An Attempt to free myself from all stress & sufferings through VIPASSANA

This month I am done with one of the Great Course on Spiritualism, Dharma, Meditation & Self-realization and that is Vipassana.

     

What is Vipassana?

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gautama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art of Living. This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation..

(Taken from dhamma.org)

I came to know about this technique during July 2014 from one of my senior. He had done this course at Dhamma Bodhi, the International Vipassana Meditation center at Gaya. According to him, it was a different type of experience. He had further told me that there is no need to do any rites and rituals during the 10 days course. One has to observe complete silence for 9 days with approximately 10 hours of meditation every day from 4.30 am to 9 pm at frequent intervals. The meditators are not allowed to write, read, talk even with gestures, touch others or look at anybody. Food is given thrice in small quantities.

The Crave for some extra sensory experience is yet another form of desire. I became curious to know more therefore started collecting information on the internet. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to do this course at Sodepur Vipassana meditation center, Kolkata in October 2016.

The Facilities

The Ashram is situated in a serene place with Ganges flowing nearby. When I entered the campus, I had a feeling of   natural calmness and peace.

The facilities were all pretty basic. Men and women were separated the whole time. There was a dining hall, where we had breakfast, lunch and dinner/ tea. Every student was allocated a seat in the beginning of the course. The meals consisted of simple vegetarian food and we all got our plate, cup, spoon and bowl, which we had to clean after every meal.

Every student had his own room in standard situation, however I have been offered dormitory with other 20 peoples. The rooms were basically little cells with a mattress and some space for the luggage.

The meditation was done in the Dhamma Hall. Again, every student was allocated a cushion to sit on during meditation. There was also a little room with a TV in it, which was used to show the teacher’s discourse (Dhamma Talk) in English to the foreigners.

There was a little garden/ path were we were able to walk around during the breaks.

The facilities will probably be very different depending on where you do the course.

The Timetable

The timetable looks really strict and terrible when you first look at it, but it’s really not that bad once you get used to it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really hard, but it’s worth it and there will be a moment during the course when you realize that it’s all worth it.

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

12noon-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 Teacher’s Discourse in the hall

8:15-9:00 pm Group meditation in the hall

9:00-9:30 pm Question time in the hall

9:30 pm Retire to your own room–Lights out

MY EXPERIENCE

So right after the course I wrote down everything I could remember and how I felt like. Some of this probably sounds really irrelevant to you. But this is what I found important the moment I walked out of the center.

Day 0

I smoked my last cigarette just before entering the meditation center. Anyway, I quickly found my way to the registration place. After the registration, we were asked to deposit our cell phones, money, books etc. at the counter. We could only carry our clothes and toiletries along with us to the room. We have to do our own work like washing clothes, cleaning our rooms/toilets etc.

At 7 pm, we were asked to assemble in a hall. The teacher told about the rules and guidelines to be followed for the next 9 days during the course then we went to the Dhamma hall to meditate for the first time (just focusing on our breath) and the noble silence started. No more talking from now on.

Day 1

I woke up on time and suddenly everything seemed so easy. I was focused, I wasn’t too tired and I didn’t mind the pain from sitting in the same posture all day. I also realized that even though I was surrounded by other people, I was here alone. I completely stopped caring about the other people and tried to get the most out of this experience.

Day 2

There was little pain in the body particularly in the knees. My mind was wandering. There were many thoughts with no clarity. In the evening, every day we were shown a video film. The film was about the experience we would have had during the day and a short guidelines for the next day. The discourse was very interesting. The teacher often told some funny stories having deep meanings. We laughed without making sound.   It was funny when we could not control laughing but we cannot make sound!!

Day 3 to 5

There was a flow of energy going through my body, which I was again able to just observe. I felt really peaceful and happy all day. I thought a lot about Dhamma and how all of this would affect my life in the outside world. I realized that Vipassana gave me the one thing that was missing in my life: hope – me too, I could also become a truly happy persons. All the things from the past that were haunting me, I could be able to let them go. Of course, the path was long and hard, but at least I saw the path now. The afternoons were really painful, but for some reason that didn’t bother me. Most of the time I was talking with myself and sometimes scolding or appreciating myself.

