> I'm really interested in hearing more about what drives people to sign up for such an extreme experience. Since nobody else is biting...people arrive to the

> I'm really interested in hearing more about what drives people to sign up for such an extreme experience. Since nobody else is biting...people arrive to the Buddhist scene (and in particular retreats and such) for any number of reasons. Most have some type of thorn in their side they're trying to take care of. Some people who attend are people in their twenties who are traveling and trying out new experiences, some have an unexpected amount of free time after losing a job, getting divorced, or just "life happening." Maybe the kids left for college. Maybe they're deep into recovering from addiction and trying to understand themselves and why the addiction happened in the first place. Some people have a daily practice and they use their vacation time to go on retreat and become better people. Some are there as a rite of passage, or for social status back home where "doing a Vipassana" may be a badge of pride. Some people are essentially homeless and move from one Dharma center to the next without any real sense of direction. At the places where you're allowed to talk to the other people you find it's quite an eclectic mix, everything from overworked executives to homeless musicians.