Sunlun Sayadaw method

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Sam Vara
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Sam Vara »

Javi wrote: Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:25 am Interestingly enough, here's another Theravadin on holding the breath:
If you want to understand what the heart is, you can try an experiment. Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for a moment. At that point there won't be anything at all except for one thing: neutral awareness. That's the heart, or 'what knows.' But if you try to catch hold of the heart in this way, you can't hold on to it for very long — only as long as you can hold your breath — but you can give it a try just to see what the true heart is like.

(Holding the breath can help reduce physical pain. People who are suffering from great pain have to hold their breath as one way — fairly effective — of relieving their pain.)
Buddho by Phra Ajaan Thate Desaransi
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... uddho.html
Although it is nowhere near as "dramatic" as the Sunlun method, the UK-based Samatha Trust teach a method which is based (initially) on controlling the length of the breath, and counting. I have found it to be extremely beneficial. But explaining this to other meditators has often led to them claiming that one should not interfere with the length of the breath, and that the method somehow departs from the "gold standard" of the Satipatthana Sutta. People get very attached to their favourite methods and ideas!

Many thanks for sharing this. There is something very appealing about these videos, and I will read the texts with interest.
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Zom »

That's one approach and its fine, but you have no right to go around calling people non-Buddhist simply because they use a technique not spelled out in the suttas. That's what's called around these here parts "fundamentalism"
Very simple. If something is not based neither on discourses nor on commentaries and not even practised widely by buddhists themselves - it just can't be called "buddhist". Otherwise, we can call "buddhist" everything we want, anything at all.
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Javi »

Sam Vara wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:51 pm
Javi wrote: Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:25 am Interestingly enough, here's another Theravadin on holding the breath:
If you want to understand what the heart is, you can try an experiment. Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for a moment. At that point there won't be anything at all except for one thing: neutral awareness. That's the heart, or 'what knows.' But if you try to catch hold of the heart in this way, you can't hold on to it for very long — only as long as you can hold your breath — but you can give it a try just to see what the true heart is like.

(Holding the breath can help reduce physical pain. People who are suffering from great pain have to hold their breath as one way — fairly effective — of relieving their pain.)
Buddho by Phra Ajaan Thate Desaransi
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... uddho.html
Although it is nowhere near as "dramatic" as the Sunlun method, the UK-based Samatha Trust teach a method which is based (initially) on controlling the length of the breath, and counting. I have found it to be extremely beneficial. But explaining this to other meditators has often led to them claiming that one should not interfere with the length of the breath, and that the method somehow departs from the "gold standard" of the Satipatthana Sutta. People get very attached to their favourite methods and ideas!

Many thanks for sharing this. There is something very appealing about these videos, and I will read the texts with interest.
Do you have any links to instructions on how to practice this? Is there a book where I can find them in? I have heard of Nai Boonman and Samatha trust, but it seems hard to find meditation instructions from them.
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā — All things decay and disappoint, it is through vigilance that you succeed — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

Self-taught poverty is a help toward philosophy, for the things which philosophy attempts to teach by reasoning, poverty forces us to practice. — Diogenes of Sinope

I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind — Ecclesiastes 1.14
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Javi »

Zom wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2017 10:42 pm
That's one approach and its fine, but you have no right to go around calling people non-Buddhist simply because they use a technique not spelled out in the suttas. That's what's called around these here parts "fundamentalism"
Very simple. If something is not based neither on discourses nor on commentaries and not even practised widely by buddhists themselves - it just can't be called "buddhist". Otherwise, we can call "buddhist" everything we want, anything at all.
Good to know that is your criteria. Now since it is easily established that many Buddhists in Burma practice this technique, then we can say it is a Buddhist practice.
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā — All things decay and disappoint, it is through vigilance that you succeed — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

Self-taught poverty is a help toward philosophy, for the things which philosophy attempts to teach by reasoning, poverty forces us to practice. — Diogenes of Sinope

I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind — Ecclesiastes 1.14
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by aflatun »

Javi wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:12 am
Sam Vara wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:51 pm
Javi wrote: Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:25 am Interestingly enough, here's another Theravadin on holding the breath:



Buddho by Phra Ajaan Thate Desaransi
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai ... uddho.html
Although it is nowhere near as "dramatic" as the Sunlun method, the UK-based Samatha Trust teach a method which is based (initially) on controlling the length of the breath, and counting. I have found it to be extremely beneficial. But explaining this to other meditators has often led to them claiming that one should not interfere with the length of the breath, and that the method somehow departs from the "gold standard" of the Satipatthana Sutta. People get very attached to their favourite methods and ideas!

