Vipassana, Taoism and Reiki.

[Shad282]

I have attended a 10 days vipassana retreat by S. N. Goenka.. it was very nice amazing and taught me alot... even tho i came from a background about qi gong and energy information from reiki and other different sources.. at the end of the course... i had a lot of questions coming to mind.

 

1- Goenka in one of his discussion he says that someone practicing vipassana should not practice any other thing.. since reiki masters who practiced the technique went mad at the end... and that is why vipassana center do not allow those who practice any other technique especially reiki to apply for more than 10 days courses.. and i was wondering what is the real reason behind it? also he said that reiki does work but it works with artificial energy.

 

2- vipassana is about feeling the body from within with a sharp awareness and observing sensations.. and according it helps to teach you to be balanced no matter what the sensation is good or bad.. and thus get the mind out of its habit.. and increase the overall body awareness....

 

But goenka or the buddha.. never taught anything about QI energy or a way of controlling it or anything related.. just observing. they only cared about insight, awareness and mindfulness that eventually lead to raise kundalini.

 

but if a person is sick or something you do not use external energy or something.. u call a doctor... which is according to my belief doesn't always have to be the case.. 

 

The thing is i m trying to udnerstand the link between Vipassana meditation, buddha, and taoism in terms of qi gong and energy control and manipulation... a passive approach vs an active approach... when each one to be used and what are the objective of each approach?

Thank you veryyyy much !!! <3333 metta ! 

[RigdzinTrinley]

I come from the tibetan side of things, and the tibetan lineage and approach to buddha-dharma is as you maybe know very vast, because it contains the tantras as well.

 

so I think there you can find some informations - that go beyond goenkas style.

 

I heard that some tibetan masters encourage their students to do a ten day goenka course, my own masters said you can go if you like, put onht eouter form of the practice but use the meditaiton instructions I gave you..

 

so you know Goenka is not the last word

 

there are innumarbale teachings, methods, philosophical schools within Buddha-Dharma

 

If you are interessted in the nexus of energy work and insight meditaiton I would say read introductory works on tantra

 

f.e.:

 

"the psychology of tantra" by rob preece - it is an excellent intro, and covers also the winds (prana) of the subtle energy-body and their function in buddhist-tantra and also how they relate to jungian psychotherapy

 

or "momentary buddhahood: mindfulness in the vajrayana" by anyen rinpoche

 

good read

Edited May 11, 2016 by RigdzinTrinley

[Apech]

 

 

... just for info.

[Shad282]

I come from the tibetan side of things, and the tibetan lineage and approach to buddha-dharma is as you maybe know very vast, because it contains the tantras as well.

 

so I think there you can find some informations - that go beyond goenkas style.

 

I heard that some tibetan masters encourage their students to do a ten day goenka course, my own masters said you can go if you like, put onht eouter form of the practice but use the meditaiton instructions I gave you..

 

so you know Goenka is not the last word

 

there are innumarbale teachings, methods, philosophical schools within Buddha-Dharma

 

If you are interessted in the nexus of energy work and insight meditaiton I would say read introductory works on tantra

 

f.e.:

 

"the psychology of tantra" by rob preece - it is an excellent intro, and covers also the winds (prana) of the subtle energy-body and their function in buddhist-tantra and also how they relate to jungian psychotherapy

 

or "momentary buddhahood: mindfulness in the vajrayana" by anyen rinpoche

 

good read

yeah, i would like to know more about the objective of such meditation in energy perspective and how it works with the chi and how it can be used to heal or do other stuff with the chi energy  and how can such a meditation serve that path .. if you have more books or video to you suggest please do tell .. 

 

Thank you very much  

[RiverSnake]

Edited May 11, 2016 by OldChi

[RiverSnake]

There is a Daoist saying (I think it's Daoist?): "Where awareness goes chi flows." Perhaps that may shed a bit of light on the relationship between Chi, Buddhism and Vipassana. Cheers.

