Vipassana retreat?

[mattbell]

I heard some very good things about the North Fork Vipassana retreat center last weekend.  (At least according to the guy I talked to, this particular one is excellent and not cultish.)  I'm hesitant to commit a full 10 days to something like this without really knowing what I'm getting into.

If any of you have done this sort of thing, I'd love to chat with you more about what to expect. 

Comments

[radven.livejournal.com]

I've had several friends do Vipassana, and they all say great things about it. it is something I intend to do someday.

But I do say... The idea of going ten days without speaking is scarier than jumping off a cliff!

[nasu-dengaku.livejournal.com]

I do sometimes have the attitude of "if it sounds scary/risky but not dangerous, I should try it". Usually, the end result is good. However, if there are techniques for mitigating that risk (eg finding a shorter retreat), I'm very interested.

[radven.livejournal.com]

I have the same attitude around trying scary things.

I'm not sure a shorter retreat still counts as "doing Vipassana" though. The 10 day retreat is pretty standardized around the world. I've had friends take it in India and on both coasts of the US, and it seems to be the same formula everywhere.

If five days is a good optimization, why not optimize further to one day, or even just an hour? :-)

[nasu-dengaku.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that 2-3 days is the minimum amount of time I need to be in an immersive new environment in order to make a dent in how I perceive and interact with my current environment when I return.

[serolynne.livejournal.com]

Scary? It sounds like heaven to me! Me not having to speak for 10 days, or have anyone speaking at me? Oh.. please, throw me into the briar patch!

Now.. going 10 days without digital means of interacting.. that's where it gets scary :)

[nasu-dengaku.livejournal.com]

The only twittering you'll be hearing will be from birds...