If a yogi on retreat has chronic diarhea, and the rule is no moving in the meditation hall.... should he shit himself?



Just trying to plan for the future

-max

I would talk with the teachers beforehand so they may be able to make special exceptions.

But shitting yourself seems like torture.

Hi max -


First: you could sit outside the meditation room in order to just practice.

A friend of my lost a near-front tooth recently. This friend could not afford the seven thousand dollars it would cost to replace this knocked out tooth. Thus, their practice became about "Who am I? Am I reputation and pleasant face or am I dhamma?" This person is in a totally different tradition than that which I study, but has become a great admirable friend for me. Their dhamma is spot-on, because they used the experience of their body to ask, "What am I getting out of this? Where is peace of mind and action?" Gotama died with dysentery and you can know that your practice outside the door of the communal room is developing the independence and wellness assured by Gotama and his later students in regards to nibbana and factorial nibbana. The isolation may really help you come to develop your satipatthana. I see at this moment many benefits to such a mildly secluded practice.

Second: if you can afford probiotics like the coconut-milk based "So-licious" brand probiotic (it's sold beside keffir in health food stores) and organic dairy from caring sources or coconut-based probiotic or almond yogurts, especially those containing L. casei and just drink something like miso (maybe two to three hours after pro-biotic) for 2-3 days, AVOIDING FIBER, then I wonder how that chronic diarrhea would react? The first foods could be spinach and scrambled eggs...

What do you think Mahasi Sayadaw is doing here?

Brilliant question! One could heroically dive into the suffering and embarrassment which come with the the sensations of shitting right in a middle of a group and see how they deal with the bad prana. Or be boring and meditate sitting on a toilet.

Please let me know when you are going on a retreat with a chronic diarhea (just to make sure I won`t be there accidently)

If SE or some objective that is similar is in place, then momentum in one's practice should be priority while on retreat. So when the sensations of bowel movements triggers the thought that one should go empty said bowels, then one should maintain awareness of said thoughts and said sensations as well as the touch of feet on ground, the brushing of one's shawl on skin, the visual phenomena of the exit of the hall and the path to the loo as one walks to do what is necessary for the human body from time to time i.e. poop/pee, as well as paying attention of the poo/pee arisings and passings as well.

Alternatively one might think that momentum is maintained by simply sitting still right through the bowel movements till one is unable to hold it in. Yes, momentum can be maintained as one soils themselves and spreads a heinous smell throughout the meditation hall thus causing the teacher and manager to sniff you out and eject you for the sake of the rest of the meditators. Not as conducive to momentum for others though, eh?

The rule is there so that the wandering mind that wishes to stop meditating, get up and go mentally (or physically) masturbate, is forced to be reigned in and tied to the post of whatever technique one is using to do just that. The idea is not to shit oneself but to maintain a momentum in one's practice. If one understands that momentum of practice is key to success, uninterrupted momentum regardless of posture or situation, then getting up to relieve your innards' torment while being aware of the entire field of experience at the same time will not be such an interruption. The managing staff on the retreat will probably understand this intent and do not expect you to poop your pants.

Momentum in practice involves being aware of the entire field of experience continuously, while sitting adhitthana for hours, walking, eating, showering, lying down and while sitting on the throne to give birth to whatever horrors want out of the system. If SE or something similar is the objective of practice, then a momentum in practice without gaps but also with appropriate effort and care for the body's processes is conducive for those brain changes everyone around here goes on about.

I do believe that I could maintain my meditation while either crapping my pants or sitting on the toilet... the concern is mostly for violating rules of leaving mid-sit.

great thread, btw

I'm responding really really late to this thread stream, but couldn't help it as I nearly shit myself laughing...
Man, that's one of the funniest things I've read in a while... Maybe that's a giveaway to my own base sense of humor

It is a rather amusing forum at times.

If a yogi didn't know how to treat a tummy bug he wouldn't be much of a yogi would he? A few garlic bulbs would enlighten the chap though.