Vipassana
Clear Vision
Vipassana means looking inward or see reality as it is, not as we would like it to be. The technique of Vipassana meditation causes a radical change in our personal world, a transformation in the way we see ourselves and others. The cultivation of the mind and mental contents by rehearsing introspection is a tool that will reveal a sharp, unpolluted mind. It teaches the art of living moment to moment.
We are all familiar with the joys and disappointments that make our daily existence. Caught in the shackles of emotions and neurotic attachments, we know that something is wrong. Life hurts. But there is another reality, another way of living. What can we do with the tangle of emotions and thoughts accumulated over the years? Vipassana uses all the mental content as a precious treasure. Insight meditation dilutes, consumes and eventually eliminates the tension, the frustration and the pain that obscures and defiles our lives.
Everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, can practice this process of mental purification. With practice, anyone willing to follow this process will restore true warmth, will clear out mental pollutants, and will develop the conditions for full mental health. Insight meditation shows us who we are, what we are and what we could become.
The technique is simple, systematic and straightforward. The work is aimed at trying to observe the mental activity naturally, without clinging to anything, with mindfulness and a clear understanding of what is happening at the present moment. Meditation is not a goal; it is an instrument to free us from the bonds that clog the mind. During the investigation, no mental attitude that arises in one’s consciousness is suppressed. Unlike our usual reaction in the perception of everyday life, the training period lacks ethical content; the nature of physical and mental phenomena is observed just as it is.
It is a step by step, nonaggressive and gentle practice to clarify the operation of mental processes. As a result, insight knowledge arises spontaneously in the mind of the meditator.
SECTIONS
GEORGE GURDJIEFF
Living the Oral Tradition
How is this meaning and language sought and passed on? How is it perceived by those who participate in a Movements class? This is where the question of an oral…
Transformation
“Behind the visible movement there is another movement, one which cannot be seen, which is very strong, on which the outer movement depends. If this inner movement were not so…
Work on Oneself
There are three lines of Work: Work on oneself, Work in relation to others, and Work in connection with the Work itself and the self in relation to it. Unless…
Sensation of Onself
If you wish to venture inside yourself, you must find the correct physical position; otherwise you will not be able to maintain your effort for a long time. This is…
Origins
George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (1866-1949) left a legacy of unique diversity and the expression of an organic and coherent thought form. Besides his three books, which present an original vision of God,…
Music & Dance
“I have known for a long time that our inner world is the land in which the seeds of art take root. Without this seed, where the magical side of…
The movements
Sacred Dances have been considered an essential subject of study in all esoteric schools of the East, as much in ancient times as nowadays, preserving their deep religious and scientific meaning…
The work
“The true intention of our society seems to be to separate people from the responsibility of their lives and actions. The path of transformation must be exactly the opposite of…
Dances for the mind
“The dances are for the mind. They give nothing to the soul; the soul does not need anything. A dance has a certain meaning; every movement has a certain content.”…
Transforming Art
Gurdjieff’s comments on art and Movements “You cannot do it; however, it cannot be done without you.” -Mme. de Salzmann- Question: What is the role of art and creative work in…
MEDITATION
Vipassana
Vipassana Clear Vision Vipassana means looking inward or see reality as it is, not as we would like it to be. The technique of Vipassana meditation causes a radical change…
Vychara Meditation
Vychara Meditation The Search for Being At birth, you are born into a state of “Tabula Rasa”, totally empty – you are Being. But from that very moment on, everyone…
Active Meditation
Active Meditation The Art of Ecstasy A human being is like a seed of enormous potential – the seed of a Buddha. Every person is born to be his own…
Anapana Sati Yoga
Title The Kind Look Anapana Sati Yoga, the meditation through breathing, was the first method of meditation expounded by the Buddha in his speech about the foundation of attention. Buddha…