M S:
But as i focus mostly on samatha and concentration while i meditate, i haven't done many insight practices or took that into my meditation sessions. . . . The problem i'm facing is that i'm not too sure when or how should i apply each. I guess it comes natural.
Yes. This can be a problem when you don't have any personal guidance from someone who knows you, and who can help to clarify how to go about training. There are so many variations that can be suggested that it really depends upon the practitioner's individual progress as to what one might suggest.
For people like yourself, who are practicing on their own, I have found two books that may help with advancing skill-sets that are basic requirements for development. The first has to do with being able to pay "bare attention" to phenomena. This skill-set is very valuable and is talked about quite extensively in Nyanaponika Thera's classic book
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation. This book may help provide you with some direction concerning the course and content of your meditation sessions in addition to helping you to achieve this skill-set.
Once you are able to become proficient with this skill, then the other book will provide you with some suggestions for integrating your practice with the main course of
satipatthana practice, which is pure insight practice.
Satipatthana is the practice which the Buddha recommended to his advanced students who were ready to make a direct assault on awakening. If you've read up on
satipatthana, then you know that it deals with observing the body, feelings, mind states, and dhammas. In his book
Satipatthana, The Direct Path to Realization, Ven. Analayo directs the reader through various discourses suggesting modes of practice that will help the practitioner begin practicing
satipatthana. His explanations about this practice are spot on, and help the reader to better understand what it is that they can do.
I used these two books (along with quite a few others, which were more academic in their focus rather than practice oriented) in my own practice to help me make progress. I had the advantage of already having had a personal teacher (although he wasn't available when I was undergoing this portion of my training), as well as having had twenty years of practice under my belt, so I was able to understand from previous experience how to work the suggestions in these two books into my practice. I think they might be able to help provide you with some direction for your practice. The second book takes up where the first book leaves off, by delving into all the other methods used in
satipatthana practice. I would recommend reading and understanding them in the order given above.
I've transcribed some passages from the first book in another forum where you are free to read them if you wish. You will have to follow the instruction I give here in order to enter the forum as it is still a private forum, closed to the general public. But there is login information (that I will give shortly) which will allow you to enter the forum to access the thread that the transcriptions are in. The thread is called
The Importance of Using Satipatthana in Training. But don't click that link just yet. You'll have to go to the forum first, enter using the login information given below, then copy the link above into your clip board and paste it into the browser destination bar once you are in the forum and click on it, and it will take you directly to the thread. The forum that the thread is in is the "Theravada Talk" forum, and the thread is at the top of the forum as a sticky. Use the following information to enter the forum:
Third Jewel Forum:
http://thirdjewel.myfreeforum.orgLogin name: thirdwheel
Password: thirdwheel
They ask that you not post anything while using this log-in to check things out. If you would like to join, there is a "Join (free!)" link at the top of the forum index page in the forum link above.