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Short answer: No. Longer answer: Because of a lifetime of habit, we assume that happiness/pleasant feelings/craving are all part of the same package. Contemplative practices challenge us to question that assumption. a) Is it possible to feel "complete" whether you are experiencing either pleasant or unpleasant feelings (yes) b) If so, then there is no need to crave for more pleasant feelings because we can feel 'complete' even when they aren't there. Similarly, no need to have an aversion to unpleasantness, because we are no less whole in the presence of unpleasantness. (I'm using the word 'complete' instead of happy, because 'happy' is a term that many of us already associate with pleasantness) So - when you get good news and feel pleasant feelings, by all means rejoice! But if you can do so without that (almost) inevitable next step of wanting to hold on to them, then when they DO disappear (and they WILL disappear eventually) you won't mourn their passing. "They could've told you back in the day 'It all comes to pass, but it don't come to stay' but they let you find your way through your life alone" (Chris Smither, Place in Line - czcams.com/video/djzR7594I1U/video.html)

Hi! Yeah the pen is awesome. It's too much work and I hate getting ink on my hands but every time I actually use it, it feels great. Here is my understanding in the context of the Vipassana tradition. Vipassana requires some degree of 'attentional control', (just with broader body sensations as the object instead of just the sensations associated with the breath) but it also requires an additional quality of equanimity. Sometimes our emotional state or attentional capacity is limited enough that we can't practice Vipassana effectively. At such a time, one both limit the object (to just the breath-related sensations instead of the full body) as well as not worry so much about the equanimity aspect as much as just strengthening our attentional control. That said, there is an element of each in both. Ie. to practice Anapana, you need some level of equanimity as difficulties arise; and to practice Vipassana, you need enough attentional control to direct your attention to various body parts, and with enough resolution to notice subtle sensations. While you are practicing Vipassana, I wouldn't think of it as attempting to also do Anapana. However, a) The fundamental 'process loop' of getting distracted, noticing distraction, acknowledging distraction, re-orienting attention to the object still happens while you are body-scanning b) Sometimes the breath-related sensations will be part of your body scan c) Sometimes while scanning other parts of the body, your attention may inadvertently be directed to your breath. Notice, Acknowledge, Redirect. Hope that helps.

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@@suvo225🙏🏽

weird. I swear I left a really long reply to this last week, but it seems to have disappeared. I'll come back and respond to this again when I have time.

Hi. In the Vipassana/Goenka retreats, one spends about 3 days/30 hrs just focusing on the breath, and that is like “polishing a lens” which then makes it easier to notice sensations in/on the body. If it’s helpful, I recorded some guided meditations almost a decade ago to help with basic body awareness (linked from www.meditationminutes.net)

Thank you for taking the time to help! @@MeditationMinutesNet

See the schedule at the bottom of: www.dhamma.org/en-US/about/code ~ 10 hrs/day.

I am not an AT. However, in my experience there is no specific / different technique to go from step 1 to 2 to 3. You keep scanning and sometimes your resolution is high and your attention is able to flow easily. Sometimes your attention is coarse and then you just go part by part. If you are finding that your attention is moving like a scanner then that’s great. Keep being aware and scanning. There’s nothing in particular to “accomplish” by going to the next step. It’s just another mode of noticing.

Thanks a lot for your answers … 🙏 very useful. Sorry timeline mentioned above for three methods is indicating : during retreat when these methods were mentioned by Goenka ji

Hi Anuj. Sorry I didn’t see your earlier question. I personally think paying attention to different spots for inbreath v outbreath is okay while breathing. But there might be some nuance that I’m not aware of.

Hi sorry I am asking if I have to send question/s what is the mechanism? Email / some website form etc

CZcams comments are fine.

It's natural when beginning meditation to feel that, as soon as you start paying attention to the breath, you end up controlling it. That's okay. With time, you'll be able to loosen your grip on that feeling, and be able to breathe more naturally while still paying attention to how you are breathing. Also, Goenka suggests taking a few intentional, forceful breaths if you are unable to feel your breath or are feeling sleepy or sluggish. That's okay too. However, anapana is not a breathing exercise, so don't let that turn into a continuous deliberate breath. The thing you are trying to cultivate is watchfulness/awareness, with breath as a practice object; not the specific qualities of the breath itself.

@@MeditationMinutesNet thts wht i m struggling wid like I hv nvr observed my breath so i m getting confused I tried 3 forceful breath in d strt but thn whn i trying to obverse my breath I cnt feel it cos I have stopped.... Do i need inhale and exhale intentionally (not forcefully) to strt this meditation

@@BoseDkbhag Gotcha. Sometimes it helps to move from gross to subtle. Ie. Start by noticing how your stomach or chest or shoulders moved when you breathe. Once that becomes accessible, then notice it in the throat. Then in the nose, then nostrils, then upper lip.

