This blog started being written almost a couple of fortnights after my 10 day course ended, which was from 12th June to 23rd June at Dhamma Ambika, Navsari, Gujarat.
The reason behind writing this blog is simple. When going into Vipassana, there was some information I sought but couldn't find it anywhere. And secondly, a lot of people have asked me about my experience, and the experience being so indescribable, I feel it could be best to write everything down and share this with the person asking this question in order to avoid meting out injustice to the asker and my throat.
This is going to be a long read and so, I'm breaking it down into parts as below so that the reader can choose where to head to and not get lost in my blog-writing debut.
A. The Why, Who, When, Where, How of the registration [800 to 1000 words]
B. Daily schedule [< 200 words]
C. My experience + facilities
D. What next? [~225 words]
A.
Why did I decide to go for 10 day Vipassana?
A cousin of mine had done and he strongly recommended that I do it. We both are quite similar in certain aspects in terms of preferences and so his recommendation was solid enough for me. While recommending it, the reason he gave was that this course will give a lot of mental clarity (whether or not I found it relatable, I'll mention it in 'my experience' section.)
During the past 12-24 months before going to Vipassana, I have been quite embroiled with dilemmas in almost all basic aspects of life - but how (I have observed) the thing with finding answers to these dilemmas is quite random; if I plan to find an answer to something, there's a strong chance I'll not find it and rather find a better success rate with zero expectations and the "eureka" happening with some suddenness. So I zeroed down that what I seek from this course is just to understand the A, B, C of meditation as well as get a good digital detox. This alone is a good package, any revelation/clarity would be a by-product.
Where is the center? How to register?
While the most famous and one of the foremost centers is in Igatpuri, Maharashtra, there are HUNDREDS of Vipassana centers in India and abroad! Almost every state has multiple centers and each center has its own website URL from where one has to register. Dhamma.org is the base site and then from there also, one can go to respective center's site. (Each site has a name too. The Navsari Guj center I went to is Dhamma Ambika. Igatpuri center is Dhamma Giri. One in Germany is Dhamma Dvara.)
On going to that URL, one can see the list of all courses scheduled that year with either the hyperlink to apply for that future course or a note saying when the registrations for a particular date's course begin.
The courses are absolutely free of cost. These courses are supposed to be run only on donations from students.
While registering, it will ask questions (apart from basic details like name, age, city, occupation, address, pic of self, ID proof type and ID number etc.) like whether one is first time student or an old student, whether one is willing to come early (if needed) to help set up things, and some personal questions, which should be answered with utmost sincerety.
Merely submitting the application doesn't mean the registration is confirmed. The application is subject to approval and the approval % can vary. I know people whose applications have been rejected. The approval should happen a month prior to the course dates. If applied within a month before the course, communication should be expected within a few days. (In my case, I applied around 16 May at night for 12 June course, and got the confirmation the next afternoon only. 😀) The communication happens primarily via email. In some cases, upon confirmation, the student can get a call from the center a few weeks prior for confirmation (RAC concept- new applications can be confirmed if one decides to cancel.) Some centers do this communication via WhatsApp too.
Tips on what center to choose:
1. The course happens in two languages usually- one standard language and one local language. So all instructions are given once in each language. Hence, choosing a center whose local language is known - comes in handy. Because when I went for Gujarat center, the two languages were Hindi and Gujarati. If I missed any instruction in Hindi, I knew I could rehear it in Gujarati - so that's a plus. And instructions are very important to listen to carefully because that's one of the only modes of communication there (more on this later).
2. Proximity can also be a factor, but can be a double edged sword. (More on this later)
When can a course be done?
The courses happen throughout the year. I'd personally recommend against doing one in monsoons because since the centers are located in greenery, it can get quite insect-prone and algae-prone during this time.
Other than that, no such reservation against going in monsoon as such.
Who should/shouldn't do it?
From what I read on the website and what I understood, anyone going through a bad mental state shouldn't do this with the expectation that this unfavorable mental condition will be overcome.
Vipassana courses are purely for "spiritual upliftment". Any positive effects are by-products and shouldn't be the aim of doing this course. So someone spiritually inclined would find this course wonderful.
This is my opinion. I can be partially wrong here.
