I’ve been around awhile – growing older and more comfortable with the process of living. I’m still unsure of exactly who I am but as I sit Vipassana courses I realize my uncertainties are less important than my ability to forget about the ‘me’ and focus on breath or sensation.   So twice each day I make that attempt to rise above the internal and, may I say, incessant, chatter. Does it get easier as I grow older?  Not really!

Since my retirement I’ve immersed myself in Dhamma:  I live next door to a Dhamma center; I sit a long course every year; I join in sitting with the students on courses numerous times each week; I volunteer at the center.   And it is still a challenge to quiet the mind every day. So I do the best I can for that hour because the years have taught me that those two hours each day are the most important part of my life.  How else would I be able to teach my ego-centered mind to feel love for others. Not just kindness but a wellspring of love.   I have a child so I have felt unconditional love. But after sitting a Vipassana course I even felt love for the guy who cut in front of me on the drive home.  Gone were the harsh words or thoughts. I understand his rush isn’t personal. He doesn’t know me!  He’s just a guy caught up in the fast lane. He isn’t driving home from a life-changing Vipassana course!