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Ten Days of Silence

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Re: Ten Days of Silence

#71

Post by grantcox »

ep103 wrote: post #64
futuravenir wrote: post #2

Vipassana is an absolutely wonderful experience. A 'brain washing' where it can rid your mind of all the crud that has accumulated from our culture and society. It puts you in touch with your body in a way that nothing my life ever has. I'd be happy to answer some questions if anybody has any.

Do I have to learn how to meditate before I go? How can I learn? Where do I find a place like this? If I want to do this, what are my first steps?

I recommend learning how to meditate before you go. I attempted a 10 day vipasana as a complete beginner and with insufficient research, and assumed it would be some kind of "course". Instead we were instructed on what to meditate on (first day is literally "feel the breath entering your nose"), and then expected to sit still and meditate for 11 hours a day. This vipasana (Kathmandu, late 2011) had no "optional sessions", and no additional instructions. As a complete beginner I was disappointed and frustrated - was I doing it right, is there no technique to be taught, or tips to be given?

The analogy I'd give is if I'd joined a 10 day fitness camp and the only instruction was "do deadlifts", and then you were left alone for 11 hours. What's a deadlift? Is this the right form? After an hour I feel like I've exhausted these muscles, do I really just keep doing it for ten more hours today?

After three days of this, (each day having a slightly more specific focus but still lacking in the kind of direction or confirmation I was looking for), I left. I was a stone's throw from the Himalayas, and I felt that spending my remaining time in the mountains would do more for me than sitting in a dark room feeling confused and frustrated.

I can't answer how to learn to meditate, I haven't followed it up (once burnt, twice shy). But you could try the vipasana way at home - sit in a quiet room and "feel the breath entering your nose" for an hour.

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#72

Post by webnrrd2k »

ep103 wrote: post #64
futuravenir wrote: post #2

Vipassana is an absolutely wonderful experience. A 'brain washing' where it can rid your mind of all the crud that has accumulated from our culture and society. It puts you in touch with your body in a way that nothing my life ever has. I'd be happy to answer some questions if anybody has any.

Do I have to learn how to meditate before I go? How can I learn? Where do I find a place like this? If I want to do this, what are my first steps?

I've been meditating off and on for most of my life, and it's probably been the best thing I've done for myself. Reading is a good way to go for some, and the book Mindfulness in Plain English [1] is a place good start. His other books are really good, too. Especially "The Four Foundations of Mindfulness". There are many other good books about meditation, so feel free to look around. Spend some time at a book store and see what strikes you.

When I was starting out I especially liked Shinzen Young's [2] teaching style a lot. He's been meditating for a long time, taught math and comparative religions at a university, and he does an excellent job of presenting Eastern meditation in a way that an educated Westerner can understand.

There are a lot of resources available online, but you might try poking around in the Something's Happening [3] radio archives for KPFK. Tuesday and Thursday night they play talks from Alan Watts, Shinzen Young, and a lot of other people. Some of the talks are extremely hokey, full of New Age gibberish, but some of them are really good and it's a good way to get exposed to a range of teachers. Go to the archive page and search for "Something's Happening" and give it a try. There's also an Alan Watts program that good, too.

[1] http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html [2] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shinzen+young [3] http://archive.kpfk.org/

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#73

Post by pav7en »

futuravenir wrote: post #5
BlackJack wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've signed up for a 10-day course in mid August and am stoked about what I'll gain and also about the sheer difficulty. Could you talk more about the long-term effects of Vipassana on your body/life?

I did it first in 2011. I've only done one session. I've tried to go back a few times but have created barriers in myself to doing so. It will do me more to go back to Vipassana than any single thing I can do for myself. It puts you at the center and you just follow along, being true. As far as long-term effects, I came out of the experience glowing. Heat didn't bother me. I saw clearly. The afterglow lasted for abou…

Had a few moments of such afterglow. And then the anguish. And then the thought that, is that not ok too? That the point is not to live in an eternal state of bliss, but to be more forgiving and compassionate when we do slip. And not let it cause any anguish. Though we might be talking about different things here haha.

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#74

Post by pav7en »

sb057 wrote: post #29
mtinkerhess wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People have been meditating for at least 3,500 years, I wouldn't call it a fad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_meditation

People have been practicing tribal medicine for just as long. Not a fad either.

It's always a good thing to question. Unless of course you belong to the camp who choose to be wilfully ignorant and closed in light of overwhelming evidence.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9679537

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#75

Post by happimess »

carrotleads wrote: post #60
futuravenir wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did it first in 2011. I've only done one session. I've tried to go back a few times but have created barriers in myself to doing so. It will do me more to go back to Vipassana than any single thing I can do for myself. It puts you at the center and you just follow along, being true. As far as long-term effects, I came out of the experience glowing. Heat didn't bother me. I saw clearly. The afterglow lasted for abou…

If it was benefecial, why didn't you do more of it.. Surely as rational people that is the course to take? I see the same with my Yoga practice... touchwood, I am mostly healthy and I should do more Yoga but somedays I am looking for reasons not to do my usual tiny practice.. Is it cause we don't make the outward connection between the practice and our wellbeing? PS : thinking aloud and trying to see if I am alone in…

You are certainly not alone. I both meditate (sometimes) and practice yoga (intermittently), and while both make me feel great and have noticeable effects on my productivity, they're both so much damned work. Once I miss a few consecutive days, its easy to miss a few more.

