
Ten Days of Silence - prostoalex
http://www.vice.com/en_us/read/ten-days-of-silence-taught-me-how-to-be-alive-500?utm_source=vicefbus
======
Roelven
This is a terrible article. Meditation is a great way to get to know yourself
better or solve problems, I would not compare it to "tripping balls" in any
way. If you want to learn more I recommend reading about it on
[http://www.dhamma.org](http://www.dhamma.org), where you can also find
meditation centers near you.

------
brooklyndude
Adding some science, just those crazy people from Harvard:

Harvard Unveils MRI Study Proving Meditation Literally Rebuilds The Brain’s
Gray Matter In 8 Weeks

Test subjects taking part in an 8-week program of mindfulness meditation
showed results that astonished even the most experienced neuroscientists at
Harvard University. The study was led by a Harvard-affiliated team of
researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the team’s MRI scans
documented for the very first time in medical history how meditation produced
massive changes inside the brain’s gray matter. “Although the practice of
meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation,
practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and
psychological benefits that persist throughout the day,” says study senior
author Sara Lazar of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and a
Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology. “This study demonstrates that
changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements
and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time
relaxing.”

[http://www.feelguide.com/2014/11/19/harvard-unveils-mri-
stud...](http://www.feelguide.com/2014/11/19/harvard-unveils-mri-study-
proving-meditation-literally-rebuilds-the-brains-gray-matter-in-8-weeks/)

~~~
hackercurious
Can Buddhist practice liberate us from the prison of physical pain?

"How can meditation help when medicine falls short? Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.,
professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Massachusetts medical
School, speaks to these questions as a long-time practitioner of Buddhist
meditation and hatha yoga, and as a pioneer in the use of mindfulness to treat
chronic pain and illness. More than 13,000 people have visited the world-
renowned Stress Reduction Clinic that Kabat-Zinn established in 1979 at the
UMass medical Center, and the eight-week program- described in Kabat-Zinn’s
bestseller “Full Catastrophe Living”- is now also offered at some two hundred
medical facilities worldwide."

[http://www.bemindful.org/kabatzinnart.htm](http://www.bemindful.org/kabatzinnart.htm)

------
futuravenir
Vipassana is an absolutely wonderful experience. A 'brain washing' where it
can rid your mind of all the crud that has accumulated from our culture and
society. It puts you in touch with your body in a way that nothing my life
ever has. I'd be happy to answer some questions if anybody has any.

~~~
ep103
Do I have to learn how to meditate before I go? How can I learn?

Where do I find a place like this?

If I want to do this, what are my first steps?

~~~
grantcox
I recommend learning how to meditate before you go. I attempted a 10 day
vipasana as a complete beginner and with insufficient research, and assumed it
would be some kind of "course". Instead we were instructed on what to meditate
on (first day is literally "feel the breath entering your nose"), and then
expected to sit still and meditate for 11 hours a day. This vipasana
(Kathmandu, late 2011) had no "optional sessions", and no additional
instructions. As a complete beginner I was disappointed and frustrated - was I
doing it right, is there no technique to be taught, or tips to be given?

The analogy I'd give is if I'd joined a 10 day fitness camp and the only
instruction was "do deadlifts", and then you were left alone for 11 hours.
What's a deadlift? Is this the right form? After an hour I feel like I've
exhausted these muscles, do I really just keep doing it for ten more hours
today?

After three days of this, (each day having a slightly more specific focus but
still lacking in the kind of direction or confirmation I was looking for), I
left. I was a stone's throw from the Himalayas, and I felt that spending my
remaining time in the mountains would do more for me than sitting in a dark
room feeling confused and frustrated.

I can't answer how to learn to meditate, I haven't followed it up (once burnt,
twice shy). But you could try the vipasana way at home - sit in a quiet room
and "feel the breath entering your nose" for an hour.

~~~
javajosh
You had an unfortunate experience. Perhaps if you took a course in an English
speaking country the instructions would be clearer to you, and you'd be more
aware of the availability of those who you can ask for help. And the evening
discourses, which go into greater depth of explanation, would be more
accessible to you.

------
mayayo3
Sometimes, you meet a new person and the first thing that you notice is the
immense calm on their faces. You get good vibes from them. And even without
talking, you can tell they are nice people.

It happened with me recently a few times. As I got to know those people
better, I learnt that they've all done Vipassana at some point in their lives.
It might sound mumbo jumbo but these are the facts.

