Vipassana Meditation Course

by Chanmyay Sayadaw | 28,857 words

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Part 5 - Mindfulness Of Daily Activities

Awareness of daily activities is the very life of a meditator. Once one fails to observe an activity, one loses one"s life, as it were. That is, one ceases to be a meditator, being devoid of mindfulness, concentration and wisdom.

The faculty of mindfulness becomes powerful by constant and uninterrupted awareness of every activity throughout the days practice.

Constant mindfulness gives rise to deep concentration, and it is only through deep concentration that one can realise the intrinsic nature of physical and mental phenomena. This then leads one to the cessation of suffering.

Failing to note the daily activities create wide gaps of unmindfulness. Continuity of noting is needed to carry the awareness forward from one moment to the next. With this kind of practice there are many new things to discover every day.

During a retreat, all you need to do is be mindful. There is no need to hurry. The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw compared a Vipassana meditator to a weak invalid, who by necessity moves about very slowly.

Doing things very helps to make the mind concentrated. If you want the meditation to develop, you must get accustomed to slowing down.

When a fan is turning fast, you cannot see it as it really is, but when it is turning slowly then you can see. Therefore you need to slow down significantly to clearly see the mental and physical processes as they really are.

When you are surrounded by people who are doing things in a hurry, be oblivious to your surroundings. Instead, note your own mental and physical activities energetically.

Talking is a great danger to the progress of insight. A "five minute" talk can wreck a meditator"s concentration for the whole day.

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