Monthly Archives: August 2014

Day 3 My meditation has deepened.  The performance anxiety I felt has been replaced by something more visceral; anger at first, which later melts into sadness. In the kitchen, one of the Thai ladies asks if I am all right. I … Continue reading →

Day 1 Our first morning’s work, and instantly I am confronted by feelings of guilt and inadequacy. I am afraid of yelled at and bullied. It makes no difference that this is a vipassana centre, that yelling is the direct … Continue reading →

On August 13, I arrived in the Cobb mountain area of Lake County, North-west California, to ‘serve’ on a 10-day vipassana course. There is something distinctly un-Californian about vipassana. It feels more east coast, a sustained, gritty,  dredging of the soul; a … Continue reading →

On our last evening at Deer Park monastery we undertook a ritual to celebrate our ancestors. Part of this involved us singing songs or reading letters to our ancestors in front of the entire community. The mother of an eight year … Continue reading →

At Deer Park monastery I took part in every activity except for at five o’clock in the evening, when I escaped to my room to meditate for an hour. I was grateful for this, for as much as I enjoyed meeting so … Continue reading →