Barbara Damico was born in Long Island, New York. Growing up in the city, Barbara was given substantial freedom and responsibility as a young girl. She remembers taking the train into the city on her own at age 12. She had everything a child could ask for - both materially and emotionally. Barbara graduated with a BA in interior design at a small private college in Maryland. Her hobbies are reading, adventure travel, watching live music and helping people. Recently, she has taken up residency in Bali.
What book has deeply affected your life?
Catcher in the Rye.
What kinds of work have you done in your life?
Most of my career has been in furniture starting14 years ago when I imported pieces from a small island off the coast of Kenya. After that I spent 11 years growing a company that manufactured high-end residential furniture in Peru and Argentina which was sold in the USA.
How did you get started traveling?
I started traveling when I was 25 when I bought a one-way ticket from New York to Ireland. I was only going to be gone 6 months. I came home 17 months later after seeing 40 countries. Since then I have never really stopped traveling.
How did you first become interested in Bali?
My house in Los Angeles is filled with furniture from Indonesia. I guess you could say the decor of Bali is my home. I have wanted to visit the country for the last 11 years to see where the pieces actually come from. I am attracted to developing countries where understanding the system is a challenge. Life is more interesting when the infrastructure doesn’t work smoothly all the time or just works in a different way. Just a small amount of western knowledge can sometimes be priceless to the people.
How did you become interested in Buddhist meditation?
Over 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety and much of it can be cured through meditation techniques. This is one of the reasons why Eastern spirituality is making such inroads into the West so quickly. Perhaps in 20 years you will probably be able to get a reduction on your medical insurance if you practice meditation. The mind can create suffering by dwelling on the past and the future. Meditation trains you to really experience the moment. Before I took up meditation I thought driving my BMW and eating a Big Mac while talking on my cell phone and listening to music all at the same time was being in the moment…
Where did you hear about the meditation retreat in the Buddhist Monastery of north Bali?
I had visited the temple in December 2007 and was taken with the beauty of the surroundings set on top of a mountain with views of the ocean and forest. When I first committed to the program, I really didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that I couldn’t speak for 10 days. Believe it or not the silence was the easy part. If I could, I would like not to talk for months on end!
What’s the routine like at the monastery?
Put simply, you wake at 3 am, breakfast at 6 am, lunch at 11 am, shower at 3 pm, attend a darma lecture at 7 pm. In between these set events, students are instructed to do sitting and walking meditation. That’s it…. walk sit, walk sit... for 10 straight days.
Who teaches the course?
Monks from Burma who practice vipassana, a type of meditation that involves concentrating on the body’s sensations and the insights that this practice gives rise to.
What sort of people take the program?
All kinds of people take part, those who already practice meditation but who are trying to improve and others who are just learning. In a group like this we are all equal. I hugged elderly women after the retreat and cried because I was blown away by their capability. Out of 70 people there were about half men and women and only 10 Western people. I was very impressed with the experienced and highly refined Indonesian instructors.
What was really special about taking the course?
The experience I will remember for a lifetime. It was a huge challenge. My mind was killing me. Being in silent meditation sometimes takes you places you don’t want to go. However, the technique can bring you sublime calmness. I found out that I could accomplish anything.
If you were running the course, what would you have done differently?
The course doesn’t need any improvement. If people are thinking about taking part in the course, I would encourage them to do some reading beforehand about vipassana and the teachings of the Buddha to see if this kind of meditation is suited for them. You get out of the course what you put into it, meaning that you need to follow the instructions and do the practice. As the monks themselves say, “no pain, no gain.”
Barbara Jean D’Amico may be contacted via:
bjnyla@hotmail.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please contact: <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