B.
Time table:
This is for Day 1 to Day 9.
On Day 0, students are asked to reach between 3 to 4 pm, check-in, complete formalities including depositing phone, wallet, any other valuables like ornaments (optional) and any forbidden items.
Rooms are allotted and then there's evening meal after which there's an orientation from 7 to 8 pm, Initiation from 8-9 pm in the meditation hall preceded by seat number allocation for the Meditation Hall and Dining hall seating.
Day 10 is normal until 9 am. After 11 am, people can speak with each other. Post 2:30 to 3:30 group meditation, mobile phones and valuables are returned. Those who want can make donations and then back to routine tea break onwards. Day 11 from 4.30 am onwards there is a short meditation session, followed up a discourse until 6.30 am or so, and then we are free to go. Breakfast arrangements are made on that Day 11 too. Fin.
Yes, the schedule looks extreme on the first glance. But the experience can vary. More on this in the next section.
C.
My personal experience
One can say it started in 2020, pre-lockdown. I had registered for a 10 day course at Igatpuri in mid-May. So the confirmation was expected not before mid-April. But then lockdown happened. So I think because of that the courses got cancelled or something. And then it was a forgotten thing for a long time until, on the afternoon of 15th May 2022, this thought rekindled.
That evening, I had a sangeet to attend and so while the dance performances were going on, I messaged my manager as to what date range is least disruptive (because during that time, I'll be completely unreachable). To my utmost surprise, he suggested I choose whatever date I want to! 😮
That was an amazingly stunning gesture from him in my opinion and so I thought of what dates are least disruptive on my own and decided 12-25 June is best suited. Accordingly, I scouted for all centers who have 10 day course coinciding these dates and there were five options:
1.Navsari
2.Durg, Chhattisgarh
3.Tripura
4.Some Vidarbha (Maharashtra) side center like Gadchiroli
5.Kachchh, Gujarat (happens to be my native place too!)
Navsari seemed best because
1. The train frequency is high between Mumbai and Navsari
2. Distance is also not much (just 2½ to 4½ hrs; former being my actual time when returning and latter being the time it took while going)
3. Being a Jain, my food preferences are quite in line with principles of Jainism. And so it seemed that Navsari has great chances of having Jain food option as Jain population concentration is pretty high in that area
(On the last day of my course, I was told by someone that Navsari is one of the only centers where one can have many Jain food items. So yeah, I got lucky there. Secondly, I wasn't even aware about the local language instructions thing which I mentioned above. I was tempted to go to Tripura too because that way I could have roamed Tripura (less likely I'll ever go there otherwise) but more number of leaves would be needed for travelling so I dropped it.)
I registered myself for the Navsari center - Dhamma Ambika for 12-23 June while attending Sangeet (yes, I was barely noticing the dance performances going on there. 🙃)
And having registered within a month before course date, guess what, I got the confirmation the very next day around noon!!! Super elated! (One email upon registration to acknowledge the receipt of application and then this one.)
The confirmation email also included below mentioned guidelines pasted here verbatim.
GUIDELINES :-
1. LAUNDRY SERVICE: will be available during the course.
2. HEALTH ISSUES: Must bring an adequate supply of all medicines you are taking to last you for all the 10 days of the course.
3. MEDICAL ISSUES: Applicants with any serious illness and pregnant women with any complications should take their Doctors advice to join the course.
4. Vipassana is taught step -by-step in 10 days. Interrupting the process might be harmful. Students cannot leave the center without permision of the teacher.
5. Prayer, worship, fasting, burning incense, counting beads (mala), reciting mantra etc must be discontinued during the course; as also any other meditation/healing.
6. Observe Noble silence until the last day. Students may however, speak with the teacher and volunteers (dhamma servers).
7. BASIC NECESSITIES: Please bring the following items in addition to other personal items of daily use.
- Torch, Alarm clock, Lock
- Mosquito repellant / cream, if required by you
- Umbrella/ Raincoat in the monsoon season (June to October) and sweater and shawl in the winter (November to February)
- If you are on medication, please bring enough stock of all the medicines which you require during the course
- Passport and visa documents in case of all foreigners. All foreigners also need to bring 2 passport sized photos
- All Indians must bring their photo id.
