The Frugivore Diet

'Doing Time, Doing Vipassana' video available on youtube

2012-10-19T07:48:09.000Z

Such a wonderful and inspiring video!!! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEPaacnLyDs&feature=related

Vipassana Meditation Experiences video

2011-11-15T09:31:20.000Z

See below...

Introduction to Vipassana (SN Goenka) video

2011-09-16T07:05:52.000Z

I just watched this sweet intro. below, thought I'd share :)

new video on the children's/teens course, 'Seeds Of Awareness'

2011-03-31T18:33:09.000Z

My husband and kids just watched this, it's beautiful!!!

http://www.children.dhamma.org/en/videos/seeds.shtml

Three of my kids have gone on multiple children and teen courses and my oldest has gone on 3 adult courses. The children/teen courses are extremely wonderful, I'd say the very best experience you can give a child. The parents of the child do not have to be old students, (have taken a course). We've taken a few friends of our kids too! :)

P.S. iLuvGR33N sent this to me and said that el-bo's friend filmed this.

Information for a newbie

2011-01-11T20:05:36.000Z

Hi All meditators

I have done some meditating over the past couple of years and a friend told me about the Vipassana 10 course a while ago.

Since going 811about five months ago and then seeing a thread for this group, I decided to look into it.

Today, I have confirmation that I have a place for one of the courses in March, here in the UK (luckily I am quite near main centre).

Now, I am getting a bit apprehensive about it. Will I really be able to go 10 whole days without speaking, reading, writing, being in contact with my husband.......

I also had enquired whether I could take a box of bananas and dates etc to leave in the kitchen for the people working there to put out for everyone at meal times (so I didn't feel bad taking 8 or so bananas at a time) but they said no. Unless I have a medical condition I have to eat their food. I remember reading here that someone said there is usually plenty of fruit so hopefully that won't be an issue.

I am more concerned about whether I can really do this. Would anyone mind sharing their experiences of their first time doing a 10 day course? And more importantly, how they felt at the end of it.

Blessings to all of you

Helen x

Can we be liberated and still live a "normal" life amongst those who still think suffering is just part of life?

2010-09-05T20:04:50.000Z

Actually I have another question too... Vipassana, as I understand it, is about liberating the mind from conditioning and thereby making it possible to see reality for what it is without attaching [subjective] emotions to it, and it's about acquiring awareness of the equanimity between all sentient beings. That last part I get... we are all "me's" just in different forms, the happiness and peaceful mind of one me is no more or less valuable than that of another "me."
My question though is about emotions and conditioning... Our mind/bodies have develped these mechanisms in order to make sense of the world. We recieve raw data via sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and thoughts. But it's too much info for our mind/bodies to organize and make sense of in it's raw form so we use these mechanisms so that we can navigate through our world and sustain our earthly configurations as long as possible.

So if we liberate or minds from conditioning and emotional attachments where does that leave us? How do we deal with all this incoming information?

And if indeed our minds don't explode from information overload and we reach liberation, how can we continue to live amongst those whose delusions block their awareness to the thought that there is life without suffering?
You know what I mean? How can we help eliminate the suffering of all the "me's"? How do we go about changing the way they think?

To me the knowledge that suffering is actually just a delusion in and of itself brings peace to my mind, but when I try to explain this concept to others who are suffering, well it doesn't bring peace to them at all. In fact it makes some feel worse.

I was hoping to get these questions answered and get help liberating the mind of my own "me" at a Vipassana course but it doesn't look like I'll have the opportunity to attend one for several months. They're all booked up at the center closest to where I live, which is a good thing so I can't complain, I guess I'll just have to wait a bit longer. Can't count on future events and circumstances though anyway, the present is all that really matters. Sure would like some feedback though :)

Illinois Vipassana Meditation Center Dhamma Pakãsa Pecatonica, Illinois

2010-08-21T21:12:52.000Z

Anyone been to this center for the 10 day course? It's the closest one to where I live (4-5hr. drive). The MI one and MN are both about a 8-10hr. drive, they are non-center's though, I don't know exactly what that means.
If so, were they accommodating to LFRV? I'm used to eating every 3-5hrs. I a little concerned I won't be able to pack in enough calories in just 2 meals a day.
Also, any thoughts on the experience, please share.

next time you smoke

2010-07-01T04:23:52.000Z

He said, "Meditation out of smoking?” I said, “Yes. If Zen people
can make a meditation out of drinking tea and can make it a
ceremony, why not? Smoking can be as beautiful a meditation.”
He looked thrilled. He said, “What are you saying?” He became
alive! He said, “Meditation? just tell me – I can’t wait!”

