An Ancient Path: Talks on Vipassana meditation as taught by S. N. PDF
Preview An Ancient Path: Talks on Vipassana meditation as taught by S. N.
This eBook is offered freely. If you wish, you may donate and help us continue offering our services. May you be happy! To make a donation, please visit: www.pariyatti.org PARIYATTI 867 Larmon Road Onalaska, Washington 98570 USA 360.978.4998 www.pariyatti.org Pariyatti is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the world by: v Disseminating the words of the Buddha v Providing sustenance for the seeker’s journey v Illuminating the meditator’s path AN ANCIENT PATH Public Talks on Vipassana Meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka given in Europe and America 2007 by Paul R. Fleischman, MD VIPASSANA RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS ! ONALASKA, WA, USA VIPASSANA RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS an imprint of Pariyatti Publishing 867 Larmon Road, Onalaska, WA 98570 www.pariyatti.org c 2008 Paul R. Fleischman, MD All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. ISBN: 978-1-928706-52-6 (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-928706-53-3 (Print) Library of Congress Control Number: 2009921669 With special thanks to TSJZ and DMT At last I have become old enough to have young people to teach me. Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A Way of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Boston, Massachusetts, June 1–2, 2007 Differing Contributions of Vipassana and Mindfulness to Mental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Freiberg, Germany, November 19, 2007 Clarifi cation of Mindfulness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Vipassana Meditation, Mental Health and Well-Being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Madrid, Spain, November 16, 2007 Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Madrid, Spain, November 16, 2007 Karma and Chaos Revisited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Vienna, Austria, November 24, 2007 Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Vienna, Austria, November 24, 2007 Cultivating Inner Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Dublin, Ireland, December 3, 2007 Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Dublin, Ireland, December 3, 2007 The Tath±gata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151 Ghent, Belgium, December 7, 2007 Questions & Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172 Ghent, Belgium, December 7, 2007 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181 About Vipassana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182 Preface The talks collected in this book were given to varying audiences under unique circumstances that partly shaped what was said. I hope some of the pleasant ambience of these occasions comes over in print. This is not a collection of essays. The talks stand side by side, all having the same center, which is reached from a dif- ferent angle each time. The Boston talk was to mental health professionals in the USA. The Freiberg talk was given to “Mind- fulness” researchers in Germany. The Madrid talk was given in a hospital, with a translator, that slowed and limited its length. Before the Vienna talk, I was advised to speak as if the audi- ence had a pre-existing, intellectual knowledge of Buddhism, and I was asked to speci cally address the topic of “Karma and Chaos.” Before the Dublin talk I was admonished to give a literary and intellectual cast to the presentation. In Ghent I was asked to speak to a University audience with a more philosophi- cal background. To me each talk was a memorable mingling with new places and people, and an echo of dozens of other talks that either were never recorded, or that lacked anything speci cally differ- ent enough to be worth presenting alongside of what is written here. Because every introductory talk, regardless of the angle of approach, has to cover some similar material, not all talks are worth saving, and there is a lot of repetition in this book. Much 7 8 An Ancient Path of the repetition has been preserved, so that the talks remain in themselves generally coherent and intact, but since all audio les were edited for readability, the written word varies signi cantly from audio material bearing the same title and date. I would suggest that the talks be read one at a time, and the book (or computer screen) closed in between for a while. When it is reopened, I hope the next talk will have enough that is new to sound vivid and fresh, and enough repetition of essentials to have the effect of a chorus. The Garden Cottage Bloomington, Indiana July 2008
Description:The list of books you might like