[Seeker of Wisdom]

Vipassana, as I see it, wasn't designed with energetic phenomena in mind. Of course it has energetic effects, but the primary idea is mindfulness (objective awareness of experience - 'in the seen just the seen', etc) resulting in insight (into dependent origination, the three characteristics - anicca, dukkha, anatta - four noble truths) and awakening. 

 

So if you're going on a retreat to practice vipassana, you'll get maximum benefit by focusing solely on vipassana. It's not just that doing qigong or reiki on the retreat might have conflicting energetic effects - it's that you're diverting focus from one goal (insight) to another (energetics) and back again. 

 

You might find this article interesting: http://integrateddaniel.info/the-arising-and-passing-away/

[Shad282]

There is a Daoist saying (I think it's Daoist?): "Where awareness goes chi flows." Perhaps that may shed a bit of light on the relationship between Chi, Buddhism and Vipassana. Cheers.

yes this made me more confused which leads to my next question ! 

 

http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/41014-consciousness-and-qi/

 

hehehehehe <3

[Shad282]

 

 

... just for info.

the reason for the first question.. have no emotions or feelings.. it is because when you become mindful.. the thoughts ceases and with more practices you reach a state of mindfulness and no thoughts.. and thoughts create feelings.. people start missing their old behavior of reaction with feelings like hearing something bad and start crying...people should learn what feelings are and how to feel.. and not react.. feelings are tools to be used and not just to be recognized when they arise.

just giving my opinion on a part of the video

with love ! 

[Apech]

the reason for the first question.. have no emotions or feelings.. it is because when you become mindful.. the thoughts ceases and with more practices you reach a state of mindfulness and no thoughts.. and thoughts create feelings.. people start missing their old behavior of reaction with feelings like hearing something bad and start crying...people should learn what feelings are and how to feel.. and not react.. feelings are tools to be used and not just to be recognized when they arise.

just giving my opinion on a part of the video

with love ! 

 

Interesting but I don't agree with you - the people who the speaker in the video was referring to had become numb not mindful.

[C T]

The thing is i m trying to udnerstand the link between Vipassana meditation, buddha, and taoism in terms of qi gong and energy control and manipulation... a passive approach vs an active approach... when each one to be used and what are the objective of each approach? 

Rather than proposing there is a link, which i doubt very much btw, it might be a good idea to investigate each separately based on their own merit. Doing so might eke out some possibility of seeing how each have the potential to support the other, and parameters among the various practices can then be put in place so that some sort of integration might occur. 

 

I know a number of Vipassana dudes who can be considered pretty consistent Qigong practitioners, and who are neither Buddhist nor Taoist. A couple of them are quite staunch Christians in fact. Good thing they know better than to attempt looking for links between Vipassana, Buddhism, Taoism, Qigong, Neidan, Weidan, Pey Dan and the New Testament. Its totally unnecessary unless... Unless... unless one desires nothing more than mental entertainment with a big dollop of new age confusion to top it all off. 

[liminal_luke]

Bums have reported combining Yi Gong (Sifu Jenny Lamb´s spontaneous movement practice) with vipassana-like mindfulness.  If there´s an explicit connection between qi gong and vipassana I don´t know it, but I think the focus and concentration developed in vipassana can serve a person in many realms of life, qi gong included.

Edited May 12, 2016 by liminal_luke

[JohnC]

As I understand it, Goenka didn't say don't do reiki, but don't do reiki while on the 10 day or on any Vipassana retreat.

 

The main reason for this is to fully get and understand the technique and see what it does without external influence.

 

I think, and I think he would agree, that they are compatible and fine techniques to practice in different situations.

...I can even hear it in his voice.

 

-------------------

 

From the Taoist perspective, what I think vipassana works on is Xing, or your mind. While qigong/energy work works on Ming or your body.

