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Lesson 3.8.6 Manasikārakosallaṃ - Proficiency in Maintaining Proper Attention in a Skilful Way
Usually every meditator faces certain obstacles in meditation, often needs to overcome certain hindrances and regularly gets challenged by habitual drawbacks during one's daily practice. Weariness and boredom, monotony, daydreams or cloudy focus on one’s object of meditation are quite common. The similes selected from the Visuddhimagga for the current lesson try to inspire the meditator to overcome these impediments. It is hoped that the four chosen similes provide—for a practitioner of Vipassana who needs to continuously scan the body in a systematic order—a reminder that one should proceed during one's meditation in successive order (anupubbato), should likewise avoid moving too quickly (nātisīghato), avoid moving too slowly (nātisaṇikato), and also not falling into a dreamy state of distraction (vikkhepapaṭibāhanato).