Vipassana Meditation at a Glance

“The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.”- Gautam  Buddha

 A small introduction

Vipassana means to see things as they are. This is the most ancient meditation technique of India that was taught by Gautam Buddha 2000 years before. Through this meditation technique, Buddha (the Awakened One) achieved his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh.

A small history

Vipassana teaching started by S.N Goenka in 1969. Now the dhamma messenger of modern times returned to India- it is the country where the vipassana first started and Buddha’s teachings were totally lost and ‘Vipassana’ was a foreign word. From 1969 to 1975, Vipassana courses were held across 11 Indian states and 37 towns and cities.

How it works

According to dhamma.org, it is an observation-based, self-exploratory journey that focuses on a deep interconnection between the mind and body, which is realized through disciplined attention to the physical sensations. Apart from this it helps in concentration and purifies the whole mind and body.

My personal experience

Now, I would like to brief my personal experience of the first ten-day vipassana retreat. I have done my first ten-day course in Sarnath, Banaras, Uttar Pradesh. I joined this course because  I wanted to know myself, wanted to come out of my anxiety and low self-esteem, and especially wanted to live a peaceful life. This meditation technique taught me that nobody can teach me that is to know your 'inner self'. When I went there I felt so much happiness even from the third day of the retreat. After the sixth day, I started getting to know the answers that I was finding for many years. After coming out of ten days of retreat I felt so much alertness like I was living every single moment of my life, for example- I was feeling every step when I walk, I was feeling the bite in my mouth when I was eating. Although it was little pain in my body like neck pain, excessive sweating during meditation, but there is a saying "You have to go through the darkness to get the light". But the experience can be different for every person as everyone is living in their unique way.

I personally, feel that everyone should take at least a ten-day course in his/her life. Many people are struggling because of their career, family issues, relationship issues and this causes different diseases like depression, anxiety, insomnia/hypersomnia, panic attacks, and other kinds of health issues like typhoid, cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, migraine, and many more. But it strictly recommends that if you are diagnosed with any mental disorder don’t apply for this course.

Apply for the course

Open the website dhamma.org, now you will see the course written on the upper. You have to choose whether you are a new student or an old student (you have to do at least one ten-day course to become an old student). Fill every detail in the columns- date as per your convenience, state (in which you want to take this course), and language (in which you are comfortable following the instruction). Now, select the date and the center as per your availability and fill the detailed form after reading all the terms and conditions.

It is a ten days’ residential course during which meditators learn the basis of the method and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results. There are no charges for this course, not even the food and the accommodation. All the expenses are met by donations who have done their courses.
More on this, for 10 ten days retreat, you have to agree to live in complete silence called "noble silence". You cannot talk to strangers nor you can do eye contact. The more you will be in noble silence the more you can concentrate on your meditation. All your stocks including mobile phones, books, and money will be deposited before starting the retreat. In the end, the following schedule would have to follow in all 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
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	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

*Yes, there is no dinner time.

Now it's time to invite everyone

All people of different ages, religions, castes, and classes are welcome to join this course. I  will suggest, everyone should learn this technique, take benefits and share happiness with others.