I haven't done Vipassana but my girlfriend did, about a few months back.
Honestly, I didn't see any noticeable change in her. I mean she loves puppies
now as much as she did earlier. She definitely did have trippy, out of body
experiences. Perhaps, others who don't see her as often as I do might be able
to tell some very visible, external changes.

However, there was one very peculiar effect. She had been complaining of a
chronic back pain for almost a year. After she returned, her back pain was 90%
gone!

Some of my close friends have also recently returned from it, and they all
seem calmer, more mindful people now.

~~~
savage_platypus
Reads like a scientology ad

~~~
futuravenir
Unlike Scientology, Vipassana courses are free. They provide food, shelter,
and an incredible experience on the donations of others. If you want to give a
donation after you've finished the course (and only after you've finished the
complete course, they won't accept donations otherwise), then you are welcomed
to.

~~~
oskarth
I have never done a Vipassana retreat, but I've played around with that style
of meditation with good results. To me this is one of the most admirable
aspects of it - so many of these so called "spiritual" (a misguided umbrella
term) retreats/courses functions more as a way for the founder to get rich
than to do something good. See the founder of Bikram yoga.

------
willyyr
I'm still looking back to my vipassana experience a few years ago. It's
something I don't want to miss and it helped me focus again. Mindfulness is
something beautiful.

Also something that I think is not quite clear from the article is that
vipassana is not some kind of crazy cult. It's basically "just" a technique.

~~~
amttc
Yeah, that part of the article I feel is off. I've never been on a retreat but
I do sit. It's definitely an experience that I think people should try, but it
doesn't really bear any resemblance to a trip (at least for me). It's more
like turning a magnifying glass on how I make thoughts.

------
Animats
From the article: _" About half a year ago I started taking psychedelic drugs
fairly regularly. Partially because they were fun, but also because I could
see how they benefited me therapeutically. When I heard that meditation could
produce similar effects, I found a ten day intense silent meditation course I
could join in Italy."_

Huey Lewis & the News:

    
    
        "I want a new drug
        One that won't make me sick
        One that won't make me crash my car
        Or make me feel three feet thick
    
        I want a new drug
        One that won't hurt my head
        One that won't make my mouth too dry
        Or make my eyes too red"
    

I'm inclined to go with Feynman on this. He was once convinced in the 1960s by
Dr. John Lilly to try LSD, being told it would improve his thinking. Feynman
then thought, the next day, that he had solved a hard problem he'd been
working on. While going to a meeting where he was doing to discuss his
solution, he realized that he hadn't solved the problem, he had hallucinated
that he had solved the problem. Feynman was furious. He wrote "I like to
think, and I don't want to break the machine."

That guy would probably get equally good results by taking 10 days off to go
surfing.

~~~
oskarth
This is such a dismissive attitude. What Feynman is talking about is putting
something artificial in your body with potentially adverse side effects. This
has very little to do with sitting still in a room and watching your
breathing. This is something people have done for thousands of years, and it
consists "only" of sitting.

Going on a surf vacation for 10 days isn't going to have nearly as big of an
impact as something like this in this dimension. You may a get a lot better at
surfing really quickly, and meet some friends. Which is great!

If you don't think meditation is for your, fine, don't do it. But don't
downplay people's experience by imposing your own limited world view on it.

EDIT: My intention is not be dismissive of surfing as an activity. I would be
surprised though if OP went on a 10 day surfing retreat and wrote a similar
article to the one we are reading now.

~~~
001sky
Meditation is commonly practiced by all kinds of people, many of whom don't do
it in the tradition you may associate with 'Meditation'. I wouldn't be so
dismissive of surfing. Activities that force you to clear your mind (so you
don't die or seriously hurt yourself) are other candidates for similar
outcomes.

------
hackercurious
I wanted to add that there are several forms/types of Vipassana and several
different types of centers that conduct retreats. Many people get confused and
think that there is only one type of Vipassana.

The Insight Meditation Society (IMS) is located near Boston and is the most
extensive center in the US.

“IMS offers Buddhist meditation retreats at two facilities – the Retreat
Center and The Forest Refuge – in rural central Massachusetts. The Retreat
Center is one of the two IMS centers in the United States. However, all
Buddhist centers teach vipassana/vispashyana. It offers a full yearly schedule
of more than 25 meditation courses, ranging in duration from a weekend to
three months. Most retreats run for 7–9 days.”

