It is said that Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment through the practice of Vipassana, which means “to see things as they really are.” Briefly stated, the practice involves watching the inflow and outflow of the breath. As thoughts arise the mind is directed back to the breath without judgment.
Our normal everyday mind is full of judgments about practically everything. Certainly we could not function in our everyday world without exercising judgment. However, when there is no retreat from this method of functioning the mind never stops, making it extremely difficult to find inner peace. In Vipassana the practice is to observe the discursive nature of the mind, but not to attach labels of good or bad to any thought or object of a thought.
The same applies to feelings that arise. All thoughts and feelings arise, are allowed without judgment, and then the attention is directed back to the breath.
Observing this practice one finds that thoughts and feelings arise as a natural process of healing. For example, someone said a hurtful thing to us and our mind wants to think about it. If we simply allow the hurt to be felt and accepted without judging the self or other, we can release and clear out the hurt.
As we continue this practice on a regular basis, we find that our mind is more quiet and no longer dominated by grasping and fear. Moreover, we experience a sense of flow, freedom and joy, as we are now open to all experiences as they arise.
