user151: What is the difference between the progress of "low intensive" meditators as opposed to "high intensive" meditators? 
  By low intensive I mean like a meditator who has never been to a ten day intensive retreat and spreads sitting time over a longer period of time. By progress I mean Vipassana insight progress, Jhana progress or any other kind of meditation progress in any tradition.

user3551: What is the difference between the progress of "low intensive" meditators as opposed to "high intensive" meditators?
Progress is much slower for low intensive meditators.(not taking into consideration one's karma).
From personal experience the amount of time i sat meditating continuously directly correlates with meditation progress.In other words high intensive meditation resulted in meditation progress for me.
X hours of meditation= X Progress.Give or take.
but i cannot speak about others.As this is what i have observed,tried and tested and is true in my own life.This is my karma.No matter what i do i never seem to get more or less then what i put in.This is unfortunate because progress depends on how much effort i am willing to put in which at times can be a challenge.Some people don't have to do much.They just sit and they enter the Jhanas or gain insight but my karma is different.And so is yours.
Always remember cause and effect. So if you cause (Meditation) there will be an effect (Progress/Insight/Jhana).When,how much,how long,you'll have to observe,try and test it in your own life.

user4917: What is the difference between the progress of low and high intensive meditators?
the simplest answer for this question is the approach and the idea of meditation of the person, and their experience :) 
Average (or low as you mentioned) - are people who are doing meditation but still have not fond the ultimate reason of it. simply said they want to gain some thing out of it. such as relaxation, reduce of stress etc. the paradox here is these are for sure benefits of meditation but not the core of it. hence it limits them to get in to deep stages of meditation cuz at the end there looking for something which is not the deeper meaning of it. hence they find that they have to put a lot of effort to meditate for even more than 30 min. 
High intensive meditators - on the other hand are people who do it for the simple reason of joy. Yes Joy or Happiness. When ur looking for joy and Blissfulness in every moment of meditation it means the approach is now different. If you want to be happy right now that means that you will have to find peace with your self in the present moment situation of your meditation no matter which level you are. And the biggest Paradox is, when you are able to be happy in what ever stage in meditation (regardless of the stage you are in right now or the next), because now your finding joy in it, it takes you more deeper in to the rabbit hole(meditation). And this means that the more Blissful and joy you find your self the less you want to come out of it at all. So there is no huge effort but a simple case like, "putting a small effort in the right place."
But the ironic and funny part is some times to understand this by ur self it will some times take a lot of years in ur practice. It almost took me 10 years. But now i have told you the secret ;)   
I hope this answer finds its way for the one who is close to the end of all suffering, and this helps you :) 

user295: 
"Low intense meditation" - Ideally should be done after a "High intense meditation" session. The main purpose of a "Low intense meditation" sessions or daily practice for about 2 hours is to ensure you do not form new mental volitional formations and perceptions which was dissolved in a "High intense meditation" session.
"High intense meditation" - You should start with "High intense meditation" and switch over to "Low intense meditation" with occupational "High intense meditation" session perhaps every year. A "High intense meditation" session helps in establishing a high degree of concentration and reasonable desolation of some Volitional Formations and Perceptions which otherwise you cannot doing "Low intense meditation".


user2265: The problem with short sessions of meditation is that it takes time to get beyond our psychological problems and really start paying attention to our concentration object.
Thus there is great benefit in longer practice sessions, especially full-on retreats where the entire focus is on meditation for tens of hours at a time with minimal sleep...
Daniel Ingram, American author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, a very self-empowering book, answers this question in-depth in Chapter 9.
(If you want to know more about the Stages of Insight, especially in line with this sort of subject, I suggest you read the entire book because Ingram's book is the best ever I've seen that covers it in depth, relating to many other subjects. And has some awesome parallel charts on his site.)
Before sharing the excerpt that will answer your question, first read the introduction to the chapter.

