Hi everyone. My hindrance with progress in insight always seems to come back to the same fundamental question of technique, as to whether I'm doing it correctly.
Again, its quite easy for me to stay present, notice things as they come and go, including noticing the doubt and questioning whether I'm practising correctly. So anyway, here's my latest quandry I've been in for a few months that I'd really appreciate some wise feedback on from all you guys past stream entry.
Recently I've met a monk and long term Mahasi meditator who I'm pretty sure has crossed at least 1st path, just from his descriptions of what he senses in the present moment without much effort (starts at A + P event).
He's been giving me some advice on meditation practice to questions I have. And here is my question.
In my practice, there was the experience of different body sensations, mental phenomena etc. The thing is that sometimes there is the perception of the body sensations, as bare sensations in regards to the 4 elements. Other times though there is the mental image of say 'the leg' or 'the arm' with the sensations in it.
Now I'm aware that this is somewhat setting up a duality 'the leg' ie the mental concept of a leg, so I usually just note this. The issue is I have spoken to the monk here and he said "seeing the image is not what you should be doing, you have to sense into the elements. I used to see the images and I had to de-train myself. If you are a creative person you are probably more likely to see the image, the construct. Its the physical reality that is existing, the mind is an illusion".
Now this is where I get confused. Because as I understood it from many manuals and meditation books, all phenomena - mental, physical, emotional etc, they are all fundamentally empty ie flickering on and off, annica etc. So, does it really matter that I am not cultivating my practice to sense the 4 elements more? And isn't all phenomena just there, none more 'real' than any others?
In the Mahasi method I know it stresses being able to perceive movement - the air element through the abdomen, walking and movements etc. But I have been told that each meditator has a natural inclination to perceive certain phenomena more than others, and that this is not necessarily a bad thing.
So perhaps I should just be more accomodating to what I naturally perceive - the mental sensations - by perhaps taking a leaf out of the zen-style 'just sitting' and being in the clear knowing noting, rather than spending 10 years cultivating this rigid physical perception style? Dan mentions in his book that "insight is insight, whatever you are perceiving". So is there any reason why I just can't let things unfold by noting the mental sensations? Don't they also strobe in and out of being?
Or, is it going to make more sense to spend some time tuning into the physical stuff and abandoning the mental images? If so, what is the best way to do it?
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated