Day 9 and Day 10 (Metta day)

Day 9,
10.01pm
After breakfast prep my appetite was so ravenous that I didn't even consider any restraint. Large amounts of bread was consumed at breakfast and lunch to take the edge off my emotional turmoil, supposedly as an attempt to apply some balm on the wounds tended in yesterdays sitting sessions. Practice went well today, finally managing to sit through some of the 1 hour sittings without giving in to the desire to change posture and fidget around. Before wrapping up for today, I was doing plenty of work on the hip and abdominal tract, releasing alot of tension and passing alot of gas.
Tomorrow at 10pm the students break noble silence and are thus allowed to resume speech again after nine full days of silence. We're in for a lively day.

I would like to present a concept I have termed BKB - Body Knows Best.

In meditation, the body always guides us to become aware of any area that requires our attention. For example, we are told to sit with a straight spine, but after 5 minutes the body starts to cringe forward. We straighten out our spine, but notice that the more we oppose the body's inclinations, the harder ithe body resists our will, and the more conflict and tension we generate. BKB is simply the act, or rather, non-act of allowing the body to take us wherever it wants to take us, trusting that by playing by the bodys accord, and maintaining a state of non-resistance, we will be guided to relaxation and extension of tissues when we patiently persevere in observing the desire to move against the body's natural inclination, even when it takes us into the most awkward positions.

Blessed by the baker. Not a day without freshly baked sourdough bread.

James working the food blender a.k.a. asphalt breaker

Day 10 (Metta Day)
5.11am
Arising and heading to the Dhamma Hall for a pre breakfast sitting.

10.01pm
I have pushed myself hard today, sat through alot of pain and inner resistance. It has taken me 10 days out here to gather my strenght, concentrate my mind, to the level where I am able to begin penetrating into the source of my miseries and compulsive destructive behaviors.
I know I'm on the right track, I can feel it deeply in my Heart, but the path is long, and the pitfalls are many. I shall return to this boot camp of the soul once again.
The journey towards purification  goes on, more intensely than ever before. On the 5th of January, in about two weeks time, I have signed up to serve another 10 day Vipassana course.

Spice collection and cookies

YuKo!

Dining hall cleanup

Kitchen cleanup

James and Mirka on dishes

S.N. Goenka with his wife

I feel rather anxious about returning to Vancouver, but I shall do my best to make my time there fruitful and enjoyable. Now I'm setting focus for one last push in the Dhamma Hall tomorrow morning. Alarm set for 4.20. Good night.