[starflowerMember]

With regards to schedule, also have a look at this: Sample Daily Personal Retreat Schedule. Maybe also have a look at Expectations for Practitioners.

The Darma Treasure website has quite a few resources both with regards to “Dharma Talks”, i.e. the teaching retreats listed above, as well as on retreats. Browse around a bit.

Gook luck for your self-retreat. I live in Melbourne and am also suffering from a Dharma Treasure deficiency Down Under and thus will do a self-retreat in August 😉

[starflowerMember]

Thank you so much Patrick. I am currently working on stage 3 and found this recap incredibly helpful. I stumbled across you post by accident but it actually contained answers to questions I already had and even things that I only realised while reading. This reads indeed like the “advice I would give to myself in hindsight” or “the post that I wish I had before”. Too bad it did not help you, but it certainly helped me. Thanks again!

[starflowerMember]

I found the passage about what is followed by what rather confusing. But thanks for pointing out that footnote about “stage 7 before insight”. I read this a while ago but had forgotten about it. I also like the application of the 80/20 rule to meditation practices 🙂

Thank you so much for your elaborations. They clarified a lot to me.

[starflowerMember]

Hey Mary,

thanks for your response.

I found the Metta Meditation, posted on Reddit and contacted the groups you mentioned. With your tips I am also going to try to find further ones from the list above.

The eSangha is not within a feasible time for Down Under, but I messages Nick.

I would very much like to read your stage 2 guide. I’ll message you with my email address.

Cheers
David

[starflowerMember]

Hi Meshe, thanks for your response.

Do I get you correctly that you say that as an advanced meditator it is OK to add a Vipassana technique (like e.g. the Goenka body scan or noting etc.) to the practice? What do you mean by “advanced”? The milestones in TMI are called “novice”, “skilled”, “transition” and “adept”.

[starflowerMember]

Hey Michael,

on good days I’d consider myself being stage 3.

I do understand that TMI is a Samatha technique while Goenka is a Vipassana technique, having only a very rough beginners knowledge of the terminology. I still do visit my local Vipassana groups from time to time, so do you think there is a possibility to using the TMI technique (tied to breath-related sensations etc.) with the Goenka objective (anicca mindset etc.) when visiting their group sittings? Should I rather use the different technique? Or would you even consider doing Goenka Vipassana as detrimental to TMI progress?

Cheers
David

[starflowerMember]

Regarding motivation I would find it interesting to know how peoples motives changed over time. E.g. from “dealing with my psychological condition X”, via “supercharging my brain” a lot of ideas about meditation are out there. And usually, if you go on a long journey, eventually you find motivations you did not think of in the first place. So maybe a question like “Main motivation during year X for every year of practice”.

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