Vipassana Meditation
The Technique
Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is
one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by
Gotama 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.
Healing, not merely the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human
suffering, is its purpose.
Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through
self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body,
which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical
sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect
and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based,
self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves
mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.
The scientific laws that operate one's thoughts, feelings,
judgements and sensations become clear. Through direct experience, the nature
of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from
suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness,
non-delusion, self-control and peace.
The Tradition
Since the time of Buddha, Vipassana has been handed down, to
the present day, by an unbroken chain of teachers. Although Indian by descent,
the current teacher in this chain, Mr. S.N. Goenka, was born and raised in
Burma (Myanmar). While living there he had the good fortune to learn Vipassana
from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin who was at the time a high Government
official. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr.
Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. Since then he has
taught tens of thousands of people of all races and all religions in both the
East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet
the growing demand for Vipassana courses.
The Courses
The technique is taught at ten-day residential courses
during which participants follow a prescribed Code of Discipline, learn the
basics of the method, and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial
results.
The course requires hard, serious work. There are three
steps to the training. The first step is, for the period of the course, to
abstain from killing, stealing, sexual activity, speaking falsely, and
intoxicants. This simple code of moral conduct serves to calm the mind, which
otherwise would be too agitated to perform the task of self-observation.
The next step is to develop some mastery over the mind by
learning to fix one's attention on the natural reality of the ever changing
flow of breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils.
By the fourth day the mind is calmer and more focused,
better able to undertake the practice of Vipassana itself: observing sensations
throughout the body, understanding their nature, and developing equanimity by
learning not to react to them.
Finally, on the last full day participants learn the
meditation of loving kindness or goodwill towards all, in which the purity
developed during the course is shared with all beings.
The entire practice is actually a mental training. Just as
we use physical exercises to improve our bodily health, Vipassana can be used
to develop a healthy mind.
Because it has been found to be genuinely helpful, great
emphasis is put on preserving the technique in its original, authentic form. It
is not taught commercially, but instead is offered freely. No person involved
in its teaching receives any material remuneration.
There are no charges for the courses - not even to cover the
cost of food and accommodation. All expenses are met by donations from people
who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish
to give others the opportunity to benefit from it also.
Of course, the results come gradually through continued
practice. It is unrealistic to expect all problems to be solved in ten days.
Within that time, however, the essentials of Vipassana can be learned so that
it can be applied in daily life. The more the technique is practiced, the
greater the freedom from misery, and the closer the approach to the ultimate
goal of full liberation. Even ten days can provide results which are vivid and
obviously beneficial in everyday life.
All sincere people are welcome to join a Vipassana course to
see for themselves how the technique works and to measure the benefits. All
those who try it will find Vipassana to be an invaluable tool with which to
achieve and share real happiness with others.
You may apply for a Vipassana meditation course by
completing and submitting an application for a scheduled course.
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