Goenka seems to present two different paths. First, he shares that sila (morality), samadhi (concentration through breath awareness), and panna (wisdom through body sensation awareness) are the three universal components of the path towards ultimate truth. Second, he shares that the ultimate goal is to liberate the mind from the cycle of birth and death. …
Author: Ryan Shelton
While my job description is to lead the science department and teach physics at Padua Academy in Wilmington, DE, my calling is to prepare teenagers to lead their communities towards a vibrant and healthy future. This purpose has lead to the creation of Loving Lives Delaware.
Before becoming a teacher, I explored many careers and had many adventures in search of the best way to make a difference in the world. I hiked over 1700 miles, traveled to 5 continents, managed a bakery, started a meditation center, counseled troubled teens, attended Duke, UNC, and Harvard, protected forests as a wildland firefighter, volunteered thousands of hours with Americorps, rafted the Grand Canyon, and SCUBA dived on the Great Barrier Reef.
My next adventure is starting a family with my beautiful wife in our Wilmington home. I'm sure there will be many mistakes along the way, but I hope we're able to create a loving household that's a beacon of support and clarity for others in our community. Thank you for all of your support throughout our journey.
3 Challenges I’ve Faced in Goenka’s Vipassana
Written by Dan Kaminsky Hello! My goal with this blog post is to lay out some of the challenges I have faced after ten years in the Goenka tradition. I would like to preface these challenges by saying that these critiques are coming from a place of gratitude and understanding of the immense benefits I …
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Where Do I Go From Here?
Now 38 years old and over 10 years into my Vipassana journey, my wife, Maria, and I have just welcomed Baby William into our family. Long courses and long-term service have helped me mature as a compassionate human being, but they can no longer be my guiding compass. With any thoughts of a monastic life …
The Next Generation of Goenka Meditators
50 years ago, S. N. Goenka started teaching Vipassana to a new generation of meditators. Thousands of his inspired pupils became meditation teachers, carrying his instructions around the world. Now seven years after Goenka’s death, there is an entire generation of Goenka followers that never met him. The first generation of Goenka students have become …
A New Blog about Bringing Meditation to Teens
I've decided to turn my attention to a new blog called Loving Lives Delaware. I'm interested in exploring how to light the path towards a 10-day course for someone who has never meditated before. As a high school teacher, it makes sense to start with my students and work my way up from there. If …
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The 10-Day Course Is Essential, But Must It Be The Entry Point?
Goenka had a mission to reintroduce Vipassana to the world. Morality, Anapana, and many other meditation variations were present in the world before Goenka, but the amplified impact of learning morality, Anapana, and Vipassana together had been lost. To ensure students received the full benefit of learning these three foundations together, Goenka emphasized the 10-day …
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Relationships and Intellectual Understanding are Essential for Dhamma Growth
Goenka continuously emphasizes the importance of sitting - sitting 2 hours a day, sitting a 10-day course a year, and sitting whenever you have free time. His message can be interpreted to mean that sitting will solve all of life's problems, and everything else is superficial. I've never met Goenka, so I have no idea …
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Meditation Helps Us Live From The Heart
Meditation is more than a tool to decrease stress and increase productivity. As technology speeds up the world and opinions become more divisive, I believe meditation will be the tool that allows us to stay connected to our hearts and our communities so we can create a beautiful future for everyone on our planet. This …
Choose Love
Another mass shooting. We know there will be more. How do we feel? Anger? Fear? Apathy? How do we respond? Do we fight back? Do we hide? None of these thoughts and feelings seem to make me feel any better. I grew up in an America full of hope and promise; Now we seem to …
Facing Violence and Hatred
11 Jews killed inside a Pittsburg synagogue by a man yelling anti-Semitic slurs. This is less than a 5 hour drive from my house. The growing anger, fear, and divisiveness in our communities is palpable. I'm struggling to find an appropriate response. I feel anger and disbelief which makes me want to fight back, but …
Living Vipassana 