After his encounters with sickness, old age and death, Siddhartha Gautama’s sought answers to life’s suffering from the best-known spiritual teachers of his time. His quest led him to pursue rigorous disciplines in ancient India’s tradition of ascetic “sramanas“, yogis who believed in a direct experience of realization through practices like breath retention and mastery of deep states of meditation.
This week we discussed some of Siddhartha’s earlier practices, then experienced some of yoga’s practices of concentration (dharna) and absorption (dyhana), to get a taste of what the Buddha was learning prior to his enlightenment, and what yogic practices can continue to support our Vipassana meditation today. Lorilee led us in this highly experiential session.
