Vipasanna Meditation practice with other meditations/practice independently

[pingshiva]

Namaste to all
 This is my first post. Recently I got initiated into Vipasanna.  Generally I listen to my body sensations naturally. I had a good experience. I was able to feel the blood flow from heart to the brain and to both the hands. I really felt the amazing freedom just by being Aware and Equanimous.
Overall, it was very good and I am very very keen to practice Vipasanna.

Couple of years back - I was also initiated to the sacred ShreeVidya Sadhana involving Chakra and Mantra which I had been doing though not very consistently yet I had real good experience & benefits doing it all these days.
I also do Gayatri Mantra Japa (Sandhya Vandanam) regularly.

As on today, with my level of consciousness and understanding I am not able to agree that Vipasanna is THE ONLY WAY yet I want to practice it independently without mixing/corrupting it with other forms of meditation during practice of Vipasanna. Nevertheless I do not want to discontinue my other meditation and Gayatri Japa too. I feel I will be more aware and do much better in both.

Is it not okay to practice Vipasanna independently on a different Seat and room (if required) AND also continue the other meditation and Japa independently as before...

IF YES what precautions I should take
IF NO, WHY?

PLEASE HELP

Thanks a lot

Love All, Serve All

[Johann (Hanzze)]

Pingshiva

May I ask you what your long term after all is? That is the main question which should be ask one self. If you seek for good sensations, everything that fits is fine. If you seek for liberation, this wish is actually the most hindrance at the fist point.

It is actually a giving up one thing to gain a better, which is the course of path. With hands full even grasping the next, all gets nothing but a burden. Good sensations need a lot of scarify, do you like to scarify things for something that is at the end not lasting once more?

You should ask your self what the Buddha encouraged you to ask all the time: "What, when I do it, will lead to long-term welfare and happiness?" — MN 135

Whatever is not yours, let go of it.
Your letting go of it will be for
your long-term welfare & happiness.

— MN 22

As for the kind of practice, Buddha once asked Ananda:

Then Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him, "Ananda, every precept & practice, every life, every holy life that is followed as of essential worth: is every one of them fruitful?"

"Lord, that is not [to be answered] with a categorical answer."

"In that case, Ananda, give an analytical answer."

"When — by following a life of precept & practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth — one's unskillful mental qualities increase while one's skillful mental qualities decline: that sort of precept & practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitless. But when — by following a life of precept & practice, a life, a holy life that is followed as of essential worth — one's unskillful mental qualities decline while one's skillful mental qualities increase: that sort of precept & practice, life, holy life that is followed as of essential worth is fruitful."

That is what Ven. Ananda said, and the Teacher approved. Then Ven. Ananda, [realizing,] "The Teacher approves of me," got up from his seat and, having bowed down to the Blessed One and circumambulating him, left.

Then not long after Ven. Ananda had left, the Blessed One said to the monks, "Monks, Ananda is still in training, but it would not be easy to find his equal in discernment."

So find out for your self and be honest to your self, which is the foremost quality (called Appamada, heedfulness or conscientiously: The last word of Buddha as he had to leave them alone)

[pingshiva]

Thanks a lot for the reply.
Yes my goal is Being Equanimous always and all ways and finally the True Enlightenment / Liberation... Not sensations & feelings...

Is it wrong to practice both? I am a seeker and I want to do my best possible and use them as my two pedals of the cycle

[Johann (Hanzze)]

Actually this question bothers you, isn't it?

"What, when I do it, will lead to long-term welfare and happiness?"

Personally I don't give much value in practices aside of what the Buddha taught and later developments, but if it really leads to a better, then stay with it. If you gain more faith is Buddhas original and down-to-earth practice, it's no problem to change. But, as also in the time of the Buddha, once a follower of other sects requested the refuge in Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and the going forth, Buddha told him to wait a certain time, to get ride of the old "stuff" and than simply stick to the new. So from my opinion, its no problem to change, but for sure a problem to mix things, especially if one has no perfection in either practice.