WHEN, WHERE AND FOR HOW LONG?
The best time to meditate is when you can, as in “get it while you
  can!” The best place to meditate is where you can, and the best
  duration is for as long as is available or necessary for you to get
  what you wish out of it. This may seem like an obvious answer, but
  people can sometimes get it into their heads that certain times are
  better than others and thus not meditate when that seemingly sacred
  time period is unavailable or interrupted. They may feel that certain
  places or special circumstances (special cushions, noise levels, etc.)
  are oh-so-necessary, and if these are not available then they may feel
  frustrated and unable to practice. They may feel that a certain
  minimal duration of meditation time is necessary, and thus find
  themselves unable to make use of what time they may have.
If you have two hours each day for meditation, great! If you have two
  jobs, six kids, and just can’t find more than ten minutes each day for
  meditation, make good use of what you’ve got. There have been times in
  my life when I was very grateful that I had twenty hours a day to
  practice. On the other hand, when I have only had ten minutes a day, I
  have been grateful for the sense of how precious those ten minutes
  were. Skillful urgency and well-developed gratitude for a chance to
  practice at all can allow us to really use limited pieces of time to
  their fullest.
If you can take off a month each year for intensive retreats,
  wonderful. If a weekend retreat once a year is all you can do, go for
  it. In short, honor where you are and what you can realistically
  accomplish given your current circumstances. If they are not entirely
  to your liking, and you want to take more time for practice, work on
  rearranging things a bit in a way that leaves you with a life that you
  still find fulfilling should you later decide to practice a bit less.

The answer to your question is found within below excerpt in bold.

