I love to do insight, or vipassana meditation. I think my life has fewer hastles than it did 10 or 25 years ago. This practice has taken the edge off of things. I'm not saying things are perfect, but they're better than they were. I sit some everyday, and try to bring this practice into my daily life.

Insight mediation is simple and direct - you're just observing your moment to moment experience and learning about how you do your own life. You find the many ways you cause yourself needless suffering, and find ways to let some of these things go. If you realize you've hitting your hand with a hammer over and over again, you'll stop doing it, right ? You learn to stop chasing some of the things that can't make you happy, or will only temporarily make you happy.

I like this because you don't have to be a Buddhist, or believe anything at all to do it. I've already got my Christian faith, and don't really care to adopt another religion. This practice is not really about what I call religion - it's more like a set of spiritual gymnastics to make you stronger spiritually. I think it helps me be a better Christian, but it would also help someone be a better Hindu, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist, or whatever they are. It's a way of life.

I've tried some other kinds of meditation - there are as many as there are flavor of ice cream, but this one has one of the longest traditions and deepest roots - it goes back 3,000 year to what the Buddha taught.


I first ran into Insight Meditation in 1979, when I was taking yoga with Billie Gollnick in Houston. In the 1980's Rodney Smith lead a group of us in Houston for a few years. Since then he moved to Seattle, and became a nationally known teacher in this tradition. For me, retreats are a big part of it today. I usually go on one 9 day retreat once a year. Lately, I've been going to Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts and have studied with Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Larry Rosenberg, Steve Armstrong, Kamala Masters, and Bante Gunaratana. I also go to weekend retreats at the Margaret Austin Center near Chappel Hill, Texas. I've been to the Goenka Vipassana Retreat Center at Kaufman, Texas and Spirit Rock Meditation Center with Jack Kornfield near San Francisco.

As well as retreats, I've enjoyed being part of a sitting group, or sangha. I used to go to Insight Meditation Houston and the Mary Rees group near downtown, and they're both great groups if you live over there. Since I moved out past highway 6 on I-10, I'm looking for like minded people to meet with out here. Please join me if you have any interest. If you don't do this practice, I'm happy to pass on the basics. It is very simple, although not easy. The Buddhists say when we meditate, we do it for ourselves and each other. So even though you're sitting on a cushion alone, you are doing it for everyone.

All the best to you, and please come visit us!