Momentum Vitae est meditatio


BENVENUTI, il mio progetto sul web nasce con l'intento di conservare e condividere

gli insegnamenti di Anapanasati e Vipassana al fine di affrancarsi dalla sofferenza esistenziale

con la guida di un insegnante autorizzato. Questo secondo la dottrina del Buddismo Theravada,

nella tradizione birmana di Sayagyi U Ba Khin, in memoria del suo allievo John Earl Coleman.

Tali insegnamenti sono preservati e perpetuati per il beneficio delle future generazioni,

per questo sono conservati con l’indicazione protettiva della perfezione, verità e devozione.

Tutte le nostre azioni sono dirette nello spirito del Damma.


WELCOME, my web project was born with the intention of preserving and sharing

the teachings of Anapanasati and Vipassana, in order to be free from existential suffering

with the guidance of a licensed teacher. This according to the doctrine of Theravada Buddhism,

in the Burmese tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, in memory of his student John Earl Coleman.

Such teachings are preserved and perpetuated for the benefit of future generations,

for this reason they are preserved with the protective indication of perfection, truth and devotion.

All our actions are directed in the spirit of the Dhamma.


Com'è un ritiro di Vipassana
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The Five Precepts

1. Refrain from killing or harming any living thing. It is directly understandable that it would be impossible to practice meditation after killing someone... but even voluntarily disturbing a student during his practice, for example chatting when it is not allowed or breaking the rules in a general way, can cause harm to others, including killing insects or other animals that also have a nervous system.

2. Refrain from taking what is not given. It directly implies not stealing anything but also not taking what you are not allowed to take at certain times of the day... for example going to the kitchen to get some bread when it is not meal time. This precept also involves more subtle aspects related to greed in general.

3. Refrain from lying and speaking incorrect words. Considering that during a retreat you should practice the Noble Silence, however the word alone already requires a considerable dispersion of energy which will be of a negative quality if you want to lie, offend, speak out of turn during a meditation retreat. For this reason it is better to direct this energy within ourselves. Arousing states of agitation, guilt or other negative states – towards ourselves and towards others – is considered a harmful use of the word, subject to the Law of Cause and Effect and misleading with respect to what are considered the objectives of a retreat.

4. Refrain from sexual misconduct. Buddhism is not against sexual activity, however the energy coming from such stimulations is of a very strong quality and it would be best not to awaken it while we are trying to calm our minds, which could be misled with relative loss of concentration and negative load of responsibility, just as we are trying to observe ourselves from the inside.

5. Refrain from the use of intoxicants. Incidentally, intoxicants are: alcohol, drugs, drugs such as tranquilizers and sleeping pills, but those drugs capable of sustaining life, for example drugs for diabetics, cannot be defined as intoxicants, that is, misleading. In meditation you observe the body and mind, and any intrusion of misleading substances into this work is an obstacle to seeing reality as it is.

For old students only (the Sangha) there are three additional and optional precepts, to be maintained during a retreat or on Uposatha days during daily life:

1. Refrain from consuming solid food after midday, until the following dawn.

2. Refrain from singing, dancing and recreational activities in general, from wearing jewelery and applying perfume or cosmetics.

3. Refrain from resting or sleeping on high or excessively large beds or beds.

KEEP THE FIVE PRECEPTS

Some notes of caution can be added to what is written above. Vipassana meditation (if practiced in the correct and traditional way) is able to improve - through the development of Nibbana Dathu - the health of anyone, and especially of those who suffer from physical or mental disorders of various kinds. In the case of certain serious illnesses, however, it would be better to tackle Vipassana gradually - which in any case requires a good level of psychic stability - and initially participate in short meetings lasting a couple of days, before tackling longer intensives. Of course, we do not need a psychological consultant during the practice of Vipassana because we already have everything necessary within ourselves. It is necessary to insist on the purity of the technique and not listen to misleading advice. Instead, in certain cases it is better to listen to the opinion of a doctor or meditation teacher.

These Five Precepts can also be maintained outside of a retreat, in everyday life, and will certainly not be harmful to a lay person who wants to drink a little wine or have a cup of coffee for breakfast; these habits do not hinder the practice if not led to abuse, which can be avoided by observing these Precepts. The same can be said for sexual activity which today, in a vast range of objectives and possibilities, leads from procreation in pairs to sexual approaches between individuals of the same gender, without however having to indulge in pathological habits and attachments, including physical damage and psychic effects procured from the partner.

