100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
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100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
1–10 of 69 posts
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#2I know almost nothing about meditation or Buddhism, but I would think that holding on to ideas and realizations so you can journal them is not just cheating "a little bit." It's contrary to the whole purpose of the exercise.
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#3A selection of meditation resources for hackers:
OpenEEG (http://openeeg.sourceforge.net/doc/)
OpenSensors (http://sourceforge.net/p/opensensors/home/Home/)
Brain Refactoring (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Const...)
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#4Another account of the same kind of retreat, from someone with a less positive experience: http://adamcadre.ac/calendar/14/14292.html
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#5I know almost nothing about meditation or Buddhism, but I would think that holding on to ideas and realizations so you can journal them is not just cheating "a little bit." It's contrary to the whole purpose of the exercise.
Agreed. For me, it was an interesting read - I just finished the same type of 10 day retreat yesterday. I'd recommend it to most people. It has helped me establish a solid foundation to start practicing serious meditation and the 10 days without looking at a screen was a much needed break. A word of warning though: it was exceptionally difficult and you need to be open to hearing new language.
One interesting thing was the type of people I met there. After the silence was over I met a nuclear engineer, venture capitalist, computer engineer, neuroscience grad student and various other science/engineering types.
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#6A selection of meditation resources for hackers: OpenEEG ( http://openeeg.sourceforge.net/doc/ ) OpenSensors ( http://sourceforge.net/p/opensensors/home/Home/ ) Brain Refactoring ( http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Const... )
I have a feeling that third link is not supposed to be code complete?
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#7> I’m shocked to hear how different some peoples’ experiences were from mine.
Yep. I've done the Goenka course twice and in talking with fellow students afterwards, the common thread was that it was very hard for almost everyone, but hard in completely different ways. Sometimes you can tell during the course that other students are struggling, but by and large everyone else seems to be doing fine and it's easy to think you're the only one who's barely managing to hang in there.
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#8I'm noticing that whenever something similar comes up, it turns out invariably that it revolves around a lionized "founder" figure whose teachings are the one path to follow.
I would also assume (pure speculation here) that this retreat is a for-profit operation.
This is not cynicism on my part, it is the mere observation of a pattern.
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#9I'm noticing that whenever something similar comes up, it turns out invariably that it revolves around a lionized "founder" figure whose teachings are the one path to follow. I would also assume (pure speculation here) that this retreat is a for-profit operation. This is not cynicism on my part, it is the mere observation of a pattern.
The Goenka centers are non-profits and the courses are free, including room and board.
At the end of the class, you're given an opportunity to make a donation. It's made clear that this is what sustains the center and makes it possible for future students to attend the course. If I remember right, they tell you how much it costs to house and feed a student, so there's an implied "this is how much you should give". But I have the strong impression that many students give much less, and a small number give a multiple or give large donations at other times.
There's no further pressure to give money (or come back) after you leave the course.
Edited to add: as for Goenka as a leader figure: the whole course is taught using audio and video recordings of Goenka explaning his interpretation of the teachings of Gautama Buddha. He adds his own life story. I can't think of any way that adoration of Goenka is encouraged. In fact, Goenka refused to confirm whether he had reached certain standard levels of semi-enlightenment (e.g. arahat) saying that he wanted to avoid idol-worship around his person. And unlike many "gurus", I don't know of any accusations that Goenka took advantage of his students.
The retreats can seem cultish because the rules are strict and weird, and you're strongly discouraged from leaving halfway through the course. But I think by any reasonable checklist of what makes a cult, the Goenka centers would not quality.
Re: 100 Hours of Meditation in 10 Days
#10I'm noticing that whenever something similar comes up, it turns out invariably that it revolves around a lionized "founder" figure whose teachings are the one path to follow. I would also assume (pure speculation here) that this retreat is a for-profit operation. This is not cynicism on my part, it is the mere observation of a pattern.
No. In fact, it's 100% free. They never ask you for a donation. And you're not even allowed to donate unless you stay the full ten days. It's run completely by volunteers and old students, who walk away from their jobs for a week and half in order to cook you free meals.
I'm also weary of personality cults. Goenka did everything (he passed a year ago) to make sure you don't worship him. He claims throughout his lectures that he is not a sage, but instead a mere "householder." He doesn't say he's enlightened. He tells his story of having migraines, learning from another Vipassana leader the technique, and then dedicating his life to teaching others.
tldr; don't knock it till you try it.
But I do agree with the author that there all elements of "faith," whereas he claims you don't need faith. There are concepts in his lectures that imply belief in reincarnation for instance. That being said, 95% of the course is just about developing concentration by focusing on your breathe, and awareness & equanimity by focusing on sensations of the body.