8. Please note that you will be requested to deposit following items with management during the course. We will return you the same on the last day of
the course -
- Cell phones & other personal electronic devices
- Reading/writing material, musical instruments
- Personal food items, tobacco in any form, non-prescribed drugs
- Scented toiletries or perfumes, religious or spiritual objects
- Jewelry or other unnecessary valuables
9. CLOTHING: Must observe the rule for modest dress as outlined in the Code of Discipline. We request both men and women to refrain from wearing shorts, sleeveless tops and transparent, tight or revealing clothes during the course. Also, please do not bring perfumes or scented shaving lotions to the course, as its use may disturb other fellow students during group meditation.
10. FOREIGN CITIZENS: Must bring Passport, Visa documents and 2 passport size photographs. Further, please note that you are requested to deposit your passport with the Center management during the course. It will be returned to you on Day 10 of the course.
The presence of laundry service is a boon so there's no worry to carry a lot of clothes. And notably, upon reaching there or even during the course also, one can buy stuff like alarm clock, torch, basic toiletries.
The time between confirmation of my registration and start of the course went quickly. I was so looking forward to it. Thanks to its algorithm, I was suggested Vipassana related content on YT but I kept away. I was only focusing on videos/content that can help me with Padmasan or any thing that can help me sit continuously for hours without much discomfort!
During that time, I also got 2 or 3 calls from Dhamma Ambika where they would call up to check if I'm still willing to go or not. Did not quite understand the logic, maybe they would've witness a lot of no-shows in the past? During one such call, I asked them about how to get there and they were helpful in explaining the directions in detail.
While roadway is always an option considering the availability of parking at the center, for those coming from distant places like me, train is a better suited option. It's located between Surat and Navsari railway stations. Navsari station is far closer compared to Surat. I think Surat station is almost twice the distance. Number of trains from Mumbai having Surat/Navsari as a stop is quite high!
From Navsari, while auto-rickshaw is an option, I was guided that even bus can be an option. The place to get down is Boriach toll naka. From there, it's 1.5 km. (Due to lack of further detailed info, I avoided this option.) What I ultimately chose to commute to and fro, I've mentioned in the next sections.
Day 0
Finally, on the D Day, I took a train from Mumbai that dropped me at Navsari around 2 pm and from there, I took a private auto (which costed me INR 250 (pre-decided, negotiable fare) for a ~22 km distance) and I reached the center after 40 min. It was located 2 km away from a highway. However, the road from Highway to the center was secluded and full of grassland. I barely recollect seeing any establishments. The center was surrounded by trees on all sides. It felt like being on an island where there are trees on all sides where one can see. I think maybe that what the reason behind creating a center there to be away from city hustle? Anyway.. most people, I noticed, came in their personal vehicles. It turns out that the majority of people there were from nearby areas only.
Upon reaching there, I was greeted warmly by a volunteer, who asked me to make any final phone calls and then proceed to the registration room where I have to deposit my mobile phones and belongings. So I called up at home. Then checked with someone how long it will take for me on Day 11 to reach Navsari station and booked return train-ticket then and there. And finally entered that registration room for formalities.
There were a lot of volunteers there. It turns out, Vipassana org seeks volunteers who can help with these formalities on first and last day of the 10 day courses. And then there are regular volunteers too who stay back for the entire duration. The female volunteers deal with female students and males for male students. I also purchased an alarm clock and a torch (because i didn't trust the ones I'd brought 😛 (and later patted my back for that after a few days))
During that registration process, I submitted mobile and wallet in a pouch. Each pouch was numbered. I was also allotted a room. And was given a weird looking rope-token with a number on it. Turns out it's for laundry. One has to tie his/her clothes with that, keep at a place before a designated time in morning, and then by that evening or next morning, the washed clothes will be kept at same designated place with that rope tied around each set so the clothes don't get mixed up. And so each person was given two sets of ropes.
We all are given a "registration card" with our name on it, name of the presiding teacher on it, and in that card, the pouch number, room number, laundry token number and such identities are mentioned. It's not a card to be worn around neck. Just something to be kept in possession in his/her room.
And having given up the belongings, off I went to find my room. It was not extremely close to the registration room.