 

I do know that as you do the dissolving of vipassana that is interacting with yourself on an energetic level, but it is aimed at awareness and insight, vs developing/refining the energy body. I think it is more a letting go of all the hooks that inhibit clear awareness. So there is some cross over.

 

From a Buddhist perspective the only thing you need to work on is xing. You will reach stillness and find your original nature.

 

From a Taoist perspective, this is not enough... you need to develop and refine the energy of your body as well as refining your mind. To find your original nature and.... develop your soul, as I understand it.

 

All that said I'm not the biggest expert on these two, as xing and ming are HUGE topics in Taoism.

 

John

[Seeker of Wisdom]

the reason for the first question.. have no emotions or feelings.. it is because when you become mindful.. the thoughts ceases and with more practices you reach a state of mindfulness and no thoughts.. and thoughts create feelings.. people start missing their old behavior of reaction with feelings like hearing something bad and start crying...people should learn what feelings are and how to feel.. and not react.. feelings are tools to be used and not just to be recognized when they arise.

just giving my opinion on a part of the video

with love !

 

Like Apech said - 'numb' and 'mindful' aren't the same. When you are mindful you still have thoughts and emotions, it's just that you're aware of them in an objective, phenomenological sense. So instead of 'I am angry' or 'I am happy' it's 'this is anger', 'this is happiness' (anatta!), and you see how they're made of brief (impermanent!) events linked together, and how they interact with thoughts and physical sensations (dependent origination). So you gain deep insight, and also having that 'step back' of objectivity gives you room to deal with things skilfully rather than getting swept into rage or whatever.

 

Interestingly when thought tapers down a lot in shamatha practice (more about concentration on one object - like the breath or metta - to gain mental clarity and jhanas, than vipassana's mindfulness of whatever arises and ceases in experience to gain insight and awakening) feelings of rapture and joy can arise because of the temporary enhanced calm and clarity. So very positive feelings can actually come from a reduction of thought. Arguably the more physical-ish rapture component is an energetic phenomenon, with a loosened mind allowing other things to unwind too.

 

 

[Shad282]

Vipassana, as I see it, wasn't designed with energetic phenomena in mind. Of course it has energetic effects, but the primary idea is mindfulness (objective awareness of experience - 'in the seen just the seen', etc) resulting in insight (into dependent origination, the three characteristics - anicca, dukkha, anatta - four noble truths) and awakening. 

 

So if you're going on a retreat to practice vipassana, you'll get maximum benefit by focusing solely on vipassana. It's not just that doing qigong or reiki on the retreat might have conflicting energetic effects - it's that you're diverting focus from one goal (insight) to another (energetics) and back again. 

 

You might find this article interesting: http://integrateddaniel.info/the-arising-and-passing-away/

Nice article! very informative and that is what i was looking for... deeper explanation of the process!

Thanks !

[Gerard]

But goenka or the buddha.. never taught anything about QI energy or a way of controlling it or anything related.. just observing. they only cared about insight, awareness and mindfulness that eventually lead to raise kundalini.

 

The problem I find with this system is its rigidity (typical mainstream Buddhism) plus the fact they only include seated meditation. Not good for most only for the very few.

 

Goenka born in the year of the Rat (water). This explains things.

 

 

You follow the Buddha...GOOD LUCK! Do not. We are in the XXI century not in rural Nepal 2,500 years ago. Wold population about 200 million. Today and counting: 7.4 billion.

 

Find a path that suits YOU.

Edited May 13, 2016 by Gerard

[z00se]

I've done the watching part and qigong and i find they effect one another.

 

I tried to do a Vipassana course but was smoking pot at the time and gym training lots, and sitting there without training and no weed, i only last 3 days and i felt like i was going to burst. About 6 months later i used the same timetable they used on the retreat and camped out in my own tent and did the 10 days, but pretty much just the watching your nose stuff like you learn on the course the first 3 days.

 

At this stage i hadn't done any qigong and i felt very calm and at peace... which at that time i hardly ever felt. The level of relaxation and stableness of that relaxation surpassed anything i had experienced before. I realized what it meant to feel relaxed. My body healed really fast.