DAILY LIFE AND RETREATS
A very related issue here is that of the world of retreats and
  monasticism and how it contrasts with the world of “daily life” or the
  life of a “householder.” Each has its own set of issues, but many of
  them overlap and the differences may be more question of degree than
  of dichotomy.
Now, it is true that the battle is not always to the strong, nor the
  race to the swift, but that’s the way to bet. In other words, those
  who do lots of practice in daily life, go on more and longer retreats,
  are more consistently able to concentrate and investigate quickly and
  precisely, pay attention more often during their daily activities, and
  have their morality trip more together are, on average, much more
  likely to make progress.
When on retreat, people have the opportunity to practice nearly all
  day in settings that are usually designed to be very conducive to
  clear, precise inquiry and depths of meditation. (Why so few people
  actually take advantage of these circumstances when they go on retreat
  is beyond me, and I will spend some time ranting about that later.)
  The point is that going on retreats can give opportunities for much
  faster and deeper practice to those who choose to really practice.
  Said another way, if you go on retreat, make good use of that time.
There is a huge difference between the experiences of people who do
  retreats halfway and people who really follow the instructions all day
  long. In my experience, there is no comparison between retreats I have
  done when I really powered the investigation from the time I awoke
  until I went to sleep at night, causing fast and profound progress,
  and when I took breaks here and there to think about things such as my
  issues and meditation theory, generally causing moderate to slow
  progress. While many people think that retreats are for more advanced
  practitioners, I think that a few retreats early in one’s practice can
  really jump start things, allowing one to then make much better use of
  meditation time off retreat.
I often think of the momentum that retreats generate in terms of
  rolling a boulder over a hill. If you get a long running start,
  pushing hard the whole way, you are more likely to be able to get the
  boulder rolling fast enough so that it rolls over the hill in one
  straight shot. If you push intermittently or half-heartedly, the
  boulder is likely to roll back when you get to the steep part of the
  hill, but you have worn the hill down a little bit, and you may also
  be a bit stronger for the exercise. Thus, it is possible to wear down
  the hill given enough time, but it is much faster to simply power over
  it the first time and move on to the next hill. I know of no obvious
  benefits from slow practice that fails to gain some footholds in the
  territory of concentration or insight.
Those who take the wear down the hill approach may eventually lose
  faith and interest, having done lots of work to little effect. Those
  who really apply themselves and cross a few hills early on through
  focused and consistent effort, such as retreats or really solid daily
  life practice, will have more of a sense of accomplishment and
  empowerment, and may have even put in less total time and effort than
  those who tried to wear down the hill. This irony should not be lost
  on those who want to be smart about developing their meditative
  skills.
For example, lets say that you could allocate 365 hours out of one
  year to formal meditation practice. Given a choice, I would be more
  inclined to take half of those hours, about 182, and do a 10 day
  retreat practicing hard and consistently 18 hours a day with minimal
  breaks at the beginning of the year, and then spend half an hour
  meditating each of the other days. I would be much more likely to
  cross into some interesting territory early on and overcome some of
  the initial hurdles than if I spent one hour each day for that year
  practicing well. The amount of time and effort is the same, but the
  effect is likely to be quite different.
A few odds and ends about retreats. First, retreats tend to have a
  semi-predictable rhythm to them. Realizing this allows us, if we have
  the time and resources to space, to choose how long a retreat we want
  to meet our meditative goals. Even if we are practicing well, the
  first few days of a retreat tend to be mostly about adjusting to the
  place, the posture, the routine, the people, the local customs, the
  schedule, etc.
Similarly, the last day or two of a retreat tends to bring up thoughts
  of what we are going to do next. Thus, to give yourself some time in
  the middle when you are not dealing with these things as much, I
  recommend greater than 5-day retreats when possible. It is not that
  benefit can’t be derived from shorter retreats, but there is something
  about those middle days that tends to make strong concentration and
  good practice easier to attain.
Second, every retreat center and tradition has its neurotic shadow
  aspects and downsides. This is inevitable, but by identifying them and
  realizing that there are ways to have them not slow our investigation
  down is helpful. One center where I have spent a bit of time is prone
  to attracting very serious, scowling people who trudge around in their
  walking practice like the slightest sound or glance from anyone around
  them might set them off like a bomb. I have been to another center
  where sometimes I have been the only meditator there, requiring me to
  have more self motivation and discipline. Another monastic center I
  have been to has the whole male hierarchy thing going which can cause
  all sorts of reactions from retreatants both female and male.
Then there are basically always neurotic things around food (huge
  topic, of which vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian is just the tip of the
  iceberg), bathrooms, quarters, showers, hot water, washing clothes and
  dishes, cleaning duties, heating and cooling (one place I have been to
  has cantankerous wood stoves in some buildings for heat, another in a
  tropical setting has open windows that let the mosquitoes swarm in),
  clothing (e.g. some centers have people wear white, others won’t
  tolerate skimpy or revealing outfits, some don’t care), fragrances,
  chemical sensitivities, incense, morning wake-up bells (too quiet, too
  loud, someone forgets to ring it at all), schedules, roommates
  (particularly those that snore, smell, are noisy or messy, etc.),
  strictness of silence, eye contact or the lack thereof, etiquette
  around teachers (e.g. to bow or not, to ask challenging questions or
  not, limits on the time we have access to them, their personalities
  and neurotic stuff, whether or not they speak the language we speak,
  etc.), etiquette of entering rooms with icons (e.g. whether to bow
  three times or not), the presence of icons or not (and which icons),
  and issues of the orthodoxy of ritual, dogma, posture, hand position,
  eating rituals, chanting, vows, etc.
This list doesn’t include issues of corruption, romances, cults of
  personality, affairs, crushes, miscommunications, vendettas, scandals,
  drug use, money issues, and all the other things that can sometimes
  show up anywhere there are people. In short, whatever you imagine that
  you or other people might have issues around, these are bound to show
  up sooner or later if you spend enough time in spiritual circles or
  retreat centers. While solo practice is an option, that doesn’t get
  you away from all of these issues and has its own set of downsides.
The crucial thing is to realize that great practice can occur in
  conditions far from perfect, particularly if we realize that all the
  sensations that make up these inputs and our reactions to them are all
  worthy of investigation and thus as much a source of ultimate and
  often relative wisdom as any other sensations. I have rarely had what
  I considered perfect practice conditions, but I have done well and you
  can also. That said, some centers, particular retreats, and teachers
  are better than others, and it is worth exploring and asking around.
  All these things can be particularly distracting and distressing for a
  first time retreatant, as often there are some naïve hopes, however
  unacknowledged, of walking into the Garden of Eden, sitting with the
  Buddha, and hanging out with the most evolved fellow retreatants one
  could imagine.
When off retreat, progress is still possible, particularly if one has
  used retreats to get past some of the initial hurdles (hills) and get
  a few tastes of what is possible. Do not underestimate the value of
  careful and honest awareness of what one is going during one’s life
  off the cushion. On the other hand, if you want to significantly
  increase your chances of tasting the fruits of the path, do your best
  to make time for retreats in a way that honors your spiritual goals as
  well as your other commitments. One of the reasons for monasticism is
  that your commitments become your practice, but there are plenty of
  people who have figured out how to live in the world and use retreats
  and strong daily practice to achieve the same effects. In fact, in
  this unusual time in history, there are plenty of places to sit for
  very little money and get great support for practice without having to
  deal with all the ritual, dogma and other hassles that are involed in
  ordination.


