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The Buddhist Experiment is a quest born of one man's curiosity to find out what happens to an individual after 6 months of intensive meditation practice. In an effort to inform the curious, and share the experience with others, this website was created.
The plan is to live in a Buddhist monastery for 6 months while engaging in an intensive schedule of meditation. An average of 8 hours will be spent meditating each day. Breakfast and lunch are served by the monastery with no food being consumed after noon - per monastic rules. Other than meditation the days may include lectures about various aspects of Buddhism, private interviews with senior monks concerning the progression of one's meditation practice and short periods of work in order to keep the monastery in order. Daily life is kept very simple. This is done to provide a conducive environment in which to develop advanced levels of attentional stability and clarity which are the aim of the practice.
To find out more about the type of meditation I'll be practicing and the monastery at which I'll be living, visit the section cleverly titled "The Monastery".
In addition, money is needed, donations are accepted. Long term retreats require a substantially larger amount of financial resources than the more ubiquitous 7-10 day retreats that are standard fare among modern day meditators. Retreats of several months can end up costing upwards of six thousand dollars in the states. I'm not independently wealthy so some strategizing was in order. If one spends the same time meditating in a monastery in Asia the expense is less than half of that amount. I have been working and saving what I can but it's a slow process so I've decided to open the door to others who are interested and willing to help. Donations can be made via the DONATE button to the left.
The Buddhist Experiment is a quest born of one man's curiosity to find out what happens to an individual after 6 months of intensive meditation practice. In an effort to inform the curious, and share the experience with others, this website was created.
The plan is to live in a Buddhist monastery for 6 months while engaging in an intensive schedule of meditation. An average of 8 hours will be spent meditating each day. Breakfast and lunch are served by the monastery with no food being consumed after noon - per monastic rules. Other than meditation the days may include lectures about various aspects of Buddhism, private interviews with senior monks concerning the progression of one's meditation practice and short periods of work in order to keep the monastery in order. Daily life is kept very simple. This is done to provide a conducive environment in which to develop advanced levels of attentional stability and clarity which are the aim of the practice.
To find out more about the type of meditation I'll be practicing and the monastery at which I'll be living, visit the section cleverly titled "The Monastery".
In addition, money is needed, donations are accepted. Long term retreats require a substantially larger amount of financial resources than the more ubiquitous 7-10 day retreats that are standard fare among modern day meditators. Retreats of several months can end up costing upwards of six thousand dollars in the states. I'm not independently wealthy so some strategizing was in order. If one spends the same time meditating in a monastery in Asia the expense is less than half of that amount. I have been working and saving what I can but it's a slow process so I've decided to open the door to others who are interested and willing to help. Donations can be made via the DONATE button to the left.
