Mike Gee:
...I get the message of getting to first jhana and then working with insight.
As far as I understand it, for me, that would be samatha (concentrate intently) practise on the breath. And stick with this until I reach first jhana. Then go back to my more insight-oriented meditation (with more of noting).
But then I read that samatha before insight is debated, and that perhaps one should go for insight first to reach stream entry, and then jhana will follow more easily?
I am still confused about the concentration -> jhana before or after or during issue.
Just to add a little to Florian's excellent advice, perhaps a bit of a tweek in understanding might help...
When you are meditating, you are working
simultaneously with
all the tools you have at your disposal. That means both insight
and concentration. Although sometimes it "feels" like one predominates over the other; in actuality, they both complement one another. The mind is
pliant enough to switch back and forth between the two at a moment's notice. In other words, you need a bit of insight in order to recognize your ability to enter absorption; while at the same time, practicing absorption leads to a strengthening of the mind's abilities at concentration, hence creating the space for the arising of insight. So, in reality, each of these factors is working in tandem with the other as you make your way toward mindfulness (
sati) and awakening.
Don't worry about the debates going on over all this. Just pay attention to your own experience in your own practice, and follow whatever feels natural. Follow your intuition in the moment.
Although I'd be the first to admit that even in my own practice, it took being able to concentrate (deepening my practice in absorption) before I was able to really begin to take advantage of the moments of insight that might pop up during a contemplative meditation. Like Florian's metaphor's suggest, the mind is able to concentrate (stay with the object or subject) longer when it is conditioned by
samatha practice. And without that extended ability to stay with a subject, you might tend to become distracted from the insight that
does arise from time to time during meditation.
One of the things you will also notice once you become proficient at entering absorption is that whatever concentration develops as a result of this practice will carry over into your waking conscious moments, strengthening your
sati (mindfulness). With the increased development of mindfulness, moments of waking-conscious insight will also tend to arise more often.
One little tip that may help you to strengthen your ability at being able to enter absorption is that you need (or at least I did) to be able to
quiet the mind down first, in order to get rid of all the "monkey mind" sub-vocalization that can go on, and just be able to give full attention to the breath (without any mental distraction) as you become "absorbed"
by the pleasantness of the breath. Being able to quiet the mind helps to strengthen this concentrative ability so that you can stay with the insight that arises during absorption contemplation. Insight arises as the mind is able to calmly and clearly see what lies before it.
Hope that helps.
In peace,
Ian