By Aleksei Gomez | 2/20/2022
By Manish Chopra | 2/20/2022
I reflected on all the positive benefits that I had drawn with only a
week of employing the Vipassana technique and how seismically my
mindset and behavioral orientation was tilting in a new and positive
direction. I then started to think about what it would be like when I
returned to my life as a consultant, with clients and colleagues, and
with my friends and family who had all known and experienced me
previously in a certain way.
A case in point—I had come to a
fairly informed conclusion that I would find it easy to give up alcohol
because I had discovered that my preexisting logical basis to consume it
to relax the mind was flawed at its core, if I was also to believe that
continuous happiness can only be achieved through a highly vigilant and
equanimous mind, which runs counter to consuming substances that can
overpower or numb the senses. I reckoned most of my family wouldn’t mind
my resolve to abstain from drinking, but certain friends, colleagues
and clients might find it more than a bit odd and potentially
off-putting or anti-social in its appeal.
By Danel Cove | 2/20/2022
The Buddha's inheritance
is enlightenment's imminence
in a lineage of eminence
and unequaled benevolence.
The path that he represents
is walked in full confidence
by disciples of excellence
beyond all comparisons.
By Christine Joly | 2/6/2022
By Kory Goldberg | 2/6/2022
Driving along
what could barely be called a road, a group of children and teens noticed
us—some waved exuberantly; most looked astonished. The occasional motor bike, scooter,
or jeep might pass through here from time-to-time, but a van filled with a
dozen people from around the world was certainly a first for them. When the
not-quite road came to an end, we all hopped out, excited to stretch our legs
and start our walk through this exquisite valley and up the mountain side to
the Pigeon’s Cave, a remote haunt that the Buddha used to retreat to from
time-to-time.
By Manish Chopra | 2/6/2022
I
had been impressed with the teaching methods thus far: explaining theory after
self-observed experimentation, progressive learning, preparing the mind for
complex tasks through acceleration of mental faculties, the totally immersive
nature of the program, among various other subtle aspects like the unidirectional,
clock-wise garden walks to avoid eye contact with other students. This impression led me to trust
that there must be some deep rationale for surprising us with having to make a
determination to achieve a fairly audacious and seemingly impossible goal. If I
had known something like this would be expected of us by this stage in the
program, I would have built up my resolve by achieving a smaller goal like
sitting in the same position for at least half an hour in previous days.