The Road to Silence: An Introduction to Vipassana Meditation

Could you stand to sit quietly with eyes closed, following your breath, not moving, not communicating with other people (including not making eye contact), not watching your usual television programs or listening to the radio, not reading, daydreaming or indulging in fantasy play, not sleeping in your usual, comfortable bed, eating small, strictly vegetarian meals, refraining from smoking, drinking, sex, physical contact, and recreational drugs for ten whole days? For many people in today's fast paced, mass production and instant gratification oriented society, the answer is probably no. But for many adventurous souls and spiritual seekers throughout the world, the practice has some worthwhile and otherwise difficult to obtain results.

The Origin and Technique of Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana (vi-PASH-ana) meditation is the practice of introspective insight with the aim erradicating misery by purifying the mind through pure observation without reaction. Vipassana is often closely translated as seeing things as they are. Vipassana is a form of meditation that originated with the Gotama (often Gautama) Buddha over 2,500 years ago. Vipassana meditation enjoys an unbroken succession of carefully trained teachers. The current and foremost teacher of the technique is Mr. S.N. Goenka. Mr. Goenka is of east Indian descent and was born in Burma. Since 1982, he is responsible for the training of many assistant teachers from all over the world so as to cultivate the dissemination of the teachings to those who wish to receive them.

Ten day meditation courses are held throughout the world at dhamma (dharma for those more familiar with the Sanskrit rendering) centers and there is no charge for sitting a course. Instead, dhamma centers are funded by donations, according to means and volition, from students who have sat at least one course, making the teachings accessible to anyone and everyone who wants them, regardless of financial circumstance.

Vipassana meditation, though Buddhist in its origin, is a non-sectarian technique whose teachings neither seek to have nor require students to adhere to a particular system of religious belief. Thereby, the teachings are accessible to people of all religious faiths and persuasions, with no requirement for students who come to vipassana as Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, or of other faiths to abandon their beliefs in order to learn and apply the techniques. The only requirement with regard to previously existing religious or spiritual practices is that they be suspended for the duration of the course in order to give a fair trial to the technique.

Vipassana, which at first glance may seem like an easy endeavor (someone sitting on a cushion, breathing for hours on end; how hard can it be, right?), can be quite trying in its application. The technique is simple - and intentionally so, so as to be universally accessible - but putting it into practice is not always easy. Minds tend to stray in one direction or another, spinning off on tangents about this, that, or the other, and maintaining a clear and steady focus during meditation is often a challenge, even for old students.

Structure of the Course

The technique is taught in two facets. The first of these, called anapana meditation, involves simply allowing the natural flow of the breath to come and go as it will while focusing one's entire awareness on the triangulate space on the bottom of the nose, above the upper lip. Anapana can be translated as respiration. Anapana meditation is what students, both new and old, practice for the first three days of the course.

On day four, the actual technique of vipassana is introduced. Vipassana meditation involves a complete and thorough 'scanning' of the body by keeping one's awareness moving from head to feet, then feet to head, observing any type of physical sensation (heat, cold, pressure, pain, tingling, etc.) but not reacting to it. For example, one might observe that one's nose itches, but one is to practice not reacting ("remaining equanimous" or "maintaining perfect equanimity", as it is referred to in the course) by reaching up to scratch it. Vipassana meditation teaches that all things in life - bodily sensations, emotions, situations in the outer world, and so on, including physical existence itself - are anicca (uh-NITCH-uh; and no, I'm not trying to suppress a sneeze). Anicca refers to the state of impermanence inherent in all things. Therefore, one simply observes the sensation of itching in the nose, but does not react, as all things are, by nature, impermanent and are constantly arising and passing away. One also should not get caught up in focusing one's awareness on a particular sensation - no matter how intense - in a particular part of the body, but is to keep the awareness moving throughout the body in a sweeping motion, from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet and back. Any sensation encountered will eventually pass away.

At the end of each evening of the course, a short presentation on DVD will be shown to students. These are known as the evening discourses or dhamma talks. These sessions, presented by Mr. Goenka, are intended to reinforce and expound upon the theory and practice of the techniques students learn throughout the sit. New students will want to pay close attention to these sessions because they will often serve to clarify anything that has come up which may be a source of confusion or misunderstanding for the student, and which, due to the strict daily schedule and limited teacher-student interview times, may not be able to be discussed right away with the assistant teacher.

Though each dhamma center is physically equipped slightly differently than the others, the empirical practice of vipassana meditation is - during a ten day (or longer) course - intended to take place in complete isolation so as to facilitate a complete turning inward of awareness. For this reason, vipassana was originally practiced in a cell only large enough to accommodate both meditator and cushion. There are centers in the world today - even in the United States (in Texas and Maine) - that are equipped with cells for this purpose. Even in those centers - as in others not similarly equipped - some (if not most) meditation takes place in a group setting in a hall or auditorium constructed specifically for this purpose, which is not used in any other manner so as to maintain a pure vibration, thereby helping to facilitate meditation.

