That movie launched my dive into insight (vipassana) meditation 20+ years ago, followed by a bunch of silent retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., USA.
That is quite the synchronicity, to quote Yung (or perhaps The Police's 5th album?)
I discovered Vipassana around the same time as you when visiting a lovely Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, London UK. There were mediations occurring with monks and pamphlets with words from Dhiravamsa's book that I mentioned. At around the same time I had been visiting a local Hindu temple in south London and reading Swami Vivikenander, Osho, Ouspensky, Guerdjieff etc. A good friend of mine mentioned the film to me many years later and that insight meditation had been used to successfully rehabilitate prisoners. It is powerful stuff but first a person must admit that they are trapped and have to want to work on themselves. A tall order in today's western consumer society.
I found Thich Nhat Hanh in 2021 when I desperately needed to quiet my racing mind. I discovered that he had a California monestary-retreat & thought about visiting until I saw they were enforcing a vaxx pass & face masks- ugh.
That really made me doubt the philosophy although I think brother Tay was back in Vietnam by then (finally allowed back in to die there). That policy seemed so incongruent with his teachings.
1) Please have received confirmation of your registration prior to arrival
2) Be prepared to share your CDC card showing complete COVID-19 vaccination, meaning that at least 2 weeks will have passed after your second shot by the day you are scheduled to arrive
3) Bring a face mask to wear any time you are indoors and maintain 6 feet of social distancing both indoors and outdoors
4) Allow us to take your temperature when you arrive to the monastery (your temperature must be under 100 degrees for admittance)
I calmed down just by listening to him.
For anyone interested in the practice of Vipassana meditation, this film from 1998 about Vipassana in prison reform is pertinent.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WkxSyv5R1sg
"We are all prisoners, undergoing a life sentence. Imprisoned by our own minds, we are all seeking parole, hostages to our anger, fear, desire etc"
I would also recommend the book 'The Middle Path of Life' by Dhiravamsa for those interested.
That movie launched my dive into insight (vipassana) meditation 20+ years ago, followed by a bunch of silent retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., USA.
That is quite the synchronicity, to quote Yung (or perhaps The Police's 5th album?)
I discovered Vipassana around the same time as you when visiting a lovely Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, London UK. There were mediations occurring with monks and pamphlets with words from Dhiravamsa's book that I mentioned. At around the same time I had been visiting a local Hindu temple in south London and reading Swami Vivikenander, Osho, Ouspensky, Guerdjieff etc. A good friend of mine mentioned the film to me many years later and that insight meditation had been used to successfully rehabilitate prisoners. It is powerful stuff but first a person must admit that they are trapped and have to want to work on themselves. A tall order in today's western consumer society.
Vipassana resonated with me because it strips out most of the Asian ritual and ceremony. IMS is great. There is (was?) an IMS retreat in England.
I found Thich Nhat Hanh in 2021 when I desperately needed to quiet my racing mind. I discovered that he had a California monestary-retreat & thought about visiting until I saw they were enforcing a vaxx pass & face masks- ugh.
That really made me doubt the philosophy although I think brother Tay was back in Vietnam by then (finally allowed back in to die there). That policy seemed so incongruent with his teachings.
1) Please have received confirmation of your registration prior to arrival
2) Be prepared to share your CDC card showing complete COVID-19 vaccination, meaning that at least 2 weeks will have passed after your second shot by the day you are scheduled to arrive
3) Bring a face mask to wear any time you are indoors and maintain 6 feet of social distancing both indoors and outdoors
4) Allow us to take your temperature when you arrive to the monastery (your temperature must be under 100 degrees for admittance)
https://deerparkmonastery.org/registration-for-in-person-retreat/#:~:text=We%20are%20kindly%20asking%20all%20registrants%20to,have%20passed%20after%20your%20second%20shot%20by
I know. I’m sure IMS is the same. Haven't been on a retreat in over 10 years. It’s the most educated who swallowed the propaganda without question.