October has been the month of festivities here, from where I am writing right now. I have been caught up in frenzied action, not quite sure how much of it was actually required for my being. I planned to not take leave during the festivities and only availed public holidays to enjoy my time with …
Tag: Vipassana
Learning from aditthana
Every Vipassana meditator has a different technique to enduring aditthana. Also in life everyone has different techniques to being able to endure difficult situations, where they feel they might explode. This short piece invites you to consider the sitting of aditthana, a key requisite of sitting a 10 day course, and what insight it can …
How can Therapy and Dhamma Best Complement Each Other?
I've worked on myself in so many different ways; through art, dream work, various kinds of yoga, meditation; presently, vipassana meditation, but never have I gone to therapy. I’m now seriously considering therapy as a future line of work, and I want to be sure I understand the value of the service, and how it …
Continue reading How can Therapy and Dhamma Best Complement Each Other?
The joys of meditation
Why do people come to a Vipassana course? In talking with people who come to our Center in the Southeast on registration day and Metta day, I find there are almost as many reasons as there are people. There are some common themes, including life crisis, emotional trauma, and long-term need for ‘something more’ in …
How do you do it?
Yesterday I got inquiries about Vipassana from an unexpected quarter. My eye doctor’s receptionist/assistant was using a machine to measure various aspects of my eyes. The process requires that I stare at a lighted green cross that moves around in the viewer, while holding my head very still, and this goes on with each eye …
Sharing the news
“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 …
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 …
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 …
Living Vipassana 