InsideOut Travel—Vipassana Mediation: A Journey Inward

by Sean Enright

The real journey is inward—that’s what I was told once. But I didn’t understand it at the time, nor did I care to. I was a traveler, not a meditator, and quite frankly, the idea of looking inward terrified me. So much in fact I wasn’t even aware of my fear until years later when I finally confronted it. That was then and this is now though, and while some things remain the same, others have changed. I am still a traveler on occasion but I am also a meditator now. The change, however, only came when I was ready.

In traveling the outer world, I had been looking for something. In the beginning it was anything other than what I knew—anything but the American way of life. But as I learned more about man and about simply being human, this no longer was enough for me. I wanted more. I needed it. Only I didn’t know what “it” was. Only when I found meditation, did my need finally end.

	HEALTH
	Vipassana Mediation: A Journey Inward
	by Sean Enright The real journey is inward—that’s what I was told once. But I didn’t understand it at the time, nor did I care to. I was a traveler, not a meditator, and quite frankly, the idea of looking inward terrified me. So much in fact I wasn’t even aware of my fear until years later when I finally confronted it. That was then and this is now though, and while some things remain the same, others have changed. I am still a traveler on occasion but I am also a meditator now. The change, however, only came when I was ready. In traveling the outer world, I had been looking for something. In the beginning it was anything other than what I knew—anything but the American way of life. But as I learned more about man and about simply being human, this no longer was enough for me. I wanted more. I needed it. Only I didn’t know what “it” was. Only when I found meditation, did my need finally end.				I was 25, and with a combined three years worth of travel under my belt, I decided to finally settle down in Thailand. I took a job in the north, teaching English, where I would befriend a lovely family of devout Buddhists. Over the course of several months, I became increasingly intrigued by their way of life. It wasn’t so much their beliefs, as it simply was their way of being. They were truly loving people rather than just courteous. Their thoughtfulness and cares were sincere, without ulterior motive. “In the following 24 hours, I meditate a total of 16 hours. My breaks are short, my practice long. But time begins to disappear.” On many occasions I witnessed them taking care of various individuals from the larger community. And even though they themselves didn’t have much, there was never a thought about it. They would help, knowing somehow they too would be provided for. Eventually I commented to the father about his family’s kindness. In his explanation, he attributed a lot to Vipassana meditation. He said that it gave them insight into life and how to live, and asked if I would be interested in learning the practice. I expressed that I was. more >> << home << discuss article >>
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HEALTH

Vipassana Mediation: A Journey Inward

by Sean Enright