Vipassana retreat at the Palolo Zen center 4/29/05

[Guest guest]

Arrived at the Palolo Zendo right up against the mountains. Generally it is a very rainy place, but fortunately

it only drizzled once during the eight day retreat. It was the quietest place on earth and all you could hear were chirping birds. Three houses were across the road and I wondered if anyone was alive, because we never heard a TV or a Radio or any conversations going on at all. Then we did see some people coming out of their homes so I felt that I did not have to call 911 to find out if everyone was ok.

 

When we arrived a vipassana manager gave us the instructions about silence and other activities like work

and rules that we needed to be informed about. She was one of the participants of the retreat.

 

There were only 3 men sleeping over and one that showed up each day.

Nine woman attended. It seems that females are more interested in the quest nowadays than the males.

 

Every 45 minutes there was another bell ringer to sound that the walking, sitting and meals were ending or happening. The wake up was at 5.15 and the first session commenced at 5.45. The final session ended at 10 pm, but one could keep going as long as one could. Yours truly wanted to get his money's worth so started his meditation from 3 to 3.45 am. I figured that If I could get the cost down to 6$ per hour it would be quite reasonable. Actually if you deduct the cost of the meals, which included Tai take out every other day, it was a steal. The food was really fantastic. The couple that has kept this group going for 16 years organized the whole thing and Xuan giving up precious meditation time, did most of the shopping and cooking. There was fruit including papayas, oatmeal, nuts, granolas, cheese

bread soy milk, juices etc for the morning meal. The total cost was $360, a real bargain.

 

Lunch included salads and grains and of course the take out Tai every other day.

There was dinner for those who wanted it, but I only had soy milk and a piece of fruit.

 

The last retreat I took at the Insight meditation society 27 years ago almost killed me. I had to abort the three month retreat after 11 days, as my weight got down to a concentration inmate of 113. I am skinny at 155 now so just imagine what I looked like.

 

The meditations became difficult because of all the pain that ensued during long intermittent meditations. All kinds of real and phantom pains were experienced by everyone. I remember Mahasi Sayadaw's meditation book describing what happens when the mindfulness kicks in. There is tremendous pain going on right now in our bodies which we are not aware of because of a different focus of attention and habituation. I learned how to work with the pain and thought is was good pain not bad pain until I woke up with a sore knee. Then I used another position that did not seem to hurt my knee. It seems that going through the pain is where the concentration is accelerated and also the elements may be seen in their basic form. Then the insight into no self and impermanence may be penetrated.

 

The best thing about the retreat was the group interviews. At my last retreat there were only private ones. With 6 of us, each one described our meditations and the teacher gave instructions. This was the best real time learning possible as hearing what was occurring in each one and learning so much from the teacher's feedback.

 

I flashed on the fact that the Buddha's technology is 2500 years old and that if the Buddha was alive today he would surely add to it. Actually the Modern Buddha may have already incarnated and SHE will bring us cyber tech that will shorten the training to attain enlightenment in as little as one month. In another post I will describe the soon to appear technology that the Modern Buddha may present.

 

The most miraculous event it that my wife Lee has now agreed to take the next retreat and travel around the world taking other retreats in various countries. I prefer not to travel and she loves to travel. It is a battle of the Cancer moon and Aries moon, so we will compromise as she will get what her heart desires and I will get more training for THAT QUIET MIND.

 

We also had dharma talks each evening before our last meditation. Visitors were allowed in for the talks and the final meditation. One guy had this new type Marantz MP3 recorder and said he will share two CD recordings with me.

 

All is all for Alton there is no other way to improve his concentration so that he can blow away the discursive talking it itself mind, except with the intense practice of retreats.

 

Come to the next one July 1. It will fill up fast, so get in your deposit now if you are interested.

 

Retreat rating 5 stars.

 

With metta Blessings,

Alton

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Alton,

 

I’m glad to hear that you had such a

good time at the retreat.

 

What was it like to be aware of pain?

 

Were you able to be more aware of

sensations than usual?

 

By the way, why didn’t you do the

Goenka retreat? I think it’s free.