 

Later i did another 10 day retreat with 80-90% Healing Tao qigong and the rest the watching the nose. This worked well and had amazing results, mind blowing for me at that time actually, but less actual healing in my body.

 

I continued doing HT only for a long time, then in the last year or 2 i have been watching myself while doing daily activities, plus doing more of the nose watching than healing tao. Maybe only 10% healing tao and the rest watching the breath and watching myself in daily activities.

 

Now when i do the watching breath, after i become relaxed all the channels open and energy runs fast like practicing healing tao. I don't want the energy really, but it just happens. If i do the HT energy work, mainly running all the different channels, then after stopping doing the energy work my mind becomes calm like doing the watching breath. My mind is really active so i feel watching the breath is a more solid and stable way to connect to that balance feeling, however if i had never have done HT i would have gotten so bored with doing watching the breath all the time that i would have quit.

 

Good to have some variety i think.

[Shad282]

I've done the watching part and qigong and i find they effect one another.

 

I tried to do a Vipassana course but was smoking pot at the time and gym training lots, and sitting there without training and no weed, i only last 3 days and i felt like i was going to burst. About 6 months later i used the same timetable they used on the retreat and camped out in my own tent and did the 10 days, but pretty much just the watching your nose stuff like you learn on the course the first 3 days.

 

At this stage i hadn't done any qigong and i felt very calm and at peace... which at that time i hardly ever felt. The level of relaxation and stableness of that relaxation surpassed anything i had experienced before. I realized what it meant to feel relaxed. My body healed really fast.

 

Later i did another 10 day retreat with 80-90% Healing Tao qigong and the rest the watching the nose. This worked well and had amazing results, mind blowing for me at that time actually, but less actual healing in my body.

 

I continued doing HT only for a long time, then in the last year or 2 i have been watching myself while doing daily activities, plus doing more of the nose watching than healing tao. Maybe only 10% healing tao and the rest watching the breath and watching myself in daily activities.

 

Now when i do the watching breath, after i become relaxed all the channels open and energy runs fast like practicing healing tao. I don't want the energy really, but it just happens. If i do the HT energy work, mainly running all the different channels, then after stopping doing the energy work my mind becomes calm like doing the watching breath. My mind is really active so i feel watching the breath is a more solid and stable way to connect to that balance feeling, however if i had never have done HT i would have gotten so bored with doing watching the breath all the time that i would have quit.

 

Good to have some variety i think.

Hey!

That is what i was looking for... what does the vipassana do vs the healing tao in terms of energy channels and healings... but you know in the course Goenka says that also it is good to watch the breath and go into your body sensations while doing other activities, especially while going to sleep. (enhance lucidity)

 

another thing, vipassana.. starts with anapana which is focusing on the breath.. then you start vipassana.. which is about moving your focus in each part of the body and then you feel sensations and contemplate them.... so you want have time to get bored.. vipassana requires a lot of attention and focus on each part of the body until you feel all the body.. every inch.

there are parts that have gross sensation or even no sensations at all... it means your awareness and focus levels needs to deepen.. and there are a lot of deep levels of awareness to achieve and sensation that appears and disappears on different levels...

 

so doing vipassana and being aware of every part of your body while doing an activity. you try to notice what the activity or a word or a commercial or a song or or .... the environment around you is causing sensations or energy to arise in your body and contemplate them

 

can you tell me what HT techniques are you using ?

According to what you said.. that the vipassana does open channels in the body similar to other Taoist practices ? and also help in healing and feel the chi energy in a similar way to other healing Taoist practices? can you point out differences?

cause i don't have knowledge in the taoist field.

 

Thank you very much !

[allinone]

The problem I find with this system is its rigidity (typical mainstream Buddhism) plus the fact they only include seated meditation. Not good for most only for the very few.

