A number of people have asked me questions about my experience living at
the Vipassana center in North Fork, so I wanted to do a follow up to one of my original posts. I know that it can sometimes be hard to get a hold of
anyone at the center to answer your questions (after all, they are all
volunteers.) So, here are my answers. I will try to update this if I get more questions:
Q: I have
sit a couples of course and recently I have been thinking about staying
there and serving the the center on a long/short term basis... I would like to know when you are not serving or sitting the
course. Do they have a fixed schedule for you to follow? Will they
allow access to the internet etc during those times or even when you
were serving?
A: If you are staying at the center, here are the
rules as far as I know. This is UNOFFICIAL... so I will always defer to
whatever they tell you:
1) You have to stay on the five precepts and
meditate a minimum of 2 hours per day
no matter what. Even if you take a
day trip up to Yosemite, there shall be no boozing and fornicating.
2)
When serving a course, you are expected to follow the server schedule
which includes six hours of work per day and 3 hours of sitting. If,
for some reason you need to sit or rest more and work less, they usually
can accommodate that. Internet use, phone calls, leaving the center,
etc. are all discouraged while a course is in progress, but sometimes
they will make an exception if you ask and it seems reasonable.
3) Courses generally end on a Sunday morning. That
Sunday is considered
the day off. (Yep, one day off every 2 weeks.) You still need to
meditate 2-3 hours, but otherwise you can do whatever you want:
internet, yosemite, skinny dipping in waterfalls, hiking, movies. One
time, a group of servers went to see the latest horror movie which just
came out (I declined the invitation.)
4)
From Monday until the next course is considered a service period
which has it's own rule. Basically, you will follow a schedule similar
to the server schedule (6 hours of work, 3 hours of meditation) except
with a bit more lenience about leaving for day trips or using internet,
etc.
5) In general,
at no time are you supposed to do anything other than
practice dhamma or do dhamma service on center grounds. So, that means
no reading (other than approved dhamma books.) No listening to your
ipod, no playing guitar, etc. If you want, you can just drive down to
the end of the driveway and play your guitar by the street for an hour
and then return. Personally, I kind of like this rule, because it
really keeps the intention crystal clear about the purpose of the
center.
6) One more note:
the time after lunch clean up, from 1:00-2:30 is
considered break time and it is highly recommended to get in bed and
take a nap. This is great rest, and you will probably need it. If a there is no course going on, it can be a good time for a quick email check, as well.
Q: Anyway, it is great to know that I am not the only one want to live
the dream of staying at a center. It seems a little scary but at least
now I know someone else has done it.
A: You are definitely not
the only one. I met dozens of servers staying anywhere from 2 days to 2
years or more. The scariest part is taking the leap, but actually
there is nothing to be afraid of. It will take some work to return to your
householders life after your stay at the center, but Vipassana
meditators never shy away from a little work, right?
I recently sat a course at the new Goenka center in Kelseyville, CA. It was a wonderful place for a retreat. It's located about 20 minutes from Harbin Hot Springs, and about 2-3 hours north of San Francisco. 
The walking trails go up the hill behind the meditation hall, so you can get quite a workout going up and down the hill. It offers a tranquil forest setting, which is great for a break from sitting. I stayed in a tent at the top of the hill, and the tent spaces were very nice. They were farther from the street, and somewhat secluded. I loved seeing the stars at night through the mesh ceiling of my tent. 
