2019 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta with Bhante Vimalaraṁsi (MN 10) Foundations of Mindfulness 

Thank you so much, Cristof, for the very helpful notes! Much metta to you 😊

Why?

@@jarodtang turf wars for market shares. But seriously, there is no one size fits all. Welcome diversity and try out for yourself. The 6R's are a good contribution.

I totally agree with you. I met a meditator of Goenka’s tradition, he spent 20 years being a teacher’s assistant, sitting through retreats after retreats and doing 2 hours a day for twenty years. He didn’t really get very far. Illusions still take hold, the three poisons still continue to be alive and well without release of them. As soon as his past traumatic experiences arises from the unconscious, it overwhelmed him because he’s told to observe it and notice the sensations and his nose while he’s breathing. He couldn’t let it go. While I find that those retreats are a good place to start, one needs to find a live guiding teacher who is teaching from the lived experiences. Goenka’s retreat format teaches some of the basics of Buddhism, but it’s still kindergarten level compared to other meditation practices with live teachers. One needs sometimes different practices be fitting to where one is at and move on. Goenka’s format doesn’t allow growth. If you grind a piece of rock to make into a mirror, after a thousand years, it will never turn into a mirror. Goenka’s format is like McDonalds, every retreat is the same format as the last, same videos replayed. No adapting the practice to each individual. It’s good if you are hungry and need something to eat, but you can’t eat McDonalds forever. It will make you sick. You only know of Goenka’s videos. It’s one way communication. He’s dead and long gone. My friend devoted 20 years of his life to volunteer and actively organizing retreats, spreading it around the world, but he is not liberated from his own internal sufferings from the practice. What use is a method if it doesn’t deliver what it promised to deliver despite dedicated adherence to the practice and organization? After 20 years, my friend had developed a huge spiritual ego attached to being the organizer of Goenka’s retreats. Spending his own money and time to spreading it. But he still suffers the arrows of the three poisons and it didn’t diminished. He became increasingly disillusioned with it but can’t let it go because his status and ego is so tied into it. What I find disturbing about Goenka’s system is that it is designed to replicate itself and spread fast with him at the center. He didn’t care about quality, only quantity. The assistant teachers are also controlled and told that they can only practice Goenka’s method, they have to report their relationship activities and sexual activities to the organization. Retreatants are asked to sign a document confirming that they’re only allowed to practice Goenka’s method during the retreat. It’s too much about control and taking away people’s autonomy. You’re locked in. The Buddha’s teachings isn’t about control, only cults are interested in that. How come in Goenka’s lifetime he never produced any student capable of independently teaching others from their own personal attainments like in other linages? Because he never wanted to give up control and allowed diversity of views or experience to be expressed. Or is it that his method never produced any fruition? One has to wonder. We can’t check our critical discernment at the door when we honestly embark on a practice. That’s the Buddha’s teaching. Test my teachings like a goldsmith test for gold, he cuts and burns and examine it critically. The results should only be accepted if it had proven to be helpful in your life. The ending of sufferings: quelling of 3 poisons.

When a hindrance arises you 6R. That is you R ecognized your mind wandered ..then you RELEASE your attention to it and RELAX tension and tightness pulling you to follow that distraction - then RE SMILE and RETURN to object. REPEAT /continue on your object

I just turned up my volume really loud, I think they said "Chocoloate"... lol

@@headlessness THANK YOU!! I was also wondering haha and paused to check the comment! lol