Meditation Practice – Managing the Insights and Energy

A common mistake made by new and intermediate meditators is the frittering away of the insights and energy that result naturally from meditation practice. Unless a meditator knows how to manage this energy and insight, he or she will fall into the trap of a premature re-embracing of the world. This re-embracing appears to be from a more lofty approach, but in reality is nothing more than an extension of the same delusions.

This is a sign of restlessness, but conceals itself as insights that must be shared with the world. This energy, however, if not reintroduced into the practice, will exhaust itself quickly and not be profitable to either the meditator or to the one that the meditator is trying to prematurely influence. Re-introducing the energy and insight back into the practice, on the other hand, will deepen practice significantly. The trouble is, few meditators know when and how to do this.

The time re-introduce the insight that has arisen in practice back into the practice is when the urge to do something other than meditate becomes overwhelming. It will feel as if you have the answer to all the world's problems, and if you don't immediately tell someone, or write a book, the wisdom will be lost forever. This is an illusion created by the ego in order to get you to stop practicing. There are no undiscovered truths for you to pass along; no secrets that haven't been discovered. It has all been done. All you need to do is take this wonderful, transcendent, world-saving insight and force it back into your meditation by sitting still on your cushion until the storm of ambition subsides. This is driving it back into your practice (and which may cause you to sweat white beads)!

The energy that can arise is likened to the energy one feels when their ship has come in, or when they have won the big multi-state lottery. You can't wait to get started . . . on something! So use it; use the energy to concentrate you mind on your meditation object more precisely and relentlessly than you have ever done before. Use this tremendous energy and insight to go within; go within deeper and deeper and never allow your attention to wander outside of the mind.

If you find yourself wanting to go outside, this is a warning sign. Any kind of outward activity - writing, lecturing, building, planning - stops practice in its tracks if you are not doing the activity selflessly, that is without you, yourself, involved, and without any consideration at all of the results of your actions. If you look for results, then you will go no further than where you are at, which is at a place where you cannot even see your own restlessness as restlessness, and a place where you will remain, as your endeavors inevitably fail in the end by remaining within existence.

The general rule in the forest tradition of Thailand is that a Buddhist monk doesn't teach for at least twenty years, (and after he no longer has any desire to teach)!. Before that, there is the danger of teaching from ego, or from a desire to show off, or be recognized as a great teacher. This would be conceit rather than sincere compassion, which is the only reason ever to begin teaching.

The general rules are that a monk must not only teach from compassion, but that he will never accept any form of payment, be it food or money, for his teachings. Teaching the Dhamma, the truth, must always be above that sort of thing, otherwise the truth becomes marginalized. A monk must always say only what he believes is true, whether those that hear it are pleased or not.

A monk teaches step-by-step as well, which means that he teaches according to character and capacities. And a monk always teaches cause and effect, which are the lessons of karma.

And one more very important thing is that a monk never disparages others. His view of a situation must always be from a truthful perspective, and never from a perspective of tightly held opinions or animosity, but only from a helpful perspective.

These are some of the guidelines that has sustained the Theravada Buddhist tradition for more than 2500 Years; a tradition that can be trusted.