Vipassana Meditation and inner peace

[Slim Shady]

I took part in a 10-day residential Vipassana meditation camp last March in order to learn and practice the technique of Vipassana in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. This technique is believed to be the one followed by the Gautam Buddha himself on his way to enlightenment. I continued to meditate regularly after the camp and it had a positive effect on me. I was becoming more calm and I worried less about things. It gave me real inner peace. As I was practicing regularly, I was feeling a lot better overall. I even stayed away from SAS for around a year coming back only recently when I could not maintain my routine and certain other events in my life sent me spiralling back down again. Nevertheless, Vipassana meditation had a positive effect on my overall wellbeing and I intend to continue once i have a few things figured out. It's something I surely can't give up.

Anyone else here who has practiced vipassana meditation? If you have, please share your thoughts.

[VanDamMan]

my buddy did a couple of the Vipassana retreats.

He said it was lead by some guy on a dvd which kind of turned me off.

But my friend said he really benefited from it.

I've been meaning to give it a shot. Just procrastinating though.

[Slim Shady]

It must have been Mr. S N Goenka on the DVD. It is the same at all centres which teach his technique except for the one in India where he teaches in person.

The whole point behind this is that whenever a meditation technique is passed along from person to person, people tend to add little things up that they like but has nothing to do with meditation, and some may even eliminate some parts just because they don't quite believe in it, thus leading the pure technique into corruption and misrepresentation. This is why Mr Goenka insists on providing the instructions himself, even if it means using a DVD. However, although he is on DVD, there are assistant teachers at all centres to help you in understanding the technique he teaches. You can clear any confusions with them.

I'd say that anyone wanting to practice pure meditation - without any religious practices and preachings attached to it - should give Vipassana a try. It is really worth it.

[Slim Shady]

So, I tried to do an hour-long session of Vipassana yesterday after a long time and it was really hard to maintain concentration. Mind simply kept wandering. Back to Anapana (consciousness of breathing and maintenance of concentration) for now.

[Monday]

Originally Posted by Slim Shady

It must have been Mr. S N Goenka on the DVD. It is the same at all centres which teach his technique except for the one in India where he teaches in person.

The whole point behind this is that whenever a meditation technique is passed along from person to person, people tend to add little things up that they like but has nothing to do with meditation, and some may even eliminate some parts just because they don't quite believe in it, thus leading the pure technique into corruption and misrepresentation. This is why Mr Goenka insists on providing the instructions himself, even if it means using a DVD. However, although he is on DVD, there are assistant teachers at all centres to help you in understanding the technique he teaches. You can clear any confusions with them.

I'd say that anyone wanting to practice pure meditation - without any religious practices and preachings attached to it - should give Vipassana a try. It is really worth it.

See now I like the fact that it is on DVD. That way it can reach more people. Like me I have chronic illness and can't get out much. Even if I can find a Vipassana medtation class around here, and I can not afford it. So a DVD sounds good.
I'm not sure how it differs from other Mediation..Maybe you can explain a little?

[Slim Shady]

Check out the following sites. They should answer any questions you may have about Vipassana better than I could.
http://www.dhamma.org
http://www.vridhamma.org

[Typical Guy]

I was going to attend one of the same 10 day Vipassana retreats. I'm pretty sure it was connected with S.N. Goenka. Those are the ones you can attend for free, right? I didn't go because it said on the website that if you experience derealization you shouldn't attend because it could be dangerous.

I practice mindfulness meditation and I'm learning to calm my mind in preparation for Vipassana. That in itself may take a long time. The derealization has gotten a lot better so I think I'll be ok in the future. I'm also making progress in meditation now that I've given up all intoxicating substances. That was holding me back but it's only been recently that I've been able to stop.

[Slim Shady]

Yes, they are free. You don't have to pay for anything. And at the end of it, if you feel like helping others experience the same bliss that you did, you can make a donation, however small or big.

Regarding the derealization, it's true that Vipassanna is all about realization of the truth, seeing things for what they are and observing them, understanding them rather than reacting to them. So, if you are experiencing derealization you are kind of moving in the opposite direction and hence you cannot follow Vipassana properly. You need to be firmly grounded in reality in order to practive vipassana. However, the assistant teachers at the centre can provide guidance if you start experiencing derealization instead of progressing in Vipassana. You'd have to check with them while registering.