Day 6

One new meditation technique was introduced. We were asked to observe the sensations all over the body from head to foot. For the next remaining days. We have to do “Adhistana” i.e to sit without making any movement for one hr. each time for three times a day. It was like a challenge for all. There was severe pain in the knees and at times I accepted defeat. At other times, I got determined not to accept defeat and I completed one hour sitting like a wood. It is said that Gautam, the Buddha got enlightenment by doing Adhistana.

I remember an experience on the sixth day afternoon. Still I am puzzled whether that was an imagination or something transcended upon me to teach me a great lesson of life. We were asked to focus on the subtlest of sensations in our body. It required complete attention and focus. Suddenly I saw - My physical body has totally collapsed and divided into trillions of cells. Repeatedly I was asking where ‘I’ is, there was severe pain in my mind and I could hear my throbbing heartbeat.  I could not control my tears. What for I am so proud? What am I?

I got disconnected from these thoughts after the bell rang. I came to my room and I can’t say about the intense emotions that I was going through. There was no complains, no regret but only realization of the truth of human life. Uncontrolled tears was flowing from my eyes. I didn’t resist it.  A great feeling of relief and cleanliness within have dominated me.

Day 7 to 9

I felt a strong desire to surrender. There was detachment towards everything. No desire to speak or express anything. As if I am letting everything and everybody go free as their will. There is no want to control anybody. There was a strong sense of acceptance. I felt as if all the divine qualities have taken rest in me. Time and again, I felt my heart is so pure and clean, I was feeling a “aha”. There was a flow of pure love towards nature and human beings. I asked for forgiveness to all whom I have hurt and done harm. I looked at the stars and felt happy. I again and again expressed my gratitude for making my life so beautiful. Without any reason, I was smiling. I was feeling so happy that I wanted to celebrate it with my family and friends. True inspiration was flowing constantly.

During these days, I saw some dreams which again taught me some good lessons. At times, I woke up in the midnight and cried. We were not allowed to write so I could not write my experiences. We were not even given enough time to think so there is no question to recall your memories. Almost every emotion anyone can think of crossed my mind. In short, it is said that every emotion and every feeling is related to a sensation in our body. Good sensation gives us pleasure and we want that experience again and again. Likewise bad or painful sensations related to emotions like fear, guilt, anger etc. gives unpleasant experiences. We resist it. The technique says neither to get attached nor avoid such sensations. Just be detached and understand its momentariness. All will pass away as per the law of Impermanence. So, if negative thought arises, transform it to wisdom.

Day 10

Our silence was broken. We talked among ourselves. We were smiling and laughing. The Ganges passes nearby. We went there and had a photo session. We thanked the teacher and the Sevika.

For me, this was a unique experience that gave me the realization about the significance of   human life. It introduced me to myself.

In Search of Bhudda’s Foot-Print

In the 6th century B.C, a prince from Kapilavastu, give up all worldly attachments, shattered all barricades of desire, and dedicated his entire life in search for an answer to the realities of pain, suffering and sorrow haunting mankind since time immemorial. He walked through dense jungles, barren lands, poor villages, practiced austerities and mortifications and finally set on meditation for attaining Enlightenment by the banks of the Falgu river near the city of Gaya, in Bihar. Beneath a Peepal tree here, this man attained the supreme and perfect insight and gave the world a new way of life, a new vision- The prince was called Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha.

Ever since I had developed my desire for photography, I have always kept an open eye for any tourist destination with some cultural or historical importance attached with it. And with such intent, a trip to Bodh Gaya came to the fore. My train from Dhanbad reached Gaya at Six in the morning. A cloudy dawn, with a  cool breeze sweeping across my face, greeted me. After a quick cup of hot tea from the roadside vendor outside the station, I reserved an auto for Bodh Gaya. As we rode through the narrow streets of Gaya before moving out into the National Highway, a perfect picture of an underdeveloped Indian town came to the mind. In about 45 minutes I reached the Mahabodhi Temple complex at Bodh Gaya.