Many thanks for sharing this. There is something very appealing about these videos, and I will read the texts with interest.
Do you have any links to instructions on how to practice this? Is there a book where I can find them in? I have heard of Nai Boonman and Samatha trust, but it seems hard to find meditation instructions from them.
Peter Harvey is a teacher there now, you might find what you're looking for here, looks like a course is starting up/just started? Best of all its entirely donation driven it seems, in contrast to the charlatans out there that take fees to teach 'emptiness' (sorry I couldn't resist):

Link
While it is best to learn this practice by attending a local class, many people live far away from such a class. We therefore offer an online course, taught by Peter Harvey and a small group of other teachers, using written and recorded material that Peter has developed over many years of teaching traditional face-to-face classes. This is supplemented by online written forum discussions and individual weekly Skype meetings with your meditation teacher. The aim is to have a group of people reflectively learning the practice, stage by stage, together, as in a non-online class.

The Samatha Trust is happy to acknowledge that Peter Harvey is a teacher of meditation within the tradition of practice initiated in the UK by Nai Boonman Poonyathiro in the 1960s, which is now taught in classes across the UK, in the USA, in Ireland and elsewhere. At the same time, both the Trust and Peter would wish to make clear that neither these writings, nor any others, are to be regarded as a ‘definitive’ expression of this tradition. They represent one person’s experience and understanding which he has chosen to make available to others in this way.

The current online Buddhist Meditation Course begins in October 2017 and runs through to the end of June 2018.

Participants can download a week's teachings at any time during a week.

A particular feature of this online course is the weekly one-to-one discussion that each meditator has with their teacher using Skype, a free video-link, about how their practice is going.
This link seems to have his email which you use to register:

Registration
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Javi »

Thanks! I also found they publish a journal, which seems interesting


http://journal.samatha.org/
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā — All things decay and disappoint, it is through vigilance that you succeed — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

Self-taught poverty is a help toward philosophy, for the things which philosophy attempts to teach by reasoning, poverty forces us to practice. — Diogenes of Sinope

I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind — Ecclesiastes 1.14
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Dhammanando »

Javi wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:52 am Thanks! I also found they publish a journal, which seems interesting
See also their online books.

https://www.samatha.org/explore-publications/texts

Two that are worth downloading are their translation of the DN's Lakkhaṇasutta and Abhidhamma Papers.

Lance Cousins, the late co-founder of the Samatha Trust, was a great Dīgha Nikāya enthusiast and would use the Lakkhaṇasutta's account of the Buddha's thirty-two marks (and their past life kammic causes) as the basis for a rather elaborate and visually rich form of buddhānussati. As for Abhidhamma Papers, this was a collective production based on a group study of the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha led by Lance.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by tiltbillings »

Zom wrote: Sat Oct 07, 2017 1:16 am
I am not sure why you seem to think it goes quite far from Buddhism. If it is a practice which helps arouse sati and viriya, why would it be so?
It simply goes against canonical texts, including, of course, the major one - anapanasati sutta, which speaks about calming the breath (and calming other things as well), not forcing it.
Back for a brief visit, and this comment deserves a response. I have used a stripped-down version of the Sunlun meditation method of 20 mins (or longer, depending upon how I may be feeling) of “strong” breathing. This is not hyperventilating. If one were hyperventilating, one would likely pass out. And this is not a forced breathing in and out with all one's might; rather, it is a comfortable deep nasal breathing of maybe 50 breaths per min. The point is that this kind of breathing requires a very active concentration to stay with it. If the concentration falters, the mind very obviously wanders, the breathing very obviously loses its rhythm, and, like the counting method, one can quickly return back to the breathing.

In other words, it is nothing more than a very active and obvious way of cultivating concentration. With practice one can easily get used to a breathing practice such as this. There is no need to force it. 20 mins (or shorter or longer depending on one’s experience), then the alarm one has set goes off and one drops to simply paying attention of breath as it normally comes in and goes out. The difference from a “normal” sitting practice is, however, because the mindfulness of breathing has been preceded by a potent concentration exercise, one tends to find the mind relaxed and very attentive to the rise and fall of the breath and the mind/body process. And like any practice it takes work and, importantly, constancy of practice.

This is, of course, very different from what is done in a Sunlun meditation retreat, but it is inspired by what Ven Sunlun taught and it works well for me.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Sam Vara »

Javi wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:12 am
Do you have any links to instructions on how to practice this? Is there a book where I can find them in? I have heard of Nai Boonman and Samatha trust, but it seems hard to find meditation instructions from them.
I'm sorry, I don't think there is anything on-line or on print. I've often searched. I imagine that this is a deliberate policy of theirs so as to encourage face-to-face personal instruction; they place a lot of emphasis on feedback to the teacher, which then results in personalised advice.