Brb going to meditate, even though its past my bedtime and I've got a couple glasses of wine in me.

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#76

Post by rosser »

carrotleads wrote: post #60
futuravenir wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did it first in 2011. I've only done one session. I've tried to go back a few times but have created barriers in myself to doing so. It will do me more to go back to Vipassana than any single thing I can do for myself. It puts you at the center and you just follow along, being true. As far as long-term effects, I came out of the experience glowing. Heat didn't bother me. I saw clearly. The afterglow lasted for abou…

If it was benefecial, why didn't you do more of it.. Surely as rational people that is the course to take? I see the same with my Yoga practice... touchwood, I am mostly healthy and I should do more Yoga but somedays I am looking for reasons not to do my usual tiny practice.. Is it cause we don't make the outward connection between the practice and our wellbeing? PS : thinking aloud and trying to see if I am alone in…

I've reached the point with my yoga practice (usually at least twice a week for almost 2 years, now) where I feel like crap if I don't get on the mat.

That's a pretty compelling motivator to keep up with it.

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#77

Post by daragh99 »

I've been a software engineer for 15 years, have meditated with varying degrees of consistency for 10 years, and have taught meditation to peers, friends and the public for the last 3 years.

The conclusions reached in this article about the temporary nature of all states and experiences, as well as connecting with the wisdom of the body, resonate strongly with me. I'd add that the ability I have developed to monitor and redirect my thoughts, as well as enhanced concentration, are other direct benefits.

I believe you can see some benefits from meditation without embracing the full retreat experience. But a retreat is definitely a step-up and solidifies a lot of the lessons. I've done 8-day insight retreats which are a little less austere than Vipassana but seem to bring about similar states and changes.

I wrote the story of how I ended up teaching meditation (I teach 8-week courses with similar content to MBSR). You can read it here if you are interested: http://www.geekmindfitness.com/mindfulness/why-this-software...

There's another write-up I did of how some of this affected my journey through anxiety, specifically impostor syndrome: http://www.geekmindfitness.com/mindfulness/how-mindfulness-m...

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#78

Post by javajosh »

grantcox wrote: post #71
ep103 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do I have to learn how to meditate before I go? How can I learn? Where do I find a place like this? If I want to do this, what are my first steps?

I recommend learning how to meditate before you go. I attempted a 10 day vipasana as a complete beginner and with insufficient research, and assumed it would be some kind of "course". Instead we were instructed on what to meditate on (first day is literally "feel the breath entering your nose"), and then expected to sit still and meditate for 11 hours a day. This vipasana (Kathmandu, late 2011) had no "optional sessi…

You had an unfortunate experience. Perhaps if you took a course in an English speaking country the instructions would be clearer to you, and you'd be more aware of the availability of those who you can ask for help. And the evening discourses, which go into greater depth of explanation, would be more accessible to you.

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#79

Post by futuravenir »

ep103 wrote: post #64
futuravenir wrote: post #2

Vipassana is an absolutely wonderful experience. A 'brain washing' where it can rid your mind of all the crud that has accumulated from our culture and society. It puts you in touch with your body in a way that nothing my life ever has. I'd be happy to answer some questions if anybody has any.

Do I have to learn how to meditate before I go? How can I learn? Where do I find a place like this? If I want to do this, what are my first steps?

I had never mediated before...A few instances of 20 minutes that were guided, but never 'for real'. I went in not really knowing what I would be asked to do or how it worked. For me, that worked wonderfully.

I generally tend to fail magnificently at first and then flourish very quickly after making all the rookie mistakes all at once.

If you have questions, don't be afraid to use the question sessions to speak to your teacher. If it seems like the instructions are too simple, you might be overthinking it. It's all about letting go after all.

Re: Ten Days of Silence

#80

Post by futuravenir »

Neurocynic wrote: post #22
futuravenir wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did it first in 2011. I've only done one session. I've tried to go back a few times but have created barriers in myself to doing so. It will do me more to go back to Vipassana than any single thing I can do for myself. It puts you at the center and you just follow along, being true. As far as long-term effects, I came out of the experience glowing. Heat didn't bother me. I saw clearly. The afterglow lasted for abou…

I loved the clarity of thought that experience gave me. It is interesting how we both went thorough the same phases. The immense calm, the slow agitation and then excuses. I even went back for a short 4 day course but the 10 day one was the best. I hope you can go back once more and then continue the practice afterwards.

I meditated today. Gosh was that nice. Thank you for your kind wishes and your shared experiences.
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