[quote=Conor O'Higgins]Hi all,
What are your experiences on the best ways to schedule samatha and vipassana?
As far as I can see, there are at least four possibilities -
1) Do them both equally, e.g. an hour of each every day
2) Dedicate a block of some days/weeks/months to concentration, then a block to insight, and alternate like that
3) Keep them both on the go, but shift emphasis, e.g. do 80% concentration, 20% insight for a while, then when your insight needs more work, shift to 70% insight, 30% concentration, or any other combination.
Is there any generally accepted advice on how to schedule the two? How do they work it in monasteries?
Namaste,
Conor
There's some general confusion here, because "samatha" does not mean "concentration", it means "calm" or "tranquility". You're not going to get very far in any meditation - including vipassana - if you can't calm the mind down sufficiently.
Same goes for concentration, though concentration tends to arise and improve naturally as you're working on vipassana. It's not a simple either/or. They work together organically.
My recommendation is to put all your energy into vipassana, like the Mahasi noting practice or
Kenneth's first gear practice. If you practice that diligently and follow the instructions to a T, all the other
factors of enlightenment, including tranquility and concentration, will join the party on their own without having to set any time aside specifically for them. I know this, because I've done it, and I've seen the same thing play out for countless other yogis.
Good luck.