Vipassana

Practice

What is Vipassana?

     Vipassana or insight meditation practice comes from the Theravada school of Buddhism predominant in Southeast Asia.  Theravada Buddhism draws its inspiration and practices from the Pali Canon, which scholars generally accept as the oldest record of the Buddha’s teaching.

     The modern Vipassana movement grew out of the tradition of Satipatthana Vipassana, a meditation system based on the Satipatthana Sutta (Sutta on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness) and developed by Burmese monks in the early 20^th century.

     By the 1950s, Burmese teachers Sayagyi U Ba Khin  and Mahasi Sayadaw had independently codified and institutionalized these teachings, making them widely accessible across Southeast Asia and eventually the West. This approach to meditation practice continues to enjoy widespread popularity among laypeople in the West because of its specific instruction and understandable concepts.  This tradition has produced a number of outstanding Western teachers such as Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, whose teachings and writings have influenced many people.

Moon and Buddha image at dusk, Wat Mahathat. Sukothai, Thailand. Used by permission.

Practice Elements

 The practice is simple and ritual free and includes silent sitting and walking meditation and a Kalyana Mitta (Pali for Spiritual Friend) discussion group.  The Kalyana Mitta discussion group is peer led and involves book study and listening to dharma talks by a variety of Vipassana and other teachers.

Guiding Teacher

Ginny Morgan lives in Columbia, Missouri where she is co-founder and resident teacher at the Show Me Dharma Center.  She is the former board president of Mid-America Dharma, the emerging retreat and dharma center for the Midwest.  After working as a play therapist for chronically and acutely ill children for many years, she has shifted her focus to Dharma teaching and to working almost exclusively on Dharma activities.  She has studied with Ram Dass and teachers from the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center.  She completed a mentorship with Matthew Flickstein of The Forest Way retreat center in Ruckersville, Virginia.

To request information about this practice please contact Phebe Duff phebed@comcast.net or Johnye Strickland jstrickland35@comcast.net .

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