user3613: My meditation practice has always been simple 
I will only speak about what has worked for me.
Never, have I had a set rule for meditation, but I have been consistent if I look back over my life. Hours of sitting  meditation does not work for me. I need to be around nature with a connection and a flow of light energy. Walking meditation is my way into the stream.
I have been doing walking meditation for about 20 years.  Actually, I never set out to 
do this. (I didn't know about Buddhism)  With my circumstances and this kind of walking with nature, I have achieved so much for my personal progress. My walks rage from 30 mins -
2 hours. If I had been told  or forced to do this for 20 years, I would never have started! -  Buddhism found me years later and it all clicked into place.
Be well.

user157: I guess the short answer is that in general the more intensive meditation practice you do the more familiar you will become with the jhanas and the more insight you will experience. Larry Rosenberg in Breath by Breath does say that retreats are needed to experience certain levels of insight. However he does emphasise practice in everyday life even more.
However I don’t think things are that simple....
Intense practice isn’t necessary for insight
Willougby Britton in the Dark Night project has been analysing negative effects of meditation i.e. the dark night. This is a state that it’s possible (likely, certain???) to get to with a certain amount of practice. She says the two populations of people who appear vulnerable to this are

Super intense meditators typically in their 20s to 30s who go to
Asia, ordain and then spend 12 hours plus a day meditating.
Middle ages practitioners who have been meditating for an hour a day for 10 to 20 years an maybe going on retreat once or twice a year.

The point being that both lower and higher intensity mediators do progress along the path but a different rates. The second population is doing enough and has a real and effective practice.  That said the second group is still pretty dedicated but not outrageously so.
Retreats aren’t necessary for insight
Dipa Ma, the Buddhist master taught a nursing mother enough mindfulness practice that she attainted the first stage of realisation without leaving the house. So long retreats aren’t an absolute necessity for insight. 
Even formal meditation practice isn't necessary for insight
The founder of dharmaoverground, Daniel Ingram, said in this Buddhist Geeks podcast that people can and do have genuine insight from yoga practice, on long marches in the military or even breath control classes for actors. So formal meditation isn't even necessary for insight.
So ...
I've heard the relationship between insight and meditation described in terms of being struck by lightening. If you hang around on windy moors in thunderstorms (i.e. meditate intensively) you are more likely to be struck by lightening (insight) than if you sit in front of a TV set and never go out (i.e. never meditate). However people that do habitually sit in front of the TV do occasionally get struck by lightening. Similarly people on windy moors in thunderstorms may never get struck no matter how often they go out and jump up an down with a foil hat on. 
There's no guarantees - meditation just increases your chances. To use another analogy - you can't force plants to grow. You can only dig the soil, water the earth and put the best conditions possible there.

151: <p>What is the difference between the progress of "low intensive" meditators as opposed to "high intensive" meditators? 
  By low intensive I mean like a meditator who has never been to a ten day intensive retreat and spreads sitting time over a longer period of time. By progress I mean Vipassana insight progress, Jhana progress or any other kind of meditation progress in any tradition.</p>
 3551: <p><strong>What is the difference between the progress of "low intensive" meditators as opposed to "high intensive" meditators?</strong></p>

<p><strong><em>Progress is much slower for low intensive meditators.(not taking into consideration one's karma).</em></strong></p>

<p>From personal experience the amount of time i sat meditating continuously directly correlates with meditation progress.In other words high intensive meditation resulted in meditation progress for me.</p>