The rooms there are like tiny one-room villas. It'll be a tiny room with two beds. And a toilet (western)+bathroom attached.
I unloaded some luggage and within some time, another person entered that room. It was twin-sharing. I was not sure whether I was supposed to speak with anyone or not. So I was quiet. But then we gave away and started chatting basic, important stuff.
That man also went on to share how passionate he was for this..
How he had applied twice in past but third time is when his application was selected..
How he then watched a lot of Yt videos and vlogs about Vipassana..
How he even tried it at home once but found it difficult to do by himself..
How happy and keen he was to attend this (now that his application was finally selected) that when his manager declined leave, he decided to quit his job despite of being recently promoted!!! (He works with some food chain and manages a few outlets in west region)..
Btw, humanity prevailed and he was finally asked to reapply for this job after his leave due to some overseas project where his expertise was needed. 😀
He was also sharing about his experience with Sudarshan kriya - a meditation camp by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and gave a few details. We talked between 4 pm and 4.45 pm. Around 5, we were asked to report to dining area for dinner/high-tea (as one may want to call it; it was going to be the last meal of the day anyway).
The dining area had capacity of seating 50-70 people. There were almost 100 people there, some standing too. Basically, males and females were all at the same place. Poha was served (sans onion/garlic 😀) along with some fruits? And tea and plain milk. The idea is, after the meal, we have to wash off our own utensils and keep them back from where we took. Wow.
We returned to our rooms and were asked to come gather at a certain place near entrance at 7 pm.
Btw, having to live without cellphone felt so amazing!
Notably, that center had some unique birds never seen before. On one such instance, my hand immediately reached to my pocket only to realize... I don't have a cellphone to click a pic 😐
But interestingly, I never saw any seen-before birds during the entire duration. No crows, common sparrows, pigeons etc. Yes, I used to hear the calls of peacocks daily but didn't see a single one.
We assembled at the meeting point and all males and females were seated. There was a projector running. A video started playing. This was the orientation. Expectations were laid out. A final call was to ask anyone who wants to leave, to leave because leaving in between won't be permitted (and they explained the logic too for not letting anyone leave). I think this was just to filter out weak willed people. People can leave in between, but not recommended. The orientation was lead by a trustee. He introduced all to the 5-member team of volunteers who will be at our service (they're referred to as Dhamma Sevaks).
Males have 5 male volunteers, females have 5 females.
Questions were taken and finally, females were lead to Female-only section and during next 9 days, neither gender will be allowed to cross the boundary.
Basically, females have their own residential perimeters, and within that, they have a meditation hall, a dining area. And also the Pagoda (aka Shunya Ghar) is split in a way that women can enter from one side, men can enter from the other but neither can see each other although in same building.
In Dhamma Ambika premises, there would be 50-70 houses. In an ideal scenario (as per the management team), it should all be single sharing. But considering huge number of applications and resource constraints, some were filled on twin sharing.
From orientation, we males were lead to the entrance of the meditation hall. Everyone was alloted one Seat Number. This seat number will decide where we sit for meditation and where we sit in dining area for next 10 days. The meditation hall is quite big. No pillars in between. There's a projector too inside. It had some six to eight air-conditioners. And there will be pillow like seats inside for seating of everyone (in 8x7 matrix or something). There are also various types of pillows for people to choose if it helps them to sit for longer with some adjustments. (I used two fist sized pillows to keep below my knees, helped me a lot to sit still for long, but to each his own.)
The presiding teacher, Mr. A. Jariwala, greeted us. And here starts the initiation into Vipassana.
[Redacted]
Day 1
Our personal alarms wake us up a few minutes before 4 am. At 4 am, there's a gong/huge bell that goes off too. (I don't think it's loud enough to wake me up. At the same time, I think it was the audio recording of a bell and not actual bell but not 100% sure)
Around 4.10 am, the volunteers roam around all rooms with bells in their hand too, making sure everyone is awake.
I and my roomie freshen up and report to the meditation hall at 4.30 am.
[Redacted]
(Yes, days before vipasana, I was training to sleep early to wake up early by 4.30 or 5 am and not sleep again.)
