Vipashyana

Kamalashila whose Stages of Meditation described Vipashyana practice

Vipashyana (Skt. vipaśyanā; Tib. ལྷག་མཐོང་, lhaktong; Wyl. lhag mthong) — 'clear seeing' or 'insight' meditation.

Etymology

• Vi is short for vishesa, which means ‘special’, ‘superior’, or ‘particular’.
• Pashyana , means ‘to see’ or ‘to look’.

• Lhak is ‘unique’ and
• tong is ‘seeing’.

So, it means ‘to look at things in a very direct and especially clear way’.

Prerequisites for Vipashyana

Kamalashila’s second Stages of Meditation (Skt. Bhāvanākrama) mentions three prerequisites for developing vipashyana:

1. Reliance upon a spiritual teacher
   
2. Genuinely engaging in extensive study
   
3. Appropriate reflection
   

Alternative Translations

• intense insight (Dharma Publishing)

Teachings Given to the Rigpa Sangha

• Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Rigpa Paris, 3-4 April 2004
• Mingyur Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 1-3 August 2002
• Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Rigpa Amsterdam, 23-25 May 1997

Further Reading

• View: The Rigpa Journal, July 2010, 'Shamatha and Vipashyana', a teaching by Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, pages 18-22.