Practices    (Patipatti) Practice Rules               1) Don't examine both nama and rupa at the same time. For example, don't think:"Rupa walks, nama knows."             Some yogis think they will see wisdom sooner if they have more objects (both rupa and nama). But this desire to see wisdom only creates kilesa. Rupa in the four postures is sufficient object.             2) Don't walk or sit for a prescribed time. Change, when suffering forces a change.             3) Don't feel that "we" are "meditating" or that there is something special or mystic about practice. We don't walk or sit for practice, but because we must sit or we must walk.             4) Don't take special positions, such as the lotus position or walking unusually slow; these positions are taken usually with the desire to see dhamma.             5) Some novice practitioners tend to get bored easily with practice. These practitioners should remind themselves that the reason they are practicing is to eliminate suffering. If we give in to boredom we can never eliminate suffering and are doomed to a continual round of birth and death on the wheel of samsara-cakka.               Those who have never practiced before will also have problems with foong. They develop dislike for it - which is not the Middle Way. New practitioners can find samadhi difficult to maintain, and also don't like to be alone for days at a time. Also, tanha arises and the yogis become restless. Some crave tranquility, want to be happy, or like to see pleasant objects.             6) When pain occurs in sitting rupa, it should be realized that only sitting rupa, etc. is suffering - not "you". Sitting rupa is the present moment. Sitting-rupa suffering, is the present moment also. The yogi should not change from sitting-rupa suffering, which is the present moment, to nama knowing the pain (the pain being nama, called "dukkha vedana"). When we cure suffering it should be in rupa only and not in nama at the same time.             7) Always, the practitioner has to be aware of rupa and nama. But he should not focus on any particular part of the body. Nor should he be waiting for or anticipating dukkha to arise - this will take him out of the present moment. It is not necessary to wait until dukkha gets too strong or the body becomes numb. The truth of dukkha does not depend on the severity of the pain. Every time suffering is seen - large or small - the yogi will see that dukkha is real.             8) Although we sometimes speak of "seeing" sitting rupa, etc., the eyes should not be used to look at the various rupas. Awareness of rupa should be done with mind - that is sati-sampajanna, and that is wisdom.             As to whether the eyes should be opened or closed (or partly closed) in practice, depends on the individual. Some yogis prefer the eyes open, some closed, while others prefer to partially close the lids to create a kind of twilight world.             9) The object in practice is your rupa, not somebody else's. Don't look at other people's rupa. If others do come into view, they should not be regarded as rupa, but as "nama seeing".             10) Sila                     a) The yogi should talk only when necessary, such as to request a needed item. He should talk dhamma only with the teacher. The practice is the Eight-Fold Path, sila, samadhi and panna. Sila must be perfect, and this requires silence. If sila is not perfect, there cannot be good samadhi. Without good samadhi, there cannot be panna.                     b) Overall sila should follow the Eight-Fold Path (see 1.4.7). Yogis should be especially careful not to harm living things, such as insects. Should you encounter a problem in your kuti(hut) with an uninvited guest - a big spider for example - the staff is very happy to evict those phobia-inducing creatures from your hut.