Vipassana Fellowship - Meditation Course

johnathan

Anyone take this course: http://www.vipassana.com/course/

I've made a payment already but then thought maybe I should check it out with you guys before making the next two (its $125 US)... The next Course starts April 30th...

Anyone take the course? Was it worth the money? Any problems to be wary of? Is it legit?

laurajean

Am not familiar with it but have been looking for an online course myself, so I'll be interested in hearing any input....

taiyaki

http://www.zencast.org/category/Introduction to Meditation

grimble

You don't get enlightenment by paying huge amount money. They used the same method as Buddha teaching. Generally, there is no other special technic except try to understand the dharma teaching first before you start meditation.
Metta

patbb

yeah i don't like it either at all.

I cannot find anything about who are the teachers, are they qualified? experienced? Don't get involved until you find out and you are certain of their qualities.

I have no idea why you would pay anyone when everything one may need is available for free.

If you want a course with vipassana online, read the MTCB which is free, and ask questions to their forum directly if you have any.
alternatively, ask questions on the kenneth folk dharma website where you will get answers from qualified teachers there as well; all for free.

also read http://books.google.com/books?id=M2S-7-lWzHIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=mahasi+sayadaw&hl=en&ei=LvSMTc2CC8qltwfPmJW8DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
also free and from a respected teacher.

Goenka course is a retreat, which is free.

patbb

actually with hindsight,

if you can find more info on Andrew Quernmore (all i could find is "an experienced meditation teacher" but no details as to what this experience is precisely), then this format might be worth the money if it fit your needs.

Everyone can take a membership to the gym, but if we have a personal trainer to guide us and motivate us, perhaps we will stick with it long enough to give that wheel some momentum.

fivebells

Seems like Quernmore has some audio files up of his teachings. I would listen to those and see whether they made sense to me before committing to the course.

DharmaField

I have been in this game for a long time and haven't heard of Andrew Quernmore and this website has is a curious lack of information about the organisation or whomever is running the show.

There is a the 13 week online Mindfulness Training Course being offerred by Insight teachers related to Christopher Titmus, who is a brilliant, but "qwerky" senior teacher with many well known advanced students. It costs, with a registration fee of €100 Euros, (£85.00, A$130.00, US$130.00, 470 Israeli shekels, 900 Swedish kroner, 125 Swiss Francs). I know that there was a substantial donation of time in the setting up of this and in its operation with personal mentors.

See...
http://www.livingdharma.info/index.php/welcome/eng/info_mtc

Personally, the best way to learn is eye-ball to eye-ball with a teacher. This way you can see if they demonstrate a depth of practice, not by their inner glow (as this can be misleading), but by their equanimity, heart and natural adherence to the spirit of the precepts and how they respond when they fall of the wagon and imperfect character traits manifest. Denial, or acknowledgement and repentance?

hermitwin

Why pay when you can learn it for free?

rachMiel

i took the course twice and found it to be an EXCELLENT introduction to vipassana meditation. andrew writes very well (he sends out daily readings) and gives very clear instructions with plenty of interesting/useful historical background.

there's a forum associated with the course, so you can compare notes with fellow students. also, andrew takes private emails during your enrollment time, and his responses are top-notch. (i "took advantage" of his expertise via email many times and was generally very satisfied with his responses.) my impression is that he's the real thing.

coupla caveats, though they're really as much recommendations as caveats: the course moves slowly and is quite traditional. if memory serves, the actual vipassana practice kicked in about 1/3 - 1/2 way through; before that was (very useful) preparatory meditation work. and the vipassana he starts with is the original one, where you slowly scan your body for emphemeral sensations, taking a specific route and repeating it multiple times in a sitting.

and, of course, the biggest caveat of all is that it's virtual, not face-to-face ... and depending on your personality, that could make a big difference.

johnathan

Looks like I'm going to postpone starting this course until the next session (September) as I am now moving at the end of June to another city and would rather not have the hoopla of a move to interrupt the course... Having ADHD-PI is distraction enough for me.

Thanks rachmiel... The speed of the course does not bother me, as long as it covers what it says its going to in the time allotted makes no difference to me. And the no face-to-face to me is not a big deal either... I don't have an opportunity to do it face-to-face so it is better than nothing I'm sure.

Bodha8

I am currently enrolled in a 6 week on-line mindfulness course. It is taught by a professor at the University of Hawaii. The students are worldwide and the course is FREE. It might be worth a Google to you. MindfulnesOnline@yahoogroups.com

hermitwin

I have attended goenka's 10day retreat which I believe is similar.
I have also listened to Ajahn Brahm's retreat below;

http://www.phathue.com/audio/ajahn-brahm-retreat-pt1/

Verdict; Ajahn Brahm is much better.

johnathan

@Bodha8

I could not find the site you mentioned: MindfulnesOnline@yahoogroups.com

It sounds interesting however.