 

Goenka born in the year of the Rat (water). This explains things.

 

 

You follow the Buddha...GOOD LUCK! Do not. We are in the XXI century not in rural Nepal 2,500 years ago. Wold population about 200 million. Today and counting: 7.4 billion.

 

Find a path that suits YOU.

 

When you do something what you are not used to yes it is rigid, but you also notice that your learning curve is fastest while doing it. To bring a mundane example, when you start weight training you gain mass and power faster at the beginning.

 

With heart its opposite /twisted, we gravitate towards things we like to do and do them easy and light, fluffy, therefore in order to gain max benefit we should do things what we don't like and feels heavy, boring, dreary so you will use your max potential in order to train heart level.

Edited May 14, 2016 by allinone

[allinone]

Healthy body could mean your mind is weak and have very little power over heart. Animals look very healthy but they have no power over their habits, when dog sees a cat they forget all rules and common sense but run after cat.

[Shad282]

When you do something what you are not used to yes it is rigid, but you also notice that your learning curve is fastest while doing it. To bring a mundane example, when you start weight training you gain mass and power faster at the beginning.

 

With heart its opposite /twisted, we gravitate towards things we like to do and do them easy and light, fluffy, therefore in order to gain max benefit we should do things what we don't like and feels heavy, boring, dreary so you will use your max potential in order to train heart level.

what do you mean by heart level? all i know that the heart creates a magnetic field around the body.. but i m not sure how can someone tackle into it and use that field. but i think it is all in the mind awareness consciousness and such...

[allinone]

what do you mean by heart level? all i know that the heart creates a magnetic field around the body.. but i m not sure how can someone tackle into it and use that field. but i think it is all in the mind awareness consciousness and such...

 

Heart level is feelings. When you read the book then you feel if its boring or interesting but the boring and interesting is below mind level because you can force yourself to read boring text, eventually the boringness is there because the place you were coming from is still also there for an example a good drama episode is still lingering in the background what you eagerly want to continue watching; when you force yourself to read boring text then eventually your heart lets go and starts looking more and more into the text you read and you might gain interest, overall you gain with wisdom into impermanence, suffering and non-self of these feelings, and then they come more available for you for later use to fuel your practice even more.

[z00se]

Hey!

That is what i was looking for... what does the vipassana do vs the healing tao in terms of energy channels and healings... but you know in the course Goenka says that also it is good to watch the breath and go into your body sensations while doing other activities, especially while going to sleep. (enhance lucidity)

 

another thing, vipassana.. starts with anapana which is focusing on the breath.. then you start vipassana.. which is about moving your focus in each part of the body and then you feel sensations and contemplate them.... so you want have time to get bored.. vipassana requires a lot of attention and focus on each part of the body until you feel all the body.. every inch.

there are parts that have gross sensation or even no sensations at all... it means your awareness and focus levels needs to deepen.. and there are a lot of deep levels of awareness to achieve and sensation that appears and disappears on different levels...

 

so doing vipassana and being aware of every part of your body while doing an activity. you try to notice what the activity or a word or a commercial or a song or or .... the environment around you is causing sensations or energy to arise in your body and contemplate them

 

Yes well i think healing tao for me sort of converted into a type of vipassana on it's own. Like i didn't go through purposefully and feel every inch but during my daily life i'm always aware of my whole body and now i've been practicing for a long time i know what most of these sensations are (or energy as i would call it in HT)... although every now and then a new one will come along, usually when i'm traveling or experiencing different things. Energy can be physical or nerve feelings so i guess it's under the same umbrella as sensations as you describe. I think HT inner smile is the foundation of this, but if focuses on organs, glands, spine, etc. I have extended it to the rest of my body, and especially joints are of interest.

