Preliminary Insight Meditation (Anupassana)

Vipassana or insight meditation reveals that all compounds, including the Five Aggregates of the psycho-physical organism, are impermanent and subject to change, and that is why they cause suffering for those who attach to them with craving and delusion. Finally, Vipassana discloses that such compounds as your “self” do not exist. All compounds are “non-self” (Anatta).

Contemplation of compounds (Anupassana) is comprised of four practices: contemplation of the external and internal physical body (Kayanupassana), contemplation of feeling or sensation (Vedananupassana), contemplation of mental functions (Cittanupassana), and contemplation of compound phenomena (Dhammanupassana).

When the meditator has concentrated the mind at the center of the body, the meditator can see his or her own real nucleus or Dhamma Sphere (Patibhaga-nimitta) where all practices of body, speech and mind regarding Right Action, Right Speech, and Right Thought lead to the mind becoming purer and purer.

The Five Aggregates (Khandha)

The psycho-physical organism is composed of the Five Aggregates, the body and four mind components. The form aggregate or Rupakhandha consists of the elements of Water, Earth, Fire (temperature), Wind, Space, and Cognition. The cognitive element contains the four Mind Aggregates. The crude physical body is the outside aggregate made up of all these elements.

The four mind compon ents as actsor spheres are:

• Vedana: sensing; traditionally: “feeling,” vision, “seeing with the mind.”
• Sañña: labeling; traditionally: “perception,”memory, “remembering the word.”
• Sankhara: mental conceiving or constructing; traditionally: “karmic form energies,” thought “thinking.”
• Viññana: cognition; traditionally “consciousness,” knowing or awareness.

These are pure elements in the form of concentric spheres at the center of the body. With concentration, each center enlarges itself, emerging as a sphere. First comes the Sphere of Vision, then Memory, then Thought, and finally the sphere of Cognition or Awareness.

By refraining from bad conduct and performing good deeds or wholesome acts, and by purifying your mind through meditation, the mind will become purer and purer. The Five Aggregates and their elements become purer and purer. The sphere you see becomes pure, transparent, bright and refined. You can be sure that your mind, together with your body, or all elements of the Five Aggregates are also pure and refined. The purer your mind becomes, the more you will receive good results in the form of happiness and well-being. But, if you perform bad deeds and do not purify your mind, then the five elements of mind and form (Nama-rupa) become impure. The sphere becomes cloudy and impure with passions which will cause you troubles in life and unhappiness.

This is what Lord Buddha taught, the contemplation of dhamma. Dhamma is located at the center of your body. Mindfulness through contemplation of dhamma purifies the mind and the Five Aggregates. This leads to more and more refined mental states, revealing more and more refined body-minds. This is what happens when you keep your mind still at the center of the center. So long as your mind is pure, how can you do anything bad?

Characteristics of Compounds

When you purify your mind beyond Arupa-brahman, you will reach Dhammakaya, the purest state of mind. Dhammakaya is non-compound. From here, you can see clearly that all bodies at any level below this are compounds composed of the Five Aggregates. They are all subject to change and one who attaches to them will suffer because compounds do not last forever. Realization of this is the purpose of mundane Vipassana meditation (Anupassana). The meditator develops Right Wisdom about the three common characteristics of compound things. You learn:

All compounds are impermanent.
All compounds cause suffering.
All compounds are non-self.

Vipassana of Non-Compound Nature

Non-compound nature, however, is not described by these Three Characteristics. When one meditates, he or she becomes more and more refined, purer and purer, until the purest Dhammakaya state of mind is reached. Then one can experience and see Nirvana for oneself. In Nirvana you can see the Enlightened Dhammakaya of Lord Buddha. Those who have attained the Dhammakaya level can see both compound and non-compound nature. Nirvana, the supra-mundane sphere is permanent, supreme happiness, existing forever without change.