"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself." -- Leonardo da Vinci
I'm sure you're aware what meditation is. But have you ever tried it for 10 minutes? An hour? A day? How about 10 full days? And during those 10 days, by the way, you're not allowed to speak to anyone else (trust me, you'll speak incessantly to yourself), nor are you permitted to read a book, write in your journal, exercise (beyond slow walking), or listen to music. All you do is hang out at the private party in your head.
Some might call what I just described prison camp -- and run like a criminal pursued by a posse of federal agents in the other direction. Others know it as Vipassana, or insight meditation, and consider it a vital spiritual practice. These crazy people view long, difficult, frustrating silent meditation retreats as the key to coping with suffering, making peace with what is so, and finding access to a deep, pervasive sense of joy.
I'm one of the crazy ones. Or not. I'm just an ordinary person who couldn't sit still for an hour when she first signed up for a Vipassana retreat yet has benefitted tremendously from the simple and challenging practice.
I returned last Friday from an eight-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat near Joshua Tree National Park with a team of spectacular Spirit Rock teachers. This was my third retreat. In fact, my first two were two days longer and totally free (donation only). I completed those Vipassana courses at a center near Yosemite organized and run by the followers of Indian teacher S.N. Goenka.
You can hear a light-hearted day-by-day recounting of my first Vipassana experience by watching my five-minute Ignite talk:
These three experiences allow me to feel confident in saying there is something in Vipassana for everyone who is brave enough to give it a go. It's hard, but it's doable. Even if you're terrified, even if you have no interest in being a monk and you're not an extremist by nature, I know that sitting in silence for 10 days will blow your mind. And so, without further ado, here are my top 10 reasons for attending a Vipassana mediation retreat.
Photos by Kiran Ramchandran, @KiranCreates on Instagram.
Follow MeiMei Fox on Twitter: www.twitter.com/meimeifox
Tsoknyi Rinpoche: Practicing Perfection
California. Is there someone I could contact to inquire regarding the next session date? cheers, j
I was in Thailand for a year. While back in the US, I heard of a Vipassana Center south of Olympia, WA, where I was staying. I thought about checking it out. Coincidentally, I met a student from there. They explained to me that I would have to learn Pali to study there. 555555555 was my response, followed by: Well, I guess I’ll just wait until I get back to Thailand.
I participate in a few cyberspace activities. Occasionally, I bump into folks who offer to answer any question one might like addressed. I always ask: Why are Thai people so happy? They are you know - world famous for it; with Thailand’s nickname being “The Land of Smiles.”
I started informal studying with a wonderful Thai restaurant owner. Great fare and food for thought there at Sushi Masa in Boca Raton, FL.
Since I’ve been back here ….. well, I get a lot of practice not talking and even more not understand. I really do like to listen to the monks chant, none-the-less. I think that has helped me become much more comfortable with my lack of understanding.
It might be good; it might be bad; I don’t know, but that’s the way it is.
PS: FYI readers: Spelt Vipassana; pronounced more like We pahs sah nah.
@viasammilaw or http://gemsviathailand.com
Anyhow, I'm curious to know how a person comes to view the world when returning from something this life affecting?
Now that the mind is quieted can it serve the heart?
Rather than overshadow the heart, the mind becomes the heart's spokesperson.
Then what thoughts will emerge that express the heart's contentment?
The mind is NOT necessarily quieted. The distraction of the chatter is withdrawn from, perhaps ignored or at least relegated to non-importance. Most importantly the chatter is not engaged with the willful behavior of "thinking". In addition to the human activity of thinking, the brain is also involved in (has evolved with) offering "thoughts" for our consideration. My belief is: there is a Universal Consciousness that produces vibrations; those vibrations form images in a brain; the holder of said brain translates those images into their language of choice. A whole lot a stuff can get "lost in translation". To answer your last question indirectly, it is possible that the inception of "thoughts" are born in The Hearts Contentment.
Other considerations are: Can we befriend the mind, take ownership of the responsibility of dominion over thinking and gratefully accept the gift of messages (aka thoughts) regardless of our understanding?
Personally, I think everyone on the planet should be fed a tab of LSD, then one year later be required to attend a vipassana retreat to process the experience. We'd see some remarkable changes around here.
The Vipassana Meditation movement is based upon millennia of Buddist and meditation practice. Those who embark on a one week or longer meditation often have been deepening their ability to meditate for years until they feel confident enough to visit one of the centers. The extended meditation programs are not for dilettantes (such as those who buy a red thread bracelet from a Kabbalah Center and claim to understand Kabbalic mysticism (and are by extension presto-chango! "Jewish").
The course is rigorous, the silence is enforced, the sexes segregated, and food consumption for the day ends at lunch. One should also be aware that there are any number of "Vipassana Meditation Centers." However, many of those are, like Ms Fox, seem to seek only to personally profit by charging for meditation counseling or selling books, tapes, or lining up public speaking gigs.
I personally did not feel any need to have a long history of meditation practice. In fact, going on these retreats is exactly what has brought me into a daily mediation practice. This benefits me, my family, and all those I come in contact with -- by making me less reactive, more compassionate, and happier.
While I had a serious background in Buddhism prior to going, I do not feel that is necessary either. This is NOT a religious practice. It is a "science of the mind" - a method for studying how we all operate through mindless habits of craving and aversion. People who go don't have to be Buddhist or come out Buddhist on the other end to benefit from mindfulness practices. In fact, hard criminals in India & deep south of the USA, schoolkids as young as 10 years old, and many of my friends have benefited from Vipassana retreats. They feel more peaceful, wiser, stronger and healthier as a result. I have trouble understanding what is wrong with