1996-07_03 Vipassana Retreat, Part 3 of 8 - Q&A 9

Talk: 19960703-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-vipassana_retreat_part_3_of_8-43307 Start_time: 01:24:20 Display_question: Can you clarify instructions for walking meditation? Keyword_search: walking meditation, walking, meditation, instructions, slow down, slowly, Thailand, hut, natural, concentrated, rapid, hours, calm, effortless, dance, tai chi Question_content: Questioner: Walking meditation… Larry: You're trying too hard. I couldn't help. I passed you. Questioner: Oh really? Larry: Too much will in you. What? Questioner: I just laughed. You were funny. Larry: What? Questioner: I just laughed is all. Larry: Oh, okay. Some of it's my yeah, no, yeah, it's some of it's my fault. In the instructions, when I said the slowing down, I don't mean that you try to slow down. It's sort of like you help it along a little bit. But what you were doing is like raising and then holding the leg in midair as long as you could and then coming down. You weren't the only one. Others were doing it as well. Actually, the slowness if you keep doing this, as the mind becomes more calm and concentrated, quite naturally you'll slow down. You'll find yourself walking slowly. Even if you walk at a natural pace, if you get very concentrated, you'll find yourself not wanting to walk so rapidly and then just naturally slowing down and sometimes not wanting to walk at all. Break_line: In Thailand you have a hut. You meditate in a hut and alongside of the hut is a walking path about 20 or 30 paces. And alongside of the path is like a little platform with a tin roof over it because it's very hot there. And that's for when you start walking. Sometimes you do walking meditation for hours. You get very, very concentrated. And it's more appropriate sometimes to go right to the sitting. So the platform is right there. You just go right there and go to the sitting. Break_line: So I made it sound like it's something you do. And so you were following the instructions. You weren't alone, really. A lot of you were doing it. And I appreciate you trying to follow the instructions. What I mean is that it's all right to slow down, but don't work quite so hard at it. Because finally the rate at which you will slow down will happen naturally to you as you calm down. And then it's effortless, it's like dance, it's like tai chi. It's not different. There's no strain at all. One more question. If there is anyone who has not asked anything yet? Please. End_time: 01:26:34