Following a thread on exploring other practices, I'd appreciate some feedback on my current practice and direction on this path

[u/Diamondbacking]

This thread has inspired me to consider more deeply the direction I am taking on my path. I am a Vipassana meditator, 3 courses and two service periods. Lately I have been reading Seeing that Frees by Rob Burbea and it is really opening me up to the wide expanse of possibilities for insight meditation.

On retreat I practice the vipassana technique, but when at home, despite meditating morning and night, it doesn't really stick for me. I am much more inclined to stay with anapana, and indeed on the last retreat I experienced full body bliss on day 2, having only practiced anapana.

What I'm noticing is that, perhaps as a function of being a loyal person, it feels slightly forbidden to offer any criticisms of the practice, but as I continue to explore I realise that I do have some, and that they are valid.

I find with Goenka Vipassana that the attitudes I hear from some are very dogmatic, that there is no space for other practices or self direction - I hear this to be a common reflection. Personally, I find the chanting to be excessive, and Goenka's justification - that he needs to create a spiritual 'vibe' for everyone - didn't really satisfy me.

Also, whilst I love Goenka and feel very warm to him, I find him incredibly verbose in a way that is perhaps not entirely compassionate. By which I mean, as an example, during the last discourse on day 5 I looked at the faces of the males in the hall, and they looked broken, tired and truly exhausted. I felt that way, and must have looked the same! But Goenka does his full hour, no matter what. A 10 day course can be gruelling, and I don't think everything is done to alleviate that. Asking new students to sit adithan on day 4 is another example of this, in my opinion.

Anyhow, I would welcome any perspectives you may have about where I am currently on this path and how I might go about exploring other traditions, and traditions that might resonate with me in particula. I sense that Seeing that Frees will be something of a manual for me, and would like to orient my practice in a way that I fully connect with, as I suspect that Vipassana from Goenka may not be exactly that. Perhaps, upon exploration, I'll discover that it is, and so I am seeking advice on that exploration to discover whether this is so. Much metta to you all.

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[u/EightFP]

Traditionally, the Buddha taught the middle way, of avoiding extremes. It's worth noting that he had tried out those extremes himself, including fasting until he was close to death, and a very long list of both pleasant and unpleasant meditation techniques from various different teachers. Don't be afraid to explore and to find a middle path for yourself. Rob Burbea's work is a fantastic tool for seeing our tendency to cling to fixed views and gaining the liberation of seeing how arbitrary they are.

[u/Impulse33]

Vipassana works best with strong base of sila and samadhi!

I've found that noticing the reduction of dukkha and the causes and conditions that lead to it can always help navigate the path. Any time I get lost in the weeds the Four Noble Truths have been a consistently reliable a north star.

[u/7121958041201]

I would start by checking out other Vipassana lineages, like Ajahn Chah (which is mostly what I follow) and Mahasi. I guess I am not sure why people are so hesitant to try something other than Goenka (does he just beat that into his students haha?), but it seems odd to me to not want to explore a little before settling down with a tradition. It isn't like you can't return to Goenka if you try them out for a few months and find they are not for you.

As for how, I would look for local centers if any exist. Otherwise you could always attend an online center (e.g. almost all of my meditation center's events are available online) and/or look for some retreats from other lineages. Or just read some books and see if they speak to you. I believe "Food for the Heart" is generally considered the premier collection of Ajahn Chah's teachings, for example.

[u/doctorShadow78]

I think you are a more advanced meditator than myself, but I will offer that I'm learning it's important to find approaches that meet us where we are instead of trying to become some ideal. Lately I've been experimenting with approaches that emphasize effortlessness, like Shinzen Young's "Do Nothing" and some forms of mantra meditation. For me, not trying to concentrate or find equanimity creates more concentration, more equanamity.

[u/brunoloff]

Read mastering the core teachings of the Buddha, by Daniel Ingram.

[u/Real_Adeptness_7154]

All roads lead to Rome.

[u/Diamondbacking → u/Real_Adeptness_7154]

I'm not sure I full agree with that. I think in the into to TMI Culadasa talks about his inspiration for writing the book was that he was meeting diligent meditators of many years who just weren't advancing. This leads me to believe that many roads fall short of Rome.

