It's officially been four weeks since I returned from my Vipassana meditation retreat. After putting off this post, I have forced myself to finally sit down and write about my experience, all the way from Miami, Florida! As a side note, my parents and I decided to run away for the week to get some beach-time in, and it's been lovely so far (more on my summer travel adventures another time).
In short the retreat was, quite easily, the best 'thing' I have ever done in my life. For ten days I was put through quite a mental/physical/spiritual challenge. But there is no greater feeling than that of overcoming challenges - and by the end of the retreat I was full of peace, harmony and happiness. So here's how it happened...
On the evening you arrive (which doesn't count as part of the 10 days, by the way), the centre explains the code of discipline you are expected to keep for the entire duration of the course. This is known as 'sila' which means 'moral conduct'. As I mentioned in my previous post, Vipassana is a Buddhist meditation technique. During the time of Buddha, the commonly spoken language was Paali - which is a sister language of Sanskrit (that's why some of the words have a similar sound and/or meaning as Sanskrit). Sila includes 8 precepts. They are:
In short the retreat was, quite easily, the best 'thing' I have ever done in my life. For ten days I was put through quite a mental/physical/spiritual challenge. But there is no greater feeling than that of overcoming challenges - and by the end of the retreat I was full of peace, harmony and happiness. So here's how it happened...
On the evening you arrive (which doesn't count as part of the 10 days, by the way), the centre explains the code of discipline you are expected to keep for the entire duration of the course. This is known as 'sila' which means 'moral conduct'. As I mentioned in my previous post, Vipassana is a Buddhist meditation technique. During the time of Buddha, the commonly spoken language was Paali - which is a sister language of Sanskrit (that's why some of the words have a similar sound and/or meaning as Sanskrit). Sila includes 8 precepts. They are:
- to abstain from killing any being;
- to abstain from stealing;
- to abstain from all sexual activity;
- to abstain from telling lies;
- to abstain from all intoxicants.
- to abstain from eating after midday;
- to abstain from sensual entertainment and bodily decorations
- to abstain from using high or luxurious beds.
The eight precepts are followed by all students who attend the course (meaning new students who are attending for the first time, as well as old students who have previously attended other 10 day courses). However there is a slight difference for the sixth precept. All new students are allowed to have some fruit and tea with milk after midday (this is served around 5 in the evening) while old students are only allowed tea without milk. Trust me when I say that the fruit doesn't really make much of a difference. Our days started at 4 in the morning, and ended around 9:30 pm. Ten of those waking hours are spent in meditation each day, with small breaks in between for breakfast, lunch, time for showering, interviews with the assistant teachers (if you have questions) etc. Even though technically, you shouldn't require much food since you aren't really moving around, I found myself on many nights quite hungry, and learned early in the course to eat as big a lunch as possible. Another note about the food is that despite the lack of dinner, the rest of the meals were absolutely delicious. Everything was vegetarian, but extremely tasty, freshly prepared and healthy. Most of the lunches were Indian dishes like dhaals and curries served with rice. There was always a salad bar with such a variety of options and even desserts on most days. The kitchen staff go out of their way to accommodate all kinds of dietary restrictions and allergies - the food is cooked with so much love and selflessness that on some days I nearly started crying after a single bite (it may also have been the sheer joy of eating that I came to appreciate so much). The lengths that the volunteers will go purely in the service of others is truly inspiring and uplifting - especially when you're going through your own personal struggles during the course!
