Oh, one more thing Chin-Chin:
What does your diet look like these days?
Vipassana retreats
-
andyville
- Posts: 142
- https://cutt.ly/meble-kuchenne-wroclaw
- Joined: Fri 19 May 2006 14:06
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Ah hah, that is a highly guarded secret not to be revealed on this forum, hihi...
I used to drink red wine, but I notice that it interferes with meditating. I actually can feel exactly what each food is doing to my body, its time of passage, its temperature and shape, etc.
I would say that my diet is about 50% raw. I lost a lot of weight on Wai and am trying to gain it back.
I used to drink red wine, but I notice that it interferes with meditating. I actually can feel exactly what each food is doing to my body, its time of passage, its temperature and shape, etc.
I would say that my diet is about 50% raw. I lost a lot of weight on Wai and am trying to gain it back.
Chin-Chin:
I find it helpful to only eat foods that are considered sattvic in the yoga tradition (I do ashtanga myself). This site is pretty interesting:
http://www.yogaholidays.net/magazine/diet.htm
I just saw your picture in another thread by the way, and you are really beautiful. What's your Asian origin...?
Peace in the hood,
Andypandy McRandy
I find it helpful to only eat foods that are considered sattvic in the yoga tradition (I do ashtanga myself). This site is pretty interesting:
http://www.yogaholidays.net/magazine/diet.htm
I just saw your picture in another thread by the way, and you are really beautiful. What's your Asian origin...?
Peace in the hood,
Andypandy McRandy
Thanks Andyville. About the photo, it's just a picture, and photography can lie so well, but it's still nice to receive compliments on my impermanent shell, or rather, the image of my impermanent shell.
I don't think I'm going to have time to register for the Vipassana forum for the moment although it does look quite interesting. I've taken on some writing jobs elsewhere and I only have so much writing capital, so to speak.
I knew about the sattvic food, which is basically what we eat at the centers. The course that I went to was run in English and Khmer, so it was a Cambodian menu - so yummy.
How does that link to Wai? I am not striving to be a vegetarian, and sometimes I feel plants have just as much consciousness as animals if not more. Being at the top of the food chain without putting in the effort of hunting/butchering/gathering really bothers my conscience a lot, but I guess that's a parabole of all the unfairness in this world.
Oh I'm genetically Chinese and grew up in a lot of different places, and I'd like to consider myself as a citizen of the world.
Are you still practicing celibacy? I think that I would have been enlightened already, but unfortunately, there's still too much passion in me that I'm unwilling to give up...
I don't think I'm going to have time to register for the Vipassana forum for the moment although it does look quite interesting. I've taken on some writing jobs elsewhere and I only have so much writing capital, so to speak.
I knew about the sattvic food, which is basically what we eat at the centers. The course that I went to was run in English and Khmer, so it was a Cambodian menu - so yummy.
How does that link to Wai? I am not striving to be a vegetarian, and sometimes I feel plants have just as much consciousness as animals if not more. Being at the top of the food chain without putting in the effort of hunting/butchering/gathering really bothers my conscience a lot, but I guess that's a parabole of all the unfairness in this world.
Oh I'm genetically Chinese and grew up in a lot of different places, and I'd like to consider myself as a citizen of the world.
Are you still practicing celibacy? I think that I would have been enlightened already, but unfortunately, there's still too much passion in me that I'm unwilling to give up...
When I stay on a vegan, sattvic diet - in other words, only eat fruits, nuts and greens - the celibacy is actually not that hard to keep up, not even in a city like Stockholm where the pretty girls are literally all around you all the time. The vegan diet seems to decrease my sex drive a lot; I am not saying this is necessarily a good thing, it is just an observation. It definitely helps with meditation and yoga, though. So far I have only kept up the celibacy for a week here and a week there, but I am definitely intending to be serious about it quite soon, and maybe try to stay celibate for a couple of months.
My whole idea about ultimate celibacy is that you abstain from sex until you have found the one and get married. The funny thing about this is that when I was studying in the US I had a Christian roomie who had been born into this kind of tradition, and was still a virgin at age 21. This was before I had started practicing Vipassana, and we used to have long, heated debates regarding the sanity of abstaining from sex before marriage. Now I am starting to see the point of this, because all this passion that comes with casual sex will ultimately make you very miserable, and be quite devastating to your meditation. I am 24 now and feel like I have had enough of all that casual stuff, and I believe I would be willing to give up on sex until I feel like I have found the one (which I have a feeling I already have, although we are not in a relationship right now). Maybe if I went on a longer period of celibacy I would realize it was not for me, but I doubt it. I find that what truly matters to me these days when making choices in my life, is whether this thing or that thing will make it possible for me to lead a more peaceful life. So it all comes down to being either helpful or devastating to my meditation, and celibacy - again - ranks in the first category.
Don't you feel like refraining from sex helps with meditation and yoga, Chin-Chin?
My whole idea about ultimate celibacy is that you abstain from sex until you have found the one and get married. The funny thing about this is that when I was studying in the US I had a Christian roomie who had been born into this kind of tradition, and was still a virgin at age 21. This was before I had started practicing Vipassana, and we used to have long, heated debates regarding the sanity of abstaining from sex before marriage. Now I am starting to see the point of this, because all this passion that comes with casual sex will ultimately make you very miserable, and be quite devastating to your meditation. I am 24 now and feel like I have had enough of all that casual stuff, and I believe I would be willing to give up on sex until I feel like I have found the one (which I have a feeling I already have, although we are not in a relationship right now). Maybe if I went on a longer period of celibacy I would realize it was not for me, but I doubt it. I find that what truly matters to me these days when making choices in my life, is whether this thing or that thing will make it possible for me to lead a more peaceful life. So it all comes down to being either helpful or devastating to my meditation, and celibacy - again - ranks in the first category.
Don't you feel like refraining from sex helps with meditation and yoga, Chin-Chin?
Actually, from all the literature that I've read about Qi Gong and stuff like that, meditation actually initially hikes up your sex drive because you become more sensitive. The difficulty lies in being aware that it's there and I suppose the ability to sublimate it into a higher energy. It's apparently impossible to achieve any greatness in Qi Gong with unbridled sexuality, and some schools of Qi Gong advocate celibacy as a route to ultimate freedom, and most condemn sexual misconduct, however one wants to interpret it.
But when I talk about passion, I think of it as some form of unpurified metta energy that's anyhow extra-sensory; so I wasn't talking about traditional sex. It's also possible to have non-sexual passionate relationships. Sometimes, I even think that if someone shows me the way to connect with another being without sex, I'll happily dispense myself with the idea of sex all together. But I try not to put value judgments like good or bad, moral or immoral to sex. There are no real rules. A sense of authenticity in the sharing process is the most important to me.
Is monogamy the only or the best paradigm? That's a question that only your personal experience can answer. Don't have preconceived notions about things and always act out of your heart and your personal understanding.
But when I talk about passion, I think of it as some form of unpurified metta energy that's anyhow extra-sensory; so I wasn't talking about traditional sex. It's also possible to have non-sexual passionate relationships. Sometimes, I even think that if someone shows me the way to connect with another being without sex, I'll happily dispense myself with the idea of sex all together. But I try not to put value judgments like good or bad, moral or immoral to sex. There are no real rules. A sense of authenticity in the sharing process is the most important to me.
Is monogamy the only or the best paradigm? That's a question that only your personal experience can answer. Don't have preconceived notions about things and always act out of your heart and your personal understanding.
"A sense of authenticity in the sharing process is the most important to me."
Well, this is basically what troubles me about t casual sex - the sense of authenticity is lacking, in my experience. I've only felt that kind of athenticity with one girl, and that's the girl I previously referred to as the one. Once you've tasted the real thing, you don't want to go back to casual sex.
I think you mentioned something about sleep in an earlier post in this thread, which is another aspect of my life that has been affected by the Vipassana experience. Over the last week I have slept no more than three to four hours a night, which is a lot less than the seven hours I used to sleep. I remember Goenka talked about this in one of the evening discourses; how it is perfectly healthy to let meditation - especially lying meditation - replace traditional sleep more and more, and how The Buddha only needed three hours of deep meditation every night to be able to continue working. My goal is definitely to become a yogi in the sense that I don't need any sleep anymore; I have always been troubled by nightmares, sleep walking, sleep talking and so on, and if I would reach a level of my meditation practice where I could actually give up on sleep altogether, I would welcome such a change. Most people would probably find such a lifestyle quite extreme, but to me it makes perfect sense as a step towards being more and more aware.