TAKE THE THREE REFUGES

At the beginning of each retreat, whether short or long, the Teacher invites students to adhere to the Five Precepts, to take refuge in the Buddha in the Dhamma and in the Sangha which have always been identified as the Triple Gem in Buddhism. Taking the Three Refuges is not as if it were a ritual, a religious act or anything similar; they are the prelude to practice and serve as orientation towards certain energetic qualities associated with the teaching of Buddha: the personification of an enlightened mind free from the forces of ignorance; to the qualities of the Dhamma: the way all things function, the knowledge of the mechanisms linked to physical and mental phenomena; to the qualities expressed by the Sangha: the community of people who practice meditation and the teachings of the Buddha.

These Three Refuges also express the hope of the realization of our bodhi, that is, the quality of enlightenment and therefore the end of suffering - Nibbana - according to Buddhism. Taking the Three Refuges even in daily life can be a precious resource for recalling the luminous forces of the Dhamma in those moments, when the clouds of impurities arise threateningly in our lives and minds. Furthermore, but not least, under the protection of the Three Refuges - Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha - nothing harmful can happen to the student during the practice.

THE RULES OF A RETREAT

These rules and advice to follow direct a group of people gathered together and oriented towards a single goal, that is, meditation. They are the fruit of a long teaching experience handed down among teachers and transmitted to disciples, in every part of the world, at all altitudes, for all races.

1. Mixing Different Techniques: the Vipassana technique is extremely simple and extremely profound, it requires a good attitude towards spiritual work and a good dose of determination; it must be put into practice as it is taught, without additions or modifications of any kind. Therefore, those who come to a Vipassana retreat with experience of different practices are asked to put everything aside and dedicate themselves only to what will be taught to them, no more, no less. Other meditations, mantras, massages, prayers, yoga practices, postures, chants, etc. they must not be used during the retreat, because they alter the perception of the teaching, which must be approached with an open mind and heart.

2. Distractions: The retreat is organized and structured to reduce external and internal distractions as much as possible. Mental concentration (Samadhi) is "the rope to keep the mind tied to the base of the nose" as U Ba Khin wrote... with a good Samadhi you can practice a good Vipassana. Therefore, diversionary activities that attract the mind take it out of meditative work, dispersing what has accumulated up to that moment in terms of achieving Samadhi. It is symptomatic that after only a few hours of practice, or a few days, it will seem very important to escape: calling a friend, reading something or listening to something else, running away home because we miss some or all of our loved ones terribly. Or we feel like we want to escape, pop into town to have a drink or buy cigarettes at the bar. Regression in practice, in these cases, is automatic and it would be better to stay with the breath rather than try to escape. The advice is to settle all affairs at home before leaving for the retreat, turn off your cell phone as soon as you arrive on site, put books and newspapers or other diversions in the drawer that will only hinder us during our spiritual journey.

3. Silence: the longer we can keep our mind in the Here and Now, the better results we will achieve in freeing ourselves from suffering. To keep the mind in the present we have a very important ally – The Noble Silence – which means refraining from communicating with others through words, nods, winks, thus allowing others not to get distracted and us to continue with our introspective work. Any practical needs can be resolved by talking to the course staff, not with the attitude of having a chat but with the intention of resolving the needs. Other clarifying questions regarding the practice can be asked directly to the teacher, at permitted times.

4. Time and Food: the timetable of a meditation retreat includes a very early wake-up call, around 4:30 AM and the day includes a rhythm with hours of practice alternating with hours of break, until around 8:30 PM. Once this time has come we go to sleep, to resume the next day. The food served during the retreats is essentially vegetarian, with some 'infringements' sometimes on proteins (eggs, cheese, for example). Meals are served during breakfast in the morning, at lunch, and in the afternoon instead we have a tea with fruit and/or something sweet; dinner is not scheduled. The spartan timetables and the type of food are aimed at not burdening the hours of practice with long breaks or digestions and making the most possible profit from the meditative days... hour after hour we will come to appreciate this strange routine which allows, if used well, to store quantities of energy exceeding our expectations of nourishment; the same can also be said for hours of sleep, which can be reduced simply because we don't really need it. However, anyone who is required to eat a specific diet for medical reasons (pregnant women, gluten-free foods, for example) can notify the organization in advance, who will take care of informing the kitchen.

5. What We Bring with Us: simple clothing - keeping in mind the above indications - may include comfortable and possibly warm clothes, a mat to put on the floor, a meditation cushion, a blanket or shawl in the early hours of the morning, conforms to the seasons. Lightweight and non-noisy footwear is recommended. Any forgetfulness can perhaps be compensated for by contacting the organization of the retreat.

GENERAL ATTITUDE OF A WITHDRAWAL

It is recommended, to obtain maximum results, to turn inward with the help of technique, letting go of distractions or minimal inconveniences that almost always derive from our expectations towards an environment that can sometimes appear alien to what ours are. habits at home, but suitable for meditation practice. We must avoid our attitude disturbing other students, and avoid ourselves being disturbed by others.

in the Dhamma, Mario Amati
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