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Vipassana: Noting/Mahasi Style

New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight

Greetings.
I thought the Dharma Overground crowd might be interested in this Buddhist Geeks mag article I did on the first translation available in the West of Mahasi Sayadaw's two-volume Manual of Insight. To me, the interesting wrinkle here is that the senior vipassana teacher behind this translation effort had as a specific goal introducing the Progress of Insight to a wider audience of practitioners. Also noteworthy is that some of the founders of Western vipassana ended up agreeing with him that there is a big downside to not teaching people the states and stages of the path. A bit of anti-mushroom push-back, yo.
Enjoy!
http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2010/04/the-practical-dharma-of-mahasi-sayadaw/

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
4/21/10 6:39 PM as a reply to J Groove.
Thank you for posting that, Joel. It was totally worth the read if only for the pleasure of hearing a western Dharma teacher talk about a student attaining to first path emoticon

Do you know if there's some preview version available online for those of us too impatient to wait until it's out in print?

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
4/22/10 7:00 AM as a reply to Eran G.
Hi Eran.
LOL. Exactly--you mean those path things are REAL?!
Steve mentioned that he has a PDF of Chapter 5 that he sometimes sends out to people. I'll will try to get a copy of it from Steve and will ask him if he would mind me sending it to you or anyone else who requests it. In the meantime, if you want to use the Dharma Overground to e-mail me your personal e-mail address, I'll be able to send the attachment once I receive it from Steve.
Thanks!
Joel

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
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Answer
4/22/10 11:51 AM as a reply to J Groove.
That sounds great. Gonna message you my email address right now.

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
4/28/10 10:05 PM as a reply to Eran G.
FYI--For those who are interested, Steve sent Chapter 5 as a PDF, along with some related exercises. I've attached these here.
Thanks!
Joel

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
4/29/10 1:26 PM as a reply to J Groove.
J Groove:
FYI--For those who are interested, Steve sent Chapter 5 as a PDF, along with some related exercises. I've attached these here.
Thanks!
Joel


Chapter 5 is the full text of Practical Insight Meditation, only it's a different translation. To have the whole text in PDF form is seriously bad-ass.

Thank you!

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
5/1/10 4:39 PM as a reply to Jackson Wilshire.
[quote=Jackson "awouldbehipster" Wilshire]
J Groove:
FYI--For those who are interested, Steve sent Chapter 5 as a PDF, along with some related exercises. I've attached these here.
Thanks!
Joel


Chapter 5 is the full text of Practical Insight Meditation, only it's a different translation. To have the whole text in PDF form is seriously bad-ass.

Thank you!
And it's a quite different translation, with some extra notes for clarification, from my printed BPS copy or the first section that is available here: aimwell.org.

Thanks again to Joe and to the translators/editors. I look forward to being able to see the whole thing.

Mike

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
5/3/10 7:02 PM as a reply to Mike NZ.
from the section on Mind and Body:
...When ordinary people experience this realization of mind and body in their meditation, they are pleased and tend to have thoughts such as: “Nothing exists but mind and body. There is only the rising of the abdomen and the mind noting it; only the falling of the abdomen and the mind noting it; only the sitting posture and the mind noting it; only the bending movement and the mind noting it. What we call a human being is nothing but these two kinds of phenomena. Except for these two phenomena there is nothing else. Also what we call a woman or man is only these two phenomena. Except for these two phenomena there is no independent person or being.”

When people with scriptural knowledge clearly experience physical sense objects, the sense bases, and the knowing mind, they are pleased and tend to reflect on it in this way: “It really is true that there are only mental and physical phenomena. In a moment of noting, what I really experience are the noted physical phenomena and the noting mind. The same is true at other times, too. There is no ‘woman,’ ‘man,’ or other living being that exists independent of these phenomena. All that really exists are the present moment’s mental and physical phenomena. These phenomena are commonly called a person, being, woman, or man. But these are merely names. In reality, there is no independent ‘person,’ ‘being,’ ‘woman,’ or ‘man,’ only the mental and physical phenomena that are experienced while noting them.”

When these kinds of reflections arise, the mental state of reflecting itself should be noted as “reflecting, reflecting.” Then, one returns to the primary object and notes it uninterruptedly.

Yes! ("fist pumping, fist pumping")

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
5/9/10 4:05 AM as a reply to J Groove.
Epicness coming soon!

RE: New Mahasi translation--Manual of Insight
Answer
5/11/10 2:19 PM as a reply to J Adam G.
Thanks for posting. This one is much more detailed than the Google Books "Progress of Insight" version... that one also doesn't even include the portions on clarifying vipassana knowledes or attaining higher paths.

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Steph