How have your sleeping habits changed, Chin-Chin? Are you aiming for the yogi lifestyle as well, in this respect?
Well, this is basically what troubles me about t casual sex - the sense of authenticity is lacking, in my experience. I've only felt that kind of athenticity with one girl, and that's the girl I previously referred to as the one. Once you've tasted the real thing, you don't want to go back to casual sex.
I think you mentioned something about sleep in an earlier post in this thread, which is another aspect of my life that has been affected by the Vipassana experience. Over the last week I have slept no more than three to four hours a night, which is a lot less than the seven hours I used to sleep. I remember Goenka talked about this in one of the evening discourses; how it is perfectly healthy to let meditation - especially lying meditation - replace traditional sleep more and more, and how The Buddha only needed three hours of deep meditation every night to be able to continue working. My goal is definitely to become a yogi in the sense that I don't need any sleep anymore; I have always been troubled by nightmares, sleep walking, sleep talking and so on, and if I would reach a level of my meditation practice where I could actually give up on sleep altogether, I would welcome such a change. Most people would probably find such a lifestyle quite extreme, but to me it makes perfect sense as a step towards being more and more aware.
How have your sleeping habits changed, Chin-Chin? Are you aiming for the yogi lifestyle as well, in this respect?
I sleep less. But I'm not sure how much less, as my sleep patterns have always been somewhat erratic.
What I notice the most is that in the morning, I'm immediately awake and ready to go. But it's still too early to tell how much of that is period-related and how much of it is longlasting.
I actually think that you still sound quite agitated and you should just put in the work (meditation hours) and let the rest take care of itself. I've always wanted to have supernatural powers since I could remember, although I realize these thoughts are not very yogic, but hey, who can resist?
Now I realize that the yogic path is not for me (I practice yoga, but I don't want to just meditate and do yoga for the rest of my life). I'm more an artist as well as someone who needs quality intellectual and sensory stimulation. Life is too good to pass up, and who knows if I'll ever reincarnate?
About connecting with people, I think that when you free yourself up from preconceived conceptions, your vibrations will start to spontaneously attract people that correspond to you. There's no doubt.
For casual sex, there has to be two willing partners,one as desperate and miserable as the other. When I look around, there's so much sexual misery in this world. Do we really want to be part of this madness? I've never wanted to take part.
What I notice the most is that in the morning, I'm immediately awake and ready to go. But it's still too early to tell how much of that is period-related and how much of it is longlasting.
I actually think that you still sound quite agitated and you should just put in the work (meditation hours) and let the rest take care of itself. I've always wanted to have supernatural powers since I could remember, although I realize these thoughts are not very yogic, but hey, who can resist?
Now I realize that the yogic path is not for me (I practice yoga, but I don't want to just meditate and do yoga for the rest of my life). I'm more an artist as well as someone who needs quality intellectual and sensory stimulation. Life is too good to pass up, and who knows if I'll ever reincarnate?
About connecting with people, I think that when you free yourself up from preconceived conceptions, your vibrations will start to spontaneously attract people that correspond to you. There's no doubt.
For casual sex, there has to be two willing partners,one as desperate and miserable as the other. When I look around, there's so much sexual misery in this world. Do we really want to be part of this madness? I've never wanted to take part.
Well, you're probably right about me being agitated still; I am not saying Vipassana made me a perfect human being from one day to another (whatever that's supposed to mean). Was it the part about trying to eliminate sleep that made you concerned? Obviously letting meditation take care of itself would be a more laid back approach, but I find that whenever I don't have a very clear goal I fail to make any progress. In other words being able to eliminate sleep is just my visualisation of the state that I'm aiming at - a state where my meditation has reached such a level that I don't need to sleep. Will I ever get there? Well, I guess it's too early to tell right now.
Actually, the more you want "enlightenment", whatever that is, the more you are running away from it. Goenka says this in his lectures himself.
If you PM me your postal address, I'll send you a CD of an 1-hour sitting with Goenka (in English and Khmer). It's always good to renew some of the concepts that Goenka developed in the course.
Cheers,
Chin-Chin
If you PM me your postal address, I'll send you a CD of an 1-hour sitting with Goenka (in English and Khmer). It's always good to renew some of the concepts that Goenka developed in the course.
Cheers,
Chin-Chin