Sitting With Strong Determination

In the practice of Vipassana there is an exercise called 'Sitting with Strong Determination'.  The goal is to sit motionless (except for the motion required for respiration) with eyes closed for one hour.   Head, arms, hands and legs are held motionless. During this hour you are to observe your body's sensation without reacting.   Don't scratch the itch on your nose, don't adjust posture to address the pain in your back or the cramp in your leg.  Observe without reaction.  While observing these sensations without reaction we learn  an important lesson:  There is a rising and diminishing of all of our sensations.   We learn the temporary nature of  what we feel, physically and emotionally.  There is great value in knowing that 'all things pass'.

Meditating in this manner, without reaction, translates to real world/real life benefit.   It disciplines the mind to observe, without reaction,  the events occurring around us or to us.   The goal is to pause, consider if action is necessary and to anticipate the consequences before acting.   The goal is action, not reaction.

I am very much in the infancy of my practice of Vipassana.   Consistent   equanimity is still a goal.   I'm getting an occasional  experience of it here and there throughout the day.  It makes me hopeful.    Practice, practice, practice.

Each morning I practice Sitting with Determination for 1 full hour.  Again in the evening for 30 minutes.      I'll see where this  leads me in the coming years.   In the meanwhile I enjoy the deep, restful sense of peace that comes with meditation.  That in itself is reward enough.

Vipassana, a life changing experience.

I've been wanting to blog about my Vipassana experience in Washington.  I still cannot find the words.  This has been a life changing experience for me.  Expressing something  so monumentally significant in my life is challenging.  It might be impossible.

1. My experience of spending 10 days in the presence of evolving, thoughtful, beautiful humans was, in itself, completely worth the 1200 miles of driving and the investment of time.

2.  Vipassana meditation has given times of deep peace and clarity that I never experienced before in my life...ever.

3.  I have the means at my disposal to return to sanity and balance  any time the world overwhelms me. (If often does!)  I can find rest in this whenever I need.

4.  I understand that I am in the infancy of practice,

5.  I believe with every ounce of my soul that meditation has the potential the heal ALL  the ugliness in the world.

6.  To pray is to ask. .  To meditate is to listen.

7,  My experience of  life is deeper, richer and more joyful since beginning a meditation practice many years ago.  I can say with absolute honesty that it is so much more so after my 10 days in Washington.

My blog  is short and incomplete, for now.  I'm taking baby steps on a new path.  More to follow.

My son's 2nd grade teacher hurt his feelings. He is a grown man now and she is 6 feet under. I have not forgiven her. My meditation "guru" said that practice can be like lancing a wound. This one came up for me. How do I forgive someone who has hurt my child? Do I even want to? Meditation isn't always pretty. I left this fact out of my blog. I shouldn't have.