I wonder if DhO has anyone from Denmark here? Or if anybody knows of people in Denmark practicing this pragmatic stuff? I would like to connect with such folks as in my opinion there is not much if anything happening here except the usual Tibetan, Zen and a few Theravada monasteries which are mostly here for Thai people living in Denmark (they seem not interested in doing retreats). To me it looks like Denmark really has a huge hole which ought to be filled with pragmatic dharma. The coutry doesn't even have any retreat centers (unless I missed one while researching).

Would love to connect and help create a network here if possible. Thank you.

Hey there

I'm from Denmark, and I have been wondering about the same thing – for the exact same reason So we are at least two ... Feel free to add me on Facebook, I am Niels Lyngsø: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=719696964

Let's see if there are more.

Hi Niels! Good man! Where in DK are you? I'm not really into Facebook. I do use it for messaging at times. Let's keep the info in this thread in case there are others interested to join. 

Btw, I'm living close to Køge. 

I live on Tåsinge. So about two hours away from you – in this small country. I saw your log and can relate to a lot of it. I sit two times one hour a day and do primarily noting (although not aloud). Could be cool to exchange notes (pun intented).

Oh uh just looked at the map and it invovles paying for the bridge over to Fyn which is 500 danish crowns (both ways + exclusive petrol cost). 

Lets see if we can get more Danes and those living in Denmark involved and see if we can create some sort of a pragmatic community here. Would be nice to invite some of these fine folks to DK for seminars and even retreats in case we can find more interest.

Do you have anyone on Facebook who might be intersted in this? 

No, but I love those little cookies that come in the tin. Are those actually Danish? Are they popular in Denmark?

Have no idea mate. Google it. 

Awesome that you are doing this. I'm eternally grateful for DhO, but we need to build the communities IRL too. I think I've met one other person in Utah that knows about this pragmatic dharma stuff. I'm sure there are probably more. Maybe time to start looing.

I felt really sad when I tried to find a retreat center in Denmark 2018 and could not find a single one I was totally sick and tired of DN and wanted to deal with it but most centers were in other EU countries. Even in Sweden there is only one Goenka retreat center and I was not really into doing that practice anyway and they are totally overbooked also need all sorts of papers from your doctor saying that you can do a 10 day retreat in case you on meds (which I was back then).

Another center in Sweden is a Zen Center but you have to be part of that Sangha and practice according to their teaching. I did try in their another center in the city of Lund but could not realy fit with it that well.

Mahasi center that actually offers retreats is someplace in UK and has ONLY 8 places and as per usual over booked.

Also tried to find a Sangha in Denmark, so tried the Tibetan but they dont really meditate as all they need to do is have faith that we are buddha anyway and just imagine the face of the Karmapa. Cool but not for me.

It really would be nice to have some folks get together and open up the doors to a more pragmatic way of doing this awakening stuff. Lets see if we can find such folks here and maybe get something going in time. 

DhO is fine dont get me wrong but its nice to mingle amongst people and feel them in person, hear their voices, see their expressions and all talking this kind of stuff.

Set up a sangha and I will come visit in person.


Thank God for the internet, but we need this too.

I have now asked in a couple of meditation related Facebook groups if anyone is interested. They are mainly Goenka-fans (I myself got initiated to meditation on a 10 day Goenka retreat). Let's see what happens.

That great thank you Neils! 

What made you move from Goenks style to Ingram/Mahasi style? 

That's a long story, and hopefully we can exchange stories in person (or via Skype) some day, in our mother tongue But the short version is this:

I had some serious problems in my life and rather randomly decided to learn to meditate, and a friend of mine had been on a Goenka retreat, so off I went without knowing anything. And that was a life changing experience: I hit the A&P and stumbled in to some quite deep jhanic territory, probably third jhana. But at that time I had no clue what had happened. And I was shocked to the core of my bones and spent an couple of weeks, high as kite, just feeling "what the fuck? What the actual fuck happened?" And so I was hooked on meditation (this was back in november 2017). I have been sitting two hours a day ever since, and I did some more Goenka retreats, but – to answer your question – got a little tired of the dogmatic and secterian vibe. I spent hours and days researching meditation, stumbled into Buddhist Geeks, heard an episode with Daniel Ingram, found him extremely nice and interesting, picked up his book (and a lot of other books) and started experimenting more freely with techniques, rather than just repeat the Goenka method. I am still researching intensely, still experimenting, spending every free hour I can with practice or research. By the way: I am a poet and non fiction-writer, and I wrote a little book about my first retreat: "Ti dages stilhed". I would be happy to send you a copy, if you like

What's your story? I've seen your log, but that doesn't go back that far ...

Oh yes "our mother tongue" might not be "our's" I lived all over EU since my early childhood so my "mother tongues" are kind of lost in translation ( 5 languages) and for the last 20 years english became my primary language. Lived in Sweden for 8 years now in DK. Now my secondary language is a mixture called Svensk-dansk  

As I have learned all there is about meditation in English I would not even know these terms in Danish or Swedish. 

If you find my last reply in agnostic's Log there you will get all about my jouney since 2009.

We can have a chat at one stage over Skype for sure.

to add;

yes Im interested to read your stuff but my danish is not that good mate  

My partner, she is a Dansker from Jutland would love to read your Himlen Under Jorden ! Her mother suffers now from that illness! 

I've sent you a private message here on DhO with my Skype info and have sent a friend request on FB so we can use the Messenger also.