Trip Report: 2nd 10 Day Vipassana Course

[eskwire]

Hey, forum! I am so tired right now. Been up since 4, going hard. I'm waiting on some food in the oven to use for my weekly meal prep. I got home from the course around 2 this afternoon.

My second ten day Vipassana course came just at the right time - when I was drained of compassion, tolerance, and patience for others - due to some personal hardships and slacking on my meditation. This was reviving.

Some Notes:

• It's a completely different experience than the first one. The program is the same - you are not the same. 
• Some people seemed to have an aversion to the elements of the program that smacked of Stage Blue for them - keeping sila (morality), taking orders, having rules about bedtimes etc. 
  • Vipassana is not a Stage Blue practice IMO, but there is some language that would really turn people off who are beyond that stage. My take on it is that our infinite universe is so infinite, it includes some rules and regulations that are universally(?) helpful.
• My first course was super dramatic. Lots of crying, ups and downs, shock and awe at my "powers" lalalala. This one was more mature. I was grounded and focused on making sure I did the technique correctly - without delusion. This was deeply gratifying and fulfilling, though not exciting like the first.
• The sense of community I get from Vipassana is stronger than what I've gotten anywhere else. I still talk to people I met at the first one at least a couple times a week - and I made a new promising friend at this one.
• I noticed myself gaining a real curiosity about the theory of Vipassana on this course and purchased many books, which I did not bother investing in before. This interest in theory seems to come in waves, perhaps when you are ready.
• Leo's work was very helpful in understanding the "point" of all of it. Some people struggled with doing something so strenuous and the "end goal" not making any sense to them - especially if they have no experience of "no mind." This makes some people leave, give up their home practice, or just never come back.

It was great. I am so grateful and happy to have gone again - and I have a lot of work to do.

[Prabhaker]

Thanks for sharing the report.

[dorg]

Good to hear. Thanks for sharing.

[luckieluuke]

Thats great to hear. I was on my first Vipassana a year ago and thinking about going again, so really nice to hear that it was fulfilling for you at least

[PsiloPutty]

Cool, sounds like a good time. I'm already thinking about planning my 2nd Vipassana retreat as well. 

[eskwire]

@PsiloPutty @luckieluuke Great. It's certainly worth it. Let me know how it goes!

Another note -

One thing that helped me through the 5th and 6th days when I kept wanting that segment to end so we could move on to the next activity (which was usually just more meditation, right?), I thought, "You have to just do this until you die. You have to pay attention until you die so just get over it - there's nothing else." 

I understood the gravity of learning meditation - coming out of delusion - and surrender.