as it mo$es upward by paying $ery
close and precise attention'
4hen you want to stretch the arm bac& after ta&ing care of whate$er need
to be ta&en care of by bending, the )desire to stretch) will also become
distinct' (hen you must note as )4anting to stretch, 4anting to stretch)'
4hen the actual mo$ement of stretching occurs, note as )Stretching,
Stretching)' (his outward and downward mo$ement of the arm, we call
)stretching)' #s you note )Stretching, Stretching), you will also notice it
becomes hea$ier and hea$ier as it falls downwards'
(he characteristics of @ightness and Hea$iness are &nown as )Sabha$a
@a&&hana) /Specific or -articular mar& or characteristic1'
M!((!* !nly when the nature /particular mar& or characteristic1 is
&nown, <daya Vaya will be seen'
0ontinuing noting in this way, one will come to reali,e that the nature of
@ightness and Hea$iness arise and pass away, and thus comes to &now the
)San&hata @a&&hana) /0ompound or 0onditioned characteristic which has
a beginning, middle and end Cor dissolutionD1'
#s one reaches the stage of "nsight of )Bhanga ;yana) /:nowledge of
Dissolution1, one sees the Dissolution of the bending and stretching
phenomena more clearly and distinctly' (hus one comes to reali,e that*
)(he act of bending is not e$erlasting, and the noting mind on the bending
is also not e$erlasting' (he act of stretching is not e$erlasting nor the
noting mind on the stretching e$erlasting')
(hus, while bending and stretching, one can ha$e a clear and thorough
&nowledge of the )characteristics of #nicca, Du&&ha and #natta) and
progress to the higher &nowledge or "nsight that one ha$e been aspiring for'
Blessings by Sayadaw*
Ha$ing listened to the 9 aspects of the Basic Exercises on Vipassana
Meditation, may you be able to practice accordingly and ac%uire that
&nowledge which you ha$e been searching for with ease and reali,e the
peace of ;ibbana, the extinction of all suffering, soon'
Yogis*
May we be fulfilled with the Venerable SayadawAs blessings'
Sadhu, Sadhu, SadhuH
Metta /@o$ing :indness1
.ecitation for radiating thoughts of Metta /@o$ing :indness1 used at the
Saddhammaransi Meditation 0enter*
May all beings in the ten directions be free from harm'
May they be free from mental suffering'
May they be free from physical suffering'
May they physically and mentally at ease'
May they be able to bear the burden of life /I1
/I1 /to repeat 9 times1
Maxims for recollection
I !nly when mindful at the present moment of #rising, will Sabha$a
@a&&hana /the -articular mar& or characteristic1 be really &nown'
I !nly when the nature /the particular characteristic1 is &nown, <daya
Vaya will be seen'
I #ll #rising physical and mental phenomena must be explicitly obser$ed
as )ine$itable ending) in Dissolution /-assing away1'
I 4hen the Dissolution /-assing away1 is &nown, #nicca will be explicitly
&nown'
I 4hen #nicca is seen, Du&&ha becomes ob$ious'
I 4hen Du&&ha becomes ob$ious, #natta is seen'
I 4hen #natta is seen, ;ibbana will be reali,ed'