MrMonkey wrote:atipattoh wrote:
Sustain Thought (Vicara) ..., it is a monitoring process with little effort by maintaining mindful
We both are beginners. Because the real advance meditator does not really write much. What I described is nothing new, just consolidation of what many teachers has taught me. The booklet may seems simple but it is quite sufficient to guide one into samadhi.
Here is what is described in Buddha Abhidhamma – Ultimate Science by Dr. Mon (Pg. 83). I think it is in Visuddhimagga as well, not sure; haven’t go thru VM.
“Vitakka is the forerunner of vicàra. The two should be distinguished thus:
like the flapping of a bird about to fly is vitakka, like its planning movements in the sky is vicàra;
like the beating of a drum or bell is vitakka, like its reverberation is vicàra”
Here’s the link:
http://www.abhidhamma.com/txt_Mehm_Tin_ ... dhamma.pdf
(Tried buddhanet; but got malware alert!)
I have not come accross a good simile on maintaining mindful so I will just give it a try. The concept (in Chinese we call 心法, not sure if concept is the correct word) that I would use on this part is like:
The dragonfly dipping its tail barely touches the surface of the water; laying its eggs and fly off at the very moment there is contact.
The idea is you don’t want to investigate what the mind is doing all the times; and
you don’t want to give instruction to the mind of what to do, all the times.
When the dirt in the muddy water has settled down, this is the time when 4 powers being balance and slowly raised up from the bottom with the continuing support of the 5th. power of mindfulness. All 5 powers are strengthened at the same time. And if one can maintain mindful of knowing your meditation object when you stand, walk, eat with consciousness wide and pleasant; great things may happen when he sits or even the moment that he close his eyes laying down planning for a rest.
Happy sitting!
If your practice is towards nimitta absorption, look at the reflection of the moon in the lake ( 明月照大江), not in the well ( 井中月 ).