Insight meditation, often referred to as Vipassana, involves cultivating a profound, penetrating awareness and clarity that allows one to see the true nature of phenomena as they arise and pass away within the mind and body. Through sustained attention and mindful observation, practitioners develop a deep experiential understanding of impermanence, suffering, and the non-self nature of existence. Unlike other forms of meditation that may focus more on calming the mind or cultivating specific states, insight meditation encourages an inquisitive and investigative approach, fostering a wisdom that directly perceives the conditions and processes that constitute experience. This transformative practice aims not only to liberate the mind from delusion and attachment but also to awaken a compassionate, liberated way of being in the world, anchored in the direct experience of reality.

See also: phenomenological approach, insight practice, dependent origination, cessation experience, loving kindness