For anyone who wishes to check my pictures (and some other photographers pictures that I saved for blogging) from the course at Surabhi Jan 05 - Jan 16, they can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/4072517/1/jan05-16-10dayservesurabhi?h=a3df98
I had some quality time in Vancouver before heading away on a mini vacation to Victoria to visit my good friends Andrew and Cierra.
They're currently house sitting a 3 story house in which the top floor made into a sacred space in tribute to Swami Sivananda Radha and her followers, founder of the Yasodhara ashram in kootenay bay, BC. This attic space proved a very supportive environment for meditation.
I had a fantastic time in Victoria, meeting plenty of top notch people who took great care of me and introduced me into their circles of friends. Also randomly (or perhaps not) ran into my Dhamma Sista Christa who seemed in great spirits
Pictures from this excursion can be found right here:
Part 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=900065076&aid=612198
First nations exhibition at Royal BC Museum: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=900065076&aid=613298
Part 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=900065076&aid=613309
I then returned on the 25th and headed straight to Siddhartha and Samadhi's departure celebration, as the two of them were relocating to Australia. A very nice gathering with great turnout of people was had, a farewell event worthy of two truly remarkable individuals who ceaselessly have dedicated themselves to benefiting others through their hard work and strong dedication to personal and spiritual development.
This evening signified the end of an era for many of us involved closely in the work and practice of this radiant couple.
Pictures from this evening:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=900065076&aid=621299
On the first of February I once again set aim for another meditation experience, this time at Dhamma Kunja, meaning "Dhamma in the valley", in Onalaska, about a one hour drive outside Seattle, WA.
I received an invitation by Meredith whom I met at Surabhi to be looked after if I wanted to come and take a course at Kunja, I'd have had to be a fool to reject. And how I was treated... Picked up from the greyhound station by her fabulous friend Mariko, driven at extreme speed (she drives like lightning - all within the speed limits of course) to Meredith's house. There I was introduced to Garuda who had also taken the bus from Vancouver earlier during the day to take his first Vipassana course.
Mer was still in Chicago by this time, stuck due to a snow storm, so Garudaji, Mariko and myself had a nice dinner gathering with Mer's parents Dwight and Irene. Dwight, a colonel of the US army, and Irene, a psychologist and former Olympic swimmer proved great stimuli for worthwhile conversation. We finished off this very pleasant evening with a midnight dip in lake Washington which was just outside the house, and then rushed straight into the open sky hot tub to digest the day with it's multitude of experiences.
The following day, which happened to be my younger brothers birthday, we went for a climb in an indoor climbing facility in the Seattle area. Mariko and Garuda are both really into climbing. I did my best to cope with my extremely sore and tense forearms while these 2 monkeys were bouncing around all over the place.
After that, we headed back home to Mer's house, made some lunch and Mer's friends Chris and Kirra came by, they were also going to participate in the course and were our designated drivers (in a pimpin' lincoln ride the size of a truck) to the center.
I had plenty of very awesome and capturing pictures from all these events and of all these auspicious characters but out of mindlessness I deleted them all before having the chance to upload them. It really adds to the dimension of storytelling with pictures to go along with the text, so my grievance lies within the limitation to my ability of communicating my experiences in their totality. By this sentence I vow to forget about them and move on with my life.
The course itself in summary, looked as follows:
Day 1 - 5 - Misery, misery misery... Pain, pain, pain. Doing my best to observe my aversion to the multitude of gross painful sensations on the body as I attempted to meditate. Frequent restless thought of getting out of this prison and what I was going to do once I was out. Projecting back and forth between past and future, dwelling in illusion and full of anger and hatred. Lashing out constant judgment about the fellow students which probably would've landed me some good beatings if people could read my mind. Observing the monkey minds tendency to project every personal discomfort and disappointment onto my surroundings and the people around me. That one is too loud. This one looks like a hunchback. That one eats way too much. That one has no manners. This one will never progress on the path, with such a loose-ass attitude..Stop coughing will ya, I'm trying to work here.
Bla bla bla, it goes on and on.. At times I just laid flat out on my bed for a few hours, totally stuck in rebellion and resistance to meditation at all, feeling sorry for myself for having such an infestation of negativity in my mind.
Day 6 - Misery still thick, but something started to happen. The perceived coat of armour across my chest and abdominal area seems to be slightly dissolving in certain places. Gastric fire seemed to be kindling, as in intestinal activity speeding up. Bowel movements increased in frequency, many growling noises from the stomach, hip pains slightly more bearable.
Day 7 - My first day of reasonable equanimity towards the pain. I have periods where I, instead of being caught on the surface of a stormy ocean, sink toward the calm bottom, and can observe whatever turmoil that goes on upon the surface with distance, without being thrown around like a drunk capsized seaman by the sensations on and in the body.
Day 8 - I complete my first Adit Than (Pali: Strong Determination) sitting, meaning to sit for one hour without opening ones eyes or moving hands or legs. At the end of day 8 I felt really optimistic about experiencing a major tension release during the last 2 days. Unfortunately, in retrospect I see that this desire for release quickly grew into a craving that in turn majorly increased my aversion and fed my unwillingness to tranquilly face the painful and unpleasant sensations, which are as big of a part of the journey.
Day 9 & 10 - My willingness to meditate and my equanimity are lost, I drown my disappointment in my curent disinclination towards the practice in sleep and bread. I resolve to enter my next 10 day course with a yet stronger determination and with a strategy on how to stay out of the 'Game of sensation' - As in feeding aversion for unpleasant and craving for pleasant sensations.. It's a tricky balancing act I find, but I stand determined to deepen my skill in it.
As noble silence is lifted on day 10, I turn into a manic chatterbox and it feels great to be able to express my social qualities again. Watching the female students, who for the first time in 10 days are intermingling with the male, feels scary and exciting. Almost as being back in school, I feel really shy, fragile, and exposed.
My biggest lessons from this course could be summarized as follows:
Expect nothing.
Regret nothing.
Bring more and more attention to the immediate reality as it manifests on a sensational/physical level.
We left the course, Meredith drove, with Garuda and myself in the back seat, and were privileged to spend ride back to Seattle together with the male Assistant Teacher, Sheldon Klein, who shed light upon some really interesting topics and told us some funny stories. Needless to say, the ride back passed in the blink of an eye. Stopping at a bakery on the way back, I felt like a child entering a confectionary shop for the first time, having his first weekly financial allowance in his hand.
Arriving back in Seattle, some nice meals were had together. A jog, awakening the body from slight stagnation, and a yoga class the following morning at YOONS YOGA BLISS ( http://www.yoonsyogabliss.com/ ) before Garuda and I headed back towards Vancouver with the 4.30pm Amtrak bus on that promising valentines evening.
