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What 10 Days At A Buddhist Monastery Taught Me… Part 2
Rarely is found in this world anyone
Who is restrained by shame and wide-awake,
As a thoroughbred horse avoids the whip
Thoroughly worn out is this body,
A net of diseases and very frail
This heap of corruption break to pieces,
For life indeed ends in death.
~The Buddha’s Words in The Dhammapada
Vipassana is taught in various different methods and traditions. The style of Vipassana taught at Wat Ram Poeng is based on the teaching methods of the 20th century Burmese monk Mahasi Sayadaw using alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation.
Traditional white clothing is mandatory for all meditators practicing Vipassana at the temple. The course takes 26 days to complete and the minimum requirement is ten days.
Meditation at the temple generally follows a cycle of kraap (bowing), walking, and sitting. The instructions start very simple and then build. In the beginning we are told to alternate sitting and walking meditation for short periods of just 15 to 20 minutes each. During the walking meditation we are taught to focus our attention on a single point of reference, and as we advance, to alternate between different…
