Vipsanna Meditation

[Jadespear]

Has anyone experience in Vipsanna Mediation?  The way of pure insight....  seeing things as they truely are?

[Maddie]

yes

[thelerner]

19 hours ago, dmattwads said:

yes

Vipsanna is known for its long vigorous retreats.  Can you tell me about them, and what kind of preparation a person should have before undertaking one.   I'm thinking in terms of the 7 or 10 day. 

[Maddie]

1 hour ago, thelerner said:

Vipsanna is known for its long vigorous retreats.  Can you tell me about them, and what kind of preparation a person should have before undertaking one.   I'm thinking in terms of the 7 or 10 day. 

 

I've never done a "vipasanna retreat". I have done some general meditation retreats at a near by monastery a few times, and vipassina meditation is the kind of meditation that I happen to do the most. 

 

As far as my opinion on the Vipasanna retreats that typically go for 10 days my personal feelings are that if someone has never meditated before I do not recommend this approach as it can be very intense and I don't like the idea of meditation being associated with negative connotations in the mind, so that one does not begin to hate meditation and stop it all together. There are several videos on youtube of people who have done this type of retreat and the reactions are kind of a mixed bag. 

 

Personally I just make this a daily practice that I do throughout the day and I find this approach useful.

[rideforever]

I have some experiences, I have done 1 x 10day, 2 x 7 day, and several weekends.

 

I can recommend the I.M.C UK as a very high quality place where you would be comfortable well-looked after but also learn very high quality practice and in a group of mature practitioners.   And meditation centres are like this, each one is different.   I have been to a centre in the Goenka organisation in the UK but found it poor.   I found a monastic centre in Wales which is part of the Triratna community which is also exceptional and has knowledgeable monks there.   

Goenka's 10 days (1 hr day) of instruction is available on youtube and you can put it on your ipod and listen.   It is good quality instruction, however in the Goenka style I believe they do 3 days Samatha and 7 days Vipassana.   Whereas in the IMC they do 5 and 5 which I believe is preferable.

 

Samatha in my opinion is the priority and on its own can produce awakening.   

 

One must always remember to become sensitive diligent ardent patient and persistent at the practice, but certainly one must not be robotic, it is about love of truth and of discovery of self, don't be busy being a robot.

 

Awareness is not a lazer beam that you use to occupy yourself so you suffer left, one must feel what one is, and take the risk of insight.

 

How might one prepare ?  It is very good to learn how to sit, comfortably, always comfortably.   This takes several sessions looking at different postures on youtube and trying different cushions, leg positions and heights and so on.   It is good to have experience, it does take a few sessions trying different positions 10 mins each.   Do not force some rigid position, this is the wrong attitude.   It is also good to do butterfly exercise with legs (sort of flapping the knees) and king pigeon asana, these things open up the hips, although if you are not relaxed it won't help.   Double lotus is not important to meditation practice at all.   Personally I can use Burmese or Perfect Pose or Seiza, but not the lotuses.

 

Next thing is to relax your breathing, your body and becoming one with the breathing.   Gentle simply practice.   And learn how to sit and be very relaxed but still supported, it is good to learn to do this without any meditation practice going on,.

 

These two things will prepare you.   Also you can let go of meat and noise in the few days preceding.

 

It is beneficial to go to several evenings or day retreats or non-silent weekend retreats where you can become accustomed to the schedule of a centre, many offer introductory evenings and weekends.   I think it might be a bit much to arrive for the first time and be silent for 10 days .... it's unnecessary.  Better to go and relax, chat, cook, meditate and just be part of it, it's great.   Perhaps you will get more from this then a sort of vipassana-sledgehammer.