Sensations & Vipassana Meditation
I recently experienced a Vipassana meditation course, as taught by S.N.Goenka. The course included instruction and hour-long periods of practice for nearly all of a ten-day period. A major intermediate instruction is to attend to the sensations on the body surface. (First, for three days, only the upper lip area. Then, on the fourth day, slowly moving one's attention down the body from the scalp to the feet and up again.) The claim was made that a variety of sensations are constantly occurring on the body surface, sensations of which one's normal mind is unaware, and that persistently and patiently intending to attend to these sensations will result in an increasing awareness of such sensations. (. . . Will result in a modified mind capable of noticing them.NOTE) The experience consequent on following the instruction to attend for an extended period was that more sensations were noticed than had been the case previously. (Pains, itches, touches of cloth and of air movement, &qu