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I recently finished my second ten-day Vipassana meditation course
I’m hoping to share some of my experiences + impressions, and also try to capture my current headspace, which noticeably improved after completing the course
I’m hoping to share some of my experiences + impressions, and also try to capture my current headspace, which noticeably improved after completing the course
Overall I think Vipassana is a good experience for people who want to try a serious meditation practice and explore what it means to grasp at “enlightenment”
You can easily find writing from people who didn’t like it, but I want to explain what’s possible in a good-case scenario
You can easily find writing from people who didn’t like it, but I want to explain what’s possible in a good-case scenario
It probably makes sense to describe exactly what you do at a Vipassana course:
- It’s a ten-day silent meditation course
- You can’t talk, read, write, gesture, or even make eye contact
- Students follow a strict timetable, (pictured below); most of the day is spent meditating
- It’s a ten-day silent meditation course
- You can’t talk, read, write, gesture, or even make eye contact
- Students follow a strict timetable, (pictured below); most of the day is spent meditating
This is a physically demanding experience
Especially in the beginning, your back and legs will probably hurt a lot, and you’ll be surprised how sore you get from sitting all day
The physical aspect shouldn’t be prohibitively challenging though, and accommodations can be made
Especially in the beginning, your back and legs will probably hurt a lot, and you’ll be surprised how sore you get from sitting all day
The physical aspect shouldn’t be prohibitively challenging though, and accommodations can be made
The mental challenge is the most difficult—and most rewarding—part
A Vipassana course will test your ability to concentrate, your perceptual limits, and your capacity for boredom and frustration
A Vipassana course will test your ability to concentrate, your perceptual limits, and your capacity for boredom and frustration
Much like the physical discomfort, I found that the boredom and anxiety was worst in the beginning
I usually have an unlimited supply of distraction at my fingertips, and without any escapist outlets, it felt like quitting cold turkey on an electronic dopamine addiction
I usually have an unlimited supply of distraction at my fingertips, and without any escapist outlets, it felt like quitting cold turkey on an electronic dopamine addiction
After a few days of relative under-stimulation, your thoughts get less turbulent and you begin to approach “mental silence”
The course is intentionally paced to give you time to settle in, and the instructor gradually teaches you new elements of the technique as your mind clears
The course is intentionally paced to give you time to settle in, and the instructor gradually teaches you new elements of the technique as your mind clears
I don’t think this is the right medium for me to tell you how to do the technique—you can google it, but for best results, you should learn it at a course
But I’ll say that it includes some breathing stuff, and primarily focuses on physical sensations experienced in the body
But I’ll say that it includes some breathing stuff, and primarily focuses on physical sensations experienced in the body
In my experience, the practice itself enables you to embody some metaphysically profound (and instrumentally rewarding) truths around ego, reaction, desire, expectations, and impermanence
These teachings are non-dogmatic, and the instructor explicitly maintains that the theory is far less important than the results
With that in mind, I’ll just try to describe a few of the benefits that I and others have realized through consistent, serious Vipassana practice:
With that in mind, I’ll just try to describe a few of the benefits that I and others have realized through consistent, serious Vipassana practice:
SELF-CONTROL
Vipassana courses demand an exceptional amount of equanimity, discipline, and sustained effort
The practice builds your capacity to endure emotional and physical discomfort, which pays dividends in your work, relationships, and exercise habits
Vipassana courses demand an exceptional amount of equanimity, discipline, and sustained effort
The practice builds your capacity to endure emotional and physical discomfort, which pays dividends in your work, relationships, and exercise habits
SENSITIVITY
The practice requires you to remove external stimuli and spend many hours examining your internal experience
You become keenly aware of ever smaller micro-sensations/reactions/emotions, which seem to constantly and spontaneously bubble up from the subconscious ether
The practice requires you to remove external stimuli and spend many hours examining your internal experience
You become keenly aware of ever smaller micro-sensations/reactions/emotions, which seem to constantly and spontaneously bubble up from the subconscious ether
GENEROSITY
I’ve become noticeably more generous with my time and resources, but more importantly, I’m becoming more generous in the way that I perceive other people and their intentions https://twitter.com/choosy_mom/status/1229575817425903621">https://twitter.com/choosy_mo...
I’ve become noticeably more generous with my time and resources, but more importantly, I’m becoming more generous in the way that I perceive other people and their intentions https://twitter.com/choosy_mom/status/1229575817425903621">https://twitter.com/choosy_mo...
I think Vipassana facilitates generosity and empathy by depersonalizing your first-person experience
It allows you to step out of the proverbial driver’s seat, non-judgmentally observe your flighty subconscious, and appreciate the equally unpredictable subjectivity of others
It allows you to step out of the proverbial driver’s seat, non-judgmentally observe your flighty subconscious, and appreciate the equally unpredictable subjectivity of others
These courses are literally built on a spirit of generosity—the courses, which provide 10 days of housing and food, are free of charge
The instructors, course managers, and servers are volunteers, and material costs are paid in full by old students who felt compelled to donate https://twitter.com/choosy_mom/status/1220468969284308994">https://twitter.com/choosy_mo...
The instructors, course managers, and servers are volunteers, and material costs are paid in full by old students who felt compelled to donate https://twitter.com/choosy_mom/status/1220468969284308994">https://twitter.com/choosy_mo...
I have plenty more to say about:
- delicious vegetarian Vipassana food
- rapture and solitude in nature
- embodiment/“breaking through”
- meditation vs. psychedelia
- skepticism and occultism
- non-profit, minimally evangelical organizational sustainability and growth
- delicious vegetarian Vipassana food
- rapture and solitude in nature
- embodiment/“breaking through”
- meditation vs. psychedelia
- skepticism and occultism
- non-profit, minimally evangelical organizational sustainability and growth
But those topics aren’t compact, and they don’t fit cleanly in the context of this thread
I’ll maybe post more about this later, and if you’re curious to hear more, DMs are always open :)
I’ll maybe post more about this later, and if you’re curious to hear more, DMs are always open :)
