Aphorism #5: Reductionist Meditation

Reductionism is rife in Vipassana meditation.

Those who have sat through ten-day retreats will know the basic argument: pain and negative emotions are illusions. Focus your mind and observe and what you’ll notice is beneath the surface there is nothing but (ever-changing) sensation.

This observation is true as far as it goes. A sardon might call it trivial were it not for the revelatory and liberatory nature of the practice. But it’s also a lie.