My experince with 10 Day Vipassana Course

The Buddha Smiled .

There are three sources of knowledge . Abhidhaanam , Abhigyaan am Anubhuti .

What you get during the 10 days of Vipassana is primarily anubhuti  Experience . Experince yourself within the framework of your body and mind .

Abhidhana ; From books , literatures , ..

Abhigyana : From teacher or experience of someone else

Anubhuti : From self-experience

Genareally from books/and others  we get  surface level knowledge / intelectual  . What we get from Vipassana is experiential knowledge.

Learnings :

• -          Mind wanders  either in past or future
• -          Thought patterns : pleasant , un-pleasnt
• -          Like -> Crave -> Cling
• -          Don’tLike -> Aversion -> Hatred
• -           Raaga   - Dwesha  , moha ( ignorance )
• -          Observe the realities as it is not as you  would like to be .
• -          Life is difficult  . Life is complicated. let’s uncomplicate it.
• -          If you go upstream of a river eventually you will be reaching the source.
• -          Enlightenment  or Moksha can be achived by anyone who follows the right path
• -          Self-discipline

Course  Date : 2009-04-15 to 2009-04-26

Day 0: Arrival .  Me , my brother and two of his colleagues ( not exactly colleagues but  co-Vipassnaist ) started  ( 7:30 AM ) from my residence and reached the center around 10:30 AM . 

10:30 : we reached at the centre .

12:00 Lunch .

It was  2 phase meeting post lunch . First with the   Centre in-charge and  subsequently Guruji.  Here one of the thing that was tested whether you are really interested in the course or just because someone told you that it Is good so you landed up here for some divine experience .Main purpose of the meeting was to set the expectation right .  So after  brief discussion I was enrolled to the course  and was provided a room.  I had 2 other roommates , one was a priest in a temple in some nearby village and the other was a student ( he came to the program upon insistence of his gather ) . I think the last person to the course came somewhere around 16;00 hr.   After that all the valuables  ( Mobile , Wallet )  were collected and deposited  in the locker . We had  dinner  at 18:30 hr.  Yes in the whole program the only diner that we had )  and around 19:30 hr we assembled again in the meditation room and formally got introduced to the program .

The Code of discipline
The foundation of the practice is sīla — moral conduct. Sīla provides a basis for the development of samādhi — concentration of mind; and purification of the mind is achieved through paññā — the wisdom of insight.

-         The Precepts

All who attend a Vipassana course must conscientiously undertake the following five precepts for the duration of the course:

1.       to abstain from killing any being;

2.       to abstain from stealing;

3.       to abstain from all sexual activity;

4.       to abstain from telling lies;

5.       to abstain from all intoxicants.

-         Acceptance of the Teacher and the Technique

We declare ourselves  willing to comply fully and for the duration of the course with the teacher's guidance and instructions; that is, to observe the discipline and to meditate exactly as the teacher asks, without ignoring any part of the instructions, nor adding anything to them. This acceptance should be one of discrimination and understanding, not blind submission. Only with an attitude of trust can a student work diligently and thoroughly. Such confidence in the teacher and the technique is essential for success in meditation.

-         Other Techniques, Rites, and Forms of Worship

During the course it is absolutely essential that all forms of prayer, worship, or religious ceremony — fasting, burning incense, counting beads, reciting mantras, singing and dancing, etc. — be discontinued.

-         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.

Buddham Saranam Gachhami

Sangham Saranam Gachhami

Dhammam Saranalm Gachhami

The course is basically divided into 2 parts 3 days ( aanapana ) + 7 days (Vipassana ) .

Day 1: The  first morning bell  rang ( slow and non-continuous ) at 04:15 hrs . The inevitable will happen . And by 4:30 we all are at the meditation hall . Half-asleep , half-awake   . We were allocated specific seats ( additional pillows were provided on request  , however I was a bit hesitant to ask for additional pillow ) .  Started with aana-paana also known as mindfulness  ( see the thing as it is  ) . The art of observation . Observe your breathing . Yes only observe . take no action .  First I thought why should I observe something , that something like breathing , even if I do not observe anyway it  will happen . How  am I helping myself by just observing and not (re)acting  or responding to it .  Anyway the morning session was over by 6:30 hr .  At this point of time we had a break for breakfast and daily routines. Yes anything which was perceived as religious  () were  not allowed during the whole program .  It was a looooooong day .  10 hours of meditation with intervals in between . 

