may all beings be happy-vipassana 101

vipassana =observation.
of reality
AS IT IS.

not the way we want it to be.

it's a powerful technique that teaches you to observe inside YOURSELF in order to learn the the law of nature. through dhamma -the universal law.

it is a 25-century-old technique passed on with purity from buddha all the way to our teacher for the course- s.n. goenka , a charismatic indian from burma. he learned from u ba khin , one of 2 vipassana masters to bring the purity to burma.

"Goenka emphasises that, "The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal." He presents his teachings as non-sectarian and open to people of all faiths or no faith. Goenka calls Vipassana meditation an experiential "scientific" practice. Students are encouraged to examine and test their own experience at the experiential level by observing themselves with equanimity, and examining the results. The technique involves adherence to a moral code and the observation of sensations.

To quiet the mind during Vipassana courses, students are asked to have no contact with the outside world or other students, though they may talk to an assistant teacher about questions concerning the technique or to a student manager for any material problems. Mere observation of breath allows the mind to become naturally concentrated, a practice called Anapana. This concentration prepares one for the main part of the practice -- non-attached observation of the reality of the present moment, as it manifests in one's own mind and body. This is the Vipassana practice itself which involves carefully "scanning" the surface of the body with one's attention and observing the sensations with equanimity, becoming progressively more aware of their ever-changing nature."

gautama, a man born under a banyan tree spent his life contenplating life and it's endless complications through meditating on the sensations inside of his own body. through this method he achieved enlightenment by age 35 and taught this technique, vipassana, until his death at age 80. in the last minutes of his life, a man approached him and asked him to teach him dhamma. he did, and the rest is history.

i put myself through the almost 12 day discipline of living the life of a monk, living on the alms of others-the retreat costs nothing, the teachers are volunteer, the entire course is run by volunteers who have previously completed the course. you are able to give a donation (it costs them $384 per student) but it is not required. that money simply covers the cost of the next student. goenka instead encourages people to serve. come and help on other retreats anywhere in the world and serve food, clean, help out with whatever is needed. it's part of the entire path of dhamma. once you have completed the course, it is suggested that you return anually and complete another course. also as an old student, you may do 1-3 day retreats, the 1 day can be done in downtown chicago. and find a vipassana group to sit with once a week.

the rules were strict, all that was asked of you is that you follow the rules to the final completion. this is what each day looked like

the gong was hit to wake us and to alert us to move on to the next session.

4 am-wake up
4:30-6:30-meditation
6:30-7:15-breakfast (i did not take breakfast as 2 meals were too much on my body with so much sitting)
8:00-11:00-meditation
11:00-11:45-lunch (wonderful vegan & veg meals from falafal, channa masala, lemon rice, dal, mac & cheese, tomato basil soup, greens, salads, soy milk, rice milk, smoothies, tofu steaks, mashed sweet potatoes, brown rice, fruits)
1:00-5:00-meditation
5:00-5:30-tea time (only herbal tea and fruit-no dinner)
6:00-7:00-meditation
7:00-8:00-student discourse (my favorite part when goenka talks about each day and vipassana. he is wonderful and i learned a ton)
8:00-9:00-meditation
9:30pm-lights out

all this in noble silence-no speaking, gestures, touching or eye contact. no knitting, books, phone, laptop, writing materials, no yoga, no other spiritual practices allowed. so as you can see, the day was full and no time for these things anyhow.

during the course, my entire life passed before my eyes. my mind became very lucid. i went through a series of anger, sadness, elation, fear & doubt. but in the words of goenka (who is also a FABULOUS storyteller)

anicca
anicca
anicca

and so this will change.

we were taught how to let go of negativity which ultimatly brings us misery. we were taught to control craving & aversion, which also brings misery to ourselves and everyone around us. we put it into practice during these sittings, and 3 hours a day, morning, afternoon & evening, we had to sit with STRONG DETERMINATION. this means you can't open your eyes, you can't move your hands, and you can't change your seated posture no matter how much pain had come. you simply had to observe the pain without judgement, and watch for it to pass. anicca. because it arises and always passes away.

this was particularly difficult if you had very strong pains. on the 4th day, the day he begins teaching the actual technique (the first 3 days you spend simply concentrating in one area under the nose where the breath falls in & out) my entire left arm, hand & fingers went paralyzed. i was unable to move it. of course i freaked out cause it came out of nowhere and nothing like this had ever happened to me. 3 of my fingers are still numb. i told the teacher about it. "you probably stirred up something with all the sitting. it will pass. just don't care how long it takes. could be 7 hours, 7 days, 7 years or 7 lifetimes." i followed this advice (after going to my room to cry and re-group). another time the pain in my leg felt like a laughing buddha with a machete had taken it off-i took the pain, when you let this happen, your entire body catches on fire, you begin to sweat, and afterwards, go into a trance-like high from the endomorphins from the excruciating pain. this happened about 3 times. later, you kind of want this to happen because it gives you a chance to work the practice.

i'm not going to lie and say this was easy, because it was one of the most challenging things i've ever done in my life. it was sub-zero weather, and the women, whose entrance was in the back of the dorms had a long path through the sometimes unpaved snow (men & women are completely seperated the entire time), it was brutal. but after a couple of days, it seems you can withstand just about anything. after all, we were all in this together. about 40 people total, we only lost one male-and on the 7th day! that's pretty good. only 1 out of every 8 retreats have no people running away. the group of women get close, cause we spend all our time together, even though we never talk to each other, there is still a very tight bond and support.

at 11::00am on the 10th day, we are allowed to speak. and this is really strange. it was very difficult for me because i could not even hear my own voice and i was shaking with strange energy when i talked. they do this to buffer us for the real world, which is kind of hardcore after all those days of living like a monk.

i feel much joy.

i highly recommend this retreat. anyone can do this. it's universal. it's non-sectarian. there was a wide assortment of people, many meditated in chairs, many had never meditated before. the age range was teenagers through many in their late 60s from all walks of life. i like the way it is run-it is not motivated by money. it is pure service, pure giving. pure love.

i only wish i had taken this course when i began teaching yoga. i would have been a much better teacher and person.
but that's in the past. the important thing is that i completed it now, at age 43. hopefully i still have many years to be a better person. to be a happier person. to spread joy and peace.

peace.
harmony.
happiness.
liberation.

may all beings be happy