Hello, hello, my beautiful fellow Steemians
I'm sending you my love, and hoping you realize how much you have to be grateful for on this fine Wednesday.
Yesterday I got home from a 10-day Silent Vipassana retreat at Wat Pa Tam Wua Forest Monastery here in Northern Thailand, in Mae Hong Son.
Me, on the beautiful grounds of the monastery
For those who don't quite know what that is, Vipassana is a type of meditation where you constantly watch the body and observe what is. Learning to separate the body from the mind, and the mind from the body for hours upon hours upon hours at a time. Learning to be more mindful during every action of your life, from eating to cleaning to showering to reading. Constantly watching the body, and observing the mind, and learning to sit in the true Seat of Self (i.e not the body, not the mind, not the feelings/sensations that come up..... if you can OBSERVE it, then it is not truly YOU)
A vipassana retreat usually consists of taking noble silence (not speaking to anyone, and in some cases not even engaging in eye contact or interaction of any kind), detoxing from electronics and the internet, intermittent fasting (no eating after 12:00 noon each day), and engaging in many hours of meditation and Dhamma talks (lectures on Buddhism) each day. At my retreat, silence was optional, but I happily took silence for 1 week of my 10 days, and feel that I got a lot more out of the experience in that way. We practiced 6+ hours of meditation each day, including walking, sitting, and laying meditations. One of the most challenging things was the excruciating back pain I experienced each time I sat down on my meditation mat. But over the course of the 10 days, I got so much better at separating my mind from the body, and thus distancing myself from the pain. That was one of many, many gifts that I received from the Universe during my time.
It's hard to find the words to accurately describe the unbelievable experience of my 10 day Vipassana meditation.
I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the journey I have gone on. It was simultaneously one of the hardest things I have ever done, and possibly the most rewarding. I am overcome with appreciation for this, and every day; for this, and every moment. Grateful for the ever present NOW, and the gifts that the Universe is constantly offering me. I have gotten to know myself on a completely new level, and have walked away feeling healthier, lighter, freer. More patient, more focused, more aware of my thoughts, actions, and triggers, and so much more mindful. I have accessed parts of myself that were unexplored before, and feel so blessed to be sitting more comfortably in my Seat of Self. I'm looking forward to sharing this new self with the world, and looking forward to every moment along the way.
During my time at the monastery I learned so much, and grew so much. I wrote tons of poetry and have so much I am looking forward to sharing with you all. Consider this just an introduction for what is to come.
Until then, sending infinite, infinite loving kindness out to YOU, and to all the beings in this Universe. May you be well, may you be happy, may you be at ease.
<3
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🌈 Rachel
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@rainbowrachel you shpuld read the post @naturalmedicine did on Vipassana. Wierdly 5 mins ago my bestie just asked if I wanted to do a ten day sit with her in Thailand. She's a senior Vipassana teacher. Sadly can't make it I don't think.. trying to get on a course closer by or hope a spot comes up on waiting list as I'm due for another one.
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xxxI'll definitely check out that post by @naturalmedicine. How synchronistic that you were just offered to go on one too! If you can't make that one though, I'm sure another one will sync up with you when the time is right. Have you done many Vipassanas in the past? <3
Just one!!! And it was the hardest thing and the best thing I have ever done. My bestie spends her life doing it !
congratulations for doing the HARD work and for finding the treasure inside as well.. blessings! one day i might have to try this out!
It was so challenging, and so rewarding at the same time. It's crazy how wild the mind goes when you try to quiet it down. It was so interesting to sit back and watch the madness from a distance and learn to separate from it. I definitely recommend it to everyone. It pushes you in ways you can't even imagine!
thats what i hear!
next stop, the dark room!! lool..
Wonderful that you got to sit a course in Thailand, a traditional Buddhist country at an actual monastery! Did many of the monks sit the course? I have sat a course in the Meditation Center in the United States but I imagine the atmosphere in the monastery would be much different. Have you sat any Vipassana courses before? It sounded like you got a lot out of this one. Wonderful!
Hey @porters ! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment :) It was awesome getting to do this in Thailand where Buddhism is so prominent. I've been living here for 3 years, but before this experience I knew very little about Buddhism. It was great to be living amongst the monks and learning about it day in and day out. I have so much for respect for the monks now, and such a deeper understanding of the culture and religion.
The monks weren't actually sitting in on the course, but they were the ones teaching us. There would be one or two monks giving the lectures each day, and the other monks sat up front in meditation post, still as statues for hours on end. Watching them was such an inspiration.
This was my first ever Vipassana course! It was such an incredible experience. I look forward to going back, and I also plan to do a Goenka Vipassana course eventually too. From what I have read and heard, it is a much different experience.... not necessarily harder, or easier, but very different, so I look forward to experiencing that as well :)
Cheers!
Marvelous! That is the way to pick up Vipassana meditation to be immersed in it with the actual folks (monks) who are living it. It looks like you are off to a wonderful beginning and I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey on the path of awakening.