Where do you live, Javi? There is a "Find your nearest class" facility here:
https://www.samatha.org/

EDIT: Ah, I see Aflatun has spotted an on-line course, which I had forgotten about. Worth trying, and good luck!
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Zom »

Now since it is easily established that many Buddhists in Burma practice this technique, then we can say it is a Buddhist practice.
I haven't heard this is practised anywhere widely. But again, even if it is - tantric practices, which are pure non-Dhamma, are also "buddhist" in this sense.
In other words, it is nothing more than a very active and obvious way of cultivating concentration.
Well, any kind of active sport is also a cultivation of concentration. But it has nothing to do with anapanasati, which requires calming the breath:

He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.'[3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'

[3] "In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications." — MN 44.


http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Sam Vara »

Zom wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:43 pm
Well, any kind of active sport is also a cultivation of concentration. But it has nothing to do with anapanasati, which requires calming the breath:

He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.'[3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'

[3] "In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications." — MN 44.


http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
If that has nothing to do with anapanasati, then presumably the other 15 bits of the Anapanasati Sutta instructions also have nothing to do with anapanasati. Or it looks as if anapanasati requires 15 other things, as well as calming.

And as for breaths being "bodily" - which breaths are not?
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by tiltbillings »

Zom wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:43 pm

I haven't heard this is practised anywhere widely. But again, even if it is - tantric practices, which are pure non-Dhamma, are also "buddhist" in this sense.



Well, any kind of active sport is also a cultivation of concentration. But it has nothing to do with anapanasati, which requires calming the breath:

He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.'[3] He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'

[3] "In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications." — MN 44.


http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
Indeed, sports can cultivate concentration; however, the context of sports is more than a bit different from the context of the cultivation of concentration in a sitting meditative practice. Also, there is nothing that says that the concentration cultivated by a Sunlun style of initial strong breathing cannot be used to do the practices outlined MN 118 once the initial strong breathing exercise is stopped and breathing normally is resumed. As the “normal” breathing resumes after a period of the cultivation of concentration via deliberate strong breathing one finds “'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication'” is pretty much already in place.

In other words, the concentration cultivated by a Sunlun style of practice is certainly useful in doing MN 118 practice in whatever style one opts to practice MN 118.

I am not sure that trying to replicate a strict Sunlun style of practice without a good Sunlun style teacher in advisable, but a far gentler version as I outlined above is certainly doable, though I would recommend initially having some retreat experience in mindfulness practice with an experienced teacher.
Last edited by tiltbillings on Mon Oct 09, 2017 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by BasementBuddhist »

I sometimes use a breathing method similar to this to wake up when groggy. Its also good for making yourself feel euphoric. Actually, whim Hoff and Tibetan Buddhists have some pretty interesting breathing methods too.

Give them a try, it might be a bit of wasted time, but of you plug it in to a time you'd normally waste anyway, there is no harm.

Meditation leads down all sorts of fun little avenues if one is interested. You can make yourself feel drunk quite easily if you put yourself in the right mindset. Block out pain or increase tolerance. Wake the body up or put it to sleep. Make time feel fast or slow. Lots of fun alleys to get lost in if one cares to.

None of these things are Buddhist and none of them will lead to Enlightenment.
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Javi »

BasementBuddhist wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 7:28 pm I sometimes use a breathing method similar to this to wake up when groggy. Its also good for making yourself feel euphoric. Actually, whim Hoff and Tibetan Buddhists have some pretty interesting breathing methods too.

Give them a try, it might be a bit of wasted time, but of you plug it in to a time you'd normally waste anyway, there is no harm.

Meditation leads down all sorts of fun little avenues if one is interested. You can make yourself feel drunk quite easily if you put yourself in the right mindset. Block out pain or increase tolerance. Wake the body up or put it to sleep. Make time feel fast or slow. Lots of fun alleys to get lost in if one cares to.

None of these things are Buddhist and none of them will lead to Enlightenment.
I thought Wim Hof just teaches a stripped down version of Tummo?

Anyways its my understanding that Tummo is basically a practice of maha-bandha (all three bandhas together), but with a lot of bells and whistles like visualizations and so on.

I've found holding my breath a few times, with udiyana bandha (tucking in your abdomen), to be refreshing and invigorating, so I can see why these practices are popular. I picked it up from Reginald Ray's course on Mahamudra. Of course, they are just auxiliaries, not (as some believe) a complete way to awakening on its own.
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā — All things decay and disappoint, it is through vigilance that you succeed — Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

Self-taught poverty is a help toward philosophy, for the things which philosophy attempts to teach by reasoning, poverty forces us to practice. — Diogenes of Sinope

I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind — Ecclesiastes 1.14
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Re: Sunlun Sayadaw method

Post by Zom »

Also, there is nothing that says that the concentration cultivated by a Sunlun style of initial strong breathing cannot be used to do the practices outlined MN 118 once the initial strong breathing exercise is stopped and breathing normally is resumed. As the “normal” breathing resumes after a period of the cultivation of concentration via deliberate strong breathing one finds “'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication'” is pretty much already in place.
Yes, but in this case you can do anything - powerlifting, jogging, whatever. And then sit to meditate. But this is not a part of anapanasati method.
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