Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

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Keith Strand, modified 13 Years ago at 8/7/10 8:13 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/7/10 8:13 PM

Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 4 Join Date: 7/3/10 Recent Posts
Hi There,

Keith Strand here. New guy find this site an amazing resource thanks to all who contribute.

I'm looking for a mediation teacher in NYC.

I've sat 8 Goenka G course over the past 15 years served 2 of those.
Just recently became serious about keeping a 2 hour a day practice after my last sit in July.

I have not studied any other types of mediation.
Was recently given Daniel's book.
I've had a copy of the Path with Heart for years ( it still looks very new wink wink )
and was delighted to find it referenced by Daniel.


My sila in regards to intoxicants has been pure for 6 years.
I do service for others several hours a week.

Never really sought out a teacher before so not sure what to expect.

Any tips on finding one will be greatly appreciated.

Metta

Keith
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Daniel M Ingram, modified 13 Years ago at 8/8/10 9:50 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/8/10 9:50 PM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Well, my old friend Kenneth Folk is just north of the city near the Tappan Zee Bridge, search for Kenneth Folk Dharma and you will find him. He teaches various insight-related things.

There is an insight group that used my book for its summer reading last year lead by Ethan Nichtern found here http://www.theidproject.org/

I don't know anything else about them except that they are known to be a thriving and progressive insight community, or so Vince Horn implied when I talked to him about them.

Those two should get you all sort of leads.

There is also this place, which for many, coupled with some of its sister sites, such as KFD and openenlightenment, is enough or at least a darn good start.

Daniel
Ben Tasmania, modified 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 12:14 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 12:14 AM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 8 Join Date: 7/30/10 Recent Posts
Hi Keith

If you are still interested in maintaining your practice within the tradition of Sayagi U Ba Khin as taught by SN Goenka, I recommend that you make contact with VMC Shelbourne Falls, in Massachussets.

http://www.dhara.dhamma.org/ns/
Go to the old student page and after logging in, go to group sits. There are two group sits in NYC, and one in Ithaca.

You can also contact Dhmma Dhara and make contact with an assistant or area teacher if there is an issue relating to practice you wish to discuss.
Metta

Ben
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Nikolai , modified 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 7:28 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 7:28 AM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 1677 Join Date: 1/23/10 Recent Posts
Hi Keith,

I second Daniel's recommendation of getting in contact with Kenneth Folk. If you are interested in taking your practice to stream entry as soon a s possible then i would go check out his website and check out all the progress there with yogis doing the same thing. I can vouch for it all having progressed very fast wit his help. No dogma, no text book answers, just good advice on how to progress quickly. Stream entry in this lifetime!
Jigme Sengye, modified 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 8:24 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 8:24 PM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 188 Join Date: 8/22/09 Recent Posts
As you'll see listed on Kenneth's website, he's teaching a weekly class in New Jersey. Also see http://bit.ly/bmzoco
He also teaches over the phone and through Skype. I got to stream entry a bit under three months after starting to work with him, and that's about the best endorsement that I could make of anyone.
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Keith Strand, modified 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 10:22 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 10:22 PM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 4 Join Date: 7/3/10 Recent Posts
Thanks Daniel,

I'm going to investigate Kenneth's page, it looks very interesting.



It's fun to tell my Dharma buddy, " yeah man and Daniel replied to my post in person !! "

Or is there a Dharma bot working behind the scenes?

Cheers
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Keith Strand, modified 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 10:29 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 10:29 PM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 4 Join Date: 7/3/10 Recent Posts
Thanks Nikolai,

You guys sure know how to get a young meditator all heated over some stream entry : )

It's funny cause I'd never heard of it until I read Daniel's book and then Goenka mentioned it in passing on a DVD for a 9 day course I just sat. I can't remember him saying anything about stream entry during the 10 day courses so I really perked up on my cushion when I heard it mentioned.

I'll try and maintain my equanimity as I run to Kenneth's next Dharma talk : )



Cheers
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Keith Strand, modified 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 10:44 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/9/10 10:43 PM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 4 Join Date: 7/3/10 Recent Posts
Ben thank you for this suggestion,

the old student website is great. And there are more and more group sittings in NYC that I plan to visit.

