Vipassana is known internationally as a silent meditation retreat program. What is the philosophy behind this program? In the Buddhist tradition, vipassanā (Pāli) or vipaśyanā (Sanskrit: विपश्यन) is to see into the nature of reality or as the official Vipassana website claims, it means to “see things as they really are.” अत्तदीपा विहरथ अत्तसरणा अनञ्‍ञसरणा। धम्मदीपा विहरथ धम्मसरणा अनञ्‍ञसरणा।। “Make…

Blue Mountains, Australia, 2010, I was enrolled in the most dreaded thing on my bucket list—my first Vipassana. Vipassana is a 10-day retreat in which participants take a vow of silence and are strongly encouraged to follow the program’s strict laws which include meditating for at least 10 hours per day, abandoning all communication devices…

Wake me up! “Please stop this suffering. I’m feeling blue. Depressed. Sad. Disappointed. Downcast. I’m losing hope. I’m starved of oxygen.” The all-too familiar cry for help. Has it happened to you before – or someone close to you? I am certain if it hasn’t already happened, it will happen. For me, it doesn’t all…

  Rumi teaches that we don’t need to look on the outside – we can take ownership of our world – we can decide to create a fertile soil and to plant beautiful seeds so that they may grow –“This Universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already…

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