 

I also did 30second meditation which i guess is a bit like vipassana while in movement.  (http://www.meditationguru.in/30SecMeditation.pdf)

 

At one time i was doing it all day long. I also started watching outside the body and realizing patterns in my environment which i felt increased my wisdom, however one needs to be careful of this type of thing or i tend to feel a bit powerful thinking i know everything when obviously i'm still a human. Another problem is the constant analyzing causes imbalances and spleen weakness. But changing from 'watching' to 'feeling' mode changes this as it's more rooted in my body, more 'earthly' from a TCM perspective and helps the spleen and quietens the mind. I still like the watching my breath thing, anapana though it really calms me down, something that i haven't got from anything else.

 

I've been meditating daily for over 10 years but it amazes me the realizations i get about the most basic of principles, and how i was doing them, and new ways of doing them which improves my practice. How my perception about how the FEELING of love has changed over time.

 

 

can you tell me what HT techniques are you using ?

According to what you said.. that the vipassana does open channels in the body similar to other Taoist practices ? and also help in healing and feel the chi energy in a similar way to other healing Taoist practices? can you point out differences?

cause i don't have knowledge in the taoist field.

 

Thank you very much !

 

I have pretty much done all the techniques. Now i do macrocosmic orbit, just like microcosmic but including arm/leg channels too, plus belt channels, bridge & regulator, and thrusting too. But they are seperate as teachings but really it kinda all blurs into one simple practice. All the channels balance the body into the anapana type feeling which is what i most need. I also do Iron shirt 1, sometimes 2, and rarely 3.

 

Before i used to be drawn to cosmic fusion and kan & li, the higher level energy meditative practices, i was a power freak, wanting more and more but sorta got over that now, it mucks around with my sleep too much.

 

Doing vipassana type meditation as you explain it before i sleep makes it hard for me to sleep too. Anapana style helps with sleep and life in general for me. However too much and life becomes slow and boring without excitement. It's just a balancing act between the two, and my most recent attempts are to excite in the morning and relax in the afternoon, one of the most basic things i read in the beginning. But hey, i guess it's a bit like people who go to the therapist for help, only do the therapists suggestions that they believe will be best and ignore the others, then complain it doesn't work properly

 

Differences become less and less the more you practice i think. It all just becomes the same, but with a focus on a different aspect. But these aspects become the same thing the closer one gets to balance. I've been in and out of balance more times than i could count. To me now it's more about revolving around the balance point, balance through constant change.

 

Best to learn one practice well, then try another opposing practice that compliments your original practice. Then you can understand from both ends. Then you can learn about further practices and quickly get overall understandings about them. Take bits and pieces from all practices that work for you, to get you to where you want to be, whether that be balance or imbalance. It's all just about playing and having fun, seriousness and trying to take something from the practice defeats the purpose and rarely works, and usually just makes one look silly.

[z00se]

Shad282, I am interested to know from somebody who has completed the vipassana course, was there any recommendation made about using vipassana vs anapana? How or when to use one over the other, or should they be done together in the same meditation session, or one morning and one night, or one depending on how you are feeling? What was taught in the course about the difference in these two different types of meditation?

 

Anapana is a form of samatha meditation right?

 

The good thing about vipassana is that it is a reputable meditation style, just as with healing tao. They have both been around for a long time, vipassana i feel would be even more reputable and solid than healing tao, and there is alot of help around for either system, with lots of people having trialed and errored different aspects of each system. I've read some good essays regarding anapana and samatha and it has verified what i was feeling was right. Thats the best thing about learning different systems, I can learn answers to questions not available in my original system, because i might understand the basics of another system and that system answers my question.

[Shad282]

Shad282, I am interested to know from somebody who has completed the vipassana course, was there any recommendation made about using vipassana vs anapana? How or when to use one over the other, or should they be done together in the same meditation session, or one morning and one night, or one depending on how you are feeling? What was taught in the course about the difference in these two different types of meditation?

 

Anapana is a form of samatha meditation right?