The question I've been asked most often since returning from the course is: Wasn't it hard not talking for ten days? The answer is always the same. No. Not talking for ten days is easy. Ten days of Noble Silence on the other hand, is very hard. Noble Silence means no talking, no gesturing to others, no eye contact, no smiling, no laughing, no exercising, no reading, no writing, no singing, no dancing, no physical contact with others, no praying, no music, no TV, no phones, no computers. You truly realise how alone you are in this world when you are forced to dis-connect from everything that you think is part of your identity. Even something as simple as not wearing your make-up or the jewelery you normally do can really deepen whatever vulnerabilities or insecurities you may already have. On the plus side, I actually learned to enjoy not having to follow my usual 'getting dressed' routine for ten days (and it was also nice to not interact with any males for 10 days as the course is completely segregated!). The other point I wanted to clarify was that although the retreats are often referred to as Noble Silence retreats, this is not really the main goal or purpose of the course. The Noble Silence is, like Sila, part of the foundation for successfully acquiring the Vipassana meditation technique. In order to fully understand how the technique works and to maximize its benefits over the ten days, you first need to be in complete isolation - this is what Noble Silence allows you to do. If you really want to go deep into your mind, deep into your unconscious mind (which I learned is actually the most conscious part of your mind), then you need to work in isolation, you need to dissolve your ego, even just a little bit, to gain better focus and concentration. For ten days you live like a monk or a nun - you accept what food you are given, you wear modest and simple clothing, and you live off the charity of others (which is why there is no cost to attend a Vipassana course - you can offer a donation to assist future students, but they do not charge any fees to attend).
Unfortunately I'm going to hit the pause button for a few days - mainly because it's getting late and tomorrow morning we are headed to Marco Island. But also because this post would get quite long if I tried to cover everything. What I've attempted to do so far is briefly explain the 'superficial' elements of the course, and next time, I will do my best to describe in more detail, exactly what Vipassana meditation is, and some of my personal experiences. Maybe what I've written up to this point makes it sound like a horrible, torturous experience - I felt that way during the first couple days of the retreat as well. But I promise that the 'good stuff' is coming up, just as it did towards the end of my course. Hope you have all had a wonderful July - stay tuned for part two in August!
The question I've been asked most often since returning from the course is: Wasn't it hard not talking for ten days? The answer is always the same. No. Not talking for ten days is easy. Ten days of Noble Silence on the other hand, is very hard. Noble Silence means no talking, no gesturing to others, no eye contact, no smiling, no laughing, no exercising, no reading, no writing, no singing, no dancing, no physical contact with others, no praying, no music, no TV, no phones, no computers. You truly realise how alone you are in this world when you are forced to dis-connect from everything that you think is part of your identity. Even something as simple as not wearing your make-up or the jewelery you normally do can really deepen whatever vulnerabilities or insecurities you may already have. On the plus side, I actually learned to enjoy not having to follow my usual 'getting dressed' routine for ten days (and it was also nice to not interact with any males for 10 days as the course is completely segregated!). The other point I wanted to clarify was that although the retreats are often referred to as Noble Silence retreats, this is not really the main goal or purpose of the course. The Noble Silence is, like Sila, part of the foundation for successfully acquiring the Vipassana meditation technique. In order to fully understand how the technique works and to maximize its benefits over the ten days, you first need to be in complete isolation - this is what Noble Silence allows you to do. If you really want to go deep into your mind, deep into your unconscious mind (which I learned is actually the most conscious part of your mind), then you need to work in isolation, you need to dissolve your ego, even just a little bit, to gain better focus and concentration. For ten days you live like a monk or a nun - you accept what food you are given, you wear modest and simple clothing, and you live off the charity of others (which is why there is no cost to attend a Vipassana course - you can offer a donation to assist future students, but they do not charge any fees to attend).
Unfortunately I'm going to hit the pause button for a few days - mainly because it's getting late and tomorrow morning we are headed to Marco Island. But also because this post would get quite long if I tried to cover everything. What I've attempted to do so far is briefly explain the 'superficial' elements of the course, and next time, I will do my best to describe in more detail, exactly what Vipassana meditation is, and some of my personal experiences. Maybe what I've written up to this point makes it sound like a horrible, torturous experience - I felt that way during the first couple days of the retreat as well. But I promise that the 'good stuff' is coming up, just as it did towards the end of my course. Hope you have all had a wonderful July - stay tuned for part two in August!
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