VIPASSANA MEDITATION
EXCERPT FROM NAMASTE 2.0
 “Allow me to articulate the true nature of Vipassana. Simply put, it’s a process used for self-purification through self-observation. A student participating in a course soon realizes the root of all suffering and misery is brought forth by our reactions to situations in life. With Vipassana, one is taught that our unhappiness is cultivated from craving, aversion, and ignorance; specifically, we plant harmful seeds inside ourselves through these three evils. Vipassana teaches us to observe instead of reacting, thereby eradicating our old stock of accumulated harmful seeds sown over lifetimes. What’s on the other side when we’ve removed the entire plantation? Enlightenment. Did you know that Buddha is not a person’s name? Buddha is a term of respect for an enlightened person. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, discovered this meditation technique 2,500 years ago, purifying his mind through introspection. Anyone can become a Buddha; there is no monopoly on enlightenment. I’ve met hundreds of new students while participating in or facilitating Vipassana courses, and their experiences, like mine, can be summed up in one word: profound."
​Dane A.Vemb
​I’m not a salesperson trying to sell you on taking a ten-day Vipassana course. The best associate to do such a deed is the meditation itself. Vipassana is never advertised, nor should it be. This fabulous meditation technique is spread in society through the after-effects that occur in someone who participated in a course. Here’s a hypothetical …
Uncle Nathan was known to be an angry person, seemingly convinced that the world was always conspiring against him. His anger made other family members distance themselves from him at reunions and yearly holiday functions. The dark clouds got thicker as the years passed, and the negativity intensified. One day, he heard about the gem of meditation called Vipassana and decided, “What do I have to lose in taking the course?” What he experienced over the ten days was a total transformation. Gone was the perception of the world opposing his every whim, and dark clouds that were a constant companion, shadowing every facet of his life, dissipated, leaving nothing but clear skies. At the next family gathering, Nathan, now a changed man, had everyone ask, “What happened to Uncle Nathan? He’s such a great guy?” The answer is this … Good old Uncle Nathan found that he was creating his sadness, depression and anger from past traumas and negative experiences. He soon realized that this existence on Earth, with its abundance of misery and suffering, is experienced by everyone. To truly survive is to overcome obstacles by simply observing the sensations and not reacting. 
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Did Uncle Nathan talk about his experience at the meditation centre to friends and family? No, he did not. He merely engaged in cheerful conversation, letting go of the preconceived notion that he was forever in battle with the world. 
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The moral of the hypothetical is this: everyone has the capacity to create their happiness just as we can all create the illusion of the aforementioned ‘opposing forces.’ Choose to survive, and from there, you can truly thrive.

A ten-day Vipassana course has us look into the mirror and see life as it is, not what we perceive it to be. The course is intense, as one is asked to meditate for 10+ hours each day, but the rewards are bountiful and beyond the written word. This gem of meditation will assuredly enrich the lives of all participating in a course … it’s intense, but I’m told fortune favours the bold. Life begins when we move past the outer limits of our comfort zone!

The Mental Health link consists of four components that I utilized to help extinguish childhood traumas: yoga, meditation, ayahuasca, and enhancement with cannabis. By sharing intimate details of my life, I hope this authenticity is endearing and that my experiences might be a catalyst for change in others.