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight_Meditation_Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight_Meditation_Society)

Insight Meditation Society (IMS) uses a sliding scale to charge for its
retreats and I have found them to be my favorite center for going on a
retreat.

~~~
KingMob
I came here to second this. The author clearly has experience only with Goenka
and has absorbed their atypical use of the Pali word "vipassana". It's not
usually used as a noun to describe a retreat. Nor was it "lost" for centuries.
Most serious Theravadan retreat centers have been doing plenty of vipassana.

IMS is a wonderful facility. On the west coast, its sister center is Spirit
Rock, though they're not quite as well set up for long retreats.

------
tempodox
_Pain is only temporary, pleasure is only temporary and you only bring
yourself misery if you go chasing after either is the basic deal. And while
those things sound simple as a rule of thumb, that doesn 't make them easy to
follow._

That conclusion is worth something, whichever way you arrive at it. I guess
it's one of the basic truths about our way of existence.

------
daragh99
I've been a software engineer for 15 years, have meditated with varying
degrees of consistency for 10 years, and have taught meditation to peers,
friends and the public for the last 3 years.

The conclusions reached in this article about the temporary nature of all
states and experiences, as well as connecting with the wisdom of the body,
resonate strongly with me. I'd add that the ability I have developed to
monitor and redirect my thoughts, as well as enhanced concentration, are other
direct benefits.

I believe you can see some benefits from meditation without embracing the full
retreat experience. But a retreat is definitely a step-up and solidifies a lot
of the lessons. I've done 8-day insight retreats which are a little less
austere than Vipassana but seem to bring about similar states and changes.

I wrote the story of how I ended up teaching meditation (I teach 8-week
courses with similar content to MBSR). You can read it here if you are
interested: [http://www.geekmindfitness.com/mindfulness/why-this-
software...](http://www.geekmindfitness.com/mindfulness/why-this-software-
developer-teaches-mindfulness-meditation/)

There's another write-up I did of how some of this affected my journey through
anxiety, specifically impostor syndrome:
[http://www.geekmindfitness.com/mindfulness/how-
mindfulness-m...](http://www.geekmindfitness.com/mindfulness/how-mindfulness-
meditation-stopped-me-feeling-like-a-fake/)

------
comrh
Sounds amazing. I can't figure out if this would be great for my ADHD or
similar to CIA torture.

~~~
cpayne
It would be both. 10 days of doing anything intensively is a LONG time!

The author did say that several people couldn't last. I'm sure you would
either crack or have a breakthrough...

------
hypertexthero
> Remember that letting go is not forcing something to go away. Instead,
> letting go is an invitation. We generously allow the recipient to choose
> whether or not to accept the invitation, and we are happy either way. When
> we let go of something that distracts our meditation, we are gently inviting
> it to stop distracting us, but we generously allow it to decide whether or
> not it wants to stay. If it decides to leave, that is fine. If it decides to
> stay, that is fine too. We treat it with kindness and generosity during its
> entire presence. This is the practice of letting go.

> Finally, if you do not remember a single thing you read in this chapter so
> far (maybe because you do not care about this book but your wife made you
> sit down and read it), happily, Jon Kabat-Zinn has a one-phrase summary of
> this entire chapter:

> __Breathing as if your life depends on it.__

> If you can only remember a single phrase in this chapter, remember this, and
> you will understand mindfulness meditation.

From Chade-Meng Tan's Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving
Success, Happiness (and World Peace), warmly recommended:
[http://www.siybook.com/](http://www.siybook.com/)

------
throwaway12357
I have been trying to do 5 minutes a day of "ignorant meditation" (just
sitting on the floor, clearing up my head, and focusing on breathing), but
have seriously slacking off these past weeks.

Are there any worthwhile youtube videos on mindfulness meditation?

And is Vipassana meditation "better" than the other types?

~~~
komaromy
I found the iOS "Yoga Nidra" app to be a good starting point. There is a trial
version that gives you a 10-minute walkthrough.

------
pattttttt
Masturbation was not prohibited in the course, although they ask not to
perform any spiritual practices (stretching doesn't count) as it'd disturb
others and might produce mixed results.

------
dreamfactory2
Serenity now...

------
savage_platypus
This sounds like more feel-good pseudoscientific hogwash.

Is there any evidence that "not talking" can actually lead to an improved
life, or is this yet another fad that makes people feel good about themselves?

~~~
mtinkerhess
People have been meditating for at least 3,500 years, I wouldn't call it a
fad.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_meditation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_meditation)

~~~
sb057
People have been practicing tribal medicine for just as long. Not a fad
either.

~~~
rosser
And, it turns out, some of those things even _work_. I know, right?

~~~
palmer_eldritch
I guess with enough trial and error, you can find solutions to many problems,
no matter how flawed your understanding of the problem is.

