My experience with Vipassana meditation, I hope this will help someone.

This is going to be quite long as I am describing a 10 day course and what led me there, so be warned!

As I have stated some time ago in my only other post, I had some strange experiences with what can only be described as strange beings or ET's visiting me and witnessed by my wife. The reason I mention that here is because shortly after these experiences occurred I got a strong desire to learn to meditate. Now this thread is not about discussing my weird experiences outside of vipassana but I am happy to answer any questions relating to that via pm.

Let me take you back to before these experiences, during my time at university, I studied at Leeds in the UK and during my Zoology degree I suffered from a little pre exam stress. I tried to learn meditation but given my lack of discipline I failed to learn even the basics and I put the whole meditation experience in the bin, along with new age garbage and that most annoying of trends, the love and lighters....

So this was how it stood for me until about 3-4 years ago, I shunned all this stuff because it was for lazy do gooders who I often see doing nothing at all! So then it begins, lights in the sky, strange dreams/experiences and a strong desire to learn to meditate. I ignored it for some time and then I thought "hey" what the hell, it can't be any weirder than whats happening already". So given my previous failings years before and my distrust of new age fancy, I find a technique that is solely based on working with your own sensation and feeling. No fairy rainbows or golden stairways! Then I looked through the information on line and nearly fell off my chair when I realised they offer 10 days silent retreats and only ask a donation from you if you can afford one. I am thinking ok whats the catch? these things seem to cost $1000's normally. Anyway I decide to book in, I take the time from work and travel to Pomona in QLD Australia to experience 10 days of silence.

To be honest arriving at the retreat felt like I was walking into a prison, albeit a very pretty and quiet one. My entire mind was screaming at me to get out, leave, go to the coast and stay in a hotel for a week or so, no one will ever know! I was close to running but I managed to shut those thoughts up and signed in. Well what can I say, my room was clean, the people seemed a bit airy fairy but what do you expect? Silence starts on the first evening, you learn a technique which is basically observing your natural breath. I thought this is ok, I can do this...However when it got to day 3 I have to admit I was getting a little sick of sitting cross legged with a very stiff back observing my breath through my nostrils. My mind screamed at me to jump the fence and get fish and chips, a steak anything other than vegetarian food (although it was very good food).

On the evening of day 3 we were taught to move our focus from breathing to sensation and work on the area beneath the nose. Almost immediately I noticed what seemed like ants or ice cold electricity moving across the area. I was fascinated and became very diligent at working with this new sensation (I thinkI was just relieved to have something else besides my breath to focus on). Well this went on until the evening of the 4th day where we started my first ever experience of vipassana. Well what can I say, everything just went nuts, I start working at the top of my head and all of a sudden a wave of sensation just rolled down my body, followed by another and then another. Wow was I really meditating, had I actually achieved something in the weird and wonderful world of meditation??

Well this sensation was with me each time I sat down to meditate which was about 11 hours a day btw. By day 6 I was controlling these sensations and could put my mind anywhere on my body and would sense a pin prick almost immediately. On the evening of the 6th day I was sitting in the hall observing this sensation moving from my head to my feet and back again, and then all of a sudden a wave started at my feet and my head at the same time and crossed at my waist. This continued, it got more and more intense and then "pop"........ All of a sudden I am somewhere else, I am surrounded by balls of light and beneath me is a luminescent green grid. I have no body I am just light. I can feel my body buzzing a long way off and it felt tiny and not really relevant. I was just floating around with these other balls of light, it was really weird and I have no idea what was happening. All I know is that after a couple of minutes I started thinking "how do I get back"....

Well I had no idea, I panicked, then I hear a voice (probably my own), saying 'open you eyes!". I'm floating around thinking "I don't have any eyes!". Honestly I really freaked out a bit and after a few more moments I forced my eyes open. I was shocked and disorientated, nothing like this had been discussed with us. That night I was woken by my body vibrating with incredible intensity, what is all that about?? The next day the sensation I felt running up and down my body continued and didn't stop when I stopped meditating, it was just constant. I spent the next 2 days walking around feeling like a 10 year old with the keys to a ferrari. I had no idea what was going on but I was fascinated.

