My Vipassana Experience



Location: Dhamma Surkhetta, Katakuwa, Surkhet, Karnali Province, Nepal
Date: June 8 to June 20, 2019
Course: 10 day Vipassana

What is Vipassana?
Vipassana is one of the most ancient meditation techniques that was long lost to humanity, it was rediscovered by Gautama the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. The Sanskrit word “Vipassana” means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. This is the way Buddha got to the stage of Nirvana or enlightenment. For more about Vipassana you can visit the website www.dhamma.org
How did I end up doing Vipassana?
I was known of this word because there is a Vipassana meditation center in Budhanilkantha near my home. My dad had attended one of the ten-day courses there and he encouraged me to attend. I was also curious to attend one of such courses as I was a spiritual seeker myself. My two months of summer vacation gave me the spare time to try and learn the technique but the Kathmandu center is always preregistered many months earlier so I planned to make a visit cum meditation trip to my maternal hometown of Birendranagar, headquarters of Surkhet district. I traveled to Surkhet four days before the start date of the mediation course so that I could also meet with my relatives and get around the town.

Daily Timetable for the Ten Days
4:00 am
Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am
Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am
Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am
Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am
Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon
Lunch break
12 noon-1:00 pm
Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm
Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm
Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm
Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 pm
Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm
Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm
Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm
Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm
Question time in the hall (if any)
9:30 pm
Retire to your own room--Lights out

Day 0
I reached the meditation center which is about 12 kilometers north of Birendranagar at 2 pm on 8th June. There I had to fill forms related to personal details and health. Then all the meditators had to deposit their mobiles, purse and other valuable items according to the rules of the center. We had the evening snack at 5 pm and our rooms were allocated. At 8 pm sharp the gong rang and we went to the Dhamma hall. There the introductory session by Acharya SN Goenka, founder of Vipassana mediation centers, was played. And we slept at 9pm.
Day 1-3
The actual course of 10 days started the next day from 9th June till 19th June. These 10 days we had to observe Aarya Maun (Noble and Complete Silence) and strictly follow the five Silas (Precepts) which are to abstain from killing any being, stealing, indulging in sexual activity, telling lies and taking intoxicants. And yes practice meditation for more than 10 hours daily.
 The first three days we began the meditation by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. We had to keenly observe the sensations in the rectangular area above our upper lip and below the top of our nostrils. During the initial days when I was trying to concentrate many kinds of thoughts occurred in my mind and I could not stop them from coming even though I was trying my best to bring back my focus to the respiration.
Day 4
On the fourth day, the main technique of Vipassana was taught to us. By this day I was in a state where not much thought was coming into my mind. With a sharpened awareness we had to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experience the universal truths of impermanence, suffering, and egolessness. The fourth day was very special for me due to the free-flowing movements that I could feel across my body while the teacher was teaching us the Vipassana. This particular experience was really a changing point for me in terms of my progress in the technique.
Day 5-6
 The following fifth and sixth day I practiced the technique with full devotion. These two days were the ones I had known Vipassana’s effect on my body and mind. Equanimity was a key concept to keep in mind which is about realizing that everything is impermanent. Instead of resisting and struggling with painful situations and enjoying and indulging with pleasant sensations, equanimity teaches us to stay calm and just observe consciously whatever is happening in our body and mind both at minuscule and gross levels.
Day 7-9
Unfortunately from the seventh day, my meditation got a bit deteriorated due to homesickness. But nevertheless, I tried to remain in the state of mediation and made efforts to get rid of boredom due to the long hours of mediation.   
Day 10
I have to admit I had been waiting a long time for the 10th day to finally arrive. It was a day from noble silence to noble chattering because from 10 am onwards we could talk.
So I had a chat with the other mediators consisting of 24 persons from Nepal, India, Columbia, Spain, France, Austria, and Australia.
Day 11
Ah! We woke up at 4 am for one last time and did meditation till 6:30 am. We had to get back to the normal world and do our things again. It was time to say good bye to the center, the servers there and to the fellow meditators. Now I was thinking how fast the days went by and it was time to leave.

 What Have I Learned?

 There are four major lessons that I learned out of this retreat:

 1.The real meaning of Dharma

We find numerous people who speak of Dharma and make it an intellectual debate of some kind but there are few people who know and practice Dharma through their experience in day-to-day life. Dharma is the law of nature that is equally applicable to all beings. For example, if a person gets too attached to something he/she is bound to be miserable it does not matter what religion, nation, or race he/she comes from. In this course, we knew through the discourses by SN Geonka and also by the means of our personal experience that our speeches, rituals, rites, and intellectual exchanges are not helpful in living a Dharmic life. We can only know Dharma by implementation and experience.

2. Concept of Impermanence and Equanimity

We know at an intellectual level that everything seen and unseen are impermanent but by feeling the ever-changing activities occurring in our body and mind we can truly know that yes we are and everything is impermanent.

Equanimity is a state of mind where we do not react to any pleasant or unpleasant situation but just observe it as there is no need to have craving or aversion for something that is so impermanent.  This realization can be a source of incredible strength, optimism, and growth in our lives.

3.  We are our own master
Our outer life may not be 100% in our control but our inner life should always be guided by ourselves. We should stop waiting for some external force to intervene and direct us. As Buddha said “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

4. Focus on present
Our mind is so inconsistent that it can think of literally anything and at any sequence it likes. Most of the times we dwell in the past or dream of the future but by the help of Vipassana we can concentrate the mind on the present moment and focus on the things we do with a sense of strong determination.

Would I do it again? Would I recommend it?

Certainly yes! My first experience doing Vipassana was so valuable and unforgettable that I would indeed take another 10-day course when I get the time(and I did my second retreat in December 2019 in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India). Vipassana is beneficial for the mental, spiritual, and physical health of any person but saying so you do need a certain amount of self-discipline and interest in the topic of meditation before going on a retreat. I would suggest not going with certain expectations or outcomes but rather focusing on the process. Also, do not attend Vippassana amplifies if you are in a state of depressed or anxiety already, this would multiply that multifold. 




 (You can see my experience video in this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsD2BeMGJ-8&feature=share )

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