Vipassana

I attended a 10-day Vipassana retreat.

For those who do not know what Vipassana is: it is a teaching of the Buddha and a special form of meditation that was further spread, among others, by S. N. Goenka.

In essence, it is a kind of body scan: you systematically direct your attention through the entire body and observe the different sensations without judging them as pleasant or unpleasant.

We are used to wanting to immediately avoid unpleasant sensations and creating mental stories that distract us from actually feeling the pain.

However, the practice consists of consciously bringing awareness to any sensation that comes up, with equanimity and the understanding that everything is Anicca, meaning impermanent. Through this observation and the training of the mind, the mental stories gradually begin to fade, as no new Sankaras (mental conditioning) are created.

Just as one should not develop aversion toward unpleasant sensations, one should also not cling to or chase pleasant sensations. For desire, too, is ultimately a distraction from the present moment.

Only in the present moment can the essential become visible and be transformed through focused attention.

The three areas of training:

• Sīla – morality, ethical conduct
• Samādhi – concentration, mastery of the mind
• Paññā – wisdom, insight that purifies the mind

The seminar deeply impressed me, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is willing to take responsibility for themselves and face their shadow sides.

I myself wanted to quit every day until the sixth day! I was convinced that this technique simply didn’t work for me. And then, finally, after the evening discourse, something clicked and I finally truly understood the technique.

On the seventh day, I entered a profound, psychedelic state of experience.
Psychedelic in the truest sense of the word: the revealing of the soul and its core wounds.

So: if you join, stay with it. It’s worth it.

Here is a link to all courses worldwide:
https://www.dhamma.org/de/courses/search