COURSE POSTPONED. NEW DATE TO FOLLOW.
This course will be led by Angus MacInnes who has many years experience of practicing Vipassana meditation at various centres around the world. He currently lives in Hungary where he is part of the Hungarian Vipassana teaching community in Budapest.
The course is an introduction into Anapana and Vipassana meditation. It will be in noble silence and is a preparatory course for those interested in exploring either longer retreats or wishing to cultivate their own daily practice. There are opportunities to ask questions in a one to one setting and to experience a total of 25 hours of meditation. Each sitting will be around an hour except for the first sitting in the morning which is two hours. In between, practitioners are free to walk around the garden or just spend time alone resting. There will be a vegetarian breakfast and lunch and the evening meal will be fruit in keeping with Vipassana principles ie 12 hours of fasting. This leads to a deeper meditation in the morning.
The goal of Vipassana is to clear the mind whereas the goal of Anapana is the concentration of mind.
Vipassana means "to see things as they really are"; it is a logical process of mental purification through self-observation. For self-observation, one penetrates one's entire physical and mental structure with the clarity of insight. For this, we need a medium, a tool, which will lead us to the root level of the mind, from where the negativities and impurities arise - that medium is the breath. Observing the breath is called Anapana.
Anapana meditation is a way to calm or slow the restless fleeting mind and bring it back to a particular object or base, thereby having a degree of control over the mind. Anapana meditation has its own immense benefits, but it is the means, not the end. It helps us to concentrate the mind, so that mind is calmer and more focused, thereby, better able to undertake the practice of Vipassana itself.
Camping is available in the grounds. Meals are vegetarian.
Schedule:
20th July: 5pm arrive. Set up tents
6pm — 7.30pm There will be a light supper and afterwards orientation.
7.30-9pm Noble silence will commence for the duration of the course and Angus will give instruction on the technique and the first mediation session will begin (one hour). If there are any questions, he is available afterwards to speak privately.
21st July: We will learn Vipassana and anapana
22nd July: Vipassana and anapana
23rd July: The course ends after the morning mediation. There is the option to have a gong bath 11am-12pm which can be booked separately under What’s On Gong Baths.
The course is for everyone and is a serious commitment to both oneself and too co-meditators.
Minimum donation: £75
There are a limited amount of places in order to provide maximum support. For those that are interested please email Angus who will send you a short questionnaire to find out more about your experience and motivation. angus@forestpeoples.org