<aside> 💡 Read the Chinese version:

《红河情》之30：我的内观体验

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Half a year ago, thanks to my startup cofounder Iuliu’s recommendation, I got into and started practicing the Vipassana meditation taught by Mr. Goenka. Last week, I completed my third Vipassana meditation (a type of Mindfulness meditation) training retreat. This time, as a kitchen and translation volunteer, I was lucky to bring my father to come for his first Vipassana meditation training. It was joyful to see him resolve many confusions and gain happiness through this method. Looking at myself, Vipassana meditation also brought me an unprecedented sense of tranquility, clarity, acuity, and happiness within.

Meditation corner in my bedroom at the Ontario Vipassana Center

In this ten-day meditation retreat, we experienced a life akin to that of monks — waking up at 4:30 am, meditating silently for over ten hours a day, giving up all electronic devices, refraining from speaking, and disconnecting from the internet. The only communication allowed was a brief one-on-one Q&A with the teacher each day and learning the Vipassana meditation technique.

A Happy Ti Volunteering

Vipassana meditation originates from an ancient Buddhist tradition, aiming to achieve liberation from mental suffering and mind purification through insight into the body-mind process. Other meditation types, such as focused meditation and other mindfulness meditation can have other goals. Vipassana emphasizes the direct experience of the three marks of existence (impermanence, suffering, non-self) by observing bodily sensations to understand mental states and cognitive processes.

Our Meditation Hall

Mr. Goenka's Dhamma.org Vipassana centers have established over 380 branches worldwide in the past 50+ years, starting from Myanmar and India, and are rapidly expanding. All services are free of charge, and supported by donations from old students. The main mission of these centers is to offer students courses ranging from 10 to 60 days on orthodox Vipassana meditation techniques.

Ontario Vipassana Center

Many of us have been going to the gym to learn various exercises and develop the habit of cultivating physical health and strength. However, as a brain worker, after learning Vipassana, I realized that we, or at least I, seemed to have largely neglected the cultivation of inner health and strength. What are inner health and strength? They manifest in certain qualities. Vipassana meditation is like a fitness methodology for the mind, with different "exercises" to help us observe the truth within our body and mind, and the truth about how the world works, as well as better control the qualities of our thoughts and bodies.