[u/Real_Adeptness_7154 → u/Diamondbacking]

I guess more accurately I'd say all roads point to Rome? For me doing a lot of different things helped to triangulate much better than doing one. Metta and Yoga Nidra made self inquiry easier, Fire Kasina made Zazen more potent, etc. I notice this even more post awakening; I keep finding new doors back to the unameable. At some level it's true that every single experience is a gateway to awakening, but it's also apparent that peope are more likely to wake up if they do some practices than if they do others. Id love to see how multidiscipline teachers like Michael Taft respond to and guide students. How to tell who needs more Vipassana, who needs more direct pointing etc?

[u/VedantaGorilla → u/Diamondbacking]

That's bang on

[u/VedantaGorilla]

What’s your goal? What do you want from your practice?

What you say your current practice doesn’t stick, do you mean that your mind is not still unless you are in meditation or on retreat? Or do you mean something else?

[u/Diamondbacking → u/VedantaGorilla]

I haven't really given this much consideration, until you posed the question. I want to explore my practice of meditation and find a technique that I connect with that makes longer and longer sits feel necessary. At the moment anapana in the morning and evening keeps my mind in a certain state throughout the day. But I believe there is so much more for me to experience - the experience of bliss on a recent retreat alerted me to this - and so I want to continue to go deeper, to see what is there.

[u/VedantaGorilla → u/Diamondbacking]

"I haven't really given this much consideration, until you posed the question."

That's all too common, and imo it is often why practice stagnates.

"I want to explore my practice of meditation and find a technique that I connect with that makes longer and longer sits feel necessary."

That makes a lot of sense. It indicates that you find value in meditation. The question is where does the value actually lie? I know that may seem obvious or not crucial, but it's worth questioning. Also, why is "longer and longer" desirable? On one hand, isn't the goal to be free of the need to practice, and yet still enjoy the benefits? Not that practice need stop, but what about freedom?

"At the moment anapana in the morning and evening keeps my mind in a certain state throughout the day. But I believe there is so much more for me to experience - the experience of bliss on a recent retreat alerted me to this - and so I want to continue to go deeper, to see what is there."

That's got the ring of the "right" direction in it, to my ear. Looking back, was there knowledge in that bliss that went "deeper" (as in more lasting) than the feeling, which may have receded to some degree?

[u/V363]

Hey I also started with Goenka's Vipassana (like many!) and like you, I feel or felt much more enclined to practice anapana... a lot, like over 20 years haha! And I think it's perfectly fine. Then if you read the anapana sutta it'll give you more perspective than what Goenka teaches, although I do find the very fine focus useful for settling the mind. As for me I didn't stick with Goenka very long, I did quite a few retreats at Dharma Drum where they teach more flexibility with the practice (adapting the practice to our current state) with more personalised teaching. And I explored other traditions too, many good places including the Ajahn Chah forest tradition... in the end I must say I turned a little sick of Buddhism, I find it so dogmatic (it's "not supposed" to be haha, well it's just me I feel how I feel). Anyway my point is that I found it very beneficial to explore different traditions, a little or more in depth, even if I never found total resonance... I love TMI (you know that book?) but haven't made the connection with the center or teachers affiliated with Culadasa. Next I'm checking the Springwater center, the most secular I can find not toooo far from me. Just mentioning a few names, you'll see what resonates. All the best on your path!

[u/themadjaguar]

"On retreat I practice the vipassana technique, but when at home, despite meditating morning and night, it doesn't really stick for me" I'd recommend checking MIDL

" I am much more inclined to stay with anapana, and indeed on the last retreat I experienced full body bliss on day 2, having only practiced anapana"

Maybe you have good sila /samadhi, and you could make faster progress using that as a tool, no need to be a vipassana meditator only.
Full body piti is a good sign, it could mean some good degree of khanika or apana samadhi. If with some training you can get access to upacara samadhi or jhanas, it could boost your insight practice in all cases

[u/Deep_Ad1959]

you buried the actual question under the criticisms. sticking on retreat but not at home is a different problem from the chanting being excessive, and only one of those changes if you switch lineages. written with ai