My practice is making me more aware that sharing warmth doesn't always come naturally for me, and when I meet a warm person I'm kind of in awe. Just like the accumulation of impurity, I’m hyper-aware of all the purity that may have touched a person, and fascinated to ponder it's source… was it their parents? Schooling? Community? I’d like …
Category: Observations
Subtle Intimacy
Before being introduced to Vipassana life was about feeling the best and strongest positive sensations I could. I liked the sugar in a banana so upgraded to a candy bar and eventually was eating triple chocolate brownie blast ice cream. I like the adrenaline of jumping off a swing set so I upgraded to cliff jumping and …
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 …
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 …
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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 …
Companionship And Truth
Two things that I've discovered are necessary for long-term happiness are living with companionship and truth. The tricky part is you can't always have both. Living the life of a meditator, especially in the early stages, brings this challenge to the forefront. Almost everyone who sits a 10-day course know they've experienced a deep truth, …
The Foggy Path
Trusting dhamma is tricky because sometimes it's illogical. Many times life has presented me with a foggy path meaning that I can't see clearly what's ahead of me. I can see the next step which is safe and logical, but the 3rd or 4th steps are completely blind. To make things more confusing, if I …
Accountability
When considering an untrained mind, the idea of accountability is confusing. If a person isn't in control of their own mind how can we hold them accountable for their actions? If I'm not in control of my own mind, how do I hold myself accountable? It might be that reaching a stage of mental control …
Role Modelling A Healthy Lifestyle
Before I was introduced to Vipassana, I considered myself a leader. After practicing Vipassana for sometime, I realized how confused I was and just tried to be a good individual. While I was contributing to the world in positive ways, I was also hurting it in ways I didn't understand. How could I lead other …
Living Vipassana 