Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Hello everybody,

I have had a keen interest in the Dhamma for a few years now, reading a lot and gaining a useful intellectual understanding of the Dhamma. I mainly practiced what I called Anapanasati and some Metta on occasion. I have really felt great benefits in this time and felt like I had some insights into the Dhamma on some short retreats and visting a monastery for a time once. I decided I needed to find a technique and stick with it to develop some real insight and to move forward, some monastics recommended Goenka style to me and I said I would give it a go, so today I have arrived back from my 10 day retreat and I feel it was the best thing I have done in my life. There was a real experience of Dukkha and a strong sense of arising and passing away as the days passed in the course. This was my first experience of sweeping and I am amazed that I have not being doing this all along . I felt the subtle vibrations all through my body as I became equanimous to plaeasure and pain, I entered in to free flow and moved through my whole body inside and out , at one stage I just stopped, and my whole body radiated and pulsed in a mass of changing phenomena. There was a real experience of no self, when I came out I still had a deep rooted sense of self but I have had the experience of not having one, this may sound strange but it is what I have experinced. When I told the teacher about the radiating and pulsing he said I should not stay like that too long before sweeping again so as to work on my equanimity, but that this is very good. So the last few days went like that, sweeping , radiating and pulsing, arising and passing away.I did experdience occasional blocks of pain or gross sensations but with total equanimity.
Now I am home I feel I should of discussed all of this further with the teacher but at the time I did not care and could really hold a thought in a way, strange.
Anyone have anything similar happen?
Also I am very sensitive now to sense pleasure , listened to some music and I felt orgasmic with vibrations, hard to work on equanimity in this instance but I will be patient and diligent. I realize that the senstivity will change aswell.
Would it be just as good to meditate for two hours in the morning instead of one in morning and one at night?

If any one could answer my queations and comment on my experience it would be great.

May all beings be happy.

Greetings Swozo and welcome to Dhamma Wheel.
Its great to learn of your positive experience.
You should feel free to get back in touch with the assistant teacher who took the course you attended by phoning the meditation centre, and I recommend that you do so. In the absence of an assistant teacher, I am happy to discuss your practice with you privately. I've been a student of SN Goenka since 1985.
It would also be worthwhile for you to attend any weekly group-sit that might be happening in your area.
Be aware that practicing at home following a retreat can be a source of difficulty for some people as one's sensitivity to subtle phenomena diminishes. If this happens - its natural and another opportunity to develop equanimity. Remember that the practice is about developing equanimity to the anicca characteristic of sensation rather than collecting rarified experiences.
It doesn't really matter when you do your daily meditation. The important thing is consistency and continuity, day-in day-out. And it is in the day-to-day of practice that real progress is developed.
with metta,

Ben

I am glad you enjoyed your experience as much as I did. I don't know if you attended the retreat at a vipassana center, or one of their temporary camps. Either way, they probably provided contact information for a teacher or assistant teacher. It might be a good idea to direct these same questions that way.

I also recommend serving a course. Serving is the "other half" of the training.

Hi,
Thanks for the replies, I would very much like to go back and serve some time. I am pretty sure I have found a technique that suits me very much, I have found my body awareness has increased so much since the retreat, which is something I really neglected and have come to realize how I completely neglected a foundation of mindfulness. Wisdom from mistakes I guess. I find all the foundations of mindfulness so connected now and the words " anicca , anicca, anicca" apply to everything.
I will get back in touch with my teacher at the course, I did the course in Ireland in a rented site so I am not sure how to contact the teacher but I will look in to it.

The subtle feelings are diminishing but my awareness is continuing, so I guess I just keep practicing and seeing everything arise and pass away and liberation will come "and go" hahaha.
I see you had some good experience too monkey mind, I would like to pm you ben with some questions about practice and continuity of practice.

Hi Swozo,

I suggest you contact the good people at Dhamma Dipa (Hereford):

Vipassana Meditation Centre - Dhamma Dipa
Pencoyd, St Owens Cross,
Hereford, HR2 8NG
England
Tel: [44](0) 1989 730234
Email: Contact Form: http://calm.dhamma-eu.org/v/c/for?re=eu ... G=EN&ext=A

Registration & Information:
Tel: [44](0) 1989 731023

Let them know you attended a course at a rented site in Ireland and you want to track down the assistant teacher to ask questions.
Management at Dhamma Dipa should be able to help you as its the main course centre in the UK and ostensibly for the Republic of Ireland as well.
with metta,

Ben