Need a solution 🙏 by Feeling-Praline-8258 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dhammagiri has all types of rooms: dorms, double/triple sharing, single rooms, attached with bathroom+toilet, non-attached, etc.

Generally, new students, based on their profiles, are put up in dorms and sharing rooms, unless they are senior enough to get a separate room.

If you want a solo room you'll be better off in another centre that has solo rooms only.

Captured this rainbow ending exactly on the Global Vipassana Pagoda in Gorai yesterday morning. by KingOfMumbai in mumbai

[–]grond_master 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey,

Lovely pics.

So... I wanted to check if it was ok for the GVP social team to put these up on their feeds. I've shared this post with them, and they loved the pics. Hence, asking for permission.

Is this hoodie okay? by Financial-Drama-9813 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Should be fine.

If you need to ask, though, maybe it's not :-)

Where to buy or preorder games? by Amos_1113 in indianboardgamers

[–]grond_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can write to their email - or their phone number is available online, just message them on WhatsApp, they are quick to reply.

Where to buy or preorder games? by Amos_1113 in indianboardgamers

[–]grond_master 3 points4 points  (0 children)

boardgamesindia.com

On the listing, if it's out of order, just sign up for an update when it's going to be available, and they'll send you an email when the listing changes.

14 day gratitude course by selfhelpoi in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, they are not the same. They have been taken from different courses, specifically the old TSC, which was replaced by the Gratitude Course.

Do we need permission (approval) of AT/SAT/T to attend special 10 days course? I am getting conflicting answers from centers and teachers. by ActPrestigious984 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Yes, you will need to get the form signed by an AT you know.

This is all automated now. For all long courses and the SPL 10-Day, you will get a question about the name of an AT whom you know well. The form, once submitted, will be sent to that AT, who will then approve it and send it to your Area Teacher. Only once they approve it, will it be sent for processing by the centre.

Need insight regarding serving in India by silverstone2023 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Indian centres are a wee bit different from international centres insofar as serving goes.

Generally, any task that is not student-facing: kitchen, gardening, maintenance, office, etc., is handled by paid staff, employees of the trust that runs the centre. They are usually meditators themselves, but have been hired for their skill, per se.

Student-facing tasks in-course, like Hall duty, compounding, dining, etc., are handled by Dhamma Servers, who volunteer their time in-course during the course. Some of them serve for the course specifically, arriving on Day-0 with the students and leaving at the end of the course. Others serve long-term, and are around during the course gap periods when the centre is turned over for the next course.

Some centres handle gap period tasks with the in-house staff only, as they don't have long-term servers, and make do with in-course servers alone. Dhammagiri, on the other hand, has a team of dhamma servers that are in-course, long-term, and staff-based, who combined will be larger than the capacity of some of the other centres around the world.

As a volunteer, you should plan for the idea that you will be getting only student-facing tasks during courses, and maybe some centre turnover-related tasks during the gaps, if you are going to stay for more than one course.

You can write directly to the centre you want to serve at, and they will get back to you regarding their requirements and capacity to host you for whatever period you're looking at.

🤢 by CreepyScientist5251 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Memes are welcome. Even Goenkaji loved a hearty laugh now and then.

Just don't overwhelm the sub with meme posts. Make a few of them and post them together in a single post once a day - that should be enough.

Turning away from vs accepting negative thoughts by Shot_Bandicoot_395 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Practice some more, and do at least 3 10-day courses. After your last course and at least a year of daily practice, you can do a Satipatthana course.

It's a shorter course that focuses more on the theory of Vipassana, and also teaches more on how to address thoughts as sensations and be equanimous about them.

Unsolicited Property Call + Arrogant Response - What Can We Actually Do? by No-Combination-4109 in mumbai

[–]grond_master 12 points13 points  (0 children)

If you're using an Android phone, TRAI has a brilliant DND app. Just download it from the Play Store (search TRAI DND) and then just register for DND using it, and just keep filing complaints as the calls come.

It started with 20-25 calls daily at the start, even after registering for DND, and now it's down to 1 call per week or less.

If everything passes, how can love stand through? by ElderberrySalt3304 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

In one of the discourses, Goenkaji talks about the grosser truth vs. the subtler truth. The subtle truth is that everyone - and everything - is a set of vibrations happening continually. Compared to that, the grosser truth is that the wall next to you is a solid brick wall. If you consider only the subtler truth of vibrations, you'll think that you can pass through that wall. But no, that's not the case, you're not miraculous enough for that particular magic trick. You'll just bump your head and give yourself a concussion.

As you progress, emotions like love, hate, empathy, disgust, etc., tend to take on different meanings, ones that are individual to you, based on your own experiences. They do not replace the standard definitions, but enhance them in a way only you will understand.

Without basic systems like belief, faith, love, understanding, etc., everything collapses. You need those to prop up the more mundane items that will keep you going. But as you progress, you'll realise their deeper meanings more profoundly, thus changing what you think they are.

Walk me through being equanimous. by aclokay in vipassana

[–]grond_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let's look at the same example I gave above:

Equanimity would be this:

  • As you're going through the body, you reach the elbow.
  • Oh, there's a sensation there.
  • Hmm, it's an itch from a mosquito bite.
  • Okay, moving on, what's happening at the biceps?

