Hi Ron,
Great to hear that you were accepted into the Vipassana 10 day meditation. I've done it on an island off Washington state - incredible breakthrough experience.
Namasté, Phoebe
Thank you, Pheobe. Actually, I am an "old student" and this is my second go-around. My first experience was last year after the feeling so rejected by being virtually left out of the will (my last brother died last year so I did end up with some inheritance). I am so looking forward to less samskara this time - needless to say, the first ten days was a very painful difficult time, and of course very needed.
My breakthrough this time is that Vipassana is Self-Deeksha! (What do you think?) I have never liked the idea of me being responsible for "giving" anybody anything. Now, I feel I need to integrate the two. The best Deeksha group was when I led out with a Vipassana-type meditation. A posiitive thing is that Sri. AmmaBhagavan approve Vipassana as a meditation leading up to the Oneness Blessing Giving. When I am part of the Chakra Dyana or Moola Mantra (pranayama),. my kundalini builds up so much that I am ungrounded.
Something appears to be going right, as I get great feedback from the fellow Givers and Receivers - this time I was seen as a "Big Buddha" by a fellow One, so I think BuddhaNature is coming through.
I plan to go to a lot of ten dayers and even more. I may even hang out at one for a 30 day program?
My original goal was to get the Dhamma Brothers(have you seen this documentary? google it) experience to my nephew in prison, but his inherited money, my aunt and his highly paid lawyers have kept him out so far despite being arrested for two serious violent incidents(while he was out of his mind drunk).
Here are some correspondences with Jeanne on the Vipassana group on Architects of a New Dawn
I assume you watch that site as it was created by Carlos Santana with the help of Jerry & Dianne.
This was an article i wrote for Unity (they only wanted 200 words)
Ten Days of Silence for Peace of Mind
Ron Alexander
After I returned from a ten day silent Vipassana Retreat, I have been asked "Why would you even want to be in silence for ten days?" That was a good question. I would have thought it crazy, if I had not seen the "Dhamma Brothers" documentary, about the amazing transformation of lifer prisoners (some convicted murderers), after they spent ten days of silent Vipassana Meditation.
Vipassana means to see things as they really are, and was started by Gautama Buddha 2600 years ago. "...Buddha taught: an art of living. He never established or taught any religion, any 'ism'. He never instructed those who came to him to practice any rituals, any empty formalities. Instead, he taught them just to observe nature as it is, by observing the reality inside. Out of ignorance we keep reacting in ways which harm ourselves and others. But when the wisdom arises-the wisdom of observing reality as it is-this habit of reacting falls away. When we cease to react blindly, then we are capable of real action-action proceeding from a balanced mind, a mind which sees and understands the truth. Such action can only be positive, creative, helpful to ourselves and to others." S.N. Goenka "The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation".
Science also supports the premise behind the Buddha’s meditation, as can be read about in Tolle’s books –specifically identifying with inner space (formlessness) instead of form.
Daily eleven hours of meditating was not easy, many times I felt like just bolting. However, I am glad I didn’t. I am meditating more and more effectively experiencing much more peace and joy.
Goenka advises practice – “persistence, and you will succeed." Also, we are to end each sitting with a ‘Metta’ (Loving Kindness) prayer:
May all beings be happy, be peaceful and be free!”
TReply by Jeanne on September 9, 2009 at 7:46am
speaking of 'bolting'...
I was thinking about how often people think that 'bolting' sankara as an expression of freedom... and yet, we can see that it is actually a reaction to trying to maintain the status quo,,, it is resisting change and growth.
taking on the yoke of discipline seems to be the way toward freedom... toward liberation. whereas bolting, escaping, running away, avoiding... are all part of maintaining the chains of enslavement to ignorance.
The other day someone said they couldn't see the benefit of sitting still and not moving a muscle... the old me might have tried to explain or persuade... but with vipassana... I've come to learn that if the seed of interest is there, if the karma of that person is ready, they will respond with interest. So I simply agreed that the daily zen is life itself.
My initial reaction upon hearing about the 10 days of silence necessary to fulfill a vipassana course was "whoa! ...you people are really serious". My meditation experience prior to vipassana consisted of driving long distances through city traffic to go and sit in someone's living room, meditate, break bread and share community. It gave the worthwhile lift I sought, but only touched the surface of my wounded soul.
Vipassana cut through to the roots of the wounds... and they were able to dissolve and float away... good-bye little fears and phobias, your work is done.
Equanimity
Posted by Ron Alexander
Not transcendance, not trance, not out-of-body, not egolessness, although these states happen in meditation, in Vipassana, our goal is equanimity according to Goenka.
To me equanimity is real peace, real joy, real balance, and is the middle road that Buddha teaches.
Agree? or not?
Reply by Jeanne o
I agree... equanimity is a result of practicing mindfulness in our daily walk.
The various states we experience while meditating are interesting... but isn't the point of personal improvement, to be a happier, more creative human being? To be able to love more fearlessly? To be better communicators and citizens? We benefit from the discipline of meditation - and the barometer of that activity is how equanimous we are while existing in the world of agitation.
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