The funny thing about Vipassana Goenka G style, is the de-emphisis of the teacher student relationship.
I would always come back from retreat and think awesome old Goenka wants nothing from me just some Metta, of which I freely gave tons of by the way. This personally made me feel really safe in the beginning, being an anti-authoritarian kinda guy
since way back.

But then once at the sits in NYC I found it hard to figure out who was where in their practice since we were kinda schooled not to talk about each others experiences.
Paradoxically, and I'm sure this has been covered here, I find this an insightful aspect of Goenka's style of teaching.

Since I've recently come to a place where I feel I can commit to a practice,
Daniel's book show's up and all you groovy cats over here are mappin it out!!
This is surely no coinkydink.

cheers
Ben Tasmania, modified 13 Years ago at 8/10/10 1:36 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/10/10 1:36 AM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 8 Join Date: 7/30/10 Recent Posts
Hi Keith

Thanks for your kind reply. If you continue to maintain your practice within the tradition of SN Goenka is that as you continue to attend ten-day (or longer) courses, serve on courses and attend group-sits, you will begin to develop relatonships with certain assistant teachers and area teachers. Some of my closest spiritual mentors, besides Goenkaji himself, are some of his area teachers in Australia. When one develops intimacy with someone in a teaching/guide role, there are opportunities to talk about practice or intergrating practice into daily life that one may not feel appropriate in a more public setting. Having said that, even just attending a ten-day course one has the opportunity to see an assistant teacher for interview and there is checking every other day.

Whatever you choose to do, Keith, I wish you all the very best.
In the Dhamma

Ben
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Nikolai , modified 13 Years ago at 8/10/10 9:03 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 8/10/10 8:28 AM

RE: Vipassana Student Looking for NYC teacher

Posts: 1677 Join Date: 1/23/10 Recent Posts
Keith Strand:

But then once at the sits in NYC I found it hard to figure out who was where in their practice since we were kinda schooled not to talk about each others experiences.
Paradoxically, and I'm sure this has been covered here, I find this an insightful aspect of Goenka's style of teaching.


Hi Keith,

I was a Goenka student for 9 years. What you mentioned there was one of my pet peeves and probably the reason I cycled endlessly through the dukkha nanas. Every AT or teacher I asked for help from gave me the same text book advice. "Be equanimous with the sensations. It's just a sankhara" Keep sweeping" etc. Always "Go back to the technique".

Here's a very cool quote from Shinzen Young:

"A coach listens carefully. A mistake some teachers make is that when someone shares a really significant experience they’ll say “Oh well, that’s okay, but go back to the breath”, because they don’t recognize the significance. All they know how to do is say, “Get back to the technique, get back to the technique”. There are times when you don’t say, “Get back to your technique”. There are times when you say “The wisdom function is arising within you, go with it!” If you can’t recognize when Nature/Grace is opening a window of opportunity for your student, you may end up making an error of omission.

A coach also cheers you on, encourages you. There are really two sides to encouragement. One is superficial. The other is deep. The superficial is the actual encouragement that the student hears. The deep subtle side is a deep conviction that I have, the conviction that everyone is capable of classical enlightenment. Either in the sudden dramatic form or in a more gradual form."

Kenneth Folk and even posters here like Daniel and Tarin are very good at coaching you to stream entry. Tarin helped me with his advice a year or so back to get to stream entry.

I eventually came in contact with Daniel's book 2 years ago. Found this place, believed that i could get stream entry too like those saying they'd done it as well. I included the Mahasi noting technique into my practice and went and got stream entry on a 10 day course within 2 years of reading MTCTOB. (The noting technique seems much more effective in getting yogis to escape velocity and then stream entry by the sheer numbers of those getting it done noting as opposed to just observing sensations only. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of Goenka yogis getting stream entry on mass for some reason)

I am biased towards the Mahasi noting technique and don't think the sweeping technique is as effective in getting quickly to stream entry. However, Tarin Greco has said that , as he was a Goenka practitioner at one stage too, that if you are aware of anicca at all times while getting to equanimity of formations nana, instead of spacing out and letting the mind drift off and wander, then stream entry can be achieved via that method too. Hopefully he will correct me if i'm wrong.

Hope this helps.
Nick

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