A Forgotten Post: Self-Transformation Through Self-Observation

This is a post I forgot to post! I wrote it before arriving in Thailand, and figure I should post it because now I HAVE UPDATES! Well, here it is:

I have been accepted to the 10- day

Vipassana Meditation Course in Thailand!

It is one of my goals while on this Thailand trip to further explore myself, my limits, and also meditation. It could be said that I am on some kind of a "spirit quest". After much research and deliberation I decided my interest was in the Vipassana Technique. I did some course- comparing, and applied to the course that best suited me. I wanted something that was not religiously affiliated, and in a safe area of Thailand. I liked the details and location of this course, and the best part: the course is free.This includes your accommodation AND food (vegetarian of course) for 10 days.

All courses are run solely on donations made by graduates of the Vipassana courses. After you have completed the entire course( and ONLY after) the temple will accept a donation from you to fund a newcomers 10 days. I thought this "pay-it-forward" kinda temple suited me just fine.

 filled out a few-page questionaire where you are asked about your experience with meditation, your medical history, if you have any addictions etc. It was pretty simple and I finished it within 15 minutes. Within a few days I received an acceptance letter via e-mail with details on directions to the temple, what to wear, the code of discipline etc.   

The Global Vipassana Pagoda

You eat what the center gives you, you are not permitted to leaves the center's grounds, you must follow the code of discipline and Noble Silence, you have limited sleep and you must meditate for most of the day. But the teachers there are impressive, and I am so intrigued by their knowledge and way of life! The chance to learn about meditation and live in Noble Silence while in Thailand is a chance that comes once in a lifetime--so why not? I am so pumped for this experience but after reading the information provided by the center, I am sure of one thing only. This experience will not be easy. It will be no week at a resort, thats for sure, but I know I will challenge myself, and that I will learn a lot. Thats whats important!

An Ancient Meditation Technique Rediscovered: Vipassana

What is Vipassana?

The Vipassana Technique

"Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living.

This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. Healing, not merely the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human suffering, is its purpose. Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. "
 Read more of this article @: dhamma.org/en/vipassana.shtml

The Tradition

"Since the time of Buddha, Vipassana has been handed down, to the present day, by an unbroken chain of teachers. Although Indian by descent, the current teacher in this chain, Mr. S.N. Goenka, was born and raised in Burma (Myanmar). While living there he had the good fortune to learn Vipassana from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin who was at the time a high Government official. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. Since then he has taught tens of thousands of people of all races and all religions in both the East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet the growing demand for Vipassana courses." -From dhamma.org/en/vipassana.shtml

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If you would like to learn more about this ancient technique of meditation, watch this video. Enjoy!
http://video.server.dhamma.org/video/intro/vintro.htm

"If Youre Not Green, Youre Totally 90's"

                                 Ben Harpers point-of view on life,
                                                                     and being "green"

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood





Baan Din

One of the main things we are going to do in Thailand is learn about

sustainable construction: how to build earthen buildings/homes, "Baan Din" in Thai. I have been doing a lot of reading on the internet and I found this great video of the step- by-step construction of an Adobe building, which is the most common form of earthern home being built today in Thailand.