 

-- Robbie

 

 

 

 

 

Realization [Realization ] On Behalf Of Alton Jnana

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 2:43

AM

To:

exclusive_Focus

Cc: K.D.; God via group

Vipassana

retreat at the Palolo Zen center 4/29/05

 

 

 

Arrived at the Palolo Zendo right up against the

mountains. Generally it is a very rainy place, but fortunately

 

 

it only drizzled once during the eight day retreat. It was

the quietest place on earth and all you could hear were chirping birds. Three

houses were across the road and I wondered if anyone was alive, because we

never heard a TV or a Radio or any conversations going on at all. Then we did

see some people coming out of their homes so I felt that I did not have to call

911 to find out if everyone was ok.

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived a vipassana manager gave us the

instructions about silence and other activities like work

 

 

and rules that we needed to be informed about. She was one

of the participants of the retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

There were only 3 men sleeping over and one that showed up

each day.

 

 

Nine woman attended. It seems that females are more

interested in the quest nowadays than the males.

 

 

 

 

 

Every 45 minutes there was another bell ringer to sound

that the walking, sitting and meals were ending or happening. The wake up was

at 5.15 and the first session commenced at 5.45. The final session ended

at 10 pm, but one could keep going as long as one could. Yours

truly wanted to get his money's worth so started his meditation from 3 to 3.45

am. I figured that If I could get the cost down to 6$ per hour it would

be quite reasonable. Actually if you deduct the cost of the meals, which

included Tai take out every other day, it was a steal. The food was really

fantastic. The couple that has kept this group going for 16 years organized the

whole thing and Xuan giving up precious meditation time, did most of the

shopping and cooking. There was fruit including papayas, oatmeal, nuts,

granolas, cheese

 

 

bread soy milk, juices etc for the morning meal. The total

cost was $360, a real bargain.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch included salads and grains and of course the take

out Tai every other day.

 

 

There was dinner for those who wanted it, but I only had

soy milk and a piece of fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

The last retreat I took at the Insight meditation society

27 years ago almost killed me. I had to abort the three month retreat

after 11 days, as my weight got down to a concentration inmate of 113. I

am skinny at 155 now so just imagine what I looked like.

 

 

 

 

 

The meditations became difficult because of all the pain that

ensued during long intermittent meditations. All kinds of real and

phantom pains were experienced by everyone. I remember Mahasi Sayadaw's

meditation book describing what happens when the mindfulness kicks in. There is

tremendous pain going on right now in our bodies which we are not aware of

because of a different focus of attention and habituation. I learned how

to work with the pain and thought is was good pain not bad pain until I woke up

with a sore knee. Then I used another position that did not seem to hurt my

knee. It seems that going through the pain is where the concentration is

accelerated and also the elements may be seen in their basic form. Then the

insight into no self and impermanence may be penetrated.

 

 

 

 

 

The best thing about the retreat was the group interviews.

At my last retreat there were only private ones. With 6 of us, each one

described our meditations and the teacher gave instructions. This was the best

real time learning possible as hearing what was occurring in each one and learning

so much from the teacher's feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

I flashed on the fact that the Buddha's technology is 2500

years old and that if the Buddha was alive today he would surely add to

it. Actually the Modern Buddha may have already incarnated and SHE

will bring us cyber tech that will shorten the training to attain

enlightenment in as little as one month. In another post I will describe

the soon to appear technology that the Modern Buddha may present.

 

 

 

 

 

The most miraculous event it that my wife Lee has now

agreed to take the next retreat and travel around the world taking other

retreats in various countries. I prefer not to travel and she loves to travel.

It is a battle of the Cancer moon and Aries moon, so we will compromise as she

will get what her heart desires and I will get more training for THAT QUIET

MIND.

 

 

 

 

 

We also had dharma talks each evening before our last

meditation. Visitors were allowed in for the talks and the final meditation.

One guy had this new type Marantz MP3 recorder and said he will share two CD

recordings with me.

 

 

 

 

 

All is all for Alton

there is no other way to improve his concentration so that he can blow away the

discursive talking it itself mind, except with the intense practice of

retreats.

 

 

 

 

 

Come to the next one July 1. It will fill up fast, so get

in your deposit now if you are interested.

 

 

 

 

 

Retreat rating 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

 

With metta Blessings,

 

 

Alton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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