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RE: Vipassana Meditation Retreat - My experience
Wonderful that you got to sit a course in Thailand, a traditional Buddhist country at an actual monastery! Did many of the monks sit the course? I have sat a course in the Meditation Center in the United States but I imagine the atmosphere in the monastery would be much different. Have you sat any Vipassana courses before? It sounded like you got a lot out of this one. Wonderful!
Hey @porters ! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment :) It was awesome getting to do this in Thailand where Buddhism is so prominent. I've been living here for 3 years, but before this experience I knew very little about Buddhism. It was great to be living amongst the monks and learning about it day in and day out. I have so much for respect for the monks now, and such a deeper understanding of the culture and religion.
The monks weren't actually sitting in on the course, but they were the ones teaching us. There would be one or two monks giving the lectures each day, and the other monks sat up front in meditation post, still as statues for hours on end. Watching them was such an inspiration.
This was my first ever Vipassana course! It was such an incredible experience. I look forward to going back, and I also plan to do a Goenka Vipassana course eventually too. From what I have read and heard, it is a much different experience.... not necessarily harder, or easier, but very different, so I look forward to experiencing that as well :)
Cheers!
Marvelous! That is the way to pick up Vipassana meditation to be immersed in it with the actual folks (monks) who are living it. It looks like you are off to a wonderful beginning and I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey on the path of awakening.