🔥 The Deepest Root of Change

🌱 The Deepest Root of Change

Some of us learn by hearing.
Some of us learn by thinking.
And some of us? We have to touch the fire.

We’ve all had moments where we knew better—maybe we read the book, listened to the podcast, or had the breakthrough in therapy—but we still found ourselves looping the same thoughts, falling into the same reactions, reliving the same pain.

Why does that happen?

Because intellectual understanding isn’t enough.
Real change—the kind that touches your cells—only happens through direct experience.

🧠 The Three Wisdoms

In Buddhist tradition, there are said to be three kinds of wisdom—each deeper than the last.

• Suta-maya paññā (Wisdom from Hearing):
  This is what we gain from reading, listening, and learning from others. It’s important—it plants the seed.

• Cinta-maya paññā (Wisdom from Thinking):
  This is the insight that arises when we reflect, analyze, and begin to make meaning for ourselves.

• Bhāvanā-maya paññā (Wisdom from Direct Experience):
  This is the transformation that happens when we live it. It’s the kind of knowing that happens in your body, in your nervous system, in the quiet space beyond words.

The first two create context. But it’s the third that creates change.

🔥 Story from the Cushion

During a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat, I sat with nothing but my breath, my body, and whatever came up from the depths.
No phone. No talking. No journaling. No distractions.

I had a moment—hours into my fifth day—when my upper back and neck were screaming. The pain was so intense, so persistent, it felt personal. Like it had something to tell me.

And maybe it did.

You see, I’ve had that same neck pain since the moment I knew I needed to get divorced. It’s been with me through years of transition. Despite all the techniques I know—hypnosis, NLP, energy work, mindset shifts—it never fully left.

But there, in silence, I stopped trying to fix it. I just sat with it.

I watched it rise.
I felt it pulse.
And then… it passed.

Not forever. But in that moment, I realized I was watching impermanence happen inside my body.
That realization didn’t come as a thought—it came as a full-body truth.
And that kind of knowing changes you.

📊 But Is There Science Behind This?

Yes.

Vipassana has been studied in both clinical and neurological contexts. Research shows it improves emotional regulation, reduces stress, enhances interoception (our awareness of internal body sensations), and may even help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

What makes Vipassana different from other forms of meditation is that it doesn’t guide you to feel a certain way. It invites you to feel what’s already there—and to stop reacting to it.

This trains your nervous system to relate to discomfort without panic… to pleasure without grasping… and to life without clinging or resistance.

And that’s where healing happens.

🧘‍♂️ Why I Recommend a 10-Day Vipassana Retreat

If you really want to understand the root of your patterns—not just with your mind, but with your whole being—go sit a 10-day course. Seriously. If you feel called, answer.

It’s one of the deepest spiritual experiences I’ve had—and it’s also the first that wasn’t commodified in any way.

The entire retreat is free. You don’t pay for your stay, your food, or the teaching.

You’re only allowed to donate after you’ve completed the course—and even then, your donation doesn’t go to the teacher or staff—everyone is a volunteer. Your contribution helps cover the cost for a future student, just like someone else’s generosity made your experience possible.

That shift—giving so someone else can receive—completely changes the energy.

There’s no transactional dynamic. No one is trying to sell you healing. It’s just a space of pure presence and sincere effort.

That kind of spiritual ecosystem is rare. And powerful.

You can explore courses near you at dhamma.org.

🌀 Insight vs. Embodiment

Most of us have collected years’ worth of insight.

We know what we want. We’ve done the shadow work. We understand the trauma responses.

But we’re still reacting. Still grasping. Still afraid.

Because knowing why you do something doesn’t automatically change how you do it.

Until you sit with the raw sensation underneath your patterns—until you stop running from discomfort or clinging to relief—you’re not free. You’re just managing.

Vipassana helps you stop managing.

And start liberating.

💭 Journal Prompt & Reflection

If you’re open to it, here’s a prompt to explore this week:

“Where in my life am I still reacting instead of observing?”

Notice when you feel triggered. Pause. Drop in.

Ask: Where is this in my body? Can I sit with it, just for a breath, without judgment?

Let yourself feel the truth instead of analyzing it.
That’s where the real shift begins.

Thanks for reading. If you want to see me share about my story, check out my companion youtube video.
And if you want to learn more about different kinds of meditations, check out my friend Rey’s article where he dives into 5 different methods to go within.

May you keep unfolding, keep softening, and keep coming home to the You that already knows the way. ❤️