As a layperson, don't forget to straighten virtue and generosity, as it is really not seldom that people train the Upasatha of the jains, doing there practice and hope for a better. Buddha called such actually "thief". So stay as good as possible on earth.

___________

I have got an email form "donations[at]vipassanaforum.net" and I really don't know what to do with it. There was a quote of the Sutta above "Precept & Practice" and then the question:

"Do you mean to say that only Vipasanna is THE PATH Rest all does nt lead us to Liberation?"

Actually I am not sure if the sutta was really read. As for the path of liberation, there is the Eightfold path and all what is in the frame of it, will lead. That's the promise of the Buddha. Not a 2-fold, not a 7-fold, not a new path, but this.
We would need to clarify what Vipassana means for you. If it means "only by actally gaining insight and knowledge" you can gain liberation: Yes. If it is meant as "Pratice & precepts", see sutta above.

I hope I could answer this question via email and think it is really better to stay in the forum, personal I don't really like PMs and all that other stuff, here more public, we can correct our views to right view much better and there is no danger that stuff get's around unproved by others. But that is just my opinion. Hope this is not wrong understood.

metta & mudita

Johann

[pingshiva]

Thanks a lot for taking time out to clarify.

Yes, I mean "gaining insight and knowledge" which we can also get from other paths as long as we are true seekers ...right?

Even as a precept, why cant you give credit to the other precepts also - could be equally good as Vipasanna

As on today I am sincere in my seeking and would like to continue both my practice.. Yes, may be on a later date as I walk the path, I would dedicate all my time on one path .. Till such time, as a precept - cant I practice both ?

[Johann (Hanzze)]

Thanks a lot for taking time out to clarify.

Yes, I mean "gaining insight and knowledge" which we can also get from other paths as long as we are true seekers ...right?

If you talk about liberating "insight and knowledge", no, there is only this path. All walked, all walk and will walk this path. All who gained, gain, or will gain righteous release.

Even as a precept, why cant you give credit to the other precepts also - could be equally good as Vipasanna

As told, I neither know what you assume that vipassana is nor do I know what this other precepts should be. Once again, read the Sutta. There is no way of gaining any understanding and insight if there is no approximate attention (yoniso manasikaara).

As on today I am sincere in my seeking and would like to continue both my practice.. Yes, may be on a later date as I walk the path, I would dedicate all my time on one path .. Till such time, as a precept - cant I practice both ?

You can do all. But as told, ask your self: "What, when I do it, will lead to long-term welfare and happiness?"

You will not get any confirming at all, and even so, it would be no security if you just like to have it the way you like it. You can listen to the Buddha or to other teachers, of to what your moods are. It's you choice and "freedom".

[Vivek]

Is it not okay to practice Vipasanna independently on a different Seat and room (if required) AND also continue the other meditation and Japa independently as before...

Yes, that should be OK. I don't think even changing seat/room is required. 

IF YES what precautions I should take

You have already taken it: not to mix practices.

[pingshiva]

Thanks a lot Vivek & Johann. I really appreciate. You are all advanced souls practicing Vipasanna for long. Pardon me I still somehow not able to agree with Johann that Goenka ji s method of Vipasanna (as a technique) is THE ONLY PATH.. If that is so what about all other enlightened ones like Ramana Maharishi, Adi Shankara, Ramakrishna Parahamsa & a thousands who never practiced Vipasanna as a method / technique) ??

[Matthew]

Many guru claim their path is only path, many fools follow them.

[pingshiva]

Thanks a lot Johann

Quote
"Monks, there are these two conditions for the arising of wrong view. Which two? The voice of another[1] and inappropriate attention. These are the two conditions for the arising of wrong view."

"Monks, there are these two conditions for the arising of right view. Which two? The voice of another and appropriate attention. These are the two conditions for the arising of right view."

How can we say that except Vipasanna, other forms of meditation are Inappropriate?
What is Inappropriate?

Can you please elaborate

[Matthew]

pingshiva,

Vipassana is not a form of meditation, it is a fruit of right mindfulness.

This is a common misunderstanding.

Matthew