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10-Day Basic Course
The basic course introduces you to the technique of Vipassana meditation. Whether you have attended a Vipassana course in the past or are new to the technique, we start with the basics.
Over 10 days we practice two hours daily. While challenging, an intensive practice period is necessary to get a glimpse into the deeper benefit of Vipassana meditation and learn the technique properly.
The course emphasises bringing the practice into your life, off the cushion. As such, the schedule is designed to fit within your everyday schedule.
Course Overview
Day 0 Friday
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Walking and Sitting Posture
Day 1 Saturday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Introducing Meditation: Sila, Samadhi, Panna
Q&A conducted via ZOOM* (10AM CET)
Q&A conducted via ZOOM* (9PM EST)
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 2 Sunday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Cultivating Samadhi in Walking and Sitting
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 3 Monday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: The Middle Way - The Right Effort in Practice
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 4 Tuesday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Introducing Vipassana meditation and the Noting technique
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 5 Wednesday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Q&A conducted via ZOOM* (10AM CET)
Q&A conducted via ZOOM* (9PM EST)
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 6 Thursday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Delusion and Ignorance
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 7 Friday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Experiential Wisdom: Awareness & Equanimity
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 8 Saturday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Q&A conducted via ZOOM* (10AM CET)
Q&A conducted via ZOOM* (9PM EST)
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 9 Sunday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Bringing the Practice off your Cushion
Evening Guided Meditation in your own time
Day 10 Monday
Morning Guided Meditation in your own time
Theory Video: Continuing the Practice
*ZOOM sessions are recorded for those who cannot attend live.
Course Requirements
Follow the 5 precepts during the course
The 5 Precepts are five guidelines for behaviour that will create the right conditions for meditation practice.
1. Abstain from Killing
2. Abstain from Stealing
3. Abstain from False Speech
4. Abstain from intoxicating Substances
5. Abstain from Sexual Misconduct
Create the space and time to do your daily meditations
A quiet and comfortable space to meditate in the morning and evening where distractions are at a minimum. You can sit in a chair, cross-legged or in the kneeling position. We recommend not squeezing everything you normally do into these 10 days or the meditations will quickly turn into "another thing on the to-do list". Perhaps that means cutting back on usual activities or use of technology in order to learn this technique properly.
Do your best to attend or watch the talks & Q&A sessions
These will help you understand how and why we are practising.
What is NOT required?
You don't need to have the perfect lotus posture or even sit cross-legged to learn meditation.
You don't need to maintain Noble Silence for this course. The course is designed to fit within a daily life and the value of this course is also to learn how to practice Vipassana amidst your life.
If any further Questions remain, please refer to our FAQ.
Technique
Days 0 to 4: SAMATHA MEDITATION
Samatha meditation is a practice of 'calm abiding'. We allow the mind to settle in its own time. We resolve to stillness and relaxation in the body and mind. The meditation object for these days will be the breath at the belly or elsewhere if you prefer. There is the option of using gentle mental labels of "rising" and "falling" to stay with the moment-to-moment experience of breathing.
Days 5 to 10: VIPASSANA MEDITATION
Vipassana is the practice of seeing Mind and Body clearly. We practice to develop our awareness and equanimity of all phenomena of Mind and Body. Through the mere awareness, clear knowing of moment-to-moment experience, insight into the nature of these phenomena is cultivated. The practice is to keep dropping the habit of chasing, struggling, resisting, manipulating, holding or pushing and pulling on experience and continue to be with what is without interference, just noticing.
METTA MEDITATION. Loving-Kindness
Metta is the practice of friendliness or loving-kindness. By giving some time after each session devoted to Metta we learn to dedicate our practice to the benefit of all beings and cultivate the wholesome quality of Metta within us. Metta is not the primary focus of this course.
Walking and Sitting Meditation
In this course, we guide participants to practice 30 minutes of walking meditation, followed by 30 minutes of sitting meditation. Walking meditation is a wonderful and often unappreciated practice that develops mindfulness of the body and helps to bridge the sitting practice to our more ordinary state of everyday consciousness. It also prepares the body and mind for the sitting meditation in which there is opportunity to go develop higher levels of concentration.