<p><strong><em>X hours of meditation= X Progress.Give or take.</em></strong></p>

<p>but i cannot speak about others.As this is what i have observed,tried and tested and is true in my own life.This is my karma.No matter what i do i never seem to get more or less then what i put in.This is unfortunate because progress depends on how much effort i am willing to put in which at times can be a challenge.Some people don't have to do much.They just sit and they enter the Jhanas or gain insight but my karma is different.And so is yours.</p>

<p><strong>Always remember cause and effect</strong>. So if you cause (Meditation) there will be an effect (Progress/Insight/Jhana).When,how much,how long,you'll have to observe,try and test it in your own life.</p>
 4917: <p><strong>What is the difference between the progress of low and high intensive meditators?</strong></p>

<p>the simplest answer for this question is <strong>the approach</strong> and <strong>the idea</strong> of meditation of the person, and their experience :) </p>

<p><strong>Average (or low as you mentioned)</strong> - are people who are doing meditation but still have not fond the ultimate reason of it. simply said they want to gain some thing out of it. such as relaxation, reduce of stress etc. the paradox here is these are for sure benefits of meditation but not the core of it. hence it limits them to get in to deep stages of meditation cuz at the end there looking for something which is not the deeper meaning of it. hence they find that they have to put a lot of effort to meditate for even more than 30 min. </p>

<p><strong>High intensive meditators</strong> - on the other hand are people who do it for the simple reason of joy. Yes Joy or Happiness. When ur looking for joy and Blissfulness in every moment of meditation it means the approach is now different. If you want to be happy right now that means that you will have to find peace with your self in the present moment situation of your meditation no matter which level you are. And the biggest Paradox is, when you are able to be happy in what ever stage in meditation (regardless of the stage you are in right now or the next), because now your finding joy in it, it takes you more deeper in to the rabbit hole(meditation). And this means that the more Blissful and joy you find your self the less you want to come out of it at all. So there is no huge effort but a simple case like, "putting a small effort in the right place."</p>

<p>But the ironic and funny part is <strong>some times</strong> to understand this by ur self it will some times take a lot of years in ur practice. It almost took me 10 years. But now i have told you the secret ;)   </p>

<p>I hope this answer finds its way for the one who is close to the end of all suffering, and this helps you :) </p>
 295: <ul>
<li><strong>"Low intense meditation"</strong> - Ideally should be done after a "High intense meditation" session. The main purpose of a "Low intense meditation" sessions or daily practice for about 2 hours is to ensure you do not form new mental volitional formations and perceptions which was dissolved in a "High intense meditation" session.</li>
<li><strong>"High intense meditation"</strong> - You should start with "High intense meditation" and switch over to "Low intense meditation" with occupational "High intense meditation" session perhaps every year. A "High intense meditation" session helps in establishing a high degree of concentration and reasonable desolation of some Volitional Formations and Perceptions which otherwise you cannot doing "Low intense meditation".</li>
</ul>
 2265: <p>The problem with short sessions of meditation is that it takes time to get beyond our psychological problems and really start paying attention to our concentration object.</p>

<p>Thus there is great benefit in longer practice sessions, especially full-on retreats where the entire focus is on meditation for tens of hours at a time with minimal sleep...</p>

<p>Daniel Ingram, American author of <em>Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha</em>, a very self-empowering book, answers this question in-depth in Chapter 9.</p>

<p><em>(If you want to know more about the Stages of Insight, especially in line with this sort of subject, I suggest you read the entire book because Ingram's book is the best ever I've seen that covers it in depth, relating to many other subjects. And has some awesome parallel charts on his site.)</em></p>

<p>Before sharing the excerpt that will answer your question, first read the introduction to the chapter.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>WHEN, WHERE AND FOR HOW LONG?</p>
  
  <p>The best time to meditate is when you can, as in “get it while you
  can!” The best place to meditate is where you can, and the best
  duration is for as long as is available or necessary for you to get
  what you wish out of it. This may seem like an obvious answer, but
  people can sometimes get it into their heads that certain times are
  better than others and thus not meditate when that seemingly sacred
  time period is unavailable or interrupted. They may feel that certain
  places or special circumstances (special cushions, noise levels, etc.)
  are oh-so-necessary, and if these are not available then they may feel
  frustrated and unable to practice. They may feel that a certain
  minimal duration of meditation time is necessary, and thus find
  themselves unable to make use of what time they may have.</p>
  
