Hi – I’m Vern!
If you want to write to share your experiences – great. Just let me know a little context for it – like, what tradition are you following, or what is your background… what exactly did you do… anything that will let me know more information will be helpful.
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Meditation Questions for Vern >
🙂 Vern
Dear Vern, could you talk about vipassana as distinct from jhana, e.g the progress of insight written about by mahasi sayadaw in his books-do you have anything to say about this aspect of meditation? Many thanks
I can’t Ron. I haven’t read any of Sayadaw’s work. I don’t know anything much about the ‘insight method’ because I haven’t done it, nor read about it much. It’s my own idea that most or all of the insight comes about as a result of being in jhana a lot. I asked myself no questions and didn’t direct myself toward any focus… the changes of insight just came around in their own way. My experiences were not within the context of Buddhism or any other method that was already out there – any other solution. It was more like I just stumbled onto jhana relatively easily. In 2006 when I found out what I’d experienced was the jhana levels, I read some about what they were and then talked to some more monks in Thailand about it. Some monks recommended I start looking at some questions, but I haven’t done so. I look at questions as they pop-up, preferring not to go about it with any sort of method or intention. We’ll see if that lasts, it has been a number of years now. Sometimes I consider going to a temple here in Thailand where I can practice on my own. I am curious what will result, and yet, I have a family here and need to support them. I’m not at all interested in not working, sitting in a temple the rest of my life and answering questions of people that are trying to get into jhana. In most cases the answer they need is simply to keep practicing. Most people give up early, thinking there is no benefit, no progression taking place.
Anyway, I’m rambling on. ha! Good luck to you Ron – thank you for purchasing the book, I saw it come up in the email…. Vern
Please read this free E-book (Practical Meditation Guide By A Forest Monk) all meditation practitioners. There contains both concentration meditations and wisdom meditations. Also many divine eye experiences. This is written by an asian forest monk. You can see page screenshots in the websites. Book is not for sale. For free distribution only.
Hi there,
I removed the links you had in the comment. I haven’t read the book nor would I probably because I don’t know who you are. Why is this an anonymous effort?