Pilgrimage: Journey toward mindfulness
Early this year, my spiritual buddy Jill asked me if I wanted to go for Vipassana to train our discipline and to stay present at all time. Both of us didn’t have any expectation other than joking about the struggle to wake up in the morning and having the determination to sit for 11 hours of meditation a day.
We even signup for one of the most famous and oldest Vipassana center “Dhamma Joti Vipassana Center” (Light of Dhamma) based in Myanmar.
So What is Vipassana?
Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It 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.
Upon arriving in Myanmar, we spend a day to visit Shwedagon Pagoda before we head to the Center.
Arriving at the Center, we were greet by the locals that help us to lock all our stuff and proceed on with registration for our room.
We were provided with our daily Timetable & Code of discipline to follow
The Training — Vipassana Meditation
Day 1 to Day 3
For the first 3 days. We are taught to focus on the breathing and sensation around the nose. At this stage you are suppose to notice any form of sensation when you are breathing, like the heat of the breathing (cold, warm or hot). On the 2nd day we are allow to have a short review with the teacher where she will ask us some question like are we feeling any sensation? can we focus?Personally, I was feeling quite some sensation but heard other student was having difficulties in feeling any sensation. Do take note that this is an important step to wake up your “body”.
Day 3 to Day 6
The following days, your body started to ache from long sitting hours and getting frustrated from the same training everyday. That’s when the meditation goes to a second stage, where you are to spread your focus of sensation to the whole body. From Head to Toe, Toe to Head. Back and forth, you are suppose to focus on every part of your body and feel any form of sensation. From here, not just to feel the sensation. You are not suppose to react to any sensation while you meditate. You are suppose to sit firmly without much movement and have any interaction with your body (Eg: If you feel itchy from a mosquito bite, you are not suppose to scratch or move around when your body is aching)
Day 7 to Day 9
We have come to the third stage of meditation, Which is one of the most important step. My breaking point and breakthrough of the meditation was here. After days of practices, your body will be highly sensitive from any sensation. From hearing to eyesight, everything become really sharp and enhanced. As if your 5 senses was upgraded, Imagine having retina display for your eye. This steps include imagine having water flowing from toe to head, head to toe. You will also be entering a small cell inside the pagoda to meditate alone for an hour everyday. My experience here was that my inner mind took over my actual physical present.
Day 10
The last stage of meditation, I will keep it as a secret for now as it will not be easy to understand just from words alone. You really need to experience it yourself. If you successfully understand and learn the technique by day 10, you will then understand the last stage of the meditation. On this day, you are also finally allow to talk to other meditator.
Here is a quick recap and overview of my mind for 10 days
My Own Experience — One word, Enlightenment
I would say the experience is beyond what words can describe. As the master had said before, everyone will have different experience and take away from this meditation. But I will highly recommend it to people that is already on the path to seek peace in their life and to answer the “why” you always had in mind.
Now I will focus on what I have learned so far.
Vipassana focus on discovering your “inner mind” and the aim is to keep you away from misery. The teaching explained that misery comes from your inner mind, which form the root of all your misery. Only when you deep dive to your inner mind, you will then find the root of your misery and heal it.
What is inner mind?
People call it soul, subconscious or intuition. These are all part of your inner mind.
What is misery?
Things that lead on to disappointment, sadness, negativity and bring you pain.
First question to ask yourself, Are you present right now?
• Feel excited about an upcoming event and constantly think about it?
• While having dinner with your friend but spend time on your phone?
• Sitting at a cafe and recalling the past memories of yours?
People’s mind are often trapped and jumping between the past, present and future. But your body and inner mind is always present. How to claim that you are present when your mind is not “here”?
Your body is in the present
Your mind is thinking about the past and future
Your inner mind is awake 24 hour, experiencing everything that is happening and constantly being remind by the mind about the past & future.
Your mind can think
Your body can feel
But what about your inner mind?
In clearer context, Vipassana is like colon cleansing for your inner mind, the emotion that is created from your past is the waste that cannot be past out from your body. You need to deep dive to clean your inner mind or it will be poison by all the negativity and cravings from your mind and actions.
If you follow the meditation, these are the stages
1. Awareness (Opening the door to your inner mind)
2. Deep Dive (Discovering your inner mind)
3. Healing & Cleansing (Face your fear, accept and heal)
The purpose of the training is to be aware, deep dive into inner-mind to identify what cause your misery, accept it and heal yourself. The more you train and be aware of your inner mind activity, you will identify the root problem and the pattern to the things that cause your constant unhappiness and misery.
To see things as they really are. Only when you face your inner mind, seek the truth within you. That’s when you will be truly happy in life.
At the end of the day, it is your choice of living in the truth or staying happy in a lie. I choose to stay awake, see the truth within myself and truly grateful that I have learned Vipassana to see life in its original form.
May all being be truly happy
Welcome to ping me if you want to know more about Vipassana
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