Glickman - Beyond the breath : extraordinary mindfulness through whole-body Vipassana meditation

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Id like to thank the following people:

Sarah Jane Freymann, my agent, who edited and helped shape the proposal, found a publisher (or two) for the book, and was always charming, even when I asked mundane questions.

Beth Umland, my sister-in-law, who is both family and one of my closest friendsalthough what she did for this book went beyond friendship and verged toward saintliness. When I first handed Beth my final draft, I didnt realize how rickety it was. But like a combination architect, carpenter, and tai chi master, she helped shape it into something solid by knowing what needed detailing, what needed remodeling, and what called for outright demolition. That she was able to do all this with good humor while also managing a high-powered job and hectic family life (and no doubt also whipping through a few other books at the same time), is a testament to her intelligence and innate wisdom. As a mutual friend with Hindu leanings said of Beth, She is an old soul.

Susan Gunther-Mohr for reading the karma chapter and giving valuable feedback.

Ben Gleason and Ed Walters, Tuttle editors, who gave many wise and thoughtful suggestions to make this book considerably more reader-friendly. And, Ashley Benning, for patiently answering my many questions about the copyedited manuscript and inputting my changes.

Jennifer Radalin, for adding clarity with her excellent copyediting and for weaning me from an inordinate fondness for quotation marks. And Linda Carey for her elegant text design.

Margaret Wimberger, my wife, for editing help and especially for tolerating my many late and weekend hours at the computer.

Likewise, I thank and apologize to Soph and Lena Bean for putting up with lost dad time.

APPENDIX

TAKING A RETREAT

J ust as a book about yoga cant truly replace taking yoga classes, this book cant truly be a substitute for spending ten days learning this method under the eye of an instructor. Indeed the best way to understand this method is by taking a ten-day coursewhich is designed to teach those new to this method. Although Mr. Goenka retired from presenting courses himself in the 1980s, the main instructions and talks at a course are given by him via audio and videotapes, with assistant teachers available at each course to give individualized guidance.

Mr. Goenka is a very skillful teacher. Hes deft with tone and timing, and his words resonate with a much greater impact when heard than read. Mr. Goenkas power as a teacher reflects both his own depth of insight and his experience from instructing tens of thousands of students.

A ten-day course is the ideal setting for learning this technique. At a retreat you can be totally absorbed in meditating without your usual concerns. You dont have to worry about money, work, preparing meals, or doing chores. Youll be surrounded by other meditators putting out a strong effort, and of course its helpful to have a teacher available to answer any questions you may have. This atmosphere makes it much easier to work with intent and intensity. On your own youd be unlikely to meditate eleven hours a day for ten days. In fact, if you havent done a retreat before, Id strongly recommend against meditating for many hours a day on your own as you may experience unfamiliar or unsettling states of mind. Yet, in the positively charged environment of a retreat, even people whove never meditated a whit before can manage sitting for the whole course and get great benefit from it.

Not surprisingly, this concentrated, consistent effort allows you to go deeper into the technique than if you practice on your own. So remember that any glimpses of peacefulness and insight you find from doing this on your own will be added to and multiplied many-fold on a retreat. In other words, you havent truly given the method a fair chance until you do a course.

To take a 10-day course, contact one of the North American meditation centers listed on the following page. They will send you information that includes a schedule of available courses, what your daily schedule will be, and other details about rules and expectations. You can also find more information about this method and centers worldwide through the website www.dhamma.org

Although its unlikely meditating on your own, even a couple hours a day, would land you in unnerving psychological territory, if you do find yourself shaken, take a break and do something that grounds you, like talking to someone, going for a walk, or just focusing on your breath. No one ever got hurt from meditating, although if you have a mental disorder, I advise against doing this on your own.

MAIN CENTERS IN NORTH AMERICA

Vipassana Meditation Center
P.O. Box 24, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
413-625-2160. Fax: 413-625-2170
info@dhara.dhamma.org

California Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 1167, North Fork, CA 93643
559-877-4386. Fax 559- 877-4387
info@mahavana.dhamma.org

Northwest Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 345, Ethel, WA 98542
360-978-5434. Fax: 360-978-5433
info@kunja.dhamma.org

Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center
P.O. Box 190248, Dallas, TX 75219
214-521-5258. Fax: 214-522-5973
info@siri.dhamma.org

Quebec Vipassana Meditation Center
P.O. Box 32083, Les Antriums, Montreal, QC H2l-4Y5
514-481-3504. Fax: 515-879-3437
info@suttama.dhamma.org

Vipassana Meditation Center, BC
Box 529, Cambie, Vancouver, BC V5Z-4R3
604-730-9877. 604-641-2801
info@surabhi.dhamma.org

At this writing, there are also eleven satellite centers offering occasional or once a year 10-day courses in various spots throughout the U.S. Check the website www.dhamma.org or one of the main centers listed above for details.

Keep in mind this organization is run by volunteers, so responses to your inquiries may not be immediate.

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