Today I made the decision to return to blogging regularly here on Living Vipassana, as one way to help keep my Vipassana meditation practice central to my life -- sitting regularly being the primary way, of course! There. Is. No. Substitute. For. Sitting. I also just enjoy expressing myself through writing, and this feels like …
Meditation Can Heal Student Minds and Help Adults Fix Societal Issues
Nine more students killed by a shooter. This time at Santa Fe High School in Texas. Things need to change and I'm not just talking about politics. Our minds are constantly being lured away from reality and soothed by artificial stimulants. We spend much of our free time attached to a device that allows us …
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NYC Old Student Talk
Hi All! I thought I'd share the following, which I posted last night in the Goenka Vipassana group on the Insight Timer app: This morning I had the good fortune to attend a group sitting in New York City with many, many fellow old students and to hear an old student talk given by Dr. …
Paradox of Mediation
In 2017, Robert Wright published a book "Why Buddhism is True" . In this book he described the paradox of meditation, which I have had for a long time. He said: "There isn't supposed to be success at meditating. As any good mediation teacher will tell you, if you talk about mediation in terms of success …
Student Social Contract Following Parkland Shooting
Following the school shooting that killed 17 high school students in Parkland, FL, I wrote this social contract to offer support for my students in a confusing time. 263 students signed it. Our children want to come together to help build a better future. Let's help them! With this Social Contract, we will build the …
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Your Mind Becomes Your Physiology
As Goenkaji says, whatever arises in the mind arises simultaneously on the body as a sensation. There is no separation between thoughts, emotions and body sensations. However we are conditioned in western society to experience the mind and body as separate. We go to a psychologist for our minds and a doctor for our body. People in the …
Relationships of Truth Not Perception
Nothing feels better than being accepted for who you are at the deepest levels of your truth. While it’s easy for anyone to appreciate our strengths, individuals who still accept and love us after understanding our darkest moments and witnessing our most hidden weakness are the people we acknowledge as our closest friends. As humans, …
Children Are Calling For Help – We Need To Hear Them
It’s time to stop pretending that everything is okay. We’re trying to find solutions to specific issues like teen suicide and school shooting, but when are we going to realize that these are simply symptoms of much deeper problems. Our problem isn’t that a small number of children are struggling to cope with life in …
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Announcement: Dr. Paul Fleischman to Give Talks in NYC, April 13th and 14th
Hi, Living Vipassana readers. With permission from the New York Vipassana Association (NYVA) organizers, I wanted to share information about two upcoming talks to be given next month in New York City by Dr. Paul Fleischman. Here are the Eventbrite links with details about both talks: “Meditating in Troubled Times”— Open to the public. Friday, …
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Vipassana in real-life and work? Insight from a book “Charisma Myth”
Although many Vipassana mediators feel significant benefits from Vipassana practice, many Vipassana mediators, particularly newbie Vipassana meditators like me, often ask: how do I integrate this Vipassana techniques into real life? Believe it or not, an interesting book introduced me to applying Vipassana techniques in work and life a few years ago, before I knew …
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