..续本文上一页p until you are noting all the six component parts, ”raising”, ”lifting”, ”pushing”, ”dropping”, ”touching”, and ”pressing”, concurrently with the actual experience of the movements.

　　While walking and noting the parts of the steps, you will probably find the mind is still thinking. Not to worry, keep focused on the noting of the steps as long as the thoughts remain just as ”background thoughts”. However if you find you have been walking and ”lost in thought”, you must stop and vigorously note the thinking as ”thinking”, ”thinking”, ”thinking” until it stops. Then re-establish your attention on the movement of the foot and carry on. Keep the foot soft and relax and be careful that the mental noting does not become so mechanical that you lose the experience of the movement.

　　Try to do a minimum walking period of half an hour, and build it up to a full hour. Strategically it is better to do a walking period before a sitting session, especially first thing in the morning, as it loosens stiff muscles and also after meals as it assist digestion and helps to avoid sleepiness. If you can alternate the walking and sitting sessions without any major breaks you will develop a continuity of awareness that naturally carries through into the awareness of daily activities.

　　Awareness of Daily Activities

　　For the awareness to deepen, continuity that gives momentum to the practice must be maintained for at least three or more hours in the practice day. Continuity arises through careful and precise attention to movements and postures for as long as possible during the routine activities of the day.

　　Again we use the “primary and secondary object” strategy to help maintain awareness throughout the day. As you walk about in the retreat environment maintain awareness of, or mentally note the steps as you walk, as “walking”, “walking”. Then as you stand, “standing”, “standing”, or when sitting, “sitting”, “sitting” or laying down, as “laying down”: that is, noting the Four Postures as the primary focus. Then as other things take your attention, such as seeing, hearing, thinking, mind states, etc., they become secondary objects. In this way, you naturally maintain moment-to-moment awareness during daily activities. It is a simple thing to do, and is used as a ”thread of awareness” practice from which you can find more details in the movement as your concentration intensifies.

　　Monitor the four main postures throughout the day, until the end of the day when you lay down to take rest for the night. There are many details to be found in the posture movements as you make a transition from one posture to another. This will help to maintain the continuity of the attention, which in Vipassana practice is the key to its success.

　　You would start this attentiveness to the postures from the moment of awakening in bed in the lying down posture: first note or be aware of all the touch sensations of the body on the bed. Then as you rise note the sitting posture as ”sitting”, “sitting” and then having got out of bed, you are standing, note it as ”standing”, ”standing” and as you move, note it as ”walking”, ”walking” and as secondary objects arise, such as seeing, hearing, etc., pay attention to them as well.

　　Nothing can be dismissed as unimportant when noting daily activities such as domestic chores, eating, cleaning your teeth. All these are good opportunities for the meditator to practice presence of mind. Repeatedly note any and every movement and activity in order to establish the practice so that it becomes “second nature” for you to note them in your daily routine. Of course, this is not so easy to establish. It requires patience and perseverance, especially in being kind to yourself when you feel frustrated by constant forgetfulness!

　　It is useful to reinforce your efforts of being attentive in daily activities by reviewing or taking stock of your mindfulness practice at the end of the day, but without evaluating or making judgments about the practice. Another way is to record the practice in a meditation diary. In this way, the patterns and habits of one”s practice will become apparent to you, which could suggest strategies and ways to work with them so as to help you to overcome any difficulties.

《The Vipassana Retreat: 4· The Basic Instructions》全文阅读结束。