 

The good thing about vipassana is that it is a reputable meditation style, just as with healing tao. They have both been around for a long time, vipassana i feel would be even more reputable and solid than healing tao, and there is alot of help around for either system, with lots of people having trialed and errored different aspects of each system. I've read some good essays regarding anapana and samatha and it has verified what i was feeling was right. Thats the best thing about learning different systems, I can learn answers to questions not available in my original system, because i might understand the basics of another system and that system answers my question.

I have sent you detailed explanation of the whole practice and the instruction given and everything i could remember about the technique, if you have any question, please don't hesitate to ask!

 

Yes well i think healing tao for me sort of converted into a type of vipassana on it's own. Like i didn't go through purposefully and feel every inch but during my daily life i'm always aware of my whole body and now i've been practicing for a long time i know what most of these sensations are (or energy as i would call it in HT)... although every now and then a new one will come along, usually when i'm traveling or experiencing different things. Energy can be physical or nerve feelings so i guess it's under the same umbrella as sensations as you describe. I think HT inner smile is the foundation of this, but if focuses on organs, glands, spine, etc. I have extended it to the rest of my body, and especially joints are of interest.

 

I also did 30second meditation which i guess is a bit like vipassana while in movement.  (http://www.meditationguru.in/30SecMeditation.pdf)

 

At one time i was doing it all day long. I also started watching outside the body and realizing patterns in my environment which i felt increased my wisdom, however one needs to be careful of this type of thing or i tend to feel a bit powerful thinking i know everything when obviously i'm still a human. Another problem is the constant analyzing causes imbalances and spleen weakness. But changing from 'watching' to 'feeling' mode changes this as it's more rooted in my body, more 'earthly' from a TCM perspective and helps the spleen and quietens the mind. I still like the watching my breath thing, anapana though it really calms me down, something that i haven't got from anything else.

 

I've been meditating daily for over 10 years but it amazes me the realizations i get about the most basic of principles, and how i was doing them, and new ways of doing them which improves my practice. How my perception about how the FEELING of love has changed over time.

 

 

 

I have pretty much done all the techniques. Now i do macrocosmic orbit, just like microcosmic but including arm/leg channels too, plus belt channels, bridge & regulator, and thrusting too. But they are seperate as teachings but really it kinda all blurs into one simple practice. All the channels balance the body into the anapana type feeling which is what i most need. I also do Iron shirt 1, sometimes 2, and rarely 3.

 

Before i used to be drawn to cosmic fusion and kan & li, the higher level energy meditative practices, i was a power freak, wanting more and more but sorta got over that now, it mucks around with my sleep too much.

 

Doing vipassana type meditation as you explain it before i sleep makes it hard for me to sleep too. Anapana style helps with sleep and life in general for me. However too much and life becomes slow and boring without excitement. It's just a balancing act between the two, and my most recent attempts are to excite in the morning and relax in the afternoon, one of the most basic things i read in the beginning. But hey, i guess it's a bit like people who go to the therapist for help, only do the therapists suggestions that they believe will be best and ignore the others, then complain it doesn't work properly

 

Differences become less and less the more you practice i think. It all just becomes the same, but with a focus on a different aspect. But these aspects become the same thing the closer one gets to balance. I've been in and out of balance more times than i could count. To me now it's more about revolving around the balance point, balance through constant change.

 

Best to learn one practice well, then try another opposing practice that compliments your original practice. Then you can understand from both ends. Then you can learn about further practices and quickly get overall understandings about them. Take bits and pieces from all practices that work for you, to get you to where you want to be, whether that be balance or imbalance. It's all just about playing and having fun, seriousness and trying to take something from the practice defeats the purpose and rarely works, and usually just makes one look silly.

hmmm, since you have knowledge in HT and vipassana.. i was having some kinda of pain and uncomfortable sensation in the throat at the adam's apple and it kinda arises and become strong when i focus on it during vipassana and give it awareness of allowing and accepting it as it is and such... and sometimes it grows.. not sure if it is some sensitivity arising to some food or energy stagnation.

Do you have any way on how to look into it?