Vipashyana: Difference between revisions

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Kamalashila whose *Stages of Meditation* describe vipashyana practice

Vipashyana (Skt. vipaśyanā; Tib. ལྷག་མཐོང་, lhaktong, Wyl. lhag mthong) — 'clear seeing' or 'insight' meditation. It is one of the two main aspects of the practice of meditation on the Buddhist path, the other being shamatha, or 'calm abiding' 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:

Reliance upon a spiritual teacher
Genuinely engaging in extensive study
Appropriate reflection

Alternative Translations

intense insight (Dharma Publishing)
superior seeing
superior insight
penetrative insight
transcendent insight
wider vision

Teachings Given to the Rigpa Sangha

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Rigpa Amsterdam, 23-25 May 1997
Mingyur Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 1-3 August 2002
Mingyur Rinpoche, Lerab ling, 18-19 July 2003
Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 11 & 13 August 2003
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Rigpa Paris, 3-4 April 2004

Edited Teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche

Vipashyana—Preliminary Practices, Dzogchenlink January 2004

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, 'Shamatha and Vipashyana', in View: The Rigpa Journal, July 2010, pages 18-22.
Andy Karr, Contemplating Reality (Boston: Shambala Publications, 2007), chapter 17
Sogyal Rinpoche, A Treasury of Dharma (Lodeve: Rigpa, 2005), Part IV 'Meditation'.
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, The Practice of Tranquility and Insight—A Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Meditation (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1993).
Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso, Mahamudra Vipashyana, trans. Jules B. Levinson, Michele Martin, and Jim Scott (Halifax, N.S.: Vajravairochana Translation Committee, 1993)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Kamalashila.JPG|frame|[[Kamalashila]] whose ''[[Stages of Meditation]]'' describe vipashyana practice]]
-'''Vipashyana''' (Skt. ''vipaśyanā''; Tib. [[ལྷག་མཐོང་]], ''lhaktong'', [[Wyl.]] ''lhag mthong'') — 'clear seeing' or 'insight' [[meditation]].
+'''Vipashyana''' (Skt. ''vipaśyanā''; Tib. [[ལྷག་མཐོང་]], ''lhaktong'', [[Wyl.]] ''lhag mthong'') — 'clear seeing' or 'insight' [[meditation]]. It is one of the two main aspects of the practice of meditation on the Buddhist path, the other being ''[[shamatha]]'', or 'calm abiding' 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’.
@@ Line 19: / Line 18: @@
 ==Alternative Translations==
 *intense insight (Dharma Publishing)
+*superior seeing
+*superior insight
+*penetrative insight
+*transcendent insight
+*wider vision
 ==Teachings Given to the [[About Rigpa|Rigpa]] Sangha==
@@ Line 30: / Line 34: @@
 ==Further Reading==
-*[[View: The Rigpa Journal]], July 2010, 'Shamatha and Vipashyana', a teaching by Kyabjé [[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], pages 18-22.
+*[[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], 'Shamatha and Vipashyana', in ''[[View: The Rigpa Journal]]'', July 2010, pages 18-22.
+*Andy Karr, ''Contemplating Reality'' (Boston: Shambala Publications, 2007), chapter 17
+*[[Sogyal Rinpoche]], ''A Treasury of Dharma'' (Lodeve: Rigpa, 2005), Part IV 'Meditation'.
+*[[Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche]], ''The Practice of Tranquility and Insight—A Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Meditation'' (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1993).
+*[[Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso]], ''Mahamudra Vipashyana'', trans. Jules B. Levinson, Michele Martin, and Jim Scott (Halifax, N.S.: Vajravairochana Translation Committee, 1993)
 [[Category:Key Terms]]
 [[Category:Meditation]]