..续本文上一页 the things that we are attached to and that we take to be who we are. These are the things that cause our problems; we have to reflect on and observe them more closely in order to see them for what they are. How do we do this insight meditation with reflection

　　 We objectify what is in consciousness and then observe its nature. Take the body for example. We can be aware of the body just sitting. If the mind is quite still we can be aware of the posture, the nature of the body, before we start labelling it or making anything of it. Then there are the sensations of the body, especially when they become very strong. If there is pain, we can make it an object of our awareness. Stop thinking about it as being this or that, just experience the sensation, see if we can stay with it. What is the sensation actually like

　　 Is it really you

　　 Is it constant

　　 What makes it pain rather than pleasure

　　 Why is the mind shrinking away from it

　　 What happens if we stay and abide calmly with it

　　 Try turning towards the sensation in order to understand its nature a bit more and reflect on it.

　　The important thing is not just to react to every situation. For example when there is an itch on your leg, you can scratch it and it”s gone, but you haven”t learnt anything because you are acting mechanically out of aversion and desire. There is no freedom there. I am not saying that it is wrong to scratch but I am talking about insight, about freeing the mind from the power of instinct, aversion and desire. If you have knee pain and you decide to go to sleep rather than sit meditation that is not bad, wrong or immoral in any way but there is no effort, patience or reflection on that which is difficult to reflect on. There is no seeing, and this is why it is very valuable to sometimes do that which is difficult for us, in order to cultivate spiritual qualities and to develop wisdom.

　　Sometimes we can feel very tired during meditation and the body begins to slump. What is that feeling of tiredness in the body

　　 Notice what it feels like instead of just reacting, giving in to it. Instead of just feeling tired and laying down, stay and begin to observe. See the nature of this state of the body, the lack of energy, and if you stay with it you may also see it passing away.

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　　Venerable Ajahn Cha used to say that Vipassana, insight meditation, had three signs: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and non-self. This practice of Vipassana means to continually reflect on these three signs, make them your point of reference. The easiest of the three signs is impermanence, the process of change. It requires a lot of patience; normally we see the arising but we don”t bother to hang around to wait for the passing away, especially if it is something unpleasant. For example we may get into a restless state, the mind is agitated and the body doesn”t want to sit still. If this arises during your sitting, stay with it, don”t give up and walk away. Be aware, objectify and observe the restless state, get to know it, and have the patience to stay around and observe its impermanent nature. It is within the capacity of everyone to see the passing away of things, just ordinary things like restlessness, sleepiness or a little bit of pain. Make them fully conscious in your mind, and stay with them to see the beginning and the end, the arising and cessation: impermanence.

　　Impermanence is a very good subject to meditate on. We can observe it in the body, in its various states of energy, pain, dullness and calm. We can observe it in the mind - the mental states of restlessness, dullness, peacefulness, calm and joy. Notice all these changing impermanent states of body and mind, just as they are. Objectify them. Reflect on what comes into the field of consciousness, whether that may be body, feel…

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