VIPS

I did not get any answer during my Vipassana retreat as to why sitting on the floor was the preferred way, but I did develop a more acute relationship to pain. I understood pain was very much what my mind was making of it: I went through phases when I managed to focus on my breath while the pain in my knee or neck was just a side information. Being able to pull off this level of concentration actually generated some pride. The pain would also constantly help keeping me awake: never did I feel a pinch of drowsiness or sleepiness when I was sitting on a pillow on a floor. In a way, pain was acting as an agent of the moment, keeping me in the here and now.