3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

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konchokzopa
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3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by konchokzopa »

Hi, I am wondering where you can do 3 month long vipassana retreat with access to meditation teacher and preferably the cost would be covered by donation or otherwise would be of low cost?

monasteries or retreat centers, any place with these requirements basically anywhere in the world will maybe do.

thanks for the help :anjali:
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greenthumb
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by greenthumb »

@ konchokzopa, 45 day course 2014 offered here East Coast, also you may want to check out other Goenka centers. You have to have many 10 day courses done, Satipatthana course work and if I remember correctly letters from your teachers to do long courses. I did it the sneaky way, I served and sat, served and sat through many months, again you need to have sat many 10 day courses and get permission from a teacher at the center you plan to serve and sit. No soft and plushy beds, 2 meals a day, noble silence, strict segregation of sexes. Strict observance of sila. You can find the schedules and codes of conduct on http://www.dhamma.org http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schdhara

I remember 3 month courses being offered but usually in India

I would love to do a 3 month retreat as well! I you find one let me know.
Form is like a glob of foam; feeling, a bubble; perception, a mirage; fabrications, a banana tree; consciousness, a magic trick this has been taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. Phena Sutta: Foam
konchokzopa
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by konchokzopa »

i wasnt even accepted to a 10 day course since my past drug use, which was already two years ago at the time i applied. so im not a fan of Goenka course and probably will never attend one.
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greenthumb
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by greenthumb »

@konchokzopa, yes, the centers are super strict. I almost didn't get in back in the early 90s because I was taking wellbutrin for panic attacks. I had stopped taking the prescription drugs a six months prior to my first retreat. I was able to get in and through the years of serving and sitting seen a lot of really bizarre behavior as people work through things that they have repressed or deeply buried, all sorts of stuff comes up…the experience can be overwhelming mentally and physically. I think that is why they are very careful vetting people. I saw my own conditioning as well but I have the knack to be able to sit perfectly still while I go freaking crazy, man I've seen and felt some strange stuff at retreat lol….found out all things pass if you leave them alone. Good luck on your search :anjali:
Form is like a glob of foam; feeling, a bubble; perception, a mirage; fabrications, a banana tree; consciousness, a magic trick this has been taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. Phena Sutta: Foam
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Ben
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by Ben »

konchokzopa wrote:i wasnt even accepted to a 10 day course since my past drug use, which was already two years ago at the time i applied. so im not a fan of Goenka course and probably will never attend one.
I find that a bit surprising. I have been involved with this tradition since the mid-80s. I've never heard of anyone being rejected because of past drug use. If that were the case, the vast majority of people who have attended a ten-day course would have been disqualified, myself included. The only reasons why anyone is disqualified from attending is a current major mental illness, an unwillingness to put aside other spiritual practices or follow the code of conduct for ten days.

May I suggest that if the above does not apply to you, I recommend that you reapply. If this particular tradition does nt suit you, there are others that offer ten-day residential retreats of Vipassana meditation.
Kind regards,
Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
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Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
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Ben
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by Ben »

greenthumb wrote:@ konchokzopa, 45 day course 2014 offered here East Coast, also you may want to check out other Goenka centers. You have to have many 10 day courses done, Satipatthana course work and if I remember correctly letters from your teachers to do long courses. I did it the sneaky way, I served and sat, served and sat through many months, again you need to have sat many 10 day courses and get permission from a teacher at the center you plan to serve and sit. No soft and plushy beds, 2 meals a day, noble silence, strict segregation of sexes. Strict observance of sila. You can find the schedules and codes of conduct on http://www.dhamma.org http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schdhara

I remember 3 month courses being offered but usually in India

I would love to do a 3 month retreat as well! I you find one let me know.
The pre-requisites to be accepted for the long courses are substantial. It takes many practitioners years to accumulate the necessary credentials. The number of courses one has sat and served is only one criteria. One needs to have practiced in daily life for years at a time maintaining their meditative practice and sila, as well as having developed relationships with assistant teachers who can vouch for you as a suitable candidate.

For the OP, I recommend that you consider staying at a course site for three months and alternate between meditating intensively for ten days at a stretch and ten days of less intense meditation and service. This, I believe, will be extremely beneficial.
Kind regards,
Ben.
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
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greenthumb
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by greenthumb »

Very Well Said @Ben!
Form is like a glob of foam; feeling, a bubble; perception, a mirage; fabrications, a banana tree; consciousness, a magic trick this has been taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. Phena Sutta: Foam
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greenthumb
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by greenthumb »

I remember how I got in, I had my psychologist and Dharma teacher speak with the Goenka center people and she and he both wrote letters on my behalf! This was so long ago I had completely forgotten this part of my story. My Vipassana Mom and Dad, senior teachers worked with me and spoke with my Dharma teacher and my therapist. I was well cared for….@konchokzopa as Ben said you should try again, if you have anyone who can speak on your behalf it's really helpful.
Form is like a glob of foam; feeling, a bubble; perception, a mirage; fabrications, a banana tree; consciousness, a magic trick this has been taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. Phena Sutta: Foam
konchokzopa
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by konchokzopa »

thanks ben, the retreat plus work idea seems good and balanced and gradual and probably the most healthy option to take for the 3 months. i think i know just the right center for this.

I applied yesterday to Goenka retreat though im not sure if i will go there even if im accepted.

can someone briefly explain why people call it marathon or too intensive?

whats the program like, briefly said?
Chi
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by Chi »

Found a couple of nice resources for retreats in Thailand and other countries in the region:

http://littlebang.org/wp-content/upload ... -20101.pdf
http://www.littlebang.org/retreats-2/

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Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

Sirimangalo.org is another option. Their foundation course is 21 days, not three months, but once in Thailand you could no doubt find other monasteries or meditation centres to continue your practice for as long as your visa and finances allow.
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namo
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by namo »

IMS in Barre Massachusetts offers three month retreats, and Spirit Rock in Woodacre California offer two month retreats (Insight Meditation)
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JeffR
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Re: 3 month meditation retreat ( vipassana ) where?

Post by JeffR »

konchokzopa wrote:Hi, I am wondering where you can do 3 month long vipassana retreat with access to meditation teacher and preferably the cost would be covered by donation or otherwise would be of low cost?

monasteries or retreat centers, any place with these requirements basically anywhere in the world will maybe do.

thanks for the help :anjali:
http://www.arrowriver.ca/

All retreats are individualized. You decide the start and stop date. Strictly dana. Conditions are primitive which I find a plus, some consider it a negative. Daily guidance from the resident monk, who I find a good Ajahn.

-Jeff :anjali:
Therein what are 'six (types of) disrespect'? One dwells without respect, without deference for the Teacher; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Teaching; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Order; one dwells without respect, without deference for the precepts; one dwells without respect, without deference for heedfulness; one dwells without respect, without deference for hospitality. These are six (types of) disrespect.
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