vipassana meditiation (whats your opinion on it)?!

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Future_Prodigy

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I have been very interested in it for sometime and there is a 10 day retreat that i would like to go on but i have heard from conservative catholics/christians to avoid such spirtual practices… but when one reads any of the mystical writtings you get the same flavor of message being expressed in this brief summary of vipassana:

"Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. "
 
self-purification by self-observation…
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self, self, self…this is “egolessness”?

:hmmm:

Paul

P.S.: How much do they charge for this 10-day retreat?
 
Future_Prodigy said:
I have been very interested in it for sometime and there is a 10 day retreat that i would like to go on but i have heard from conservative catholics/christians to avoid such spirtual practices… but when one reads any of the mystical writtings you get the same flavor of message being expressed in this brief summary of vipassana:

"Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. "
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For the record I dislike the label “conservative Catholic” as though I were just on one end of a spectrum of understanding Truth. To be sure, being orthodox and adhearing to traditional and magisterial thinking leaves me in a position in this culture that makes me more “politically conservative” but I have some “liberal” views in other venues where latitude in opinion is allowable…

Having said that…

Forgive me if I am blunt, but if you have the means to take ten days off of work or studies for such an endeavor, won’t you instead consider ten days in a Catholic monastic setting or a type of retreat/volunteer experience?

We see a rush on the part of the Baptized to the non-Christian East with the belief of many that there is much to learn there… Sadly I say that too many of these folks have yet to dive into their own tradition.

If you are so inclined, there are a number of religous orders and monasteries that I could recommend to you… In some instances there are some settings where volunteer work with the poor would be a componenent.

Bare in mind too that the ultimate end of such a meditation is not prayer in any Christian or deistic sense, but very much a means to oneself… I have spent 30 years focussed on me - quietly spending 10 days doing the same in such a genteel setting would be a step back, to be sure.

I am leary of many things about a 10 day retreat in a non-Christian setting, not the least of which is that during those ten days, you woudl invariably miss Mass. I cannot suggest any Catholic do so for such an endeavor.

To understand the Eucharist for what it is - the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus Christ - leads us to focus and order our week or day in a fashion that makes the celerbation of the Sacrifice of the Mass the highlight of existence.

To stand before the Judgement Seat and explain why one missed out on the obligation of worship as a Catholic for such an endeavor, is a position I do not envy, and would advise all to well avoid.
 
Future_Prodigy said:
I have been very interested in it for sometime and there is a 10 day retreat that i would like to go on but i have heard from conservative catholics/christians to avoid such spirtual practices… but when one reads any of the mystical writtings you get the same flavor of message being expressed in this brief summary of vipassana:

“Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness.”
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  1. I am Buddhist, so what I say may be biased.
  2. Vipassana meditation is a Buddhist technique. I have tried it and it works for me. I suggest that you try it and see if it is useful for you. Both the impermanence and suffering of the material world we live in are consistent with Christianity. Egolessness (“no soul”) may be more of a problem for you. Keep the parts that are useful to you and drop the parts that are not.
  3. For a Christian form of meditation you could try Saying the Jesus Prayer. If you do try this then please note the warning given:“But those who have no personal contact with starets [a teacher or guide] my still practice the Prayer without any fear, so long as they do so only for limited periods - initially, for no more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time - and so long as they make no attempt to interfere with the body’s natural rhythms.”
rossum
 
Future_Prodigy said:
I have been very interested in it for sometime and there is a 10 day retreat that i would like to go on but i have heard from conservative catholics/christians to avoid such spirtual practices… but when one reads any of the mystical writtings you get the same flavor of message being expressed in this brief summary of vipassana:

"Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. "
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Sounds like an opportunity that you should take advantage of. If you go for 10 days and experience 10 minutes of universal truth, you’ll get your money’s worth.
 
