Self contradictory title. Once again we're mixing up chemical imbalances (however induced) with this notion of a Creator. If there really is this God thing, then do you really think they give a damn about you sitting on hot rocks? If you do, then you've really missed the point of it all. If you don't then you'll quickly realize you're just wasting your time, the most precious resource you have.
An Atheist's Glimpse of God
11–20 of 34 posts
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#12So you sat on some stones under extreme physical duress. Congratulations. Your puny mammalian brain acted in a manner dysfunctional from its normal operating environment. Now you can go to parties and feel even more superior to your friends. They won't get it of course because there's no way for you to accurately explain it to them.
Why so dismissive? Religious or feel-good benefits aside from the 100-hour regimen, the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion. Even without the discomfort, sitting/standing/whatever for 10 hours a day doing nothing physically takes some dedication. I find his experience amazing on so many levels, and I am gracious for such a intimate account of that experience (I read the full-on…
Because in his title, premise, and conclusion about the experience he alludes to his acquisition of special knowledge. It's the language of the charlatan.
Meditation for one hundred hours or one thousand does nothing else but prove you can endure it. To which I say: big, freaking deal. I made it through a 36 hour martial arts retreat where we practiced the same kata over and over again in between hours-long meditation sessions. You know what I learned? That I was physically capable of such a feat. No inner peace here and if I did see shit it was because I hadn't slept for two days and was exhausting myself. You know what... it was kind of like a cult. They wanted me to believe that there were mystical forces at work and that I was tapping into them.
Why else would you endure such harsh treatment than for the promise of some great insight, access to special knowledge, or powers no one else has? What does not looking others in the eye and abstaining from masturbation do for you? Nothing. Who makes up these stupid rules then?
Oh. Right. A human being.
The author does mention not buying into the Buddhist beliefs that were impressed upon eir by the organization running the center... but that doesn't seem to stop the author from offering eir own.
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#13Disclaimers. I am also an atheist. I took this exact meditation course 20+ years ago and know people who have followed it for decades. I am not so enthralled.
The meditation itself is fine. However the problem is in the tapes. Goenka is not just trying to teach people to meditate, he's trying to teach a particular religious philosophy. He doesn't want you to just be aware of your body, he wants you to pay attention to how things arise and pass away, and from that conclude that all attachment is bad because you will feel grief when it passes. This ties into Buddhist philosophy.
To me the problem with this philosophy can be summed up by, 'Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.' I was fascinated by the experience, but receiving indoctrination while I was in such a delicate state was not to my liking.
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#14Very interesting. Incidentally, I do like: Ninety percent of Maslow's pyramid has been taken care of for as long as I could remember, leaving me to arrogantly believe it's my responsibility to improve this world -- that resembles a feeling that often brings me angst, but I always struggle to put into words.
Why isn't it..? There's so many ways that even little things can be improved; and everyone should do their part to help their fellow man.
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#15For those of you looking for a place to go on a similar 10 day retreat, there is:
Northwest Vipassana Center (PNW Region, I've heard really good things about this one from friends who have done the program) http://www.kunja.dhamma.org/
Dhamma Manda (Near SF) http://www.manda.dhamma.org/
The closest one to NYC I can find is in Mass: http://www.dhara.dhamma.org/ns/
For more info on locations near you:
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#16So you sat on some stones under extreme physical duress. Congratulations. Your puny mammalian brain acted in a manner dysfunctional from its normal operating environment. Now you can go to parties and feel even more superior to your friends. They won't get it of course because there's no way for you to accurately explain it to them.
http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
"Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face to face conversation."
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why so dismissive? Religious or feel-good benefits aside from the 100-hour regimen, the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion. Even without the discomfort, sitting/standing/whatever for 10 hours a day doing nothing physically takes some dedication. I find his experience amazing on so many levels, and I am gracious for such a intimate account of that experience (I read the full-on…
* the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion why? If I pierce my scrotum a hundred times should I get kudos? No of course not, just doing something uncomfortable for no reason isn't admirable. Meditation is great for some people, and a total waste of time for others. Each to their own, but let's not pat anyone on the back for it.
I would totally give you kudos for piercing your scrotum a hundred times. From the people I know in the body modification community, genital modification can be a very spiritual experience.
Also, think of the crazy rush that you would get from the first piercing, when your body is changed forever, till the end of the hundred-piercing ritual. That would absolutely be something worth blogging about.
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why so dismissive? Religious or feel-good benefits aside from the 100-hour regimen, the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion. Even without the discomfort, sitting/standing/whatever for 10 hours a day doing nothing physically takes some dedication. I find his experience amazing on so many levels, and I am gracious for such a intimate account of that experience (I read the full-on…
* the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion why? If I pierce my scrotum a hundred times should I get kudos? No of course not, just doing something uncomfortable for no reason isn't admirable. Meditation is great for some people, and a total waste of time for others. Each to their own, but let's not pat anyone on the back for it.
[deleted]
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why so dismissive? Religious or feel-good benefits aside from the 100-hour regimen, the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion. Even without the discomfort, sitting/standing/whatever for 10 hours a day doing nothing physically takes some dedication. I find his experience amazing on so many levels, and I am gracious for such a intimate account of that experience (I read the full-on…
* the guys deserves kudos merely for sticking with the exercise to its conclusion why? If I pierce my scrotum a hundred times should I get kudos? No of course not, just doing something uncomfortable for no reason isn't admirable. Meditation is great for some people, and a total waste of time for others. Each to their own, but let's not pat anyone on the back for it.
There's a difference between doing something harmful to yourself repeatedly for shits and giggles, and at your own discretion, and voluntarily following something through to its conclusion when somebody else plans the exercise for you. Perhaps the subtle distinction is only in my own head, but I do believe there is one.
The dude doesn't deserve a pat on the back for the meditation itself. If he had been fasting, following a running/swimming program, studying go/baduk life-and-death problems, or playing guitar exercises for 10 days, and he stuck with it to the end and documented it similarly, I feel he would still deserve kudos. Giving one's undivided attention to a new and uncomfortable activity, 10 hours a day for 10 days, is a challenge for most people.
Hell, I'm lucky if I can give up coffee or power drinks for 10 straight days. The 2 or three times I completed a 24-hour fast, I felt some sense of accomplishment. And keeping up with some kind of exercise routine? Forget about it.
And that's why I found his story so layered and interesting. It's not just about the meditation (which was interesting in its own right), but about his dedication, and his privilege, and his turning his mind's eye inward.
Berate him (or me) if you will. You said it best: to each their own.
Re: An Atheist's Glimpse of God
#20I hate to be "that guy", but clicking your timer more than once seems to be cutting the intervals down each time (ex: click it 10 times, and it goes crazy fast).
I only say this because I love that you actually went ahead and embedded a timer in your post -- knowing that the process of reading and absorbing the content was just as important, if not more important, than the content itself.
Regardless, great post.