The Mahabodhi Temple is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the world as it marks the place where the Buddha attained his Enlightenment under a Peepal tree. Situated at the centre of the Bodh Gaya town, the temple site consists of the main temple and six sacred places within an enclosed area. As I began exploring the complex, I soon found out that inside this vast area, at different locations various religious activities were performed by monks and devotees. At a prominent stage by the side of main temple building, a large group of young monks all clad in red dress, sat in rows and performed certain rituals. I went on exploring further and soon found out several monks performing prostration, some reading scriptures and some praying and counting beads on the thread in their hand. I found monks from different countries, who followed different sects of Buddhism- I found people who could speak neither Hindi nor English. I also interacted with a monk from Nepal, who didn’t understand much of my English or Hindi, but smiled and politely told me, “I’m now doing prostration..... It gives me immense happiness, staying here and doing something to attain the ultimate goal.”

After the temple visit, I checked in, and soon after set out to visit the rest of the tourist attractions in the town. While planning the trip, I had gone through the GOOGLE for details about lodging and food at Bodh Gaya.

In evening I walked through the town and visited the Buddhist temples and monasteries by different countries- Thailand, Japan, Bhutan, Malaysia, China and Vietnam, each one offers a unique experience to learn, and get a taste of the huge Buddhist impression around the world. After the temple and monasteries, I went to the see the much hyped 80-ft high statue of the Buddha- what a huge and dominating structure! This huge image of the Buddha sitting in a meditation posture on a lotus flower struck a very deep chord of admiration for that prince called Siddhartha Gautama, in my heart.

After a splendid dinner at a restaurant near the ASI museum, I retired for the day.

The next day I planned for a day long trip to Nalanda and Rajgir- two immensely important places of Buddhist significance. I booked a Bolero from the guest house reception. Road trips always have a romantic air attached to them. You see them in movies, on foreign roads, in open-hood cars.

Nalanda is about 95 kilometres from Bodh Gaya, and I reached there in about three hours. I headed for the famous ruins of the ancient Nalanda University. History of Nalanda dates back to the days of Mahavira and Buddha around 6th century BC.

The complex was built with red bricks and its ruins occupy an area of 14 hectares. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far away as China, Greece, and Persia. From the ruins I went to the museum and looked around at the exhibits which were excavated from Nalanda. Statues of the Buddha, various day-to-day used objects, images of Hindu gods and goddesses, and many more such things were displayed in the well furnished museum.

I had lunch in Nalanda, at a restaurant near the museum and soon after left for Rajgir.

Rajgir was the capital of the state of Magadha before the foundation of Patliputra in ancient times. It is named after “Raj Griha” meaning “the royal palace”. Lord Buddha is said to have spent several years in this place. Rajgir is mentioned in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The most famous tourist attraction site with Buddhist significance is the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, founded by a Buddhist organisation from Japan under the guidance of monk, Nichidatsu Fujii (1885-1985). The stupa is made of spotless white marble and is a remarkable monument. Vishwa Shanti Stupa is the tallest peace Pagoda in the world standing tall at 400 meters and houses four statues of Lord Buddha on the four side-corners of the stupa. The four statues on four corner-sides of stupa depict the four phases of life of Lord Buddha. These statues are made of gold. These statues depicting, birth, enlightenment, teaching and passing away of Lord Buddha are symbolical of Lord Buddha’s teachings and temporary life.

The most interesting fact is that, you have to reach the stupa, via a cable car system, or rather a cable seat system! It’s fun and quite adventurous! Put in an insecure covered single seat and hanging on a cable you go all the way up to the high hill where the stupa is located. With this breathtaking ropeway ride, my trip ended and I was on my way to the same mundane world, where I was couple of days back.

Bihar has a great history and heritage attached to it- be it as the land of rise of Buddhism or of rise and fall of the first greatest empires of the subcontinent. But the sad irony is that, instead of such a history propelling the socio cultural scenario of the state today, the evils of modern times have somehow covered the glory of the yesteryears. It’s only time, and proper administrative and political steps that can help the state regain what it once had-the glory, the pride.