226: Walking Meditation and Insight

The practice of walking meditation is explored as a powerful method for developing Vipassana insight. By mindfully observing each step—lifting, pushing, and dropping—the meditator begins to notice the intentions in the mind that give rise to physical actions. Through careful observation, the relationship between mind and matter becomes clear: intention is the cause, and bodily movement is the effect.

As mindfulness deepens, practitioners may experience the subtle arising and passing of movements, revealing the fundamental characteristics of existence—impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta). Walking meditation becomes a practical way to cultivate insight, accumulate wholesome merit through mental development, and gradually free the mind from delusion and defilements.

This teaching encourages meditators not to underestimate walking meditation, showing how even simple mindful steps can open the path toward wisdom and liberation.

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Sayar Myat 0:01

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa,Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa, Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa. Theravada Buddhism series, Dhamma talk number forty nine. Walking meditation and insight. In the last Dhamma talk we review the basics of vipassana meditation today we are going to discuss walking meditation and vipassana insight the mind is the cause of things happening to the world of beings if one sees and knows the mind its effects will become very clear if the mind wants to eat the eating world exhibits if the mind wants to go the going world happens and if the mind wants to sleep sleeping occurs therefore the intention or mind is the leader or producer of all physical and verbal actions that follow any activity, behavior or manner is mind producing materiality rupak. It is not that the whole physical universe is produced or created by the mind, but the intention or thoughts cause the material world of beings. Thoughts or intention is the cause of the material world of beings Rupa generated wall mind generated rupa world. Hence, if one observe the intention, the manners, behaviors, actions, and all activities will become very obvious. All that one needs to do is know the intention, be mindful of the intention. Many yogis love to do sitting meditation. They practice the sitting meditation again and again, but they underestimate the power and usefulness of walking meditation. Let's look into the walking meditation process. In general, we observe lifting, pushing, and dropping movements of the foot repeatedly in every step during walking meditation. We'll use here only three segments. You all know it can be effectively observed up to six physical segments movements. And movements must be precise. In other words, the movement and the knowing of that movement must be in sync, precise. First of all, all that you are doing is observing or noting, lifting, pushing, dropping, lifting, pushing, dropping. And that's all that you need to know. Just simply know the lifting while it is lifting, pushing while pushing, dropping while dropping. It arrives into your field of awareness. In other words, before lifting movement, you will sense the intentions of wanting to lift and then lifting. Before pushing movement, there's an intention of wanting to push and then pushing follows. And then there's an intention to drop and dropping movements occurs. Intention is always there. We are not aware of it. But when your man settle down, concentration become a bit stronger, then you can sense the intention. You will know the intention. Sometime you will know in a word concept form. And then getting up. Sometime there's no words, simply an urge to get up, and you are acutely aware of that urge. That's intention. We are not aware of it. Now we are training ourselves to be aware of it in walking meditation. This is very good. Every movement when we slow down and then observe with precision, intentions become as vivid as day. Repeated awareness of intention, followed by respective physical actions, give the understanding that intention is the cause, and the succeeding materiality. Or we can say actions, behavior, manner are the effects. Cause and effect. And the activities that follows, the physicality, behavior, manners are the effect. You will come to know. These materialities are the mind made matter rupa. Body intimation, verbal intimations. Made or created by the mind. That's why the Buddha said mind is the leader of all things. That's what it means. When the Buddha said mind is the leader. And they connect through cause and effect. They are two different things, but they are always communicating through cause and effect. Or you can call it a causal relation. Of course, we can understand this causal relationship intellectually using reasons and logic. Everybody is smart enough to think about it, figure out about it intellectually. And you'll be right. And you think you know, and actually you know on the intellectual level. However, the direct understanding or the having insights into the causal relationship between mind and matter if you have the direct experience of it, makes a vivid imprint in the mind. Something like you have a very shocking experience, car accident. Right after that, you have a very vivid feeling about that shocking traumatic experience. It is imprinted in your mind. Just like that, when you have the direct experience or insight of this causal relationship, it makes a imprint in your mind. Let's call it physically in the brain, and your memory banks, very vivid and powerful imprint. And once you reach that stage, no supernormal power or means can change your view or belief of that experiential data or experiential truth. It is totally unshakable. Nobody can change your mind. That's what the insights gives you the truth. And it doesn't come and go away in that belief. It is firm and strong and unshakable. As mindfulness in walking meditation becomes firmer, stronger, one will experience a series of mini movements while you are lifting, while you are pushing your foot, while you are dropping. You are lifting your foot, and you will sense, you will feel there's a little mini movement. Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise. And then finally rising, stop. But this rise, rise, rise, rise, rise is mini movement. That rising and cessation of that little mini rising. Another rising cessation of the many rising. Another rising cessation of the mini rising. Series of rising. You can feel it in your bones. Same way. Series of mini pushing movements. Series of mini dropping movements. You can feel it, you can see it with your mind eye because it is your direct experience. And these mini movements are basically a series of mini movements arising and passing away, arising and passing away. Even though we may say rising, rising, rising, rising, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping. But each mini movement arises and passed away. That means you are experiencing the impermanence, anitsha. Directly, without concept. You don't have to think about it, you don't have to explain in words. Just by being able to felt that mini movement is you are having the direct experience of Nietzsche in permanence. Seeing this constant disappearance of physical activities and also the mental activities. So cause and effect, mind and matter. When you are sensing all the physical activities are disappearing, that means a series of your intentions are also disappearing because they operate as in pair. And that sense of constant disappearing of a pair of mind and matter is called dukkha, suffering. That suffering. We always think that when we have a big back pain or a knee pain or neck pain, then it is dukkha. Those are the obvious dukkha, obvious suffering. But we are not aware of the very subtle form of suffering. That subtle form of suffering is everything is disappearing. They arise and they disappear. They arise and disappear. If they disappear, you can't depend on it. So you are helpless. That is suffering. And of course, these arising and passing away intentions and its causes. Why does these intentions arise? It is because the surrounding environment always is conditioning these intentions. You're walking on a street, the sun is really hot. That's a condition. Walking on the street, the sun very hot. And suddenly you see a big tree. And there's an intention, there's a desire to go and sit under the shade of the tree and rest for a while. The surrounding environment conditioned the mind to have an intention to go and rest under the tree. Because of that intention, the body directs, turns, walk, and sit under the tree. Surrounding environment conditions the intention. The intention causes the physicalities or behaviors and manners and actions to execute or to fulfill that intention. Physicality and mentality walking together hand in hand through cause and effect. Environmental conditions. And no one, no person, no powerful being is controlling you to do it, directing you to do it. It is the environment that you live in is conditioning you to have certain intentions. And you are basically helpless. Not able to control as you wish because the condition, the environmental condition is controlling you. And that is non-self. Self is you like to control everything, and in here you find that you can't control it. You can adapt to it, but you can't control it. This having a vague glimpse into the three marks of life. Three marks of life. When you are experiencing it, when you have the first glimpse of it, you stepped into the domain of vipassana. Now only you are in a vipassana zone. One is free from delusion of self. Whenever one is experiencing the discriminative awareness of mind and matter, simply put, mind is one thing, body is another thing, two entirely different objects. Or when you are experiencing seeing the causal relationships, intention is the cause, physical activities are the effect, environmental condition, physicality are the cause, intention is the effect. When you are experiencing it, or experiencing the impermanence, suffering, and non-self. In those periods, those moments, you are free from delusion of self. Your mind is at that moment very pure and totally free from mental defilements, kilesa. That's why don't underestimate or don't be careless about moment. Oh, little moment not important. I miss my mindfulness. Because every moment that you have that perfect insight, perfect moment caused by perfect mindfulness, have an insight. What? Oh this is mind, this is body. Simply being aware. Oh this is their cause and effect. This is suffering. This is impermanence. This is simply a process. Just simply experiencing those things at that particular moment. You are free from self-delusion and you are free from mental defilements. Kilesa. And the mind is pristinely pure. So walking meditation is a very powerful tool to unfold these insights. Discriminative awareness of mind and matter, causal relationship of mind and matter, and also a glimpse into the three marks of life. When you know the first two insight, when you experience the first two insight, you are being put onto the path of vipassana. There are three means generosity, morality, and mental development generates wholesome merit. When you practice generosity, you have a wholesome merit. When you practice morality, you have wholesome merits. And also when you practice mental developments, you accumulate wholesome merits. But what we are doing is we are practicing mindfulness inside meditation. So when we are practicing mindfulness inside meditation, it is called bhavana, mental development. One is accumulating wholesome merits. So don't think just by being mindful, practicing mindfulness, it's nothing but you are accumulating bhavanakusala. Merits produced by the mental development. In fact, it is the highest form of merit among all merits. Why? Because that merits gives one liberation from all form of suffering moment to moment and eventually liberation from sansara, cycle of birth and death. That's why it is the highest form of merit one can accumulate. Many kinds of intentions arise in daily activities, which is followed by corresponding actions. Just like working meditation and your daily activities the same thing. When there is an intention to eat, the eating process takes place. When there's the intention to bend your hand, bending occurs. And when one wants to stretch, intending to stretch, stretching happens. If there is no will, no intention to turn around, there will be no turning around. One will not turn. Turning process will not happen because there is no intention to turn. And all intentions and the following activities arise and disappear. As it coming from nowhere and disappearing into the thin air. That's a fact. By observing the intentions of daily activities, one will know all actions, behaviors, and manner that follows. Just simply know the intention and you know what is happening right after that with clarity without missing. The key point is knowing the intention. You don't have to purposely observe the movements and this and that. If you are aware of your ancient intentions, you know. I want to punch that guy. Intention. If you're aware of it, you know it will create a great conflict. Pain and suffering will arise on both sides. As you are aware, you stop it. Oh, I want to go serve at the soup kitchen. Intention. If you're aware of it, that's a beneficial act and you will carry on with it. Because by being mindful of the intention, you always know whether you are going to do the good thing or the bad thing. This being mindful of the intention is a valuable tool to align oneself with wholesomeness and put yourself onto the path of wholesome and correct nature. And as a starter, these intentions can be developed and practiced with walking meditations. That's a perfect tool. So don't think lightly, take lightly about walking meditations. Every procedure of meditation has its own benefits. May all of you be able to practice mindfulness inside meditation and go through all the insights into the true nature of mind and matter and attain liberation as soon as possible. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu. Thank you very much.