Vipassana is not an intellectual path, so why do I spend so much time trying to understand it? I grew up in and live in an intellectual world. Most people I know build their lives around intellectual understanding rather than faith. In order to build a new belief system, it must be acceptable to the old …
Category: Observations
We Have Enough Stuff
As a barista I met some interesting people with some great one liners. I met a simple man with a simple belief. He told me, "I have more stuff then the Queen of England had 300 years ago. Why do I need more?" This statement blew me away. A second gentleman said, "Everyone is running …
Facing Mortality In The Present
A reader, Trygve, mentioned that by visualizing myself on my death-bed reflecting on my life I was actually two steps removed from being present. Meditation teaches us to be present with every moment. While I've always found this visualization exercise to be helpful in evaluating how I allocate my time, he makes a very good point. It …
Detached Unconditional Love
The idea of detached unconditional love seemed like an oxymoron to me for most of my life but I'm starting to realize that it's the only type of pure love. Love for me used to be characterized by always being there for someone. Being present, and maybe even attached. I would ride each emotional wave …
Community Living
If I want to work less so I have more time to meditate and connect with loved ones, I'm going to have much less money. Can I make this work to my advantage? The biggest expense we all have is housing. In August I moved into my own place for the first time ever and it's expensive. I could live for …
Time
Time is our most valuable asset because it's the only thing you can't get back. I don't think I would get much disagreement with that statement. Opinions start flying when people discuss how to utilize this time. The primary point I want to discuss in this post is the contrast between understanding what we're doing with …
Accepting Vs. Confronting
We all face difficult challenges in our lives. The bigger the challenge is, the more our choices and actions seem to define us. I've worked hard in my life to learn how to run into challenges instead of running away. I'm defined my willingness to step into chaos without a plan and to be there for …
Self-confidence
Self-confidence is a complicated concept. Dictionary.com has two definitions: 1) realistic confidence in one's one judgment, ability, power, etc. 2) excessive or inflated confidence in one's own judgement, ability, power, etc. Self-confidence simultaneously defines a "realistic" and an "excessive or inflate" confidence. There is such a fine line between confidence and arrogance and ego. It feels …
Vipassana In A Hostile Environment
There are so many wonderful aspects of this technique, but one that still concerns me is whether it can protect people in a hostile environment. There are certain communities where vulnerability causes you to become a target. Travelers learn to act confidently and blend in as not to draw attention to themselves. People who, "Aren't from …
IQ, EQ, And Intuition
I've been struggling to accept the concept that the path of dhamma is not an intellectual path. Saying so seems to diminish the incredible value of learning how to think. What would our world look like if people weren't making intelligent choices. Could we really just let everything go and "leave it to dhamma" to take …
Living Vipassana 