Vipassana with Burmese master U Pandita

A while back, I mentioned a vipassana technique featured in Shambala Sun May edition, and I am just returning to it as a friend of mine asked me to recommend a meditation, which is not something I feel to do on a whim.

But I so like the gentle feeling of focussing on the breath raising and lowering the abdomen, that I went to Shambala Sun and am copying the basics of U Pandita's meditation from their May edition:

Basic Instructions for Insight Meditation...

Posture

Any basic sitting posture is all right, whether the legs are crossed or folded. One can be sitting in a chair, but if so, the back should not be supported. The body should be as upright as possible and the eyes should be closed (unless you are drowsy).


Primary Object

The main object of awareness is the natural breath, as it is. Do not try to control the breath, in any way, simply allow it to come and go while closely observing what happens in the area of the abdomen. The rising of the abdomen along with the in-breath, and the falling of the abdomen along with the out-breath, will consist of a variety of sensations and experiences. All of these should be noticed as continuously as possible. Let there be no gaps in your attention.

The observations of any object has three parts:

1. Occurrence: attention should arrive quickly, as close to the arising of the object as possible.
2. Labeling and observation: label the rising movement as "rising" and the falling as "falling." Observation should be careful and diligent, the label gentle and simple. It is not necessary to form elaborate concepts of what is going on. Labeling merely identifies the event and serves to direct the mind towards it.
3. Knowing the nature: in the rising and falling of the abdomen, one knows the sensations as they are. In the rising, for exampel, there are likely to be sensations of tension, tightnesss, stiffness and hardness. There can also be vibration and movement.

It is not possible to observe the rising and falling continuously for a very long time. Other objects will arise; when they do, it is often recommended to move the attention away from the breath...

The rest of the article is well worth reading if you can get a copy...