Dreams are a funny thing. When I believe my dreams are possible, I'm willing to sacrifice everything and work tirelessly to achieve them. When I submit to the struggles of life, I escape the difficulties through sensual pleasures and surrender to long term failure. Over the last few years I've been waiting for someone to …
Category: Personal Experiences
Social Creatures
Meditating daily is great, but it's not enough to be a healthy human being. SN Goenka made an amazing contribution to our planet by helping to spread the practice of Vipassana around the world, but after your 10-day course you're essentially on your own, and this practice is too demanding for most of us to …
Seeking Dhamma Wisdom
by Anonymous 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 …
Time with a Western Forest Monk in Sri Lanka
I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a rural village near Tissamaharama in southeast Sri Lanka between 1994 and 1996. I feel fortunate to have been sent to a Buddhist country as that was my first coming into contact with Dhamma. From the first time I saw a Buddhist monk, I …
Continue reading Time with a Western Forest Monk in Sri Lanka
Dhamma at Work
I’m navigating some challenging circumstances at work, which I’ve been viewing very negatively. As a result of these circumstances, I’ve strengthened my meditation resolve and have returned to regular daily sitting recently. Such a difference it makes! An example: I noticed that I was experiencing every little email or comment from various work colleagues as …
Entrepreneurship as a Meditator
I practice acupuncture and while there are a few paid positions here and there, most practitioners run their own practices. I have run my practice for the past 9 years and have earned my living while supporting my two daughters. Part of this requires me to bring in new patients, retain current patients and stay …
Balance
While meditating 2 hours a day for 6 years, I adopted some unhealthy patterns. I exercise less, spend less time developing relationships, go on less adventures, and I'm more passive when facing life's challenges. By surrendering to dhamma, I surrendered control of my life and created an expectation that dhamma would fix everything for me. …
Yoga as a Support for Sitting
I’ve practiced yoga for many years and have found it to be very complimentary to vipassana. I’m lucky to have a studio just 2 minutes away and have been pretty consistent this last year and a half. Goenkaji had talked about yoga as being very beneficial for the physical body and even more beneficial if …
Devika Patil
Introduction by Ryan Shelton: I met Devika through a mutual friend at Dhamma Delaware shortly after her first course. She started getting involved with dhamma service immediately and we became friends through our service together. It has been exciting to see her grow in dhamma over the last 2 years, and I look forward to more …
Beyond Pleasure and Pain
Nibhana sounds awful. Why would I want to strive for a state beyond mind and matter? Isn't that simply non existence? Why am I supposed to believe that this state is blissful? Couldn't it just as easily be hellish? The intellectual goal of seeking Nibhana is insufficient to motivate me to sit twice a day. …
Living Vipassana 