Sunlun Sayadaw (1878-1952)

The uncomfortable truly is the norm; the comfortable will set you all adrift on the current of samsara.

(From Jack Kornfield, "living dharma", 1998)

The more intense the sensation which has been overcome, the clearer will be the resultant mind…

Says Webu Sayadaw:

"Even though your limbs ache, do not give up.
Know that wise people of the past have walked on the same path.

If you practice now, you will realize nibbana now.
Will you take up practicing? But then don't get up after some time and run away…"

Practicing the Sunlun way, sensations (pain) arise more quickly and intensively, providing the chance of cleansing off the effects of bad deeds more expeditiously.

This is called "Khanti": forbearance. Bearing the onslaught of painful sensations that arise, upon maintenance of the same sitting posture, during the many continuous hours of proper meditation, is the most responsible factor for reducing, and finally eliminating, bad karmas due to past misdeeds.

The essence of this meditation is to grapple with sensations to overcome them. We can of course make the sensations disappear by simply moving our legs, our arms, or our body, but in this way we are not grappling with our sensations. We are trying to escape from them and in doing so we come up against new sensations. We have to know that we cannot escape from any sensation, that what we cannot escape from is the suffering inherent in our body, and that the only way is to face up to it and win through to insight, to liberation.

Patience and perseverance are the qualities required to face sensations, however intense they may be, and to overcome them. Be mindful, and sensation will disappear, even the most intense sensations.

No matter how colossal the sensation is, there is always an end to it.

The more intense the sensation which has been overcome, the clearer will be the resultant mind.

Practicing the Sunlun way, sensations (pain) arise more quickly and intensively, providing the chance of cleansing off the effects of bad deeds more expeditiously...

To keep in line with the Sunlun way we should always start a meditation session with mindfulness of breathing.
But what makes this technique unpopular is that it advocates the use of strong fast breathing to make sure every breath is definitively felt at the body entrance, i.e. the nostrils.

(see demonstration below)

In fact it is not necessary to increase the flow of the breath. If concentration is strong enough it is much better to work with normal breath providing that we don’t miss the touch of a single breath.

Truly, providing that you do not miss a single breath at the point of touch, also called the anapana spot, you do not need to perform strong fast breathing.

This is the key principle common to both Sunlun Sayadaw and Webu Sayadaw's teaching...

The innovative technique that provides the move'n breathe meditation is to switch to hand motion and noting as and when uneasiness becomes clearly perceivable, instead of just watching the pain at the occurrence point

Why? Because as soon as you switch to hand motion, those unpleasant sensations will become much more intense, and you may start sweating as well.
Your intuition then will tell you that something very cleansing is now occurring deep inside your being…