But when I went deep into meditation, I felt I dozed off and then came back to senses. This happened. There was a clock inside meditation hall but I tried to not look at it at all. Around 6 am, Guruji entered hall. And played an audio that goes on for 30 minutes. It felt like a prayer only. I will find it later that this is a daily thing. 6 to 6.30. It's called Mangal Path or something. I think we're expected to continue meditating during this prayer (later got this clarified during a Q&A session too). Oh and I forgot, each pillowish seat in that hall has a number tag attached to it so one knows where to sit.
When this prayer ends at 6.30 am, that's when the morning meditation session ends too.
We were now asked to be done with our breakfast by 7.15 am. And by 8 am, we were supposed to keep clothes for laundry at a designated table outside dining area. So I proceeded to dining area along with an empty water bottle for refueling. The chirping dining area last evening was quite peaceful now. All quiet. And notably, each seat had a number tag assigned and there was placed a set of utensils like plate (with compartments for Sabzi, rice, dal etc.), a steel glass for water (I don't know what is the English word for glass :p not the transparent material, but the utensil used to commonly drink water from), a steel mug, a spoon, a napkin and a table cloth. Serve your own food, eat it, wash it yourself in the sink outside (each sink has scrub and soap and there are some 8 sinks), dry them with the cloth, and use it for the next meal.
What we usually had for meal?
Each center would have its own menu. With the assumption that most likely the locals would be majority population at a center, one of the language of instruction as well as food items are decided accordingly. Since this center is in Gujrat, the cuisine is so influenced. (I had recently been to Igatpuri center and can vouch for this.) All food items are devoid of onion, garlic.
Breakfast: Poha / Dhokla / Patra / Surati Locha / Medu vada, a fruit or two (mostly, bananas, followed by papaya), tea, plain milk, I think sprouts too sometimes.
Lunch: Salad (either cucumber, tomato, carrot or a combination of 2 or 3), roti, sabzi x 2, daal, chawal, buttermilk. Occasionally, they had special item like mango juice, raita or stuff.
Dinner/High-tea: So for old students, they're only supposed to have Lemonade (nimbu-pani). For new students like me, it'd be sukhi bhel, a fruit like banana/papaya, tea, plain milk.
[Redacted]
Discourses:
❤❤❤ !! For me, this was the best part. Between 7.10 pm and 8.30 pm, the projector in the meditation hall would be up & running and a discourse by SN Goenka ji would be played in Hindi. (These discourses are in Hindi and in English, and dubbed in almost all languages; The women section in our center had Gujrati dubbed version being played daily.) This is where the core principles of Vipassana were explained. Why Vipassana? The day covers 'How'. How to do it. Why to do it? That is explained during this discourse. And it's just beautiful. All eleven days (Day 1 to Day 10 during evening and Day 11 in morning) there are different discourses. Most of them building upon the previous discourse.
During this time, every sits comfortably, even the assistant teacher joins us in audience in the last row and we all watch this.
Noble Silence/Aaryamaun:
A student here has to observe Aaryamaun. You might have heard Maun/Maunvrat. When a person does it, she/he doesn't speak with anyone. Aaryamaun can be considered a step further. A person doing Aaryamaun shouldn't even engage in non-verbal communications like eye contact, physical gestures etc. Basically, the existence of other students should be ignored completely!
And students are encouraged during the orientation that if someone reaches out to you/tries to talk to you, just ignore that person. Might feel counter-intuitive...
One common observation Goenkaji states during the evening discourses is that "One who observes this Noble Silence is seen to make amazing leaps/strides during this course compared to know who doesn't follow this silence as sincerely." The reason why this is to be followed is also restated during the discourses time and again.
Apart from this Aaryamaun, no books, writing/reading material are allowed to be carried inside the premises. No taking notes, journaling etc. naturally.
My personal experience?
As an introvert, this felt so amazingly wonderful. I think I followed it to a decent extent that I rarely engaged in any verbal communication. I found it difficult to not indulge in non-verbal communication as whenever we all were in queues (in dining hall or while entering meditation hall), I used to use gestures to signal anyone to go forward and all.
Interestingly, one old man during the 3rd or 4th day of this course offered me some 'Maava' 😁 (I shrugged him off, and eventually, that man left the course within next few days).
