February 2022

Ask an AT

Do you have questions about your practice that you'd like to ask an assistant teacher? Email your questions to at-questions@ca.us.dhamma.org. Please avoid theoretical or philosophical questions.

Please include your phone number and the best time to reach you. Depending on their relevance for a general audience, questions and answers may also be published in the "Ask an Assistant Teacher" column in the tri-annual California newsletter without any personally identifying details.

Please note that it can sometimes take up to a week or ten days for us to get back to students who send questions to Ask an AT. This is because we have a pool of ATs who answer the questions and not everyone is available right away. Also, once we get a question, we put a lot of thought into it. Please know that we will always get back to you.

We wish you and all people on the planet the best of health in this time and that your equanimity continues to grow through the trials you may be facing.

Q&A Archive:
http://www.mahavana.dhamma.org/os/qa/
(Username:oldstudent, Password: behappy)

This month's Questions:
1. It feels stuck and I can't move my mind back up.

Childrens' and Teens' Programs
California

Virtual Anapana Meditation for Teen Old Students

We are continuing to offer virtual sessions for practicing Anapana meditation for teenagers who are 13-17 years old and who have completed a children's or teen's Anapana meditation course as taught by S.N. Goenka or one of his children's course teachers.

Students who practice this technique realize many benefits. Their ability to concentrate is enhanced, their memory gets sharper, and they learn how to better calm themselves. In general, they feel they have a practical tool to use in the face of adversities or challenges.

These virtual teen anapana sessions are offered by Dhamma Santosa and Southeast Vipassana Center. You can either join any of the daily sessions, or the weekend sessions or both. The details to register as well as the timings are listed below.

Daily (Monday - Sunday): 4PM PT (7pm ET)

If you are interested in signing up and receiving a link to the zoom meeting to join the daily virtual teen sitting, please APPLY by filling out the Google Form2

Every Saturday and Sunday: 10AM ET (7am PT) and 4PM ET (1pm PT)

If you are interested in signing up and receiving a link to the zoom meeting to join the virtual teen sitting at the above times/days, please APPLY by filling out the Google Form1

If you haven't filled this form earlier and are interested in applying, please have your teen fill out the teen section, and the parent or legal guardian fill out the parental consent section of the google form.

Each session is conducted by Children's Course Teachers, lasts for about 15 minutes including Anapana instructions followed by Q&A.

Guidelines to join these sessions:

It is important that students should attend the program on their own choice
Download the Zoom app on the device you will be using for the group sitting
Sit in a quiet place without disturbances such as television or other people in the background
Prepare your sitting space with a cushion
Wear comfortable clothing and maybe a meditation shawl
Take care of other needs before you start sitting like drinking water, going to the bathroom, etc.
Silence all of your devices before you start meditating
Try to keep your eyes closed while meditating
Keep your camera off and your audio muted during the entire sitting and Q & A period
If you have questions about your Anapana practice for the conducting Children's Course Teacher, wait until after the group sitting meditation is over before submitting questions in the Zoom Chat

Please email info@santosa.dhamma.org if you do not get confirmation in a day or if you have any other questions.

International Vipassana Newsletter

The latest issue of the International Vipassana Newsletter is now available online.

To view or download the issue, go to our website, www.news.dhamma.org

username = oldstudent
password = behappy

The online International Vipassana Newsletter site is updated every few weeks as we have new material to post. Every three to four months, we publish some of that material in a printable PDF issue. Please check regularly for updates, or subscribe to our RSS feed to receive notification automatically whenever we post something. You can also subscribe to receive email notification when a PDF issue is published.

Please also consider contributing material for posting. It could be a news story, photos, your own reminiscences or more. Write to editor@news.dhamma.org.

With best wishes,

Editors

International Vipassana Newsletter

BAVC | NCVC | CVC | SCVC | Group Sittings

Best wishes,

California Vipassana eNewsletter Coordinators.

Northern California Vipassana Center
P.O.Box 265
Cobb, CA 95426-0265
Ph: 707-928-9981
Email

California Vipassana Center

P.O. Box 1167
North Fork, CA 93643
Ph: 559-876-8760
Email

Southern California Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 486
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Ph: 760-362-4615
Email

Intermountain Vipassana Center

P.O. Box 5952
Ketchum, ID, 83340
Ph: 208-622-1552
Email

This notice is sent to old students of Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka in the North American Old Student Contact Database. You may also receive occasional messages from centers and newsletters via this database.