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Christi
United Kingdom
4429 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 13 2018 : 6:22:52 PM
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Hi Bhikku,
quote:
I have found both observing the breath at the abdomen and sticking to the mantra difficult in different ways. Which would you recommend sticking to?
That really depends on what you are used to. I know that many monks are taught to meditate on the breath, so if you are used to that and are happy with it, then it would make sense to stick to it. On the other hand, meditation with a mantra is more powerful, partly because of the vibrational quality of the mantra itself. So, some people choose to move from the breath to using a mantra for that reason. There are other reasons as well, associated with what happens to the meditation object in samadhi states (jhanas).
In AYP, the breath is offered as an alternative meditation object to the mantra, for people who are very sensitive to the mantra. So we use both techniques here. With breathing meditation, the attention does not need to be placed at the abdomen. It can be at the nostrils, observing the air entering and leaving the nose, or it can be with the whole movement of the breath entering and leaving the body. See here.
If you follow the lessons through, they will guide you on which steps to take and what the appropriate timescale for you would be. That would include taking on asana practice, samyama, mudras and bandhas etc. gradually over time. The AYP Plus site has hundreds of lesson additions which give further guidance on practice, so that would certainly be useful for you.
If you are not experiencing anything unpleasant or painful, then no need to self-pace (cut down on practices) at this point. Because of the amount of energy you have moving through your body, I would still recommend that you engage in grounding practices every day, just to be on the safe side.
As a monk, you are living in what we would call "retreat mode". This is when someone is living in a way where they have few responsibilities, and a lot of time available. Living the way that you do, you would be able to practice more than the two sessions a day that is recommended for people living a worldly life with responsibilities. See this lesson on practicing in retreat mode:
Lesson 387 - Retreats
Also see the Retreats book here and in AYP Plus here.
In retreat mode 3, or even 4 practice sessions can be completed each day.
Using advanced yoga practices such as the ones available in these lessons, in retreat mode, over an extended period of time, is no small thing. The practices offered here are powerful and need to be treated in that way. Taking things gradually, building up your practice one step-at-a-time is strongly advised.
I give advice here and in the AYP Plus forum. There are many others here who can advise you as well, who are very experienced on the path and who are familiar with the AYP practices. I have never been a monk (at least not in this lifetime), but I have lived in monasteries, including many Theravada ones and I am familiar with the Theravada teachings and practices.
Christi
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