When anyone was found secretly talking, the volunteers would fold their hands and signal them to not to talk. There was a case of two friends who repeatedly talked, they were summoned by the assistant teacher during Q&A hours and again asked to not converse.
But yes - I spoke a lot with the teacher and with volunteers too (regarding facilities and all).
And so on the last day when the silence was over, one volunteer told me "aap saadhna bahot acchhi kar rahe they lekin aap bahot baatein karte they humaare saath. Aapko bolne ki jagah chitthhi likh kar de sakte they." ("you should have avoided talking with us, and rather write your concern on a chit and give it to us.")
[Chit-paper? So in the dining hall, there were few chits/pieces of paper and few pens and anyone who wants anything like any toiletries, alarm clock, torch etc. should write that requirement down on that paper (along with name & room number) during dining hours and put it in a box there. Money foe that to be paid at end of course as we were supposed to not carry any money with us once in there.]
.
.
[Redacted]
The accommodation:
The black door you see is the entrance to the toilet + bathroom.
The large glass door on far left is the window to some "dry area" of sort. One can soak wet clothes there, that's the only utility I could think of it.
[Redacted]
The meditation-supporting infrastructure:
There is a cushion for every student inside the meditation hall. Approx. 2.5 ft x 2.5 ft? (My measurement can be pretty awful, though I might sound confident 😅) And it generally houses a pillow. The cushion and pillow are covered by a single cloth in a way it looks like one piece only (and not two separate pieces). Sitting cross-legged means our bottoms rest on top of that pillow, there by getting a slight elevation compared to the legs - which rest on the unelevated part of the cushion.
Apart from that, the centers also have extra pillows and mini-pillows. Some people used to take the extra pillow for double the elevation. The mini pillows could be twice the size of my fist, and in pairs, mainly for supporting the knees. I used them a lot and they helped me in keeping the posture still for a long time, especially during Adhishthaans.
On special request needing approval from the assistant teacher, a wooden back-rest can also be granted.
On a super special request, a chair like structure was granted.
In our batch, we had one handicapped man, who did not have one leg. He was the only one who used this chair like structure. The back-rest was particularly popular with old men or overweight men.
Pagoda cell/Shunyaghar:
Almost all centers have a pagoda styled structure which hosts dozens (if not hundreds) of meditation cells, also called as 'Shunyaghar' ('shunya' meaning numeric zero). These are extremely small 5 ft. x 3 ft. (height of around 8 ft.; please note, I can be awful with such approximation of measurements - you have been warned.) rooms with just one window on top apart from a door to enter/exit. They do have a cushion placed inside for seating.
It is said that the effectiveness of Vipassana technique increases manifold once meditating inside this.
.
[Redacted]
Note that people can have varying experiences during Vipassana and that's also one of the reasons Noble Silence is followed. If people discuss their own experiences, one feels "Why didn't I feel that way? Maybe I'm doing it wrong or something" and could eventually spoil what they were already doing.
Apart from room number, seating number, laundry token number, there was a Shunya-ghar cell number too, assigned to people. The old students have access to these cells from Day 2 or Day 3 only. We new students were allotted these on Day 7 or Day 8.
An interesting fact - the Dhamma Ambika premise had just one Pagoda building (unlike the duality for dining halls, meditation halls for both genders). But Shunyaghar was partitioned in a way that the entrance for males & females was different. Nor could either look at the other once inside the premise.
I surely look forward to more time inside Shunyaghar during my next 10-day course, whenever that happens.
Jainism & Vipassana:
(This section is likely to interest people belonging to Jain community.)
As a Jain, I found the overlapping of principles to such a great extent that at times it felt I am attending a Jain 'shibir' only. The evening discourses feel like 'Vyakhyaan'. Not only are the terms used in these discourses like 'Samvar', 'Nirjara', 'Raag', 'Dvesh', 'Samyak Darshan', 'Vitraag', 'Arihant', 'Maitri', 'Mudita' (equivalent to 'Pramod' in Jainism), 'Karuna', 'Upeksha' (equivalent to 'Maadhyasta' in Jainism) familiar to those who have been listening/reading about Jain literature, but even the context in which they're used is also almost exactly the same. During the initiation, the students are asked to take vows for non-violence, non-stealing, non-abstinence from truth, celibacy, indulgences. Rings any bells? The five Anuvrats. Himsa, Mrushavad, Adattaadaan, Maithun, Parigrah.
