[Buddha-l] Vipassana?

[Franz Metcalf]

Dylan,

This issue has a long history in Buddhist scholarly literature (and 
Buddhist apologetic literature, too). One recent and easily accessible 
treatment can be found in a Journal of Buddhist Ethics article from 
last year, by Ethan Mills:

http://jbe.gold.ac.uk/11/mill0301.html

I had my mind blown by a very early Paul Griffiths article (in the 
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, I believe) on these two 
forms of meditation. (Sorry, I don't have the reference to hand--does 
anyone know the article I'm talking about? It was from the 70s, I 
believe.) Winston King did a whole book on this issue: _Theravada 
Meditation: The Buddhist Transformation of Yoga_ (1980). This contrast 
of insight (vipassana) and calming (samadhi/shamata, etc.) meditation 
also comes up in Brad Clough's work. If he's not too busy, he'll be 
able to help you a good deal. It is a crucial issue because it brings 
up the question of soteriology: vipassana and shamata really move a 
person toward different end-states.

My own experiential perspective (based on experiences in Zen centers) 
is that Soto style "just sitting" is effectively very similar to 
vipassana meditation. Some Zen meditation is more samadhi-focussed, but 
most forms of Zen attempt to maintain a balance of both styles.

Cheers,

Franz