Is this insight meditation?

Gabriel Christophe Sonnet, modified 7 Years ago at 6/15/16 1:01 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 6/15/16 1:01 PM

Is this insight meditation?

Posts: 2 Join Date: 6/15/16 Recent Posts
Hi,

I'd like to clarify whether the meditation I do is insight meditation or not so I can decide whether to stick with it. So I'd love some feedback on the following:
To begin with, I follow the breath for a few minutes until it becomes quite shallow to develop concentration.
Then I place my attention on the body, feeling as intensely as I can the vibrations that it consists of. Once I can feel vibrations quite strongly, I'll arbitrarily choose a part of the body, say the left hand, and try to really be aware of the sensations that come from it. What I can generally feel is very small vibrations of probably about 30-50 times per second occuring generally throughout the hand ( or body) and random little blips of sensation that arise and pass very quickly. Whenever I notice thought I return to the body part of contemplation and ideally don't get seduced into stories or intellectual analysis. When thought is particularly enticing, I've recently started contemplating what thought feels like, looks like, or sounds like, i.e. how it is experienced, regardless of content. After a few minutes of this, I'll return to contemplation of a body part. E.g I'll move from hand to chest and feel the sensations there. Sometimes I'll hold the following question in mind while I do this meditation: "What is permanent about this *body part* in this moment?" I won't try to answer it by intellectualising, but I will repeat it every few minutes just to keep it in mind.
I'll do this meditation for 20 minutes to an hour and I have been doing a basic form of it for maybe 6 weeks now.
Is this insight meditation? Shall I continue meditating like this? Thanks for your input in advance!
Best,
Gabriel
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Dream Walker, modified 7 Years ago at 6/16/16 12:27 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 6/16/16 12:27 AM

RE: Is this insight meditation?

Posts: 1657 Join Date: 1/18/12 Recent Posts
Gabriel Christophe Sonnet:
I place my attention on the body, feeling as intensely as I can the vibrations that it consists of. Once I can feel vibrations quite strongly, I'll arbitrarily choose a part of the body, say the left hand, and try to really be aware of the sensations that come from it.

Is this insight meditation? Shall I continue meditating like this? Thanks for your input in advance!
There are 6 sense doors
  • Body/feeling
  • Eyes/seeing
  • Ears/hearing
  • Nose/smelling
  • Mouth/tasting
  • Mind/thoughts
So you are investigating 1/6 of reality and ignoring 5/6?
Of the body feelings, are you fixated on vibrations? Why?
Are you able to stay on the object of investigation or are you wandering alot?
What is your goal?

Have you read  -
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, an Unusually Hardcore
Dharma Book, by Daniel Ingram


~D
Gabriel Christophe Sonnet, modified 7 Years ago at 6/16/16 4:16 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 6/16/16 4:16 AM

RE: Is this insight meditation?

Posts: 2 Join Date: 6/15/16 Recent Posts
Dream Walker:


There are 6 sense doors
  • Body/feeling
  • Eyes/seeing
  • Ears/hearing
  • Nose/smelling
  • Mouth/tasting
  • Mind/thoughts
So you are investigating 1/6 of reality and ignoring 5/6?
Of the body feelings, are you fixated on vibrations? Why?
Are you able to stay on the object of investigation or are you wandering alot?
What is your goal?

Have you read  -
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, an Unusually Hardcore
Dharma Book, by Daniel Ingram


~D

1. I am investigating mind/thoughts and body feelings and sometimes if load sounds come up I will investigate them.
2. I wouldn't say I'm fixated on vibrations, put they consist a lot of what I experience. I am just trying to feel the hand for example, as it is and that seems to consist of a lot of high frequency vibrations
3. I generally am able to stay on the object.
4. My goal is to end my suffering.
5. I have gotten half way through the book so far.

The first main influence of this meditation that I described was a Goenka style 2 day retreat that I did in a UK theravada monastery, where we were taught Goenka body scanning vipassana meditation. I've modified this slightly - instead of body scanning from crown to bottom of feet as Goenka advocates, I select an entire body part for investigation for a few minutes before moving on. The second influence was reading Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, that advocates placing attention continuously on the inner body to not get lost in mind stories and remain grounded in the present moment.

I found with the Goenka body scanning I was getting stuck or rushing, whereas when I contemplate a body part at a time this is not the case.

TIA for the feedback!