In reaction to the previous article posted by Rodrigo, I'd like to express my admiration to Ms. K. for the step she is taking, wish her all the best on her journey and I hope that she will find what she is looking for... For those who'd like to find their inner calmness and long-lasting happiness but cannot (or don't want to) leave for such a long time, I'd like to share some information about a ten days Vipassana Meditation course. I haven't attended this course, however I met one man who experienced it and he stated that it was one of the most enriching and helpful experiences of his life.
Vipassana Meditation is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation (more than 2500 years ago), which was taught as a universal remedy for universal ills, as an art of living. "Vipassana" means "to see things as they really are". It is a process of self-purification by self-observation which is described as following: One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. Then, with a sharpened awareness, one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. This truth-realization by direct experience results in mental purification.
Courses of Vipassana Meditation are provided by S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers and last ten days. They are held several times a year throughout the whole world (see the schedules here) and are run solely on a donation basis. The money collected after the course is used to facilitate the lessons for future atendees.
Here comes the tough part. There is a code of discipline that everybody needs to follow during the ten day course: You are not allowed to drink alcohol, take drugs, smoke, have sex, use mobile phones or computers, wear provoking clothes or be naked, lie, communicate with other participants, do exercise, read, write, play musical instruments... to summarize, you are not allowed to do anything else than meditate, discuss with the teacher, eat and sleep (but only when you are supposed to do so). The rules are so strict in order to ensure that everybody is fully concentrated on their minds and doesn't get distracted. And the schedule? You wake up at 4 a.m. and meditate basically the whole day untill 9.30 p.m., you only have breaks for eating. Vegetarian food is provided (free), it is not permitted to bring your own food or to fast.
Really extreme, don't you think? No wonder that many people leave the course prematurely. The majority of the attendees go through heavy depressions during the course as the deepest, unconscious "mess" comes up to the surface. However, those who stay till the end manage to get rid of this internal mess and traumas that have been accumulated since they were born and therefore purify their minds. This allowes them to find their inner calmness and long-lasting happiness.
What do you think, is it worth the ten days suffering? Do you know a less painfull but equally (or more) efficient way how to reach the same?
Looking forward to your comments.
Namaste.
No comments:
Post a Comment