Tuesday, August 21, 2007

After the Storm, The Stillness...

"After the storm, comes the stillness. After the heavy rain, there is growth. After the unpleasant changes, there will be Greater Activity, Greater Success."—Grand Master Choa Kok Sui, Founder of Pranic Healing

I have been in Vipassana meditation for the last 4 days. For a description on Vipassana, check out its definition from the Great Wikipedia at the end of this post. Now it is not really possible to do real Vipassana in a family life setting. I should retreat to an ashram, lick my wounds in private, and take the vow of Noble Silence for 10 days! Try doing that in my home with my energy healing constancy, 4 children, a dog... a wounded and fragile husband.... and you'll know my kind of vipassana is modified for JSpirit. Basically I am talking only to those people who heal me, and not talking to those who drain me. This allows me the energy to look within and see how I want to heal. Because I am extremely fragile after the events of last week (sexual abuse etc., against my son, my husband trying to take away all the things that keep me happy, my 11 year old's 2 days of swimming competitions at an inter school level, etc.....).

So, right now, I am back to 80% of my functioning. I can finally smile through the tears. Or see the sun through the rain. Or be extremely dangerous to my enemies.... As they see me wounded and fragile, they are trying to strike me down. I smile as I plot my next move. Like a wrestler completely "in the zone", I enjoy playing with their minds....

Or maybe I am a "heart" person, a "love" person, a "Ray 2" type person.... the kind of person they do not expect to see in a wrestling match. The kind of person who uses love to win battles...

Bring it on, Principal! Here's to our next meeting on Thursday...

Love,
Jhilmil



PS: Why don't you all place bets or wagers on what is going to happen? Who is going to win? The school Principal or me? Silence or Debate? The betting is open!!





PPS: Vipassana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vipassanā (Pāli) or vipaśyanā (Sanskrit) means "insight" and is often referred to by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike as simply "insight meditation". While it is a type of Buddhist meditation as taught by the Buddha, it is essentially non-sectarian in character and has universal application. One need not convert to Buddhism to practice vipassanā meditation. While the meditation practices themselves vary from school to school, the underlying principle is the investigation of phenomena as they manifest in the four Foundations of Mindfulness highlighted in the Satipatthana sutta; namely: Kaya - Body (or breath), Vedana feeling, Citta - Mind, and dhamma - Mind objects. It should here be noted as those factors differ from the Khandas - aggregates - in the sense that the Citta factor is not connected to any aggregate being in fact the basic mood of the Mind-Body aggregate, and the dhamma factor encompasses all mind objects thus including the Vinnana, Sanna and Sankhara aggregate but also all mind objects that are not a fruit of kamma like, for example, the Four Noble Truths themselves.
In a broader sense, vipassanā has been used as one of two poles for the categorization of types of Buddhist meditation, the other being samatha (Pāli) or śamatha (Sanskrit). Samatha is a focusing, pacifying and calming meditation, common to many traditions in the world, notably yoga. It is used as a preparation for vipassanā, pacifying the mind and strengthening the concentration in order to allow the work of insight. This dichotomy is also sometimes discussed as "stopping and seeing." In Buddhist practice, it is said that while samatha can calm the mind, only insight can reveal how the mind was disturbed to start with, which leads to prajñā (Pāli: paññā, knowledge) and jñāna (Pāli: ñāṇa, wisdom) and thus understanding, preventing it from being disturbed again.
The term is also used to refer to the Buddhist Vipassana movement modeled after Theravāda Buddhism which employs Vipassanā and ānāpāna meditation as its primary techniques and places emphasis on the teachings of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. Vedanā (sensation/feeling) is the primary initial subject of investigation.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to see all the distress you are experiencing in life. Still, for a 'pranic healer' and a vipaasana practioner, you seem to be very confused. Perhaps you have not understood the concept of these principles.

If you were more focussed on giving - to kids, parents, husband, etc - rather than having expectations from them, you might find yourself being happier in life.

What kind of vipaasana do you practice that you broadcast it on your blog? That really is your own personal experience and should not be bandied so loosely on a public platform.

I hope you are able to find the peace that you seek.

JSpirit said...

Dear Anonymous,

First of all, thank you for having the courage to write these comments! I would have loved it, though, if you had also operated from the fearless state and written your name... but I still thank you.

I agree, as a meditator, I should not even expect anything from the Principal for myself. That is why I do not. I want change for the world. I want change for other children. My family and I are in recovery and we are using love for our healing.

I focus only on giving, and that is why I get depleted sometimes. I have no expectations from any one. I look only to God. But if you feel I have expectations, then I need to examine that...

I use my blog as my personal journal. Rather than send an unkind note to my husband or child, I write. If the Internet now uses blogs as a voyeuristic stalking tool, I cannot control that. I write for me, and maybe to change one heart at a time.

Thank you for your support, and keep writing in, and please feel free to write your name, if you like. It will make me more receptive!

Love and light,
Jhilmil