From Zen to Vipassana
My family is catholic, so I went to a catholic girls school. When I finished high school, I left my parent's house and ended living in a Zen Buddhist Center for three years until my beloved teacher Robert Aitken Roshi told me that I needed to learn how to live a lay life in the city. So I went to the university, got a job, went to live with a boyfriend and became a normal girl. The only "different" thing was meditation. I couldn't quit meditation. I need to meditate in the morning after I wake up and in the night before I go to bed.
I also need to attend a meditation retreat every year. These things are not something optional for me.
For a number of years I attended one Sesshin a year. Sesshin is a seven day zen meditation retreat. I really like sesshins.
In 2011 I attended my first 10 day vipassana meditation retreat, as taught by S.N. Goenka. And that was life changing.
I can say that zen meditation saved my life and helped me becoming very much the person I am today and vipassana meditation made my life happier and easier.
Vipassana is my practice and my path now.
posted by Ellie Ferrara @ 1:45 PM
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