Vipasana Retreats

[Harikrishnan]

Iam going for a three day vipasana retreat on 10th and a 10 day retreat on 15th of this month. Two months back i did a 3 day and it was so wonderful that i was not able to get words to express my inner happines, but it only lasted a day.  Last year i did a 10 day, but it was not effective as i was new to meditation. So i would like to know from you guys how to get maximum benefit from these two retreats am in. Should i do self enquiry,  concentration, contemplation, do nothing method or should i stick with vipasana only. Im looking forward to stopping my social media addiction after this retreat and also like to go to complete sage mode after this. and also Please help me to increase my love for TRUTH. 

[No-Thing]

Stick to vipassana only but don't stay on the surface of your body but go inside. Feel every inch of your body bit by bit. Practice from morning till night and even when you wake up in the night. Practice while you eat, while you pee, while you walk. Take it very, very, very seriously. Be prepared to have breakdowns, have breakdowns and stay seated. It is the breaking away of your will it is the right direction. Don't believe anything your mind tells you on retreat. Your ego tries to distract you from practicing because it knows it leads to it's death. Don't make up or believe any story your thoughts come up with. Just observe without any judgement as purely as you can. 

Make sure to push your concentration abilities in the first 3 days. Focus focus focus! Really focus. That means blending out everything else and only be absorbed by the area you focus on.

Enjoy! Know you are totally safe. If you feel like you need to puke - smile! If you feel like you need to cry  - smile! Feel the eternity shining through you. Everything else is just your mind playing games with you.

 

[No-Thing]

It is actually really simple. Practice without a story. See the sensations that make up your body for what they are. As they are in the moment without a story attached to it.

Stick to vipassana only on retreat. In your own time you can experiment and mix as you like, but the technique works as it is. If you are unsure if you do it right, just ask your guides. 

If on retreat thoughts pop up like, "Oh maybe I should mix it up and do some self inquiry", then remember it is just your mind being bored or afraid because you are close to a breakthrough.

Before an insight there is often a period of struggle, a fight going on inside you. If things get rough and tough remember that it's just the last straw of another part of your ego or unconscious mind that is about to break away. If you want to scream, run away, cry, mix it up, ... that is exactly the time when you should stay seated and work diligently. But paradoxically at the same time, you have to surrender. Surrender on the inside but stay equanimous on the outside. If thought's running through your head like, "Oh, please god I can't take it anymore. How could anybody have ever dealt with that? I give up, I give up, I surrender" even when you are not religious, then you know you are on the right path :-).

You'll run through cycles. At times you'll feel completely normal, then you feel totally horrified and disgusted by all that crap and you want it to end, then you'll have a breakthrough and you'll feel spiritual and want to tell all your friends and family about it. Rinse and repeat. It's all normal. Observe how your state changes but stay equanimous. 

I wish you all the best!