Quote: (12-10-2017 06:48 AM)LaFleur Wrote:
Quote: (12-09-2017 10:40 PM)Only8sandup Wrote:
I recommend doing some Vipassana 10-day meditation courses. Don't do just 1. Do several over the span of a few years and maintain daily practice.
A friend of mine did this a few years back and has been encouraging me to look into it.
Do you really not speak for 10 days?
Is it really free? (+ costs to get to the city)
Does it make a difference where you go, aka are certain "instructors" better?
Could you describe the experience/what you got out of it briefly if you have the time?
Gracias!
It's worth it.
Totally free + costs of getting there.
As far as I know the teaching is standardized across venues - most of the course is instructed through pre-recorded audio-tapes, and there is a teacher there to answer any questions, check your progress, and ensure you're performing the technique properly.
They say it's non-secular, but I felt that was not really true.
There's a bit of chanting in some of the recordings which annoyed me a bit, but I just tuned it out and focused on the technique they were trying to teach.
I did one just outside of Cape Town, South Africa, and it was an awesome experience.
We were about 70 people split male and female. Handed in all our belongings, and agreed to silence for the 10 days. Though you still are around other guys and make the odd eye contact, no one speaks to one another.
First thing that happens, is that time slows the fuck down.
Day one I found myself pacing quickly through my breakfast/lunch/dinner, seemingly rushing to do something, but by day 3 I found myself taking 15-20 minutes to eat some bread/veg/cereal.
You realize there is no where to rush to. No where to be. No meetings, people to see... and time does not speed up. It just paces along as it's own time.
You get a good perspective into how your mind jumps almost unconsciously from thought to thought - a lot of surface level stuff too, like what you should have said in some moment, what not to forget on your way out the house next Monday morning.
By day 3/4
ALL OF THAT GOES AWAY.
By now, you feel viscerally in the moment. You walk slow. Breathe deeper. Heightened senses, you see the veins on the leave, patterns of the wood trees, and sharp noises of nature that are always there.
Here your mind starts going deeper... It starts paging back deep into your memories, pulling up things you've long forgotten, often taking to a theme.
For me personally, my mind pulled up every-single-last-girl that I ever liked, since I was 6/7 years old to present. Every. single. one. It was kind shocking as every detail about my relationships and interactions was relived through before my eyes, crystal. fucking. clear.
As the days progressed, it got deeper, and eventually I was reliving some treasured moments with my father, that I was too young to really easily-recall and appreciate.
Some of those moments had me in tears, and am wholeheartedly grateful to have experienced them again.
After the seemingly deep stuff (day 7/8/9), I found my thoughts take an extremely upbeat, creative, and enthusiastic turn. Tons of ideas on projects, businesses I can start, people I want to speak to, share stories with, reconnect with. Bulletproof aspiration right here.
As everything seemed so promising, and fruitful, it egged on a conviction to call it quits, and go home to put it all into practice. I ended up staying since I was there for 7 days already. Glad I did.
After the 10 days. It was borderline euphoria speaking to others again.
Joyous laughter and enthusiasm as everyone trades stories of their experiences (which you'll see have similar themes to them as well).
10/10 doing it again next year.
https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index has more info.
Cheers.