Benefits of Regular Practice: Member's 10-Day Retreat Report
I finished my 10-day meditation retreat at Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME. I didn't realize how meditating with TBA-IMG every Sunday boosted my ability to concentrate so quickly at the retreat. I felt at ease, comfortable and accepting of sitting right off the bat. I could not have done that without steady practice with the Sangha. Through my practice I've cultivated discipline for meditating.
Also, I had my first experience with concentration. I would not have known what it was without my interviews with Sayadaw Dhammapiya. (Thank you, Sayadaw!) You (Sayadaw) said to me before, "Don't worry about concentration, you can do that a retreat. Just work on mindfulness." I've never felt the quality of concentration before, like I felt at the retreat recently, and I haven't felt it since. The noble silence and the whole atmosphere is conducive for concentration and meditation. I'm grateful for my gradual awakening to what mindfulness is for me, and now I understand concentration for myself. I can see and owe my progress in meditation the TBA-IMG program: group meditation, interviews, dharma talks. Thank you!
I'm going to continue my twice daily meditation the best I can. The benefits of feeling equanimous with the way things are is invaluable. I feel determined to cultivate my mindfulness in my daily activities. I'm re-reading a book I picked up by Dr. Thynn Thynn at JBT called, "Living Insight, Living Meditation." She is excellent in explaining mindfulness to a beginner like me. When I read her book the first time I had an intellectual understanding and I remember feeling hopeful. Since I've had my own experiences with mindfulness now I feel even more affection for her writing because she's helping me to understand my experiences better and guiding me as I become more aware. I looked on her website recently and saw she's going to teach a 12-week course called "Meditate Without Meditation - The Daily Life Mindfulness Practice: How to be mindful throughout the day; at work, home, and play." I can't attend her course in person; however, she is going to make it available on the Internet via MP3 for students who want to be apart of the class remotely. I have registered for the course and wanted to see if any of you would be interested in registering too. I think it will be a valuable experience--we may learn more if we learn together. Let me know if you decide to take the course. All you have to do is send an email to the address on the flyer.
With appreciation and happiness,
Vivian
Also, I had my first experience with concentration. I would not have known what it was without my interviews with Sayadaw Dhammapiya. (Thank you, Sayadaw!) You (Sayadaw) said to me before, "Don't worry about concentration, you can do that a retreat. Just work on mindfulness." I've never felt the quality of concentration before, like I felt at the retreat recently, and I haven't felt it since. The noble silence and the whole atmosphere is conducive for concentration and meditation. I'm grateful for my gradual awakening to what mindfulness is for me, and now I understand concentration for myself. I can see and owe my progress in meditation the TBA-IMG program: group meditation, interviews, dharma talks. Thank you!
I'm going to continue my twice daily meditation the best I can. The benefits of feeling equanimous with the way things are is invaluable. I feel determined to cultivate my mindfulness in my daily activities. I'm re-reading a book I picked up by Dr. Thynn Thynn at JBT called, "Living Insight, Living Meditation." She is excellent in explaining mindfulness to a beginner like me. When I read her book the first time I had an intellectual understanding and I remember feeling hopeful. Since I've had my own experiences with mindfulness now I feel even more affection for her writing because she's helping me to understand my experiences better and guiding me as I become more aware. I looked on her website recently and saw she's going to teach a 12-week course called "Meditate Without Meditation - The Daily Life Mindfulness Practice: How to be mindful throughout the day; at work, home, and play." I can't attend her course in person; however, she is going to make it available on the Internet via MP3 for students who want to be apart of the class remotely. I have registered for the course and wanted to see if any of you would be interested in registering too. I think it will be a valuable experience--we may learn more if we learn together. Let me know if you decide to take the course. All you have to do is send an email to the address on the flyer.
With appreciation and happiness,
Vivian
The key point here is "Just work on mindfulness."
ReplyDeleteAll yogis who have been working so hard and never gone anywhere tend to be "thinking too much and fogetting to work on their mindfulness."
Just work on mindfulness, The Dharma will reveal itself.