Comment from Cory
Time: August 15, 2008, 5:15 pm

Since reading the 5th entry, I’ve looked up several Vipassana retreats, and would like to some day undertake one of these. Since beginning my meditation practice, it becomes ever more clear that 30 minutes (or less) per day leaves one to yearn for more time with which to examine the mind. An entire 10 day period of naught but meditation seems both wondrous and difficult, exhaustive and energizing.

How does one know that a readiness for such a ‘marathon’ of meditation has been attained?

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 15, 2008, 6:26 pm

I’ve never done one of the official Vipassana 10-day retreats, but I’ve done other retreats of comparable intensity, in terms of the amount of meditation at least. I’d been practicing for less than a year before I did my first intensive meditation retreat, although unlike the Vipassana retreats it started off gently and built up the hours of meditation steadily.

But frankly, even with a gradual start to the retreat you’re never quite ready for an intensive meditation retreat. And that’s kind of the point — you put yourself into a challenging situation, your mind complains like crazy, and you learn to deal with it.

So I’d suggest letting go of your hesitation and plunging in. If you follow this advice there will be times on retreat that you’ll hate me, but when it’s over you’ll probably thank me for encouraging you.

Good luck!