Based on my experiences in various meditation and NLP techniques over the years, I have made an attempt to bring about clarity in what is similar and what is different between Vipassana vs Vedanta meditation techniques.
You may like to review the basics of Meditation or learn more about 10 days Vipassana Meditation Course.
Introduction to Meditation Techniques
Before diving deeper into the differences between Vipassana and Vedanta meditation techniques, it is better to understand some of the common techniques followed as part of different meditation techniques.
Preparatory Techniques
- Asanas as in yoga or other physical exercises help improve posture, strength, and awareness of the body parts.
- Pranayam Yoga improves awareness of the breath which is a vital involuntary function for our existence.
- Yoga kriyas purify the physiological body systems. Kriyas like Trataka are especially helpful for improving concentration.
All the preparatory techniques help to relax the mind. These do not affect the comparison of Vipassana vs Vedanta Meditation.
Concentration Techniques
Concentration techniques help gather the mind from the multitude of thoughts and channel the awareness of the mind in one direction. This helps in greater a sharp focus and calms the mind. You will generally feel very relaxed after doing a concentration type of meditation.
- Breath Awareness – is a very common technique across several meditations.
- Visualization of a form – Symbol or Lord(deity) or light, or maybe something else.
- Sound Awareness – Verbalization/Japa – Loud Chanting of Mantra or Mantra meditation
- Very Common across many religions.
- Also used in Transcendental Meditation (personal mantra given at the time of initiation
- Sound Awareness -Listening in your own mind- No movement of mouth and tongue
- Japa – AUM or other sound mantras
- Listening to external sound-guided meditation
Concentration techniques help focus the mind. Once we learn the art, we can focus our attention on the object of our choice. As far as Vipassana vs Vedanta meditation techniques are concerned, both focus on the realization of truth. However, the intermediate object of our attention can be wisdom gained from watching the thoughts during contemplation in Vedanta and wisdom gained by observing what is beyond the sensations in the body.
Body part Awareness
- Chakras Meditations
- Attention is on 7 energy centers in the body.
- Awareness focussed between the eyebrows – used in several techniques
- Attention focused on the heart – Heartfulness Meditation
- By being aware of sensations in the body – Vipassana Meditation
Contemplation Techniques
- Vedanta – deep thought on mantras/verses
Guided Meditations
Most of the initial learnings are through guided meditations. Guided meditation may include multiple techniques taking the learner from grosser stages of understanding to subtler understanding.
- Buddhist meditation techniques
- Isha Kriya Guided Meditations
- Art of living Guided Meditation on Transforming Emotions
Vipassana vs Vedanta Meditation Technique
In Vedanta, the principal method of personal growth is through the process of Shravana, Manam, and Niddhidyasanam which means Listening to what realized masters have said, Reflection on their teachings, and finally contemplating the truth and realizing it.
Vipassana Meditation the process involves Sila, Samadhi, and Panna. In a simplistic way, it means living a moral life (defined by do’s and don’ts), concentrating all sensory perception into one’s awareness, and the realization of the unchanging truth beyond the temporary sensory perceptions.
In both cases, the three-fold process is ongoing until one realizes the unchanging realization of who am I.
In both cases, the householder’s practice of meditation is only for 0-2 hours a day. The other aspects of living a noble life are important to make the mind ready for meditation practice. Hence those who find it difficult to sit for meditation should start with 5/10/15 minutes of practice. Also, they need to simplify their lifestyle so that can sit with undivided attention for meditation practice at their chosen time.
Given below are the typical steps in the Vedantic meditation technique.
- Posture
- Autosuggestion
- Present Moment Awareness
- Body Awareness
- Breath Awareness
- Surrender to the Lord /Guru
- Contemplation
- Witnessing
- Silence
- Self Realization
In Vipassana, there is not much emphasis on surrender to Lord/Guru or anything. All you are supposed to observe are the changing sensations and unchanging awareness. As we become more and more detached from the changing sensations, we start developing insights about our own nature.
Vedanta provides a logical prop in the form of sat chit ananda or existence, awareness, and bliss as one’s nature. Discarding this prop or pole, one is supposed to glide into the ultimate realization of universal oneness. Conviction in the logical prop is developed through listening and reflection. Since the mind is fickle, once the mind is relaxed, contemplation on truth is recommended to glide into the truth.
Both mind and body are connected. Vedanta advises focusing on the truth beyond’s subtler thoughts in contemplation to realize the truth. Vipassana advises one to focus on unchanging moving from the grosser sensations to subtler ones, to the ones you may like/dislike.
In essence, both regard the mind/body as a temporary abode of who really am I. Since it is impossible for the mind to be completely silent, both techniques involve the negation of who I am not, so that eventually once there is nothing more to negate, the truth will be realized.
Our bodily actions condition the mind and the mind conditions the body. This conditioning determines our actions. Meditation as such is a process of de-conditioning our wrong notions by observing the body/mind. This is a lifelong process of personal growth. Many people are looking for solutions to more mundane and immediate challenges that they face. Many can be overcome by altering the conditioning of the mind.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is one such effective technique to change the conditioning of the mind for personal growth.
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