7 ms·

The Buddha went to a solitude retreat to conquer and master his "mind", not to some for profit "meditation center". Solitude is what is required for deep intros

The Buddha went to a solitude retreat to conquer and master his "mind", not to some for profit "meditation center". Solitude is what is required for deep introspection and realizations which lead to permanent transformations in the environmentaly and socially conditioned "model of the universe" each person is used to build and maintain through lifetime. BTW, what makes you being so sure that all the readers of HN required to become aware of your narcissistic tendencies - you made a username to post a link to your personal site with a description of how special you believe you are?

mvanvoorden 11y ago
There nothing for-profit about Vipassana. Mr Goenka set up the centers after he was profoundly helped by the practice. No money is asked, and donating either time or money can only be done after completing a course, when you sincerely feel that you want to pay it forward for a next student.
- dschiptsov 11y ago
  Of course. Retreats are public as shrines in India (which, btw, is an illusion, because the land belongs to someone - there is no unclaimed land in India) and no one is making living by running these retreats.
  - vinceguidry 11y ago
    You don't seem to understand what 'profit' is. Profit is what you have left after you pay the people that the land belongs to, and the expenses of the people organizing and running the operations.
    - dschiptsov 11y ago
      Oh, come on. Have you never seen a "charity" guys who just cover their expenses, which include luxury gadgets, top-branded clothing, liquors, taxi rides and four square meals a day? Welcome to Nepal, then (or any other place in the World). And don't tell me, please, that meditation centers are any different. It is a business. Period.
      - Karunamon 11y ago
        Your cynicism is completely unhelpful and unwarranted. If you think the practitioners are being hypocritical or untruthful, say so directly and point to documented instances. If you think the practice useless, explain why. Nobody is helped by mindlessly casting aspersions like this.
elbear 11y ago
What is your comment aggressive towards the OP? He presented his experience for anyone who might be interested. No one is being required to become aware of the OP's story.
- dschiptsov 11y ago
  Should everyone post their experience here?
  - kaybe 11y ago
    If they write interesting posts, which, after submitting, interest enough people, why not? That's why we have the voting system, so the interesting things are filtered. But, you know, the vast majority of people won't, making it even less of an issue.
    - dschiptsov 11y ago
      Probably I am biased by seeing way to many of this "narcissistic spiritualism" which is nothing but another way of boosting the ego, while one of the cornerstones of Buddhism is to get rid of notions of "I", "soul" and "mine" or, at least, to diminish them to the point of language idioms, given that it is known since Upanishads, that there is no "I" or "myself" apart of a environmental and social conditioning, plus conditioning by personal experiences, related to your social niche (a cast). That's why this is an issue for me.
      - elbear 11y ago
        I didn't see it as "narcissistic spiritualism". Rather, I saw it as a method of promoting meditation and this sort of practices in this community. In any case, if someone is shows narcissistic behavior, don't you think there are better ways to point that out to them? Compassion might work better than resentment.
deleted 11y ago
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mvanvoorden 11y ago

There nothing for-profit about Vipassana. Mr Goenka set up the centers after he was profoundly helped by the practice. No money is asked, and donating either time or money can only be done after completing a course, when you sincerely feel that you want to pay it forward for a next student.

dschiptsov 11y ago
Of course. Retreats are public as shrines in India (which, btw, is an illusion, because the land belongs to someone - there is no unclaimed land in India) and no one is making living by running these retreats.
- vinceguidry 11y ago
  You don't seem to understand what 'profit' is. Profit is what you have left after you pay the people that the land belongs to, and the expenses of the people organizing and running the operations.
  - dschiptsov 11y ago
    Oh, come on. Have you never seen a "charity" guys who just cover their expenses, which include luxury gadgets, top-branded clothing, liquors, taxi rides and four square meals a day? Welcome to Nepal, then (or any other place in the World). And don't tell me, please, that meditation centers are any different. It is a business. Period.
    - Karunamon 11y ago
      Your cynicism is completely unhelpful and unwarranted. If you think the practitioners are being hypocritical or untruthful, say so directly and point to documented instances. If you think the practice useless, explain why. Nobody is helped by mindlessly casting aspersions like this.

elbear 11y ago

What is your comment aggressive towards the OP? He presented his experience for anyone who might be interested. No one is being required to become aware of the OP's story.

dschiptsov 11y ago
Should everyone post their experience here?
- kaybe 11y ago
  If they write interesting posts, which, after submitting, interest enough people, why not? That's why we have the voting system, so the interesting things are filtered. But, you know, the vast majority of people won't, making it even less of an issue.
  - dschiptsov 11y ago
    Probably I am biased by seeing way to many of this "narcissistic spiritualism" which is nothing but another way of boosting the ego, while one of the cornerstones of Buddhism is to get rid of notions of "I", "soul" and "mine" or, at least, to diminish them to the point of language idioms, given that it is known since Upanishads, that there is no "I" or "myself" apart of a environmental and social conditioning, plus conditioning by personal experiences, related to your social niche (a cast). That's why this is an issue for me.
    - elbear 11y ago
      I didn't see it as "narcissistic spiritualism". Rather, I saw it as a method of promoting meditation and this sort of practices in this community. In any case, if someone is shows narcissistic behavior, don't you think there are better ways to point that out to them? Compassion might work better than resentment.

deleted 11y ago

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