Vipassana
noun

- meditation involving concentration on the body or its sensations, or the insight which this provides.

- a Buddhist term referring to a form of meditation that aims to develop insight into the true nature of reality.

Oxford Languages, Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

“Vipassana” comes from ancient Pali and Sanskrit roots with a rich linguistic history: Pali (vipassanā) and Sanskrit (vipaśyanā विपश्यना).

Multiple Interpretations of "vi-":

- Intensive meaning: "vi-" as intensifier = "seeing deeply" or "powerful seeing"
- Separative meaning: "vi-" equivalent to Latin dis- = "to see apart" or "discern"
- Enhanced meaning: "special seeing" or "super-seeing"

Vipassana is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation, rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago.

The etymology consistently points to enhanced, deep, or penetrating vision—not ordinary seeing, but a profound way of perceiving reality directly and clearly, without the filters of conceptual thinking.

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STILLNESS HURTS (APPARENTLY)
Why some people zap themselves just to avoid their own thoughts

Imagine this: You’re in a quiet room. No phone. No music. Just you and your thoughts. Could you handle 15 minutes?

Researchers thought most people could. They were wrong. In 9 separate studies, participants said they actively disliked sitting alone with nothing to do.

So the scientists pushed further.

They brought in another group, asked them to fill out a questionnaire, and confirmed that everyone would rather not receive an electric shock. Many even said they’d pay to avoid one.

Then came the twist.

The same people were placed alone in a room. Nothing but their thoughts—and a button that, if pressed, delivered a mild electric shock.

Results? Across studies, the gender split remained consistent: roughly two-thirds of men vs. one-quarter of women chose shocks over solitude.

What does this tell us? Maybe not much. Maybe everything.

But clearly, for many, silence is more painful than a jolt!

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

alone with your thoughts, an empty stage, an internal sandbox, background processing (thinking), being still, brain idling, brain on autopilot, calm mind, cone of silence, daydreaming, dead silent, default brain mode (mode processing, network activity), doing nothing, downtime, drifting mind, echo of silence, feathered quiet, garden of serenity, gentle drift, going blank, going inward, head in the clouds, hold your peace, hushed, idle cognition (mind), inner quiet (stillness, wandering), introspection, just being, keep mum, kinhin, letting one's mind wander (roam), lost in thought, lotus pond, mental stillness, miles away, mind at rest, mind-wandering, no external input, noiseless, passive awareness, peaceful meadow (oasis, paradise, refuge, sanctuary), quiet as a church mouse, quiet reflection, quietude, reflective silence, resting state (of mind), running on autopilot, silent meditation (sitting, snowfall, symphony, thinking), sitting in silence, sitting peacefully (quietly, still), soaking in silence, solitude, staring into space, stillness, stream of consciousness, the brain's screensaver, the mind's quiet hum, thought drift (flow), tranquil garden (haven, lake, oasis), tranquility, VIPASSANA, wakeful rest, whisper quiet, zazen, zen garden, zone out

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Could VIPASSANA be an antidote to our smartphone addiction culture?… What do you think?”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga—my lovely wife and coaching partner, and our eagle-eyed daughter, Jennifer.

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Paul, Helga, & Jenny Smith

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