Aaana paana is different from Pranayama and other forms of meditation in a sense that in Pranayama it is advised to control one’s breath while in aana-paana it is advised to observe it not to control it.  In some other forms of mediation a certain word or Mantra needs to be verbally/mentally recited or picture of god needs to be visualized , however in aana-paana breath is used as the object because it is universal which is not specific to any religion or sect or language or region.

Day 2: It was relatively easy day . Probably somewhere deep down inside my mind , I knew anyway I have to to it, so better accept it. After all pain is not really a bad thing. This was also a day when I was able to concentrate  more on  observing my breathing. Without thinking whether it is hot or cold , slow or fast , deep or shallow , passing through left nostril or right .

Day 3: Day-by-Day it  became clearer that things are impermanent ( anicca )

Day 4: Started Vipassana . The art of observing ones sesation  ( samvedana ) . Observing with equanimity , patiently , deligently   without further processing them . It could be pleasant or unpleasant . , good or bad , tickling sensation , prickling sensation , itching , fragrance or smell , pain in neck or back basically anything  . However the key here was to just observe no further processing . observe  their nature . Onething  which became  clearer was all the sensation are momentary . They arise and pass . If their nature is to arise and pass is there any reason for me to unnecessarily process them . here also we observe the habbit pattern of mind  : to wander in past or future not willing to reside in the present.

Day 5 :  A byproduct of observing sensation was to  realize that mind always wanders between past and future .  For example during the mediation there was a lot of itching , prickling sensation was there and as an immediate reaction hands were almost ready to scratch where it itches . However since our aim was to just observe it without any reaction ( involuntary/voluntary ), hands wre refrained from scratching . the best part of it was after sometime ( when the focus is not on that part of the body ) , it almost appears that there is no itching  .

Day 6 : This was another tough day . Mantra for this day was Adhisthaan . Determenation to sit in a posture for one hour and observe one’s sensation.  I decided no matter what happens ( let the legs , back , anything  ) . During adhisthan for the first 45 minutes there was not much pain after that for each passing minute it was increasing to a point where it was almost unbearable . However as I had determined . this day I was not focusing on observing  sensation itself but to have adhisthan.

Day 7 : For few hours went to the Pagodas ( cells ) allocated for individuals which provided a small secluded  place for Vipassana . Objective was to observe the gross as well as the subtle sensations. Anything that happens outside has some kind of manifestation in our corporal body . And by observing our sensation we can objectively observe that event without processing it further.

Day 8: Number of times I did adhisthan has increased to 4.  I was able to concentrate more more on sensation . Subtler sensations . Also learned something about attachment ( sankhara) . we are so much attached to specific things that having/absence of it gives of so much of pain /pleasure. here the actual object does not have any power of giving us any pain/pleasure , but the memory associated with , the thinking and interpretation associated with has the real power . So by just observing and not reacting to it we remove that sankhara. Sometimes it might be deep rooted which takes more time to remove.

Sankhara  can be explained as below ;

-          Suppose we want to draw a line

-          On water :  It is momentary so very shallow . It just passes away within few seconds.

-          On sand : It takes a bit of effort to draw but stays  there for few minutes/hours/days  , but passes away as soon as some external force acts upon it  . Like the waves of ocean erases the lines we draw on a sea beach.

-          On hard rock :  it takes time to draw but lasts longer.

Now let’s compare Sankhara with some of our real-life experience .

-          Event of drawing the line :  A person X tells you something which you do not like.

On water : The persons tells you the thing , you do  not like and you just laugh it away without processing.

On Sand : The persons tells you the thing , you do  not like . You get agitated. You think that what rights does that person has to say you that thing . You tell to someone that that person said so and so . so that person is bad and should be condemned may be some action should also be taken . When you are in a calmer state of find you forgive that person and the story ends there.

On Hard Rock : The persons tells you the thing , you do  not like . You get agitated. You complain to someone else . someone else takes some action against that person . You continuously think about that person and use your processing power and time . That person takes revenge and the story continues .

Day 9 :  I was able to observe subtler sensations. Sensations inside the body which otherwise we don’t notice .

Day 10: a rather relaxed day . after 4 PM we were allowed to talk ( slowly and among ourselves )  .Also we did a a little bit of cleaning the environment at the center.

Day 11: Morning 7 AM after having our breakfast we left the Vipassana meditation center.

It is not end of the experience but start of a new experience . Applying the learning in real life . Not just by closing eyes and doing meditation to solve real-life problems  but by applying the experience of anicca .

If someone gives you something and you do not take/accept it then that will be with the person . Apply the same logic in real life and replace something with scolding , and you will find that if do not accept that it remains with that person.

Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam .

Sadhu , Sadhu , Sadhu

And the Buddha smiled again.