[Redacted]
Sleep:
After the last meditation session ended at 9 pm, I used to go to the room and be in a hurry to sleep. Most of the times, I'd be asleep before 9:30 pm. I don't I ever had trouble getting up (I'm also the same person who likes getting up daily before 6 am but always have trouble doing so due to inherent laziness and craving for more sleep.) During afternoon post-lunch, I generally avoided taking a nap (except for the one or two days I was feeling a bit unwell). Maybe that helped me get a good sleep at night in the beginning. I say "in the beginning" because I think after Day 7, I used to feel even 6 hour sleep is too much and used to get up on my own around 2:30 am or 3:30 am only, forcing myself to sleep until 4 am. There was hardly any physical effort during the day by me so this was quite natural. I used to do Surya-namaskars in the beginning for a few days (out of my habit), but eventually it stopped due to my tidsoptimism.
Day 10:
So the Day 10 schedule was supposed to go as usual until 9 am. From 9 am until 10.30 am, we had Metta. This marks the conclusion of the Aryamaun. People can now speak with each other once they step outside the meditation hall. I was in Gujarat center. I am a Gujarati, almost 82%+ were Gujaratis.
O boy, Gujrati males can be so talkative too? Or maybe it was from the inertia of not speaking for last 9 days. The cell phones were to be returned after 2 pm to 3.45 pm session (it was an hour long Adhishthaan along with some minutes of normal non-Adhishthaan meditation), along with other valuables like wallet etc. That is also the day donations are made.
Vipassana courses are free of cost for all the students. They are funded solely on donations from past students. And that's how the cycle goes.... Each center is managed and funded independently and so these donations go to the upkeep of that center. These new centers also run fundraisers for upcoming Vipassana centers as the popularity and demand of this course increases. Payments are accepted in cash and via electronic means too. Any balance due for any small items purchased (remember those chits in dining area I talked about?) are cleared. People asked to donate how much ever they want, separately, for laundry service too. Never knew the reason for keeping laundry separate but anyway.
There was so much conversation going on everywhere once this Silence had concluded. People introducing themselves to each other.
Once I got my cellphone, I made it a point to just make a couple of important calls including at my home and at my workplace, and not turn on the internet. I did that the next morning once the course was finally over and let myself be flooded with WhatsApp messages, Microsoft Teams messages and Emails.
During these conversations, people also made arrangements of returning home. Those who had vacant seats in their private vehicles got them occupied by people who hadn't come by their own vehicles. Being someone who needed to catch a train, I and a few more students reached out to the center-admin for some assistance. He had contact numbers of few auto-rickshaw drivers. The time and the fare was decided and I decided to go via auto the next day to the railway station along with a fellow student (who was attending his 4th 10-day course here and I found him to be one amazing human).
During the free time, we also take a look at all the books on display, available for purchase.
Evening 6 pm onwards program was as usual.
On listening to the restrictions in place once inside the 10 day course (I forgot to mention - people aren't supposed to step outside certain boundaries once the course starts, until the Day 11) and on looking at the time-table, some people feel the students here are "confined". I too felt the same. The freedom seemed curtailed, apparently. But by Day 8 or Day 9, I really felt that we are actually FREE inside these premises and that the external world is nothing less than a Jail ! It's really hard to describe how that realization used to hit. The atmosphere during these 10 days inside this center was actually so tension-free, so peaceful. Once reminded of the complexities that are awaiting our return, I really felt so much freedom inside.
Day 11:
The 4:30 am meditation was as usual. Except that, 5:15 am onwards or something there was a discourse followed by final Metta meditation. Of course, there was a lot of focus on the steps ahead including detailed guidance on how to keep this practice of Vipassana alive once this course is over.
I think once the final Metta was over, the assistant teacher said a few sentences and that was the end.
We were asked to bring the bedsheets, pillow-covers, blankets/shawls from our rooms and keep them at a designated place. There was breakfast at 7 am and then a fellow student & sat in the auto and left for Navsari station.
