Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your interest in our teaching on the Buddhist Samatha / jhanas meditation practice. As you requested, we have added you to our email list and will send announcements periodically.
Regarding your questions--I appreciate the discernment and refinement of your description of your practice, as well as your dedication. It's great that you want to take full advantage of this great opportunity you have for intensive practice.
There is a case to be made for building your concentration, as a platform for the Vipassana practice. This is really what the Buddha recommended, if possible. The downside is that it's very hard to practice intensive Samatha without the guidance of a teacher. Yogis can get into some weird / fearful places when going "solo" or having inadequate guidance as the purification of mind happens. Also, it's easy to mistake deep access concentration from full jhana absorption, and delude oneself as to what's really happening. However, since you are using this as a basis for further Vipassana practice, you will certainly get benefit from intensive Samatha practice, whether jhana arises or not.
While you are on the Vipassana retreat at Panditarama, I would really recommend practicing Sattipathana Vipassana, not Samatha. They don't really teach Anapanasati Samatha there, so it could confusing and they probably wouldn't like it. The same may be true for the Goenka retreats, I'm not sure. You are much more likely for jhana to arise if you stay with the Anapanasati, rather than moving to body scanning or noting. It is pretty much guaranteed that full jhana absorption will not arise, if you are going back and forth between practice.
So, as always, we suggest that you follow your own heart as to what is best for your practice. In all cases, you will see benefit!
With metta,
Tina Rasmussen
www.JhanasAdvice.com
Thanks for replying so fast!
I plan on following instructions to the key at Panditarama! You're right formal instruction is crucial. If I had a Jhana teacher I'd go for it, but after considering what you've said I'm deciding otherwise. I'm sure starting my Vipassana practice now would be a better idea. I can go to Pa Auk Sayadaw's monastery for a month or two and establish the mindfulness of breathing practice with a teacher after my 90 day stay at Panditarama.
There's an Abbott at a forest monastery here in Khon Khaen, Thailand. He's super cool, fluent in English and has practiced Vipassana with Goenka. I'll go to him today and ask for advice and instruction on Vipassana. The method I'll be practicing at Panditarama doesn't emphasize Samatha Jhana's, but Vipassana Jhanas. Quite different from what I've read concerning Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw's approach.
Thank you Tina so much for your time. It's really helped

I'll be sure to attend one of your Samatha retreats in the states. Hopefully the 25-day retreat in 2013 that you're arranging will be held when I'm on break from college.
With Metta,
Ryan Burton
P.S. You and Stephen are the world's most awesome couple. Seriously!
So as most of you from Dho have urged me to do...
I'm beginning my Vipassana practice now and will not pick up Ven. Pa Auk's 1st Jhana until after I've become a stream enterer. Even if I have to stay at Panditarama in silence for 4-6 months. It would be better for me to begin my Vipassana practice now and in the way that I will be instructed to do so on retreat.