When one is in the meditation hall, as at all other times after the course officially begins, one must observe the Noble Silence, refraining from any form of communication with other students, including gestures, written notes, and eye contact. Students are allowed, however, at designated times, to converse with the assistant teachers of the course for purposes of clarifying any issues which arise that pertain to the techniques of anapana and vipassana. Students are also allowed to speak to the course managers (1 woman, for women; 1 man, for men), who often live and work full-time at dhamma centers. Course managers can and should be consulted for minor issues such needing a bandaid or having difficulty with sleeping arrangements.

Male and female students attending vipassana courses are segregated from members of the opposite sex for the duration of the course, even if there are husbands and wives (or other family members, friends, or significant others) attending the same course. There are, of course, separate rooming and bathing facilities for men and women. There are separate outdoor areas for men and women where students can walk or otherwise be out of doors during breaks in the highly structured course schedule. The daily schedule is as follows, and is the same at any dhamma center in the world:

4:00 a.m.-----------------------Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 a.m.----------------Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 a.m.----------------Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 a.m.----------------Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 a.m.---------------Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon------------Lunch break
12 noon-1:00 p.m.-----------Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 p.m.-----------------Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 p.m.-----------------Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 p.m.-----------------Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 p.m.-----------------Tea break
6:00-7:00 p.m.-----------------Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 p.m.-----------------Teacher's Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 p.m.-----------------Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 p.m.-----------------Question time in the hall
9:30 p.m.------------------------Retire to your own room--Lights out

_{(courtesy of dhamma.org)}

Bumps in the Road

There are certain times during the course of a sit where a student may feel they want to leave the course. This generally occurs due to the various (and often intense) unpleasant thoughts, memories, sensations and emotions that come up during the sit. These things must come up and be released (but not necessarily examined, as the aim is to simply let mental impurities of any sort pass away and be released from the mind) during the meditation - this is the goal and the aim of vipassana - to purify the mind by removing mental (and often emotional) impurities and defilements.

Though students are advised against it, there is no steadfast prohibition of students leaving the course before it is complete. Day four, when the technique of vipassana is introduced, is a key day on which some students leave the course, because the technique of vipassana stirs up defilements and impurities which have been latent in the mind and body, in many cases for a long time. Day six and day eight are additional days which may prove particularly difficult for some students. I came close to leaving the course I sat last summer on day six. Since new students are not permitted to bring reading or writing materials into the course, I started feeling antsy. My imagination was greatly stirred up and I desperately wanted some kind of outlet for creative expression. I even considered making paper dolls out of a box of tissues!

It is advisable that, should you decide to give vipassana a try, and should you encounter a desire to leave the course for some reason, that you sign up for a time to meet with the teacher and discuss this before you make a decision or take any other form of action. On day nine, I found myself completely saturated with the technique and its resulting experiences, unable to absorb or process any more. I shuttled all my personal belongings into my suitcase in a major, emotional huff, teetering on the brink of getting into my car and driving home. Thankfully, the teacher was available to speak with me even though it was outside the designated time for teacher-student interviews. He was able to provide me with additional insight into what was going on for me and was instrumental in encouraging me to persevere in spite of what I was experiencing. I still really wanted to leave, but I knew that since I had made it to day nine that I wouldn't forgive myself easily for backing out of the course when I had made it 90% of the way through.

On the morning of day eleven, the Noble Silence is broken after the morning meditation session, and students may converse with one another and once again mingle with the opposite sex (though not in the meditation hall, where Noble Silence is always in effect). One note of caution to those new to the practice of vipassana: experiences had by students learning and practicing the techniques of anapana and vipassana are as varied as the students themselves. Therefore, as tempting as it may be to compare notes with fellow students, it does little good to do so. One student's experience will often differ vastly from another's, and all experiences are equally valid with respect to the students who have them.

Conclusion

This practice is rigorous, but rewarding in the end. Leaving the dhamma center after ten days of meditation and going back into the everyday world may seem overwhelming at first. It can also come as a great relief. I had an hour and a half drive home from the center in Onalaska, Washington. Though I currently reside in a very populated (by my smaller-town standards), metropolitan area and generally find this rather at odds with my need for closeness to the natural world, I found myself infinitely grateful to come home to the comforts I had temporarily renounced. I was a tad taken aback with myself when I experienced a profound sense of harmony and order about things as everyday as the placement of buildings in the center of town and the movement of traffic along the roadways.

It is strongly encouraged that students who attend vipassana meditation courses actively strive to establish a regular, daily practice in their home environment. On day eleven, students are provided with a wealth of printed information about vipassana, about returning to serve courses (which mostly entails working in the kitchen to prepare meals for students sitting the course, sometimes referred to as "giving dhamma service"), and about group sits that are hosted in their area of residence. Being someone who has difficulty sitting still for long periods of time (and who barely made it through my first sit), I haven't had a whole lot of success with this myself. Mr. Goenka himself has stated that it often takes two or three courses before it finally "sticks". I will be returning to the dhamma center in Onalaska, Washington (with my husband) this summer in July for my second sit.

In closing, I would like to mention that these techniques have been employed in prisons all over the world, with exceptional results for even the most stubborn inmates. There is a fascinating documentary available on the topic which profiles the introduction of vipassana to prison populations in India. If you'd like to learn more before signing up for a course, I'd highly recommend seeing this short film, Doing Time, Doing Vipassana.

May all beings be happy!