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http://www.dhammabrothers.com/TVShowtimes.htm The above listing provides a schedule of PBS air times for the award-winning "Dhamma Brothers" documentary, which was positively reviewed by Louis Proyect last year on his "Unrepentant Marxist" blog. I encourage everyone to view the documentary, if you have not already. It examines the process of self-discovery undergone by inmates at a maximum security prison in Alabama who have volunteered to take a ten day course of vipassana meditation. As Marx offered a scientific critique of political economy, one could say that the Buddhist tradition offers an incredibly rich and detailed science of the mind. For those who might be interested, the ancient Abbidhamma text, from the Therevada lineage, lays out and examines 121 possible mind states. In the beginning ten day course of vipassana, only a few of the major mind states are examined, namely those having to do with craving and aversion, which originate in the "poisons" of greed and hatred. The "unconscious" reactive mind, or sankhara in the original Pali, is singled out as the key link to be broken in the chain of negative mind patterns. The process of self-examination is incredibly rigorous, detailed, and always quite painful, as the mind-body link between the reactive mind and physical sensation is explored in each one hour sitting. But the benefits are long-lasting and well worth the effort. Over the years, as a by-product of the meditation, many people have reported being healed from the psycho-somatic causes of various ostensibly physical diseases. Indeed, Goenka himself first came to vipassana seeking a cure for his migraine headaches and subsequent morphine addiction. I, myself have been recovering from a complicated and old pattern of low-back pain, brought on by overwork. But this most recent retreat has given me the greatest pain-relief I have experienced in over two years. I just returned from my 10th vipassana retreat in this lineage, which is a secular, non-sectarian, and grassroots volunteer organization, but it was my first experience sitting at the new Southeast Vipassana Center, <http://www.patapa.dhamma.org/ > which is located just outside of rural Jesup GA. I am in-between Census assignments, and decided to take advantage of the free time to sit my second retreat in the last 6 months. I have not had the opportunity to write down a polished reflection on this most current sitting, but I was struck with the increasing cultural and ethnic diversity represented by the attendees--Thai, Hindu, Japanese, and African-American people were mixed in among the still predominantly white majority. I am always impressed by Goenkaji's trenchant critiques of organized religion, the business class, the medical industry, and the arms trade. Sitting in the hall each evening and watching the "Dhamma talk" by Goenka, recorded on DVD, Is the only chance one has during the ten days to make any noise whatsoever, except to raise questions pertaining to the meditation, as each student takes a vow of noble silence for the course. The meditation hall was ringing with laughter. Goenka pulls no punches, and being a Hindu, he is quite merciless in his sarcasm directed toward his own tradition. One evening, after the incredibly funny discourse which lampoons several of the major religious traditions, I was lying in bed and heard quite a bit of banging and door slamming in the hallway. I found out later the assistant teacher had to be called in to deal with an unruly student who had lost his cool in reaction to the discourse. Apparently, he was quite offended by the critique. For those who are unfamiliar, S. N. Goenka is the primary teacher of this lineage of vipassana meditation, which finds its origin in Burma. His video discourses, taken from a retreat which he led in 1991, are played each evening after a day of sitting in silent meditation for ten to twelve hours. Although I've viewed the same discourses over and over again at each course sitting, I still find them incredibly relevant, and again, quite humorous. I suppose they offer the students a chance to let off steam a bit, as the discipline for the course is tighter than the security at a federal penitentiary. I always smile on the fourth day when the vipassana teaching is given during a two hour period, as the written instructions on the wall inform the new students they are not permitted to leave the meditation hall during this time. Old students are encouraged to take a strong vow, "addithana", not to move their bodily position at all during this period. Inevitably, at least one person is overcome with physical and emotional pain and tries to make a rush for the door. Too bad, so sad. They are followed out the door by the group manager, who gently but firmly leads them back inside. Sometimes they are allowed to cry a bit so as not to disrupt the other mediators, but they are always led back inside to face the cause of their discomfort directly. For this and other reasons, a few new students always leave the retreat. I think this time the men lost two newbies, and the women only one. I left my first retreat on the evening of the 9th day for a previously arranged date with this incredibly beautiful woman I had met in graduate school. When I returned the next day after having broken all my vows, (students are basically monks for ten days and take vows of silence and celibacy for that time at the beginning of the course) I was denied entry and told to wait a few years before reapplying for a new course. I did, and am glad my relationship with vipassana has lasted longer than any romantic relationship I have been involved in. Speaking of relationships, my inner bell has sounded, and it's time to hit the kneeling bench. Cheers, Greg McDonald ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