ASimpleSinner said:
Forgive me if I am blunt, but if you have the means to take ten days off of work or studies for such an endeavor, won’t you instead consider ten days in a Catholic monastic setting or a type of retreat/volunteer experience?
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That sounds like a great opportunity as well.
We see a rush on the part of the Baptized to the non-Christian East with the belief of many that there is much to learn there… Sadly I say that too many of these folks have yet to dive into their own tradition.
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Judaism sees this as well. Personally, I believe one can fullfill their spiritual needs within their own faith. The fact that so many seem to leave their faiths for spiritual fullfillment in budahism or something else points to, IMO, a lack of proper leadership in our religion, rather than anything lacking in our faith.
 
rossum said:
  1. I am Buddhist, so what I say may be biased.
  2. Vipassana meditation is a Buddhist technique…Keep the parts that are useful to you and drop the parts that are not.
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Good advice. (for just about anything).
 
Meditation has always been apart of the Bible and monastic orders have done it for generations. DO IT!!!
 
Buddhist meditation on the self has never been a part of the bible nor has any Christian monastic order engaged in it.

Paul
 
A ten day retreat for someone who is not used to meditating can be very difficult. The retreat may include total silence except when speaking to the retreat leaders; one meal a day before noon; as well as a very structured meditation experience. It is not for everyone.

Just try meditating at home for an hour a day for ten days. Concentrate on the breath. Don’t change position. Observe your thoughts come and go. If you can meditate for an hour for ten consecutive days, then you may want to try vipassana. At least you will have an idea of what you are getting into.

Be sure to really check out the teacher and the group. Not everyone is who they say they are.
 
PaulDupre said:
Buddhist meditation on the self has never been a part of the bible nor has any Christian monastic order engaged in it.

Paul
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Its not about meditating on yourself but on reality. Simply sitting watching thoughts pass by being aware of everything and letting realizations come in. Where do these realizations come from? God.
 
notself said:
A ten day retreat for someone who is not used to meditating can be very difficult. The retreat may include total silence except when speaking to the retreat leaders; one meal a day before noon; as well as a very structured meditation experience. It is not for everyone.
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that is exactly the set up of the retreat!

Here is the website:

torana.dhamma.org/

valke2 - i totally agree with you concerning a lack of proper leadership in our religions, rather than anything lacking in our faith. It is said that very few parish priests can recommend anything aside from holy hour adorations, and intercession prayers… sadly, totally neglectig many of the medieval mystical traditions.
 
Valke2 said:
Sounds like an opportunity that you should take advantage of. If you go for 10 days and experience 10 minutes of universal truth, you’ll get your money’s worth.
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are you being serious or facetious ?
 
Future_Prodigy said:
are you being serious or facetious ?
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Serious. I would assume that 10 days of mediation are not going to result in 10 days of being one with the universe. That such a feeling is reached only sporadically even by the best of us.
 
Valke2 said:
Serious. I would assume that 10 days of mediation are not going to result in 10 days of being one with the universe. That such a feeling is reached only sporadically even by the best of us.
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I don’t think that is the purpose of the class.
 
notself said:
I don’t think that is the purpose of the class.
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With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. "

I was just going on what was originally posted. To recognize universal truth is to be one with the universe, isn’t it? Anyway, whatever you want to call it, heightened awareness is a good thing in my book.
 
notself said:
A ten day retreat for someone who is not used to meditating can be very difficult. The retreat may include total silence except when speaking to the retreat leaders; one meal a day before noon; as well as a very structured meditation experience.
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Sounds like very structured brainwashing techniques.

Paul
 
Valke2 said:
With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. "

I was just going on what was originally posted. To recognize universal truth is to be one with the universe, isn’t it? Anyway, whatever you want to call it, heightened awareness is a good thing in my book.
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To recognize the President is to become one with GWB? Now how does that make sense? You are reading too much into the statement. It is true there is suffering. It is true there is impermanence. It is true that we cannot locate our “self” by means of our own thought processes. Observing these truths or part of these truths as they impact one’s life is the goal of the class.

I think it is a rather ambitious goal. 😉
 
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