  <p>If you have two hours each day for meditation, great! If you have two
  jobs, six kids, and just can’t find more than ten minutes each day for
  meditation, make good use of what you’ve got. There have been times in
  my life when I was very grateful that I had twenty hours a day to
  practice. On the other hand, when I have only had ten minutes a day, I
  have been grateful for the sense of how precious those ten minutes
  were. Skillful urgency and well-developed gratitude for a chance to
  practice at all can allow us to really use limited pieces of time to
  their fullest.</p>
  
  <p>If you can take off a month each year for intensive retreats,
  wonderful. If a weekend retreat once a year is all you can do, go for
  it. In short, honor where you are and what you can realistically
  accomplish given your current circumstances. If they are not entirely
  to your liking, and you want to take more time for practice, work on
  rearranging things a bit in a way that leaves you with a life that you
  still find fulfilling should you later decide to practice a bit less.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>The answer to your question is found within below excerpt in bold.</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>DAILY LIFE AND RETREATS</p>
  
  <p>A very related issue here is that of the world of retreats and
  monasticism and how it contrasts with the world of “daily life” or the
  life of a “householder.” Each has its own set of issues, but many of
  them overlap and the differences may be more question of degree than
  of dichotomy.</p>
  
  <p>Now, it is true that the battle is not always to the strong, nor the
  race to the swift, but that’s the way to bet. In other words, those
  who do lots of practice in daily life, go on more and longer retreats,
  are more consistently able to concentrate and investigate quickly and
  precisely, pay attention more often during their daily activities, and
  have their morality trip more together are, on average, much more
  likely to make progress.</p>
  
  <p>When on retreat, people have the opportunity to practice nearly all
  day in settings that are usually designed to be very conducive to
  clear, precise inquiry and depths of meditation. (Why so few people
  actually take advantage of these circumstances when they go on retreat
  is beyond me, and I will spend some time ranting about that later.)
  The point is that going on retreats can give opportunities for much
  faster and deeper practice to those who choose to really practice.
  Said another way, if you go on retreat, make good use of that time.</p>
  
  <p><strong>There is a huge difference between the experiences of people who do
  retreats halfway and people who really follow the instructions all day
  long. In my experience, there is no comparison between retreats I have
  done when I really powered the investigation from the time I awoke
  until I went to sleep at night, causing fast and profound progress,
  and when I took breaks here and there to think about things such as my
  issues and meditation theory, generally causing moderate to slow
  progress. <em>While many people think that retreats are for more advanced
  practitioners, I think that a few retreats early in one’s practice can
  really jump start things, allowing one to then make much better use of
  meditation time off retreat.</em></strong></p>
  
  <p><strong>I often think of the momentum that retreats generate in terms of
  rolling a boulder over a hill. If you get a long running start,
  pushing hard the whole way, you are more likely to be able to get the
  boulder rolling fast enough so that it rolls over the hill in one
  straight shot. If you push intermittently or half-heartedly, the
  boulder is likely to roll back when you get to the steep part of the
  hill, but you have worn the hill down a little bit, and you may also
  be a bit stronger for the exercise. Thus, it is possible to wear down
  the hill given enough time, but it is much faster to simply power over
  it the first time and move on to the next hill. I know of no obvious
  benefits from slow practice that fails to gain some footholds in the
  territory of concentration or insight.</strong></p>
  
  <p><strong>Those who take the wear down the hill approach may eventually lose
  faith and interest, having done lots of work to little effect. Those
  who really apply themselves and cross a few hills early on through
  focused and consistent effort, such as retreats or really solid daily
  life practice, will have more of a sense of accomplishment and
  empowerment, and may have even put in less total time and effort than
  those who tried to wear down the hill. This irony should not be lost
  on those who want to be smart about developing their meditative
  skills.</strong></p>
  
