Oh wow, this was a breath of fresh air to read. I had a very similar Vipassana experience and also wrote about it on Substack - it was coming from a place of self-punishment when I really needed self-compassion. It shook me for a while but also inspired me to go much deeper. Very glad you’ve found this path and place :)
Loved reading your journey - been eyeing plum village and a vipasana retreat for a while now! Thanks for the reminder on going on a compassionate regenerative journey. Is it really regenerative if it’s not compassionately anchored? 🙏🏾
I love your beautiful post! It's fun to frame your experience in terms of the "systems processes" of systems science.
In your post, you break away from the Western industrial need to continually deal with the past and worry about the future, to see life as something to be dissected and fixed, to do more, more, more in a world where change is an uphill battle.
Instead, you open to experience, to flows of information, material, and energy (IME) (boundaries/flows/input)
Rather than amplifying feedback loops of fear/anger/highs, your emotions signal balancing feedback, that it's time to calm thinking, become more open, in order to see more clearly, to respond. (feedback, boundary conditions)
Because of that, you better organize yourself with others, with everything. (self-organization)
You form the bonds/links that grow networks that ensure the flows of IME that ensure survival. Those networks are not limited to people. You begin to more clearly see your relationships within social and natural systems. (bonds, networks, hierarchy)
You are litterally formed, "in-formed," by these flows. You learn. Your brain organizes, increasing your capacity to see. (information, adaptation, self-organization)
This is the science of everything. Of mind, body, spirit. Of love, ethics, society.
In a talk on Maui years ago, the Dalai Lama paused and laughed. He said, "People here think that I'm spiritual. I'm not spiritual. I describe how life works." He would LOVE this science!
I'm inspired. I'll copy this into a post on my substack!!
Thanks for sharing this Tijn. I miss the Teacher - a tear came to my eye as I read this thinking of him and his awesome legacy of his own evolved version of the cosmic dharma. As he taught - We must be as kind to ourselves as we are to others. I, like many others have a history of beating myself up for not achieving all my dreams - most of which are self involved artist pursuits but my intentions are good yet that does not matter if I am hurting myself with harsh judgements of my failures. It's all practice as Thich also taught. We are enough just being mindful, productive members of society - the rest is just icing on the cake. Blessings!
Looks incredible! Thank you for sharing, this is inspiring me to consider this for the next year:) As a teenager I would go to a Taizé community in summer, which is in the middle of France too. It has profoundly shaped and influenced me, and I crave to have such experiences again!
Oh wow, this was a breath of fresh air to read. I had a very similar Vipassana experience and also wrote about it on Substack - it was coming from a place of self-punishment when I really needed self-compassion. It shook me for a while but also inspired me to go much deeper. Very glad you’ve found this path and place :)
Loved reading your journey - been eyeing plum village and a vipasana retreat for a while now! Thanks for the reminder on going on a compassionate regenerative journey. Is it really regenerative if it’s not compassionately anchored? 🙏🏾
I love your beautiful post! It's fun to frame your experience in terms of the "systems processes" of systems science.
In your post, you break away from the Western industrial need to continually deal with the past and worry about the future, to see life as something to be dissected and fixed, to do more, more, more in a world where change is an uphill battle.
Instead, you open to experience, to flows of information, material, and energy (IME) (boundaries/flows/input)
Rather than amplifying feedback loops of fear/anger/highs, your emotions signal balancing feedback, that it's time to calm thinking, become more open, in order to see more clearly, to respond. (feedback, boundary conditions)
Because of that, you better organize yourself with others, with everything. (self-organization)
You form the bonds/links that grow networks that ensure the flows of IME that ensure survival. Those networks are not limited to people. You begin to more clearly see your relationships within social and natural systems. (bonds, networks, hierarchy)
You are litterally formed, "in-formed," by these flows. You learn. Your brain organizes, increasing your capacity to see. (information, adaptation, self-organization)
This is the science of everything. Of mind, body, spirit. Of love, ethics, society.
In a talk on Maui years ago, the Dalai Lama paused and laughed. He said, "People here think that I'm spiritual. I'm not spiritual. I describe how life works." He would LOVE this science!
I'm inspired. I'll copy this into a post on my substack!!
Thanks for sharing this Tijn. I miss the Teacher - a tear came to my eye as I read this thinking of him and his awesome legacy of his own evolved version of the cosmic dharma. As he taught - We must be as kind to ourselves as we are to others. I, like many others have a history of beating myself up for not achieving all my dreams - most of which are self involved artist pursuits but my intentions are good yet that does not matter if I am hurting myself with harsh judgements of my failures. It's all practice as Thich also taught. We are enough just being mindful, productive members of society - the rest is just icing on the cake. Blessings!
Bravo.
Looks incredible! Thank you for sharing, this is inspiring me to consider this for the next year:) As a teenager I would go to a Taizé community in summer, which is in the middle of France too. It has profoundly shaped and influenced me, and I crave to have such experiences again!
Thanks for this. really lovely to share your journey here.
Really enjoyed this article. Congrats on your positive journey. A good reminder for us all to be present!