Hello dear friend,
I'm really glad you're here.
My name is Denis,
And when I was 10 years old,
I ended up in Barcelona,
Spain.
I grew up there,
And for the next 11 years,
I mostly spent my time doing what I truly enjoyed.
I could spend days and nights creating website designs,
Music,
And videos.
Back then,
I worked for myself,
Making quite a bit of money from advertising,
Which felt like a lot for someone my age at the time.
I bought whatever I wanted,
Had enough for everything,
And it wasn't even clear what else I could earn for.
Of course,
I had a lot of time,
And I knew how to waste it well.
I really loved watching movies,
Sometimes drinking with friends,
Smoking.
Life was slowly sliding downhill without me even noticing.
To be honest,
I felt like something was missing,
Something real,
Something true.
I remember every night,
Before bed,
I would pray to God for happiness,
Real happiness.
I wanted so badly to know,
Even just a little.
Whether it was really possible to be happy.
I've always loved experimenting and doing unconventional things,
And so I started exploring the world,
How nature works,
The international financial system.
I watched a lot of documentaries,
And then I came across the Vipassana meditation technique,
Which with one powerful snap,
Turned everything upside down and showed me the right way to study myself,
Through my own body.
Since then,
Starting in 2012,
I've been on a journey,
Both inside and out,
Doing what I love and always trying to remember what's most important.
Every day I dedicate time to health and happiness,
And I'm excited to share that with you too.
So,
This course has been created from my personal experience,
Starting in 2012,
After attending courses by S.
N.
Kuenka,
The Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw,
And through the structured teachings of the Buddha in the Theravada tradition.
It was put together with the help of various online resources and tested by me personally.
I want to make it clear that I'm just a connecting link and a tool that's brought all this information together.
This is not my personal method for enlightenment,
And I often quote masters,
Not just from Buddhism,
Whom I continue to learn from.
It's important to understand that all paths lead to the universal teaching of the Buddha,
Which is relevant to everyone.
We are both students here.
I just happened to set off on this path earlier than you.
My role was to gather everything you need,
Which will serve as a foundation,
And with its help,
Give you the chance to practice at home.
This is especially for those who don't have time to attend a retreat,
Or for those who have the time but lack the determination to go,
And also for those who have completed a retreat and want to keep practicing.
So,
Today you begin the course,
Which will give you the foundational knowledge for inner growth.
The decision to meditate diligently for five days is up to you.
Please listen carefully to all the course instructions.
All right then,
Welcome to the first part of the Vipassana meditation technique,
Anapanasati.
I'll gradually be giving you the main information,
Day by day.
Thank you for your attention.
When you're ready at any point during the day,
Feel free to move on to the next audio recording.
