“Speak of Zen only after the third request.” So say the Zen masters regarding telling others about the wonders of Zen meditation. In the Vipassana world, there’s no clear rule such as suggested by the ‘third request,’ but there is a similar feeling that it’s best to be circumspect about sharing your experience – a …
Author: Anonymous
Giving Up
Recently, I’ve missed a few sittings. Sometimes because I hadn’t finished “living” until midnight; other times because I didn’t do it as soon as I woke up there simply wasn’t enough time to do an hour. Other times, I’ve “cheated” on the practice; I’ve stopped midway through a sitting and thought, “That should be …
Purifying the Creative Process
Some say art has no place in Dhamma, and others say the path lessens the desire to alter artistic visions. I’m not exactly sure what it’s going to mean for me and my art yet because I haven’t gone into a heavy production phase since I’ve been on the path. My “personal art” creation process, …
The Brain in our Belly
One of the biggest obstacles to developing an effective meditation practice is our tendency to live totally in our heads. Most modern cultures, and especially Western culture, inculcate the value of reason and rationality above all else, creating the dominance of the cranial brain. While this may have given us certain distinct advantages in the …
The Divided Path
My life has long been about answering the question: what should I be doing? Whatever this experience is, how should I approach it? As a meditator and a medical student, I find myself being pulled hard in two seemingly different directions. When I get my mind in the right place to excel at medicine, I …
Thinking Responsibly: Never Mix, Never Worry
One of the things that produced a distinct “Awww nuts!” reaction in me was the suggestion that as a Vipassana meditator, I would do well not to mix this technique with anything else. Too bad, I thought. By day 8 of the course, I was SO excited by the possibilities and could not wait to …
Continue reading Thinking Responsibly: Never Mix, Never Worry
The Power-up Meditation
Sometimes I have these meditations when I’m tired then miraculously regenerate my energy, as though I've just had a full night’s sleep! My whole body will start to feel cocooned, sometimes a foot or a hand feels curled up in a weird way or in a different place than it really is. I continue to scan the …
Vipassana: a garden in the desert
Living Vipassana! What a wonderful aspiration! Over the past year, I’ve found serious challenges to my own intentions to live that life, but just recently I’ve re-affirmed the value of that aspiration and the practice itself. I’m happy to have the opportunity to share this with others who may benefit from my experiences. ______ As …
Superhumans, Sensations, and Supposed To
I’ve been doing Vipassana for just under a month now and it has changed my life. The most dramatic experiences occurred while I was at the meditation centre and in the first week or so after leaving; I felt like I had tapped into my superhuman side….for a bit. As an assistant teacher assured me …
The Hide and Seeker
For most of my life I’ve been living as a survivor, trying to take care of myself, heal myself and seeking to get what I could from life. Only over the last few years have I come into a place where I want to serve others. It started with me becoming more and more attracted …
Living Vipassana 