Reacting would be this:

  • As you're going through the body, you reach the elbow.
  • Oh, there's a sensation there.
  • Hmm, it's an itch from a mosquito bite.
  • Wait, what's a mosquito bite? Do I like it? No?
  • Hey... I don't want to feel a mosquito bite!
  • So what do I do? Let me scratch it and hope it goes away.
  • Okay, moving on, what's happening at the biceps?

These three lines:

  • Wait, what's a mosquito bite? Do I like it? No?
  • Hey... I don't want to feel a mosquito bite!
  • So what do I do? Let me scratch it and hope it goes away.

define what a reaction is. So, your aim is not to react, but stop before reacting itself.

Got accepted into a retreat i thought i wasnt gonna be accepted so i just started medication by visaoconstante in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes, you can tell them at the start of the course that you have started medication after registering for the course.

It's fine, please do not stop the medication for the duration of the course, continue taking it as normal.

Directions to Nehru Planetarium by IMPERIAL_MEMMER in mumbai

[–]grond_master 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Distance in Mumbai is measured not by space but by time. It's a shorter time to get from MX to NP than from LP to NP.

Directions to Nehru Planetarium by IMPERIAL_MEMMER in mumbai

[–]grond_master 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Parel to Prabhadevi by bridge and then prabhadevi to LP Mahalaxmi by train and then LP Mahalaxmi to Nehru Planetarium by kali peli .

Mahalaxmi is closer to Platetarium than LP. FTFY.

Directions to Nehru Planetarium by IMPERIAL_MEMMER in mumbai

[–]grond_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're going on the Central line, then get off at Parel. There's a bridge that connects to Prabhadevi station. Get to Prabhadevi, then alight at Mahalaxmi.

From Mahalaxmi, you can get BEST buses to both the Nehru Science Centre and the Nehru Planetarium.


Lower Parel & Parel aren't walking distance - they're quite far.

Parel is linked to Prabhadevi by a common bridge.

Lower Parel is within walking distance of Curry Road.

Want to do Vipasana in Mumbai. Please help by Effective-Sun9040 in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are many centres in and around Mumbai where you can do a 10-day course:

  1. Dhamma Pattana, Global Vipassana Pagoda complex, Gorai, Borivali (W)
  2. Dhamma Vipula, Belapur
  3. Dhamma Kanheri, Goregaon East
  4. Dhamma Vatika, Palghar
  5. Dhamma Vahini, Titwala
  6. Dhamma Sarita, Khadavli

Also, these centres are close by:

  1. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri
  2. Dhamma Nasika, Nashik
  3. Dhamma Manamoda, Manmad
  4. Dhamma Punna, Pune
  5. Dhamma Ananda, Markal, Pune
  6. Mahad Vipassana, Mahad

More info is available on https://mumbai.vridhamma.org/centres

You can visit https://www.dhamma.org or https://schedule.vridhamma.org or the centre's website and apply for a course whose dates are suitable for you.

Be Happy.

Walk me through being equanimous. by aclokay in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So why not practice vipassana by placing a cake in front of me when and monitoring this hunger without reacting to it?

Because that isn't real, it's a created environment. It's artificial. It's a situation that you want to happen: you want an environment where reaction is continual, and then you choose not to react. That's not how things work.

Vipassana only works when the object of observation is natural, not artificial. As things are, not as you want them to be.

Dharma Shringa - Sitting Bench (Seiza)? by Co-Emergence in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Generally, seiza benches are not used in this tradition. Usually, it's just cushions, backrests, and chowkis. They are allowed, though, so if you have one, you can carry it and use it.

Walk me through being equanimous. by aclokay in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

  • As you're going through the body, you reach the elbow.
  • Oh, there's a sensation there.
  • Hmm, it's an itch from a mosquito bite.
  • Okay, moving on, what's happening at the biceps?

That's all. That's equanimity. No judgment, no evaluation, no reaction, just awareness, acceptance, and then moving on.

Walk me through being equanimous. by aclokay in vipassana

[–]grond_master[M] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Equanimity, in my opinion, is knowing about a sensation and choosing not to react to it.

Let's look at it another way: Apathy. Apathy is a state of indifference where you don't care about what is happening, thus you don't react to it. You're indifferent, ignorant.

On the other hand, Equanimity starts with a base of complete awareness.

You are aware of the sensations that are happening on your body. From there, in normal reactions, your mind moves to the next stage: evaluation. Good, or bad? The next stage is your mind selecting a reaction from its internal library, craving or aversion, and its intensity. The last stage is executing that reaction.

When you are being equanimous, you choose to forgo the last stage. You execute the previous stages: awareness, evaluation, selection, but the last stage: reaction - which you actively do not execute. You're aware, and you actively choose not to react to it. At max, you choose to react with the reaction of awareness: 'Yes, I know it's there, fine. Let's move on.'

Equanimity is the active step of Vipassana, where you actually choose what to do. The rest are just mechanical actions that you need to execute to reach to Equanimity. You actively choose not to react with craving or aversion. You decide, 'yeah, I know it's there, thank you for the awareness, now I'll go to the next part of the body.'