I gave him the meditation. I said, “Do one thing. When you are
taking the packet of cigarettes out of your pocket, move slowly. Enjoy
it, there is no hurry. Be conscious, alert, aware; take it out slowly,
with full awareness. Then take the cigarette out of the packet with full
awareness, slowly – not in the old hurried way, unconscious way,
mechanical way. Then start tapping the cigarette on your packet – but
very alertly. Listen to the sound, just as Zen people do when the
samovar starts singing and the tea starts boiling ... and the aroma.
Then smell the cigarette and the beauty of it ...”
He said, “What are you saying? The beauty?” “Yes, it is beautiful.
Tobacco is as divine as anything. Smell it; it is God’s smell.”
He looked a little surprised. He said, “What! Are you joking?”
“No, I am not joking.”
Even when I joke, I don’t joke. I am very serious.
“Then put it in your mouth, with full awareness, light it with full
awareness. Enjoy every act, every small act, and divide it into as
many small acts as possible, so you can become more and more
aware.
“Then have the first puff: God in the form of smoke. Hindus say,
‘Annam Brahm’ – ‘Food is God’. Why not smoke? All is God. Fill
your lungs deeply – this is a pranayam. I am giving you the new yoga
for the new age! Then release the smoke, relax, another puff – and go
very slowly.

---- orange book

man is a machine

2010-06-27T12:00:29.000Z

just beautiful words

Man is a machine. Man is not born to be a machine, but man lives like a machine and dies like a machine. Man has the seedof a great flowering of consciousness, man has the possibility to become God,but that doesn't happen. It does not happen because man has been hypnotized --by the society, by the state, by the organized church, by the vested interests.The society needs slaves and man can remain a slave only if he is not allowedto grow to his uttermost flowering. The society needs your flesh and your skinsand naturally, nobody likes it. Hence, the whole process of socialization, ofcivilization, is nothing but a deep hypnosis.

Man is being hypnotized from the very moment he is born. He is being hypnotized to believe that the society exists inhis favour, for his good. That is utterly wrong. He is being hypnotized tobelieve that he is immortal. He is not. He can be, but he is not. And if thehypnosis persists he will never be immortal.

You live only as a mortal being, because you live in the body. The body is going to die. That which is born is bound todie. Birth is the beginning of the body and death the end. Do you know anythingin you which is more than the body? Have you experienced anything higher thanthe body, deeper than the body? Have you seen anything in you which was evenbefore you were born? If you have seen that, then you are immortal. If you knowyour face, your original face, the face that you had before you were born, thenyou know you will be there after death too; otherwise not.

Man can be an immortal, but man lives surrounded by death because man lives identified with the body. The societydoes not allow you to know more than the body. The society is interested onlyin your body -- your body can be put to use -- your soul is dangerous.

A man of soul is always dangerous because a man of soul is a free man. He cannot be reduced to slavery. A man who has animmortal soul in him has a deeper commitment to existence itself, to Godhimself. He does not care a bit about the man-made structures of society,civilization and culture; these are prison cells for him. He does not exist asa Christian or a Hindu or a Mohammedan. He cannot be part of a crowd. He existsas an individual.

The body is part of a crowd, your soul is not. Your soul is deeply individual. Its flavour is that of freedom.

But your soul cannot be put to any use in the market-place. The society needs only your body. And it is very dangerousfor the society if you start striving for the soul, because then your interestchanges. You turn from being all extrovert into an introvert; you start movinginwards. The society is outside, the society wants you to remain an extrovert,interested in money, power, prestige, and all that, so that your energy goes onmoving outwards. If you start moving inwards, that means you have become adrop-out, you are no more part of the game that is being played on the outside.You don't belong to it. You start diving deep within your own being. And thereis the source of immortality.

The society prevents you from going inwards. And the best way is to give you a false idea that you are goinginwards.

----the secret of secrets

How much do you meditate guys?

2010-06-20T20:49:57.000Z

Recently I was loosing a major battle trying to fit into my day at least 8 hours of sleep, a morning ritual of 1 liter of water, push ups, 40 min run, shower, 3 meals a day, fruit shopping, work, and on top of all this - meditation.

How do you guys manage? At what time of the day do you meditate and for how long? Do you exercise as well?

I really need to work smth out, but recently it just proves to be impossible. It's either me not exercising, not meditating, not sleeping enough, or not going to work!

Please share!

New to Vipassana? Read this brief introduction to the technique:

2010-06-15T22:34:12.000Z

The Technique

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living.

This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. Healing, not merely the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human suffering, is its purpose.

Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.

The scientific laws that operate one's thoughts, feelings, judgements and sensations become clear. Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace.

