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Ok. 7.30 pm on Sundays starting from next Sunday 🙂 Charlie and Chris have my phone number. address is Niuwangmiao Xiang and apartment complex Rong Shang Fang building 3. Entrance to the complex is between the 9010 kiosk and Hong qi store.
Thats a great idea, Anna. We can arrive at 7.30pm then, and start at 7.45pm. Meditate for 30 minutes initially and see how it sinks in with everyone. According to the initial sessions, we can adjust the meditation time later. And later, if people want, they can stay around, have tea and talk 🙂 or even go out somewhere. Hemp house is 5 minutes away from me!
Great Charlie, we can attend a course together soon then! 🙂 Im heading back for a session 11-22 September this year.
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I just realized there arent many people on the thread, so collecting interested parties is not so difficult. I would suggest Sunday evening then, 8pm? Would that suit your friends too, Charlie?
We should probably keep the meditation time short as we have meditators from different levels interested in sitting together. How does 30 minutes sound? Since its a short time, we can also spice it up after and socialize, share experience, etc.
My place is up for grabs. If jiuyanqiao area is suitable and you are interested in taking part, how about you reply with ” Im in ” and list your free times underneath.
Hey Charlie, which part did you consider linked to theology or the supernatural? Vipassana is also non-secualr compeletly and nothing supernatural about it- just a finer reality our minds pierce when we apply the technique.
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My apartment near Jiuyanqiao is available for mediation, if the area is suitable to people. My apartment is protected by other complexes around it so no noise. And my livingroom is big, I can seat about 15 people maximum. However, round 8-10 is comfortable.
Hey Charlie, Ill give an outline to my understanding of the differences between these meditation techniques- based on my experience purely. The basic difference between the technique of zazen and vipassana is that zazen, or zen, emphasizes mindfulness- observing the mind. zazen will use an object for concentration, such as counting breaths, a visual aid, a mantra or some puzzle. Mindfully engaging in daily activity is also very important. The final aim is to observe and remain in the the present moment of the mind, without thinking and reacting with desire or aversion. Vipassana also aims at remaining in the present moment without reacting with aversion or desire. However, this is achieved by observing the reality of the body without any outside object for aiding concentration. Also, understanding of the reality of the mind comes with observing the reality of the body and its sensations. Mindfully engaging with the mind is thus not stressed in Vipassana as a mindful mind is considered the natural byproduct of understanding that comes by observing the wealthy reality of the body. The reason for concentrating on the sensations of the body is that desire and aversion are not just habits of the mind but actually reactions to sensations in the body. The understanding that sensations in the body just happen, just like life just happens, is the next step I referred to before. If we want to become freed, we must change the way we react to these sensations. And for this, we need to become aware of the sensations.
Im lucky to have had first hand experience of all this at the course and I encourage anyone to also take the time for themselves and attend a course. All the work you do there is essentially up to you, the teacher is useful in guiding you to do Vipassana and not become confused or entangled in other techniques. As said earlier, there are many different ways of meditating, all with their own aims. The aim of Vipassana is to reveal the root of desire and aversion which, according to the Buddha, are the reason for our unhappiness. Why this is important is a wide subject itself. If anyone is interested, they should read more about Buddhism. However, a practical experience of his teachings, such as gained from Vipassana, is much more useful.
Hey Charlie, Ill give an outline to my understanding of the differences between these meditation techniques- based on my experience purely. The basic difference between the technique of zazen and vipassana is that zazen, or zen, emphasizes mindfulness- observing the mind. zazen will use an object for concentration, such as counting breaths, a visual aid, a mantra or some puzzle. Mindfully engaging in daily activity is also very important. The final aim is to observe and remain in the the present moment of the mind, without thinking and reacting with desire or aversion. Vipassana also aims at remaining in the present moment without reacting with aversion or desire. However, this is achieved by observing the reality of the body without any outside object for aiding concentration. Also, understanding of the reality of the mind comes with observing the reality of the body and its sensations. Mindfully engaging with the mind is thus not stressed in Vipassana as a mindful mind is considered the natural byproduct of understanding that comes by observing the wealthy reality of the body. The reason for concentrating on the sensations of the body is that desire and aversion are not just habits of the mind but actually reactions to sensations in the body. The understanding that sensations in the body just happen, just like life just happens, is the next step I referred to before. If we want to become freed, we must change the way we react to these sensations. And for this, we need to become aware of the sensations.
Im lucky to have had first hand experience of all this at the course and I encourage anyone to also take the time for themselves and attend a course. All the work you do there is essentially up to you, the teacher is useful in guiding you to do Vipassana and not become confused or entangled in other techniques. As said earlier, there are many different ways of meditating, all with their own aims. The aim of Vipassana is to reveal the root of desire and aversion which, according to the Buddha, are the reason for our unhappiness. Why this is important is a wide subject itself. If anyone is interested, they should read more about Buddhism. However, a practical experience of his teachings, such as gained from Vipassana, is much more useful.
Hey Brendan, I dont know if I can give to the banana 😀 but I look forward to a chat with you again soon!
Hey Charlie, if youre interested, theres plenty of resources on the internet about Vipassana. And its true, you can practice different meditation techniques by yourself. However, reversing bad habits from applying the technique wrong is a waste of time. Thus learning under a teacher the correct way from the beginning is both practical and saves you time, especially since you take ten days initially to really dive into this reality.
Hey Brendan, I dont know if I can give to the banana 😀 but I look forward to a chat with you again soon!
Hey Charlie, if youre interested, theres plenty of resources on the internet about Vipassana. And its true, you can practice different meditation techniques by yourself. However, reversing bad habits from applying the technique wrong is a waste of time. Thus learning under a teacher the correct way from the beginning is both practical and saves you time, especially since you take ten days initially to really dive into this reality.
Thats great, Larry- is your brother in Chengdu? I have the same feeling about Vipassana, however, the 10 days definitely did change my whole outlook on life.
Jenise, Ill PM you and we can look into a time that suits all of us.
Theres tons of different ways of meditating, Charlie. Zen is a cornerstone to Vipassana actually, however, Vipassana takes it a step further and requires a qualified teacher to teach it to you. Its always taught for free and beginners require a 10 day course initially, however, already finished students can take courses up to 45 days in some centers.
Wonderful! How should we go about finding a suitable place and time for interested parties for regular meditation?
Thats great, Larry- is your brother in Chengdu? I have the same feeling about Vipassana, however, the 10 days definitely did change my whole outlook on life.
Jenise, Ill PM you and we can look into a time that suits all of us.
Theres tons of different ways of meditating, Charlie. Zen is a cornerstone to Vipassana actually, however, Vipassana takes it a step further and requires a qualified teacher to teach it to you. Its always taught for free and beginners require a 10 day course initially, however, already finished students can take courses up to 45 days in some centers.
Wonderful! How should we go about finding a suitable place and time for interested parties for regular meditation?
Hey Charlie, this technique requires you to have done the course where they teach you the details and also provide you with ample time to test it out without all the outside distractions so its not a typical meditation technique. But a regular meditation group is also a great idea! Lets see whether there is any more interest 🙂
Also, please send a couple of nice photos to [email protected]
Also, please send a couple of nice photos to [email protected]
