Kurt S.:
Thank you. I like this idea.
My only hesitation is that I question how well I really know the Mahasi technique to do a self-retreat. I have read Practical Insight Meditation. Should I reread that? Is that enough?
Its more than enough to get you started.
You don't have to forbid yourself from reading and getting knowledge etc. While you are on 'retreat'. You set the rules that will be most conducive to your goal of stream entry.
So if you feel you are getting to bogged down with the intellectual stuff, and need to focus on practice then cut it out and focus on practice. On the other hand if you feel you are lacking confidence if you are investigating the right areas in your practice then get some more theory in.
The experiences in meditation will give you more reference points to understand theory, and the theory will help guide your meditations in the right direction. So there is a positive feedback look.
----------------------------------
The main thing is to investigate your first person subjective experience of reality in a specific way that you are not normally used to doing.
It helps to have someone point out the right sort of thing for you to investigate. Especially when you get stuck, or overly excited, etc. So that you keep progressing rather than spinning your wheels.
That someone can be a formal teacher (eg. ken folk) or in my case it was just
someone else on these forums who had done it before.
There is lots of information on these forums, in the MCTB etc. Immerse yourself in this stuff, read about articles about philosophy and mindfulness, intellectual understanding will often precede realization. Then keep refining your intellectual view and practice of investigative meditation. Insight will follow naturally.