The Tradition

Since the time of Buddha, Vipassana has been handed down, to the present day, by an unbroken chain of teachers. Although Indian by descent, the current teacher in this chain, Mr. S.N. Goenka, was born and raised in Burma (Myanmar). While living there he had the good fortune to learn Vipassana from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin who was at the time a high Government official. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. Since then he has taught tens of thousands of people of all races and all religions in both the East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet the growing demand for Vipassana courses.

The Courses

The technique is taught at ten-day residential courses during which participants follow a prescribed Code of Discipline, learn the basics of the method, and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results.

The course requires hard, serious work. There are three steps to the training. The first step is, for the period of the course, to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual activity, speaking falsely, and intoxicants. This simple code of moral conduct serves to calm the mind, which otherwise would be too agitated to perform the task of self-observation.

The next step is to develop some mastery over the mind by learning to fix one's attention on the natural reality of the ever changing flow of breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils.

By the fourth day the mind is calmer and more focused, better able to undertake the practice of Vipassana itself: observing sensations throughout the body, understanding their nature, and developing equanimity by learning not to react to them.

Finally, on the last full day participants learn the meditation of loving kindness or goodwill towards all, in which the purity developed during the course is shared with all beings.

A short video (5.7 MB) about the observation of breath and bodily sensations in this technique can be viewed with the free QuickTime movie player.

The entire practice is actually a mental training. Just as we use physical exercises to improve our bodily health, Vipassana can be used to develop a healthy mind.

Because it has been found to be genuinely helpful, great emphasis is put on preserving the technique in its original, authentic form. It is not taught commercially, but instead is offered freely. No person involved in its teaching receives any material remuneration.

There are no charges for the courses - not even to cover the cost of food and accommodation. All expenses are met by donations from people who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the opportunity to benefit from it also.

Of course, the results come gradually through continued practice. It is unrealistic to expect all problems to be solved in ten days. Within that time, however, the essentials of Vipassana can be learned so that it can be applied in daily life. The more the technique is practiced, the greater the freedom from misery, and the closer the approach to the ultimate goal of full liberation. Even ten days can provide results which are vivid and obviously beneficial in everyday life.

All sincere people are welcome to join a Vipassana course to see for themselves how the technique works and to measure the benefits. All those who try it will find Vipassana to be an invaluable tool with which to achieve and share real happiness with others.

You may apply for a Vipassana meditation course by completing and submitting an application for a scheduled course.

Nice Dhamma talk!

2010-06-12T07:20:23.000Z

"Today we bring you audo and video of a talk given by Dr. Paul Fleischman while he was in Europe in December 2007. In this talk he discusses Karma and Chaos and how they are relevant to Vipassana mediation."

http://www.pariyatti.org/ResourcesProjects/Podcasts/tabid/58/EntryID/96/Default.aspx

What is the benefit of taking a course?

2010-05-27T04:38:39.000Z

As opposed to reading up on it and trying on your own?

(This question was posted on the comments section, I put this on here because it's easier to chat about it on the discussion format.) :)

eating 811 on a course

2010-05-22T17:43:42.000Z

My husband did one course staying on 811 in Texas. We packed 10 days worth of salads. I pre-washed the lettuce and put a serving in 10 green keeper bags. I brought a jar of dressing and washed carrots to be served with the lettuce each day for lunch along with his fruit. I counted out exactly how much fruit he would need and made sure that was washed and easily stored in the boxes. I believe we brought 2 boxes of 40 pounds each of fruit, bananas and apples and oranges, on top of the one box full of the lettuce bags. We timed the bananas being ripe first then the apples and oranges were served after the bananas were eaten up. We did not contact the center prior to going and my husband was prepared to eat what they served if there was an objection to him bringing his own food for his special diet. We did not bring a Doctor notice or anything. The servers were quite accommodating and said it would have to be approved by the assistant teacher and they would use the food we brought either way. The assistant teacher approved. He also brought some raisins and nuts just in case that was not enough for him. Initially he was going to keep it in his suitcase but felt that would be breaking his shila so gave it to the kitchen servers to hold for him. He really had a good experience with it. He thought it made sitting long hours a bit easier, he felt lighter and more calm in general.

I have not sat a 10 day course while being on raw. I am totally committed to staying on 811 no matter what, primarily for health reasons. So when I take my next course, I will have to get permission before hand to make sure it will work for them before I show up. I'm not sure if I'll need a doctor's note or something, I would think that if I explain my reasons and how long I've been following my diet, most assistant teacher's would be accommodating.

Does anyone else have experience with eating raw while at the center?

My son did a children's course while raw, that was pretty simple because I was serving and made all of his meals. The sweet thing was one of the male servers would always sit next to him eating raw too so my son and he could share in the joy of eating only raw and not have to watch as the cooked fooders shared in their own cooked food frenzy, totally different experience, know what I mean, lol?