On day 9 it all slowed down and became much more tolerable, I would even say very pleasant and then that evening I experienced a peace I have only ever experienced in subsequent retreats. It was just amazing, no constant chatter in my head, no wants, no needs, just being. For me that was a very new experience, something that I would love to share with every person on this planet. I continue to practice Vipassana and take a 10 day retreat each year, sometimes twice if I have the time.

I am sharing this experience so anyone who thinks like I did that they cannot learn to do something like this that they can if they try. It was incredibly hard work the 1st time, probably the hardest 10 days of my life (tragedy aside).

Thanks for your time folks

Thank you for sharing this story!

It is an inspiration to my self, as I am/will be attempting to meditate correctly in the upcoming few months.

Last year, I was in a bad place (mentally), however, I did have a peaceful place of respite - and without completely meaning to, I found my self meditating.. I done this for several months, and I can honestly say they were the most calming, peaceful few months of my life...

Since then I relocated, and have many reposonsibilities in 'real life' that have been consuming all my time and mental energy. I hope this chaos will soon ease and allow me the time and peace I need to be able to explore meditation further.

I agree, the first few attempts (maybe a month, for me at least) are really difficult - I completely understad what people mean now, when tehy said trying to find silence in your own mind is one of the most difficult things you can undertake.

However, with time, it does get a lot easier.

reply to post by ObservingYou


I tried a few different techniques but Vipassana was the one for me. I think different people require different techniques depending on their personality etc. )

Do you have a simple Vipassana technique that can be tried at home?
I have problems with choosing from the internet since I have no idea which one is genuine.
I would love to try it also, i've been practicing different kinds of meditation but somehow I never got around Vipassana.

reply to post by WhiteHat


read about it at dhamma.org

) good luck

What an awesome post! I have recently...last year or so...started meditating with an initial hope for calming my overly anxious mind. But, I can't seem to quieten the millions of thoughts that chain through my mind. I am envious but proud of those that can feel such serenity. I plan on continuing studying more meditations and trying to work out my issues.

I'm very awed by your amazing ability.

reply to post by Malraux


look into the vipassana technique, there is probably a retreat near you. Good luck

Soandso is almost positive you have been targetted. Soandso believes you heard a signal due to being so intouch with your mind, ESPECIALLY the emotions part. Soandso is not talking about liking puppies, he is talking about advanced observations of the electrical impulses that come from them. Soandso does not hear voices, and VERY VERY STRONGLY advises that you not say that to people. This is very dangerous, call it anything else but that from this day on. You have been targeted for getting too close to it, for meditating and observing . Soandso was almost in your same shoes about 5 years ago, excluding the sensory observations. You are most likely being observed 24/7 by this point, and should take a look at my thread if the next phases starts.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Hi there,

Very interesting post, really inspiring.

I seem to suffer the same problem as most, in the sense that I am unable to clear my mind of all the thoughts that run through it, but I am sure with enough determination and enough practice anyone can achieve this, we just need to perceiver!

One question, you mentioned that on one of the days when you were meditating and "pop, you were somewhere else." Have you ever managed to recreate this experience outside the retreat? Is this something which you can now find yourself to do with ease now that you understand that technique? Or is it one of those one-off experiences?

Again thank you for sharing Take care.

reply to post by TotalAddict


Hi thanks for your question, well yes and no is the answer to that question..... I wrote a thread about my weird experiences some time ago, in it I describe a time when I had a spontaneous OBE when driving on a highway, was really weird and I cannot explain it or what I saw and felt during it. One thing with meditation that I have learnt is never expect anything as I cannot predict what will happen. No I cannot make these experiences come when I please but they seem to come and go depending on my mindset and environment.

I think anyone is capable of these experiences but what you must do is accept the possibility of it and then work patiently toward it.

reply to post by Portsfour


I read most of your work and honestly some of what you talk about is known to me but you have certainly given me food for thought. It becomes very clear quite quickly that things are not as we perceive them in everyday life. I do not have much fear though as I have seen so much that I just regard it all as a bit of a test. )

Where was this retreat in QLD.
Do they have any website link? a reply to: Charlyboy