[Buddha-l] Vipassana?

[Franz Metcalf]

Gang,

Michael Paris and Bruce Burrill have asked me to say more about my 
understanding of IMS meditative methods. Truth is, I don't know much of 
what's happening on the ground in the last few years. My impression has 
been that there is a tremendous focus in the published literature on 
being mindful of the breath and noting an labeling mental events 
(especially emotive thoughts) as they occur. There are variations on 
how this is accomplished, but the overall effect is consistent. The 
most important exception to this generalization is metta meditation, 
which of course intentionally focuses the mind on retaining and 
cultivating a particular emotional state.

Are these folks doing other sorts of meditations found in Buddhaghosa 
or elsewhere? No corpse meditations outside of New Orleans, as Richard 
notes, but I haven't heard about kasina meditations, either, or even 
the anusatis (recollections). The absence of the latter surprises me, 
since the practice of recollecting the Buddha evolved into (arguably) 
the primary form of meditation in East Asia. But, again, perhaps I'm 
wrong. Now *that* would not surprise me.

Franz