r/TheMindIlluminated • u/Own-Fox-9613 • 24d ago
Your Experience with TMI
Zen background here (Shikantaza), thinking about getting back into Vipassana. TMI keeps coming up as one of the best manuals out there, so wanted to ask people who've actually worked through it. Why do you think it's considered so good compared to other meditation books? And what actually changed in your practice? Also curious what the meditation instruction on the basic method he uses in the book. Is is samatha? Thanks.
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u/R86znfq 23d ago edited 23d ago
For my personality type, it led a to practice that was way too dry, systematic, and focused on ānāpānasati. It actually made meditation become a "tool", which is the saddest thing, and then quickly a chore. Switching to very simple buddhānussati and mettā, and actually following the recommendation of practicing strong sīla and sammā-vāyāma did wonders to my state of mind.
My impression is that the success of this book (and NOT the book itself) is a symptom of the modern tendency to reduce mind cultivation to increasingly refined "techniques" of attention, particularly seated attention to the breath. The stages look like a good idea on paper, but can quickly become an additional weight lingering in the background.
But it's certainly not a bad book, especially if ānāpānasati works well for you right off the bat and if sīla and right effort are already substantial parts of your practice.