Vipassana is the oldest of Buddhist meditation practices used for enhancing mindfulness. The method comes from the Satipatthana Sutta [Foundations of Mindfulness], a discourse attributed to the Buddha himself.
In Pali, an ancient language of Buddhism, the word ”Vipassana” means “seeing things as they really are.” The literal translation is “special seeing.”
Often, the term “Vipassana meditation” is used interchangeably with “mindfulness meditation,” but Vipassana is more specific. It involves observing your thoughts and emotions as they are, without judging or dwelling on them.
It’s different from other types of meditation techniques, like pranayama (breathing exercises) or visualization.
In these methods, you focus on a task or image. You actively train your mind and body to do something specific.
But in Vipassana, you simply observe your inner self instead of consciously controlling the experience. The goal is to help you:
- quiet your mind
- focus on the present
- accept thoughts, emotions, and sensations for what they really are
- reduce regrets by dwelling less on the past
- worry less about the future
- respond to situations based on reality, instead of worries or preconceived notions.
- Vipassana, like other meditation techniques, can reduce our response to stress.