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I’m always curious why folks think acetic practices like sitting in pain and not taking your meds are helpful with meditation. It’s if you think taking an anti

• kragen 7y ago
  Falling asleep on the zafu is definitely an obstacle many people struggle with, especially at first, and has been even before antihistamines. Do you think all those people are probably on the wrong path, too? I find acetic practices like putting vinegar in my salad helpful to meditation at times.
• Daishiman 7y ago
  They aren't really ascetic practices inasmuch as they're the most pragmatic advice that can be given under the circumstances of what is a budget factory meditation retreat. With that limitation, you're generally forbidden from being admitted if doctors think that the absence of your medication can result in a problem later down in the retreat. Surely there are retreats where things are analyzed case-by-case in a much more thorough basis, but they're not entry-level, cheap-or-free retreats that Goenka is. The critique in the article is valid but it comes with the territory. I also feel that a lot of things the author find difficult or annoying are things you just need to learn to roll with with in the same way that being an adult means being patient and learning to just deal with some difficult stuff.