New here - Hello!

Hello Everyone,

I think I ought to introduce myself. My name is James and I wanna get enlightened!

Too concise? I have been practicing meditation on my own, on and off, for quite some time, but with not a bunch to show for it (at least as far as realizations are concerned - I'm a much better person than when I began, I think). Part of the problem has been something of confusion in regards to how one ought to practice (samatha, vipassana, Tibetan styles like Mahamudra or Dzogchen). Anyway, I'm tired of it. I'm looking for enlightenment, non-self, etc. I want to hit stream entry as soon as possible and I like the straight talk and open mindedness here.

So my practice has, for the last couple of months since I started up again, been samatha (based on Culadasa's ebook from a few years back). I'm sitting for an hour a day (give or take) and I'm trying to work in more time still. I'm definitely increasing in clarity/awareness of what's going on in the mind and the attention is sticking to the breath much more these days. Now, I've been told one ought to hit calm abiding/access concentration before running off to do vipassana, but I'm wondering how long I should keep trying to hit that before I start vipassana work? It's certainly not that I dislike samatha, but I am getting impatient. What are everyone's thoughts?

Thanks,
James

Well, opinions may vary, but if you really want to get it done, the version of Mahasi style vipassana that is advocated around here is what you're looking for. The samatha practice you've been doing is a great base. I'm a mere stream entrant, but I'd say go straight at it hard with vipassana.

Gotta love your attitude, and remember to note all that - your enthusiasm, effort, and impatience.

Hi James!

A lot of us started with out-loud noting, based on Kenneth's instructions on "First Gear", described on the forum's front page:

kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/

Personally, I found this a helpful way to start, when I arrived at this forum after a few years of practice in bascially a shamatha mode, much as you described. This kind of noting is true vipassana, but I find that it strengthens samatha as well.

Make a commitment to note out loud, every couple of seconds. The "out loud" part helps you know right away when you are drifting, because you will realize you've stopped talking . This "instant feedback" really builds concentration (at least, it did for me).

Start with the body-sensations group (they're the easiest to identify). Over time, pair it with other categories (feeling-tone, mind-states, thoughts). You'll find some categories come way more naturally than others.

Over time, you may move to silent noting, or a more classic samatha mode; or else, you may wish to do the samatha you're used to before shifting into out-loud noting. But I recommend making a commitment to the out-loud noting for some part of the session, because it really keeps you honest about whether you are drifting.

You can start this practice at any time. It doesn't require a preparatory period of samatha, though gaining a measure of mental quiet is a very good idea when setting out on the vipassana path.

Also, I recommend checking out Ron Crouch's descriptions of the path, what is referred to around here as "the dark night", etc.: alohadharma.wordpress.com/ It's a powerful practice, and it's good to know, in advance of doing dedicated vipassana, that it doesn't always produce pleasant feelings. Ron's site puts this stuff in context very well.

Hope all this helps!

I would like to second the awesomeness of your attitude and the usefulness of noting.

In general, people who note their butts off get stream-entry - especially when they note in the freestyle, choiceless way advocated here. There are other ways to get stream-entry of course, but this technique almost always does the trick in a relatively short amount of time.

Also, I recommend starting up a practice journal here (look around and you'll find plenty of examples). I've noticed people here give pretty good advice.

Have you crossed the A&P?

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I even got going with the out-loud noting today (fit 15 minutes in addition to what I've been up to lately). It felt very clunky but I imagine that that is how it feels for everybody in the beginning. A practice journal probably is a very good idea, and I'll do that for sure.

@apperception: I don't *believe* that I have crossed the A&P, however I am willing to defer to the judgement of those further along than I. I very definitely had an instance of something that felt distinctly like a bolt of lightning that went up my spine (which sort of experiences are said to go with A&P) but it wasn't *especially* blissful or enthralling or anything, just surprising. This came on the heels of some very choppy breathing and shaking in my body, but again, I'm not sure whether that was because I was in the early insight knowledges or because I was being way too forceful with my concentration (and I certainly was being forceful with it). Following the lightning bolt my body felt like it was rolling up into my head and there was a pressure of some sort in my skull as well, sit after sit, but that went away after a while and my practice got much more smooth (I definitely was aware of the distinction between 'thought I'm thinking' and 'thought that's just happening'). But all of this happened within the context of samatha practice (and quite a while ago now, so there's a couple of other weird meditation things that took place but which I'm not comfortable saying when they took place chronologically).

Also, I don't *think* I'm cycling through the dukkha nanas either. But perhaps there are things the people here could tell or ask me to help determine whether this was A&P or not. Crowdsourcing is a wonderful thing.

Welcome, James-ing! You've gotten some great advice already from Eric G, Rob_Mtl, and Apperception. Note your behind off and tell us what happens!

Hi, James!
Just wanted to say welcome and wish you lots of success!
Note on!

It could have been an A&P (shaking and electricity over the course of a few practices leads me to believe something of the sort happened), though it's impossible to tell for certain without a finer-detailed picture of your practice. If you do the noting practice and keep a practice log, it should be easy to tell which ñanas you're passing through.

@Kenneth and Meekan: Thanks for the welcome!

@all: Practice log up and running!

kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/50...27s+Practice+Journal