Ashtanga and Vipassana

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info, I've heard of Ajahn Amaro

but never actually heard his talks before, I'll look

into these tapes.<br><br>I gather that it has become

quite common for people to practice both Ashtanga and

Vipassana. As I understand it, this is the first time these

traditions have been practiced in complement like this, and

in my (in)experience they complement and inform each

other beautifully. Though I wonder sometimes, does

there come a point where tensions arise between the

practices/traditions and one might have to choose between them in

order to continue down either path?

[Guest guest]

Sometimes I feel uncomfortable practicing both

yoga and Buddhist meditation. I feel a need to find

just one path to focus on, and it's hard for my ego to

not have a clearly defined label to live with. It

seems like a person who's trying to follow two

different spiritual paths might have to "dillute" both of

them in order to fit both into their life. In that

case, you could miss out on the deeper elements of both

practices. Right now I'm still learning about other

spiritual traditions and trying to keep an open mind

towards all of them. I imagine that if it is my path to

commit to a single one, then I will naturally be drawn

more towards it down the road. Anyway, practicing

these two traditions is definitely the best thing for

me right now, so I'm sticking with it.

[Guest guest]

In the sense of becoming a Theravadin monastic

and living by the Vinaya, then some traditions (such

as Ajahn Amaro's) wouldn't been keen on astanga

practice. The traditional Theravadin ways are not a little

bit life-negative in the sense of the spare attention

one gives to maintaining the body. This view might

sound rather harsh, but since the purpose and strength

of any monastic community is everyone doing more or

less the same thing together, then their focus on

sitting and walking meditation is at least

understandable.<br><br>However, I understand that Henapola's monastery in West

VA

does allow for yoga practice, but I think this is an

exception. I hope more Buddhist (and Christian) monastics

begin to implement yoga into the meditative

life.<br><br>as I understand it, this body bending stuff is only

supposed to be a stepping stone, only an aid to

meditation, in traditional yoga. So...maybe Guruji's decision

to largely cease asana practice says something about

the long range goal of astanga yoga.