From an email from the wonderful meditation teacher Phillip Moffitt, who has led two long silent retreats I’ve attended (and wrote about here), on his new year’s teaching: The theme that I’m going to be exploring this year is the importance of starting where you are and then proceeding with a commitment to starting over again as many timesContinue reading "Starting Over Again"| Ben Casnocha
A few years ago I attended a silent “concentration” meditation retreat where we spent many consecutive days examining our breath in microscopic detail. The teachers gave very specific instructions we were to follow from the crack of dawn through to dinner. About halfway through the 10 day retreat, I met with a teacher 1:1 toContinue reading "Relaxed Concentration Unlocks a Secret to Winning: Not Trying Too Hard"| Ben Casnocha
Meditation teacher James Baraz played this video of Ram Dass‘s words at a recent dharma talk, and it’s beautifully done: Sit Around the Fire. When you’re in the right mood, watch it on full screen for 8 minutes. Truth.| Ben Casnocha
N.B. I’ve organized all my blog posts on meditation retreats and Buddhist into this one long page. If you’re new, you can read that page for more context on my journey to date, my summary of the Buddhist argument, and my experiences at other long retreats. This post is a dispatch from my latest retreat.Continue reading "“Mindfulness of Consciousness” Meditation Retreat"| Ben Casnocha
The best practical guide on meditation I’ve ever read, as informed by a Buddhist understanding but written in exactingly clear and precise English, is The Mind Illuminated by John Yates and Matthew Immergut. I first read it several years ago at Russ Roberts’ recommendation, and re-read it for a second time recently. There is aContinue reading "Book Notes: The Mind Illuminated"| Ben Casnocha
Day two of a ten-day silent meditation retreat, and my mind was a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. Thoughts exploding with obsessions and cravings and aversions. Inner monologues chattering away unabated. Each bright flash capturing flickers of my attention. So much for the serene state I’d imagined achieving by now. As I satContinue reading "Vipassana Meditation Retreat July 2024 with Joseph Goldstein and Kamala Masters"| Ben Casnocha