Hello all: Introduce yourself in this thread or just read it to meet the members

[Ben]

Hi Scarlet

Welcome to VipassanaForum!
Please feel free to ask questions or contribute!
Kind regards

Ben

[Matthew]

Jack and Scarlet, welcome back

and Scarlet ... lurk all you like. And remember as well that if you want to discuss something and feel shy or do not want to post publicly for any reason you can do so with someone through the private message system.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[The Marvellous Omannobazong!!!]

Hi!

It is great that there is this forum again! I stumbled into it this summer, when I had a hard time, and the people on this forum gave me a lot of inspiration and hope and strength and ... answers ... I was rather sad and disappointed to hear about the end of Vipassanaforum ...

so: WELL DONE, dear TIB and dear Mettajoey (I thought it was a good name, but so is Silentflute).

... introduction:
I'm Stefan from Vienna, living in Germany, Earth, Sol.
I have a wonderful family - they make my life worth living.
I'm interested in Shamanism, Yoga, Miracles, Plants and Electric Guitars.
I attended a Vipassana-Course in May (10day-Course by Goenkaji) and I love it!
There is GOD and we'll all meet again at The Lotus Feet.

Metta to You & You!

Yours, Stefan

[Ben]

Greetings Stefan!

I'm a 'very' old student of SN Goenka!  Its good to have the company of co-meditators!
Kind regards

Ben

[Matthew]

Dearest Stefan

My heart leapt with joy when I saw you had signed up!

Joe and I both felt a very strong inclination to bring this back. We tried facebook for a while but it wasn't happening - too many gadgets and distractions...

... so now we have our own "Boddhi tree" here at vipassanaforum.net or .org (and .com will rejoin the pack soon too ... so also our own triple basket and three gems).

Welcome home, welcome back !!

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

ps how did you find us? And thanks for testing my patience by taking 2 days to post

[The Marvellous Omannobazong!!!]

I didn't find You ... like all old vipassanaforumers I received a mail by Mettajoeysilentflute, and yoo-hoo-hoo!, googled You (the link didn't work), signed up and gave a sigh of relief ... I was very busy (and still am), so I didn`t find the time to post until today, but I just had to sign up immediately!

facebook is like a biiiig indian market place: fascinating, but not really a meditative place ...

thanks for the warm welcome!

sooo ... here comes my first question: did anyone save the old vipassanaforum - website? there were some topics I followed with interest, and since this forum is attended by the old vipassanaforumers, it would be strange to start this well-discussed topics again ... there were some topics I didn't read at all (not enough time) ... are You internet-wizards able to "restore" the infos of the old forum or is the olde Vipassanaforum lost forever in the electronic depths of cyberspace ... ?

... the baby is calling, have to stop now ...

See You ... um ... Read You and Metta!

Stefan

[mettajoey]

(the link didn't work)

Does so!! 

Great to read you back here!

[Matthew]

sooo ... here comes my first question: did anyone save the old vipassanaforum - website? there were some topics I followed with interest, and since this forum is attended by the old vipassanaforumers, it would be strange to start this well-discussed topics again ... there were some topics I didn't read at all (not enough time) ... are You internet-wizards able to "restore" the infos of the old forum or is the olde Vipassanaforum lost forever in the electronic depths of cyberspace ... ?

Under investigation - if the answer is no it's no big deal to raise those issues again and the ones you didn't read - well, someone is bound to ask again.

UPDATE: Stefan, the answer is no - all the old forum data is gone for ever: an opportunity to a) practice letting  go and b) mindfulness: remember and restart those well discussed topics and even the ones you never read.

UPDATE 2: See the thread in Dhamma: Meditation, Practice and Path: I found some posts after all. There are instructions there on how to retrieve them.

In the Dhamma

Matthew

[James]

Hello all my name is James & I'm from New York  I'm 16 years old and Joined this site thanks to Matthew ! I came here since I want to learn about meditation because it might help me out.

[Cold Mountain]

Dharma Friends and Kalyanamittas,

I am glad to be here.  Thanks to Matthew and everyone else who has put in a lot of hard work to get this going.  This community will be an inspiration and a good support system for myself and others.

My name is Vaibhav and I am an ordinary, average guy who lives in Vancouver, BC.  I have been meditating, at least in this lifetime, since 2004.  I have sat in 2 retreats - the first one as taught by SN Goenka and the 2nd one at Wat Ram Poeng in Chiang Mai in Thailand.  I am hoping to do an intensive 3+ month retreat somewhere soon.  Maybe Sitavana monastery near Kamloops BC.

Metta to all,

[mettajoey]

Hello James and Cold Mountain!

James are you a case modder?  I've built a few gaming rigs but haven't done any mods.  I'm due though, kinda tired of that noisy appliance on my desk! 

Cold Mountain, thanks for the word of the day, love that! (Kalyanamittas) It's a "friendly" one at that.

[Matthew]

Dear James and Vaibhav,

Welcome to this Sangha.

We live in a world full of troubles and suffering yet how we react and/or respond to those things is what makes the greatest difference to the quality of our lives. Meditation makes the greatest difference in this field of our lives.

May your being here lead to greater self understanding and peace in your lives.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[HHelix78]

Hi, everyone.

My name is Doug. I was lurking on the former vipassana forum for a few weeks before it folded. I'm glad it has returned.

I have been meditating and reading about Buddhism for about 14 months now. As with most practitioners, being mindful "off the cushion" is the big challenge. I am married and work full time. I am 62-years old.

