| | If I remember correctly, you're in dark night, right? Regularly getting all the way to Equanimity maybe?
In that territory, I found Kenneth's advice to use a kasina very useful. *However,* I didn't find it useful until he elaborated a bit. I had the misconception that "concentration on a kasina" meant "stare at it. stare. stare. stare!", but actually you can put the object in front of you, be aware of its presence, and really look at the space around it (while still allowing the object to take center stage somehow). At the very least, this technique made pushing up to Equanimity into a lot less of a struggle each time. Don't expect jhanas to feel like they once did, since everything is probably very 4th-jhana flavored by now. Once in Equanimity, actually I found that I naturally felt more "progress" if I did more active investigation, but you can play it by ear. Also, once in Equanimity, it's more and more natural to just sit for long times without too much antsiness.
As far as duration of sits etc. If you're working up to a retreat, it might be best to make your pre-retreat practice similar to your upcoming on-retreat practice. My retreat (like most?) consisted of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditaton (with the understanding that you're supposed to be mindful no matter what you're doing: e.g., eating). This was a beginners-oriented retreat (not exactly the best match for me in retrospect, but I couldn't take more time off), and the sitting periods were about 30min each (I'm not sure of this: I lost track of time and also lost the retreat schedule sheet, so I can't confirm). Walking meditation is a bit cheesy at first but it's a great opportunity to rest your butt/knees while the practice is still happening, plus it's great for noting "space" as it flows around you when you move.
[Sorry if I'm off the mark] |