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Talk: 2011-07_24 The Way Of The Breath - Anapanasati as a complete meditation practice. #7.json Start_time: 01:20:05 Display_question: Can you develop concentration and insight at the same time? Keyword_search: insight, concentration, retreat, silence, awareness, shamata, vipassana, mind, mindful, breath,fear, impermanent, Ajahn Mahabua, Thailand, samadhi, metta, calm Question_content: Questioner: I'm wondering if you could share a word about developing insight, and concentration, at the same time. I'm just leaving with a little confusion about that, because I found the retreat, that sometimes out of silence would come stuff, to bring awareness to. And sometimes I felt like I wanted to pay lots of attention, to just the silence, and there was a wanting there. Sometimes there was just silence, and I'm not sure I understand… Larry: I'm not sure I understand… Questioner: How can one develop both at the same time? Larry: But you're… they are both being developed, at the same time. See, it's somewhat artificial to separate Shamata and vipassana. It's more of a teaching device, exposition. In other words, when we officially call something, a concentration method, put in parentheses, and small letters insight, because you learn things when you're being concentrated. And now we're doing Vipassana, but when you're being mindful of what's happening, not any one thing, the mind is getting more concentrated. Break_line: Now, what I said with the breath, because for example, there are ways of doing it, so that at a certain point, you may find you're doing it naturally. A concentrated mind, a calm, steady mind, is seeing more insightful. They're not so sealed off from each other, that's only… it's somewhat artificial. Okay, now what I was saying, in terms of methods, once the breath starts becoming natural, and very helpful for you, rhythmical, soothing. Then as you're breathing in, and breathing out, and you're looking at fear, and you see the impermanent nature of fear, the soothing breath, is helping you to see insightfully. They're both coexist, they're synchronized, and they're happening within the same time frame. Do you see what I'm getting at? Questioner: Yes Larry: Yeah. Also, you can… look Ajahn Mahabua, who we studied with in Thailand, if somebody had a lot of difficulty with concentration, they would start you with Vipassana first. And sometimes people are very interested in their way their mind, and body works, and they have a natural samadhi. And then the mind starts to become kind and calm, from the Vipassana. And then you can go back, and do metta, or the breath, or some concentration technique, but don't dip them in bronze, and make them be… do you see what I'm getting at? At a certain point, I can't separate it in myself anymore. End_time: 01:22:28
