Hi Yogani and everyone
Yes this can look like a mine field with all the various approaches.
The type of practice that has helped me immeasurably over the past 15 years is the one of identifying our projections. This of course has been mentioned above and also by you in another thread.
This is the one tool that runs through almost every practice of self enquiry that I know of.
It is, I'm sure you know, a complete revealer of our issues that lie hidden to us, and even though we know how the process of projection works it is still often very difficult to come around to the fact that what we are projecting onto "that disgusting person" is in fact the mirror image of our own issues. It's an absolute gem.
Yogani wrote:
My limited understanding of vipassana is that it is a sitting practice. Is there a walking around version? If so, then maybe there is some further overlap there, because the success of all these methods depends on the presence of the witness. In AYP, we do that in deep meditation, and then stabilize it in activity. In Buddhism, they do "mindfulness," a different kind of practice. I don't think that is what I am suggesting for AYP -- we have the witness already from deep meditation. It is mindfulness.I have'nt practice vispassna formally but read a good book on it years ago. It happened to coincide more or less with what I was doing at the time.
This was:
1.Regognise the projection
2.Make sure you are established in the witness.
3.Allow the thoughts and feelings associated with the projection, which are now in your body and owned by you, to just be there.
4. Breath
For me the feelings would often dissolve in my spine.
The important thing is that these projections can, if not identified, go round and round forever, churning up the same old patterns over and over.
When we hold up the mirror to ourselves we can break that cycle. When it is done with the witness present it, not only is much more powerful, but we can keep our centre and not get overwhealmed by the feelings.
Having said all that, this was my process but I would be at a disadvantage in that I have nat practiced mantra meditation for very long.
I think mantra meditation has a different effect on the system. I have found that if I am angry at someone and I do mantra meditation, the anger disappears and I become peaceful and warm.
So the process might be a little different when practicing mantra meditation, I get the impression that not so many feelings actually come up in the first place - but I could be totally wrong about this, this is just my limited experience so far.
It occured to me that the mirroring type of self enquiry would be very useful if we overdo it a little with the routine practice and find ourselves getting annoyed with someone.
I agree that mantra meditation is "mindfulness". Mindfulness is origionally a Buddhist term but I think it is crossing into almost every field now. It is really the "here and now".
I would see AYP as being totally grounded in mindfulness or the here and now, whatever you want to call it.
It is evident that when we practice mantra meditation that we automatically become more aware in our everyday living. This to me is also living mindfully, the terms are different but the effects are the same.
This is the way it sould be of course and it consolidates that the core of all sound practices are the same.
Personally I like to practice mindfulness throughtout the day and find since I started mantra meditation it has become more pleasant more often. It is like the mantra meditation is more powerful for me and leaves me in this beautiful serene place from which I can -look at a cup, see and feel it going to my lips, feel the liquid passing into my mouth etc etc. It is wonderful when it is kick started with AYP.
There is also a book called "The Power of Intention" don't know if anyone has read it, but it gives another powerful approach.
But enough rambling for now.
Hope this helps[
]
Louis
