Overview of the 10-day Vipassana Meditation course
I am writing this article to give an idea about the 10-day vipassana meditation course which will help you to clear your doubts while applying for this course.
So far I have done three 10-day courses and one 10-days Seva.
I am restricting this article to an overview of vipassana only. My experiences, and my learning, I will share in my upcoming blogs.
Let’s start then.
What does Vipassana mean?
It means seeing things as they are, without judging, through the lens of impartiality. To observe the reality as it is.
It is the pure and scientific ancient Buddhist technique to reveal our inner self. No visualization, No chanting, No imagination of God. Just self-observation! There is no interference of any religion. This technique helps us to know the truth about ourselves and the world without running away from all kinds of fantasies, sorrows, and fiction.
In this technique, we have to observe our sensations. The sensation may be of anything….feeling cold, hot, angry, frustrated, pain, happiness, etc.
We have to observe sensations from the top of the head to the bottom of the toe.
We can get to know how our bodies and mind interact with each other by observing how our mind reacts to sensations in our bodies. And in all circumstances, we have to practice to maintain equanimity.
We have to practice observing these sensations as a second person, with the attitude, “It is not happening to me, it’s happening to someone else and I am just observing it”!
Vipassana is conducted under the guidance of a qualified teacher in recorded instructions of Satyanarayan Goenka Guru ji.
A person who has completed 19 can apply for this course. Eligible applied candidates receive a confirmation mail with the dates they have to reach the center.
Once they reach Vipassana centers, have to surrender their electronic gadgets, wallets, and any valuable items. These items will be returned on the 10th day of course.
This 10 days course starts with the “Anapana meditation”.
In this, we have to observe our breath very closely, with full concentration. We have to see how different each breath is! It takes 3–4 days or even more for some people to become more aware of their breath.
On 2nd half of the 4th day, Vipassana is given. And this practice lasts for the next 5 days.
Let’s see the schedule and rules to be followed during these 10 days:
Schedule of the Day:
4:00 am: Wake-up Bell
4:30am — 6:30am: Meditate
6:30am — 8:00am: Breakfast/Bath
8:00am — 11:00am: Meditate
11:00 am- 1:00 pm: Lunch (Veg food only)
1:00 pm — 5:00 pm: Meditate
5:00 pm — 6:00 pm: Snacks/Lemon water
6:00 pm — 7:00 pm: Meditate
7:00 pm — 8:15 pm: Lecture
8:30 pm — 9:00 pm: Meditate
After this, we can go to bed. Dinner is only permitted for people, taking medication.
5 Rules need to be followed:
1) To abstain from telling lies: To follow this rule, we have to maintain Noble silence during the course. Noble silence refers to not only the silence of talking but also silence from passing smile, eye-to-eye contact, giving
clue/signals to others by our body gestures, and book reading.
2) To abstain from all intoxicants: Smoking and drinking are not allowed.
3) To abstain from all sexual activity: Arrangement of accommodation, sitting in the meditation hall, and lunch/breakfast in the dining hall are in such a way that there is very minimal/no interaction of male and female. And also, both are prohibited to enter one another’s section.
4) To abstain from killing any being;
5) To abstain from stealing;
You might find some of the rules such as waking up early, maintaining noble silence, and not being allowed to use phones difficult.
But within 2–3 days you will become familiar with that environment.
I would recommend you to attend at least one 10-day course. It is free of cost with good facilities. Sevaks/Sevikas will be there to help you in case of any issues.
Teachers will be there to resolve your queries regarding this technique.
I hope this article helped you to clarify most of your doubts. If you still, have any queries, I am happy to answer them!
I am providing the link below to register yourself for this course:
https://www.dhamma.org/en/index
YouTube link of Anapana Meditation for all:
https://youtu.be/Oh5ii6R6LTM