  <p>For example, lets say that you could allocate 365 hours out of one
  year to formal meditation practice. Given a choice, I would be more
  inclined to take half of those hours, about 182, and do a 10 day
  retreat practicing hard and consistently 18 hours a day with minimal
  breaks at the beginning of the year, and then spend half an hour
  meditating each of the other days. I would be much more likely to
  cross into some interesting territory early on and overcome some of
  the initial hurdles than if I spent one hour each day for that year
  practicing well. The amount of time and effort is the same, but the
  effect is likely to be quite different.</p>
  
  <p>A few odds and ends about retreats. First, retreats tend to have a
  semi-predictable rhythm to them. Realizing this allows us, if we have
  the time and resources to space, to choose how long a retreat we want
  to meet our meditative goals. Even if we are practicing well, the
  first few days of a retreat tend to be mostly about adjusting to the
  place, the posture, the routine, the people, the local customs, the
  schedule, etc.</p>
  
  <p>Similarly, the last day or two of a retreat tends to bring up thoughts
  of what we are going to do next. Thus, to give yourself some time in
  the middle when you are not dealing with these things as much, I
  recommend greater than 5-day retreats when possible. It is not that
  benefit can’t be derived from shorter retreats, but there is something
  about those middle days that tends to make strong concentration and
  good practice easier to attain.</p>
  
  <p>Second, every retreat center and tradition has its neurotic shadow
  aspects and downsides. This is inevitable, but by identifying them and
  realizing that there are ways to have them not slow our investigation
  down is helpful. One center where I have spent a bit of time is prone
  to attracting very serious, scowling people who trudge around in their
  walking practice like the slightest sound or glance from anyone around
  them might set them off like a bomb. I have been to another center
  where sometimes I have been the only meditator there, requiring me to
  have more self motivation and discipline. Another monastic center I
  have been to has the whole male hierarchy thing going which can cause
  all sorts of reactions from retreatants both female and male.</p>
  
  <p>Then there are basically always neurotic things around food (huge
  topic, of which vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian is just the tip of the
  iceberg), bathrooms, quarters, showers, hot water, washing clothes and
  dishes, cleaning duties, heating and cooling (one place I have been to
  has cantankerous wood stoves in some buildings for heat, another in a
  tropical setting has open windows that let the mosquitoes swarm in),
  clothing (e.g. some centers have people wear white, others won’t
  tolerate skimpy or revealing outfits, some don’t care), fragrances,
  chemical sensitivities, incense, morning wake-up bells (too quiet, too
  loud, someone forgets to ring it at all), schedules, roommates
  (particularly those that snore, smell, are noisy or messy, etc.),
  strictness of silence, eye contact or the lack thereof, etiquette
  around teachers (e.g. to bow or not, to ask challenging questions or
  not, limits on the time we have access to them, their personalities
  and neurotic stuff, whether or not they speak the language we speak,
  etc.), etiquette of entering rooms with icons (e.g. whether to bow
  three times or not), the presence of icons or not (and which icons),
  and issues of the orthodoxy of ritual, dogma, posture, hand position,
  eating rituals, chanting, vows, etc.</p>
  
  <p>This list doesn’t include issues of corruption, romances, cults of
  personality, affairs, crushes, miscommunications, vendettas, scandals,
  drug use, money issues, and all the other things that can sometimes
  show up anywhere there are people. In short, whatever you imagine that
  you or other people might have issues around, these are bound to show
  up sooner or later if you spend enough time in spiritual circles or
  retreat centers. While solo practice is an option, that doesn’t get
  you away from all of these issues and has its own set of downsides.</p>
  
  <p>The crucial thing is to realize that great practice can occur in
  conditions far from perfect, particularly if we realize that all the
  sensations that make up these inputs and our reactions to them are all
  worthy of investigation and thus as much a source of ultimate and
  often relative wisdom as any other sensations. I have rarely had what
  I considered perfect practice conditions, but I have done well and you
  can also. That said, some centers, particular retreats, and teachers
  are better than others, and it is worth exploring and asking around.
  All these things can be particularly distracting and distressing for a
  first time retreatant, as often there are some naïve hopes, however
  unacknowledged, of walking into the Garden of Eden, sitting with the
  Buddha, and hanging out with the most evolved fellow retreatants one
  could imagine.</p>
  