Turn-downs + What I could've done better: A general reflection:
One of the biggest turn-downs at the facility was the facility itself. Being engulfed by trees on all sides, I realized that there were millions of insects living with us. Our rooms had window nets so not much of an issue while sleeping. But while walking to the meditation hall/dining hall and back to our rooms meant a sure-shot murder of many insects. After Day 4 or so, I had requested for an extra torch and I used to use two torches while walking to avoid stamping over any insect. Yet I feel it was almost impossible to avoid harm while walking. Can't imagine what harm those would be causing who didn't take as much care while walking. Probably the time of the year was also a factor. When I was doing this course, monsoon had come. Day 5 or 6 onwards, we experienced heavy rain at the center too.
This plethora of insects not only meant thousands of small flying insects attracted to sources of lights (with dead bodies laid at certain places the next morning), but the entire food chain. There were a lot of spiders and reptiles and some amphibians too. Reptiles included a pair of color-changing oriental/garden lizards too 😅. And a lot of exotic insectivores birds.
Something I also was not quite happy at was the possible disruption of animal life. When the gong used to ring around 4:10 am, I used to also hear the loud calls of peacocks! Perhaps these sounds were affecting their circadian rhythms too.
What could I have done better? I could have practiced some sitting positions even more, so as to make long sittings more comfortable. Not that I didn't try. I tried padmasan and ardha-padmasan at home for a few days but I think I should have tried better. If one can master sitting aasan, the quality of meditation can be exponentially better!
Of course, I will also make it a point to consciously avoid doing Vipassana during monsoons. A majority of centers are surrounded by lush greenery as far as I know. This insect violence is likely to prosper due to increased movement in monsoons. I personally feel summers can be the best time to do a 10-day course.
But apart from that, the spiritual angle of Vipassana course was quite a surprise. I consider myself to be a spiritually inclined person. So this was quite overwhelming. It made it an experience of lifetime for me. Apart from the likely agony caused to the insects, I feel overwhelmed and consider myself lucky to be able to complete this course and take this moment to thank everyone who supported me in this, especially my managers and team-mates, apart from the assistant teacher, all volunteers, all ex-students (whose donations made this possible for me, and I tried to do my least bit to keep this wheel (Dhamma-chakra) going), my parents and most importantly Goenka ji, Sayaji U ba Khin (Goenka ji's teacher) and all of Sayaji U ba Khin's line of teachers. Thank you and Metta.
D.
What Next?
Basically, completing one 10-day course opens a lot of doors to advance further in the path of Vipassana including such refresher 2-day or 3-day course.
Vipassis (Vipassana is a verb which means to see things as they are. Vipassis are people who follow Vipassana.) are also encouraged to volunteer, at least, once in a 10-day course. And there are some advanced courses which require completion of, say, 3 or 5 10-day courses. In certain courses, the requirement is not just the count of completed courses but also asks daily practice of 'x' minutes for preceding year or two. Some courses mandate volunteering experience for at least one 10-day course, apart from completing 3 or 5 10-day courses. And these advanced courses are of longer duration too. Some going up to 45 days as well!
Should you do this?
It's up to you to decide. The way I understood it,
This 10-day Vipassana course is where a student lives in the most pious manner and attempts to learn a meditation technique which can help him/her to get rid of his/her vices at a subconscious level (i.e., at a deeper level & not just at a conscious level) without any non-conformance to the principles of his/her own practicing religion (be it hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, Buddhism etc.).
Anybody who finds this interesting or does not feel averse should definitely try this out.
What's next for me?
Well, as I write this section, a tiny part of my mind is engaged in packing for the 3 day Vipassana course at Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri (18th to 21st Aug) ! 😁
I know Vipassana is helpful for me to achieve my spiritual goals in life, though there are some doubts which I'd like to explore more. Anyway, I look forward to incorporate Vipassana in my daily schedule as well as implement the learnings in my life. Thank you for reading!
Hope you found this write-up useful. For any clarifications, feel free to reach out to me at Smit.d96@gmail.com
You have my consent to share the link to this blog with any person who is seeking more information around this topic.
Note that I might keep editing/adding stuff to this blog if I realized I missed including something important. Less likely considering how much time has already passed since the course dates.
Peace!
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