1. Vipassana meditation:
Tacit knowledge and the
formatting of experience

2. "My search has led me to a novel idea of
human knowledge from which a harmonious
view of thought and existence, rooted in the
universe, seems to emerge. I shall reconsider
human knowledge by starting from the fact
that we can know more than we can tell.”
-- Michael Polanyi, an early articulation of the idea of tacit
knowledge, from his book The Tacit Dimension (1966)

3. According to Buddha, there are three kinds of wisdom: (the
learning process)
• suta-mayapanna -- wisdom gained by listening to others
• cinta-mayapanna -- intellectual, analytical understanding
• bhavana-mayapanna -- wisdom based on direct personal
experience
-- Paraphrased from The Shurangama Sutra,in Wong, T. L. S. et al
(2009, pp. 17-18)

4. Noble Silence
All students must observe Noble Silence from the beginning of the course
until the morning of the last full day. Noble Silence means silence of body,
speech, and mind. Any form of communication with fellow student,
whether by gestures, sign language, written notes, etc., is prohibited.
Students may, however, speak with the teacher whenever necessary and
they may approach the management with any problems related to food,
accommodation, health, etc. But even these contacts should be kept to a
minimum. Students should cultivate the feeling that they are working in
isolation.
-- From Introduction and Code of Discipline, http://www.dhamma.org/

5. To give you a sense of the scope/layout, this is the site in Washington state where I’ve sat
three courses. From upper left: Female dorms, meditation hall, kitchen/dining area, male
dorms. Walking paths throughout for rest periods, although genders are strictly segregated.