Vipassana Meditation

[justusryans]

Greetings, I practice Vipassana Meditation along with loving kindness. When I focus on my breath I get good results. I’m able to let go of everything and just be. However when I’m doing any other type of meditation I tend to not be able to focus the way I would like to. I get bogged down with random thoughts that keep popping up and I find it difficult to release the negative thoughts and practice the way I feel I should. I am open to any suggestions.


:confused:

Mike

[ancientbuddhism]

Greetings, I practice Vipassana Meditation along with loving kindness. When I focus on my breath I get good results. I’m able to let go of everything and just be. However when I’m doing any other type of meditation I tend to not be able to focus the way I would like to. I get bogged down with random thoughts that keep popping up and I find it difficult to release the negative thoughts and practice the way I feel I should. I am open to any suggestions.

The mood of ‘let go of everything and just be’ could indicate some success with anāpānāsati/samādhi development. The problem with samādhi is that letting go will only be provisional to the calm samādhi gives, and this is where sampajañña and the approaches of later Vipassanā come in to deal with those subtle moods to negative thoughts and transform these into truly understanding the mind and its recidivistic habits.

Loving-kindness is usually taught as a stand-alone practice but it is really a by-product of unpacking one’s own suffering; if I truly understand my own suffering then there is profound empathy for others who suffer.

All the best.

[philg]

Greetings, I practice Vipassana Meditation along with loving kindness. When I focus on my breath I get good results. I’m able to let go of everything and just be. However when I’m doing any other type of meditation I tend to not be able to focus the way I would like to. I get bogged down with random thoughts that keep popping up and I find it difficult to release the negative thoughts and practice the way I feel I should. I am open to any suggestions.
:confused:

Mike
They don't really go together, as ancientbuddhism suggests. Vipassana meditation is usually part of a long process of development, whereas loving kindness meditation can be a kind of regular topping-up practice. You could try alternating them and see if that makes a difference, or a week of vipassana with a break for loving kindness.

[justusryans]

Ok, thanks for the advice... I will try a week of vipassana followed by 2 forty minutes sessions of loving kindness.


Mike :bow: