GREAT NEWS!!!

I have been accepted for the Vipassana Retreat in February!!! I got the email last night notifying me that I have been accepted. I AM SOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!

sufi whirling: another form of meditation

it's all in the mind

In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism, Gary Gach shares the following story.

Korean monk Wonhyo (617-686 C.E.) set out for China to study Buddhism.  On the road one night, he took shelter in a cave.  He found a gourd of pure water, which he drank.  Content, he then fell asleep.  At dawn, he awoke startled to discover he'd spent the night in a tomb and that he'd drunk putrid water from an old skull.  It came to him in a flash that "mind creates all things, all things are products of the mind alone."  Realizing this, he turned around, as there was no longer any need to study in China.  He studied his own mind instead and went on to become one of Korea's greatest Buddhist teachers and scholars.

In our Buddhism class on Sunday, Howard shared a story of a man and woman who were so very hungry that they finally decided to eat their infant child in order to sustain themselves and live.  Of course, anyone who reads or hears this is immediately repulsed and thinks, "How in the world could someone do that to a child?".  Yet, when we eat meat or eggs, aren't we eating someone else's children?  It's all about perspective in your own mind.

struggling with monkey mind?

My son is attending college with the goal of becoming a psychologist. We recently had a discussion regarding multi-tasking. He told me that recent studies have found those that multi-task often find it very difficult to focus their minds as they get older since they have trained their minds to do many things at once.

If you think about it, it makes sense. After all, isn't meditation about training the mind? As a culture, we multi-task constantly. Driving the car and talking on the phone (even if it's hands-free). Reading a book while listening to music. I'm sure you can think of many, many more examples; and if you can, then you, my friend are a multi-tasker.

Multi-tasking is difficult to avoid. Trying to cook a meal so that everything is ready at the same time and hot when it's placed on the table. However, when multi-tasking becomes such a strong habit, we are challenged with daily mindfulness.

As I practice mindfulness, I have found that it appears even harder, especially in meditation, than ever before. Is it because I am more aware now (the goal) or is it because a lifetime of multi-tasking has made it even more challenging to settle my mind into one point of awareness during meditation?

I've been rolling this around in my mind for a few days now since my son mentioned that to me. It has helped me to feel better about the monkey mind -- and it should you too.

Just keep reminding yourself that meditation is the practice of training the mind to be aware. Think of how old you are and how many years you have allowed your mind to roam freely. Just like gaining weight, it doesn't happen overnight -- and losing the weight doesn't happen overnight either.

Eventually, if you remain dedicated to your practice, you WILL attain the awareness during meditation that you seek. The ability to sit and bring awareness to your breath, to quiet the mind through awareness.

It will not happen overnight, in one week, one month, or even 10 years. This is why you must approach your meditation practice as a lifelong commitment. Otherwise, you will remain frustrated and discouraged with the monkey mind.

Great intro and web footage of Georgia Vipassana Center

This guy does a great, but honest, narrative about the course...

personal Vipassana retreat experiences

Someone after his first retreat....


This guy is humorous...but also has footage of the GA center that I will be attending...

if you don't have time to read about it...

...here's a short video that tells you the basics of Vipassana meditation.

zazen meditation

Thanks to Lorena and her Conscious Sanity blog for turning me on to this blog from Gwen Bell.  A great video on zazen, a Japanese meditation style.  Great introductory video on how to sit properly with tips for beginners.  The important thing to remember is...don't become discouraged!

Confirmation of application receipt & a suggestion

I'm a little late in reporting this...but on September 6th, we received confirmation from Dhamma Patapa that they had received our applications.  They also sent an email to each of us suggesting that we re-consider taking the course at the same time sense it is often difficult to follow the no-contact/no-interaction rule.  I replied, reassuring them that we had read and intent to abide by the code of conduct.

This evening a friend of mine came in and said his daughter attended the course with some friends of hers.  He said they left after 3 days, "because it was boring".  Interesting observation.  I guess I am surprised that if she read all the material on the web site before attending she would have expected anything less than "boring".  It's pretty clear to me that there is no physical movement or interaction, no exercise, no yoga, no other forms of meditation, prayer, etc.  No books, no radio, no TV, no internet, no journals.  Meditation for 10 hours 45 minutes each day.  I would expect boring, wouldn't you?

Now let me explain what I mean when I say I would "expect boring".  Boring in the sense of no entertainment or interaction.  You are meditating.  If you read about Insight Meditation (which is what they are teaching), you would understand that it is not meditation visualization to music.  It's literally trying to quiet the mind and do nothing else for 10 days.  Buddhism has never been real big on complex and long-winded explanations.  They give you something to ponder and discover for yourself what the truth is at the core of what they have presented to you.

I am very much looking forward to this (somewhat scary) challenge.  I know that I will succeed.  There is no doubt about that.  I know that it will be extremely difficult.  It is curiousity that fuels me.  I am curious about learning the traditional technique from properly trained teachers.  I am curious about finding out how long it will take before my mind will finally slow down and run out of things to say.  I am curious to see what will happen when my mind does finally quiet.

Please understand that I am not ridiculing or making light of her experience.  Her experience is just as valid as anyone else.  The only thing that I question is if she had a true understanding of what she was signing up for when she did.  If she did not, then I can fully understand why she would have been so unhappy.

I am looking forward to the challenge of overcoming physical and mental discomfort and accepting things as they are.  Forever changing, always in flux.They will come and they will go.  Nothing is permanent.

It's the mind-part I'm struggling with.  I'm working on that now in my meditations.

Namaste

Doctor Approved and Applications Submitted!

I saw my doctor yesterday and he gave me the thumbs up to attend the course. He was familiar with the course as another bipolar patient of his has attended one.  He said his other patient did well and he knows I'll do very well.

Troy finally agreed to the February 24th-March 7th, 2010 date!!  I just submitted both of our registration forms online.  We should hear something within the next two weeks.