  <p>When off retreat, progress is still possible, particularly if one has
  used retreats to get past some of the initial hurdles (hills) and get
  a few tastes of what is possible. Do not underestimate the value of
  careful and honest awareness of what one is going during one’s life
  off the cushion. On the other hand, if you want to significantly
  increase your chances of tasting the fruits of the path, do your best
  to make time for retreats in a way that honors your spiritual goals as
  well as your other commitments. One of the reasons for monasticism is
  that your commitments become your practice, but there are plenty of
  people who have figured out how to live in the world and use retreats
  and strong daily practice to achieve the same effects. In fact, in
  this unusual time in history, there are plenty of places to sit for
  very little money and get great support for practice without having to
  deal with all the ritual, dogma and other hassles that are involed in
  ordination.</p>
</blockquote>
 3613: <p><strong>My meditation practice has always been simple</strong> </p>

<p>I will only speak about what has worked for me.</p>

<p>Never, have I had a set rule for meditation, but I have been consistent if I look back over my life. Hours of sitting  meditation does not work for me. I need to be around nature with a connection and a flow of light energy. Walking meditation is my way into the stream.</p>

<p>I have been doing walking meditation for about 20 years.  Actually, I never set out to 
do this. (I didn't know about Buddhism)  With my circumstances and this kind of walking with nature, I have achieved so much for my personal progress. My walks rage from 30 mins -
2 hours. If I had been told  or forced to do this for 20 years, I would never have started! -  Buddhism found me years later and it all clicked into place.</p>

<p>Be well.</p>
 157: <p>I guess the short answer is that in general the more intensive meditation practice you do the more familiar you will become with the jhanas and the more insight you will experience. Larry Rosenberg in <a href="http://www.shambhala.com/breath-by-breath.html">Breath by Breath</a> does say that retreats are needed to experience certain levels of insight. However he does emphasise practice in everyday life even more.</p>

<p>However I don’t think things are that simple....</p>

<p><strong>Intense practice isn’t necessary for insight</strong></p>

<p>Willougby Britton in the <a href="https://cheetahhouse.wordpress.com/">Dark Night project</a> has been analysing negative effects of meditation i.e. the dark night. This is a state that it’s possible (likely, certain???) to get to with a certain amount of practice. She says the two populations of people who appear vulnerable to this are</p>

<ol>
<li>Super intense meditators typically in their 20s to 30s who go to
Asia, ordain and then spend 12 hours plus a day meditating.</li>
<li>Middle ages practitioners who have been meditating for an hour a day for 10 to 20 years an maybe going on retreat once or twice a year.</li>
</ol>

<p>The point being that both lower and higher intensity mediators do progress along the path but a different rates. The second population is doing enough and has a real and effective practice.  That said the second group is still pretty dedicated but not outrageously so.</p>

<p><strong>Retreats aren’t necessary for insight</strong></p>

<p>Dipa Ma, the Buddhist master <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipa_Ma#Teaching_students_where_they_are">taught a nursing mother</a> enough mindfulness practice that she attainted the first stage of realisation without leaving the house. So long retreats aren’t an absolute necessity for insight. </p>

<p><strong>Even formal meditation practice isn't necessary for insight</strong></p>

<p>The founder of dharmaoverground, Daniel Ingram, said in <a href="http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/11/bg-301-varieties-contemplative-experience/">this Buddhist Geeks podcast</a> that people can and do have genuine insight from yoga practice, on long marches in the military or even breath control classes for actors. So formal meditation isn't even necessary for insight.</p>

<p><strong>So ...</strong></p>

<p>I've heard the relationship between insight and meditation described in terms of being struck by lightening. If you hang around on windy moors in thunderstorms (i.e. meditate intensively) you are more likely to be struck by lightening (insight) than if you sit in front of a TV set and never go out (i.e. never meditate). However people that do habitually sit in front of the TV do occasionally get struck by lightening. Similarly people on windy moors in thunderstorms may never get struck no matter how often they go out and jump up an down with a foil hat on. </p>

<p>There's no guarantees - meditation just increases your chances. To use another analogy - you can't force plants to grow. You can only dig the soil, water the earth and put the best conditions possible there.</p>