So far, the most noticeable effect of my practice and study is in my attitude toward other people. I tend to cut them a lot of slack now.

I am dissappointed in my overall "progress" in 14 months. My meditation sessions do not feel much different from when I started, and it's taken me all this time and experimentation to achieve a satisfactory sitting posture. One thing I can say, though, is that there is definitely something there in this "Buddhism stuff" - it's not a bunch of religious mumbo -jumbo, the Buddha was really on to something. So, at least I have progressed enough to recognize something of value and to have faith in the practice and teachings.

This intro is the first time I have written about my practice to anyone. I feel like there's a lot more to say and ask, but it's not sorted out in my head. I think I have said enough for now.

Thanks for creating this forum and sangha.

Doug

[yadidb]

Hello There,

I'm a 21-year-old Israeli.. I came across Vipassana a bit over a year ago when I attended a Goenka course here in Israel.

It definately influenced my life deeply, after the course i stopped smoking cigarettes, weed, alcohol, meat, etc.. and felt alot better about my self.

Although I did go back to all these bad habit patterns 6 months afterwards.. I try not to let this stop me and last week I stopped all the crap again, meditating for about an hour or two a day (anapana in the meantime) and I'm about to attend another Vipassana course in England in the coming weeks!

I'm looking forward to it.

Buddhism and meditation have been close to me all my life because of my father, who passed away when I was 18 from brain cancer.

I feel like meditation connects me to him again (not literaly, ofcourse), because it is something which interested him during his life very much.



Anyway, its nice to have a forum with people of the same interest !

I wish to dedicate a substantial amount of my time in this world to meditation.... did anyone here attend longer meditation courses (20, 30, 90 days) ?

I'd love to hear some experiences.

Lots of love.

[Matthew]

Dear Doug and yadidb

I offer you the warmest welcome to our Sangha. I hope you find some help and guidance on your paths - that is the purpose of these forums.

You both tell interesting though very different stories of how meditation has touched your lives. It is a joy to me that these teachings from so long ago are relevant and practical today - and a proof of their validity.

As you have both raised practice related questions I will ask you to* copy those parts of your introductions and create new threads in the "Meditation, Practice and Paths" board - where I will answer from the best of my ability and no doubt others will also have something to say.

Again, welcome to this forum.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

*I was going to do this myself but I had a disturbed night and am tired.

[pipip]

Just saying Hello!

see you all around the forums.

[Ben]

A big hello to those of you who joined over the last few days.
Kind regards

Ben

[Dakini]

Hello All,

I am very pleased to have found this. I happened apon the Dharma nearly 3 years ago now and to put it in it's simplest terms my life hasn't been the same since.

I live in Ireland and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to share and discuss with others on the path. It strengthens interconnectedness at ground level for me.

Thank you all.


Mettaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[mettajoey]

Hello Dakini,
Welcome to the forum and our virtual Sangha.
This practice is the magic that most are seeking.  I sometimes wonder how I had the fortune or maybe had enough mis-fortunes to have been shown this path.
Very glad to have you.

[Matthew]

Dakini,

Warmest greetings.

Your introduction leaves me feeling slightly humbled and with the aspiration that our efforts can truly be a help to you on your path as a meditator. Anders - before us, Joey, Ben, Myself and all the other members of this community are working together to create a sane and meaningful space of mutual support, information, guidance and love.

If this space grows to fulfil the potential and aspirations we have for it then our lives - and those of the people around us - will be enriched, our paths as meditators made easier and more informed and the fruits of our efforts as meditators will be greater.

May the Dhamma flourish,

Matthew

[Shira]

Hi, All!

I saw a reference to this on the Tricycle Blog, and thought I'd try it out. I'm Shira. I'm 50 years old and I live near Chicago. I have been meditating for about 18 months now, and also reading Buddhist books, especially those by Thich Nhat Hanh. Like many others, I like the fact that Buddhism is not belief-driven. I'm also happy that it isn't an orthopraxy like my own religious tradition, Orthodox Judaism.

I find that sitting every day, plus trying to remember to be mindful and kind-hearted really works for me. I hope to learn from those of you who have been doing this much longer than I have.

Thanks for being here!

Shira

[mettajoey]

Hi Shira,
Thanks for joining our forum/virtual Sangha.  It's a pleasure to have you.
Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh is the first book of Buddhist thought I read.  I love the way he uses simple everyday events like washing the dishes and answering the phone as reminders for mindfulness.

Warmly,

[Luke122]

Hi all, my name is Luke and I'm 27 years old. I started reading about Buddhism about a year ago, and have been meditating off and on since then.

I came here at the suggestion of Matthew (TIB), and look forward to getting to know you all, and share experiences and resources with you.

My main interest is to learn to focus my thoughts and energies.

[Matthew]

Hey Luke

Great to see you here. Hopefully your engagement here will help you find the additional focus that you seek. Being a meditator is a simple choice and a healthy one. Dig around in the forums, ask questions, lurk ... whatever it takes. So far we are a small group but also a very friendly one and supportive.

I hope some of the tips I gave were useful. Feel free to ask questions and to share your experiences. Having like-minded folk around to do so with is certainly one of the best ways to hone your meditation technique and get the most from being a meditator.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[qltwmn]

Hi, I'm a 50 year old single mom, I have been exploring buddhist writing and meditation for about a year now.  I have had a long standing interest in eastern culture and ideas for years through my passion for art and art history.  I am interested in exploring meditation not only for myself, but also on behalf of my kids, my fourteen year old is especially interested.