vipaśyanā

(Sanskrit, insight; Pāli, vipassanā). One of the two main types of meditational technique taught in Buddhism, the other being śamatha, or calming meditation. The technique leads to the direct personal apprehension and verification of the truth of Buddhist teachings, such as the cognition that all formations (saṃskāra) bear the ‘three marks’ (trilakṣaṇa), namely that they are impermanent (anitya), without self-essence (anātman), and sorrowful (duḥkha). This insight leads to entry into the supermundane paths and to nirvāṇa. Vipaśyanā thus leads to an intellectual understanding of doctrine, in contrast to śamatha which leads to a transic state of rapt absorption. It is normally recommended, however, that the two techniques be developed in tandem, since insight is hard to attain if the mind is distracted.