@@MeditationMinutesNet seriously I will try tht but i blv same thing will happen if I try to observe stomach or chest or shoulder thn it jst stop... Correct if I m wrong if I intentionally inhale and exhale wld tht b k m not saying forcefully m jst saying if consciously breath n i observe tht wld tht b k

​@@BoseDkbhag Ah. If you are able to notice it but then stop being able to notice it, that is a sign that your attention is getting distracted. That is quite normal. So just keep at it. Usually at home we might sit and try for 5 or 10 or 20 minutes. But at a residential retreat like a Vipassana retreat one ends up practicing for about 10 hrs a day for a few days - so you end up noticing a lot more progress (one of the advantages of doing a retreat). So don't be disheartened. Just keep at it.

Yes. Don't worry about the particular thing that you feel - that's your reality right now. If you feel frustrated, or aren't able to stay in one position for a full minute (because your mind is agitated) then go back to Anapana. But otherwise, don't worry about the particular *type* of sensations that you feel in any given location. The fact that you are saying "nothing more" means that you likely have an expectation (conscious or subconscious) that whatever you are feeling right now is not what you are "meant to feel" during meditation. But there is no such thing as 'meant to feel'. Even if you feel nothing, that is okay. Your job is just to observe, as Goenka keeps repeating. Carry on, keep practicing. May your practice grow, and much metta to you!

@@MeditationMinutesNet superb... it's enough to clear my mind...thanks for the detailed answer🙏🏻

No. I use Diaphragmatic breathing when I take cold showers, or if I'm feeling particularly stressed. But in my vipassana practice the breathing is effortless.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Hi Quoi. I have been sitting with this comment for the past few weeks with the intention of doing a video response, however I've been quite busy so I'll start with this. I can totally empathize with what you're saying. I find it much easier to work with unpleasant sensations than to deal with "no sensation at all" because the latter makes me feel like I'm "doing it wrong." Let me offer you some guidance from my practice but I hope that others feel free to add their experience. 0) Hopefully you are starting with anapana. It's hard to over-emphasize how much sharper one's attention is after being on retreat for a few days, compared to the average day back in the 'real world'. 1) That said, because of how a typical 10-day course unfolds, I associate 'sensation' with having built up 'enough focus' during the first few days of anapana. While there is truth to this (see #0), a lack of sensation doesn't mean that you are "doing it wrong". *** IF you are able to maintain stable attention on one spot for a minute or two, then keep doing vipassana, regardless of what you experience. If not, then do anapana. 1b) Sometimes I used to associate 'doing anapana' with the "remedial path" ie - almost as if it was a step backwards. Don't think of it like that. Instead, think of it as a different tool that's better suited to certain conditions. Regardless of the reason, if you are unable to maintain a stable focus, then anapana should be your tool of choice. That could be because of something happening in your life - maybe something really positive that makes you happy/excited and you go into daydreaming, or something negative/difficult which takes you into catastrophizing. Or it could be an intellectual problem that you really want to solve. Or other emotions like anger, shame, regret, or joy, love, etc. Or it could be from a feeling of agitation in your body. Or it could be the frustration of not feeling sensations when you think you 'should be'. Regardless of what the reason might be, just see if you are able to maintain a stable mind. If so, use vipassana. If not, work with anapana. You are NOT regressing. 2) I have an association with what types of sensations tend to show up in different parts of the body. While this is natural, it's also a trap! Because the association results in an expectation, and I end up /looking for/ that sensation. See if you can just relax your expectations a bit and approach it with a fresh mind - not conditioned on your experience at the retreat, but just paying attention to whatever shows up now. Sometimes I'll just notice the slightest of sensations and call it a win and move on. But repeatedly coming back and experiencing reality "as it is, and not as you would like it to be" (can you hear his voice echoing in your head?) does seem to help. Hopefully some of those reflections are helpful. May all of our practice deepen and grow.

Per his methodology, all thoughts and emotions have a physiological correlate, and our reactions to those thoughts/emotions begin as a reaction to the physiological correlate rather than the intellectual/conceptual. With that basic assumption, the invitation is to keep coming back to the physiological sensations as a way of working with/through thoughts and emotions.

@@hemantbhanoo787 thank you. I was not sure if I was practicing the technique properly but your explanation indicates that I am.

Very much agreed. Unfortunately, we are also the ones measuring our own Shila. And I've found that most of us are the heroes (vs the villains) of our own journey. So the challenge we all face is one of being objective in that self-assessment. :)

There isn’t a prescriptive answer to this. It’s for you to investigate in your experience vs looking for something that someone else might tell you about their experience. That’s part of the larger arc of why this practice is what it is. To see clearly what is happening right now in your experience (vs what you think or believe or would like to happen)

Hi Shubham. Many people find it easiest to start with noticing the breath inside the nostrils. Then you can work your way to the 'gates' or edges of the nostrils. I find it most difficult to notice the breath outside the nostrils - above the upper lip and below the nostrils (the mustache area). The suggestion is to start with what's easiest, and work your way towards areas that are more difficult for you to keep sustained attention, as well as to smaller areas. Think of it like progressive loading while lifting weights.

I have no idea. I hope it’s taking me closer to the ‘goal’ but I can’t really say for sure. I do feel that it’s adding to the quality of /this/ life.

yes! app.noomin.us/gatherings - I haven't been prescheduling my morning sits, but I will start doing so in a few weeks. Weekday afternoon (US time) sits are still going strong.