10 days of silence and meditation
It’s been about 3 weeks since I have come back from Vipassana and I felt that I wanted to share my experience with you.
As I arrived I handed over my phone and my car keys. I thought, well this is it. Complete disconnection from the outside world. It’s here, so let’s give this experience 100%.
Noble silence commenced after we had a welcome meal and we were reminded of the 5 precepts that we were to commit to:
- to abstain from killing any being
- to abstain from stealing
- to abstain from any sexual misconduct (no masturbation or sexual behaviour)
- to abstain from wrong speech (no lying)
- to abstain from all intoxicants
We were also asked to commit to the ten days and if anyone had any doubts, now was the time to leave. I was in fully.
We had our own private and curtained of sleeping quarters, the meals were vegetarian and we had a specific daily timetable that basically remained similar each day.
Wake up bell at 4am.
Meditation in the hall from 4.30am until 6am.
Breakfast and free time.
8.30am group meditation in the hall.
9.30am till 11am meditation in the hall or our rooms.
11am lunch and free time until 1pm.
Meditation in the hall or our rooms until 2.30pm.
Group meditation.
3.30pm till 5pm meditation in the hall or our rooms.
5pm tea – which was two pieces of fruit and a cuppa.
6pm till 7pm group meditation.
7pm till 8.15 evening discourse.
8.15pm till 9pm final meditation.
9.30pm lights out.
So it was a pretty tight timetable, but it allowed for deep states of presence.
Day 2 and day 6 were my most challenging.
Day 2 I felt homesick and wondered how I was going to do another 8 days of this. And day 6 was when we started group meditations where we were to try and sit in strong determination, meaning that we ideally were not to move or open our eyes, it meant pain and moving through that pain, being ok with it.
Vipassana is essentially the teachings of Buddha and the premise is that what causes human suffering is that we, as humans, are either Craving or Averting.
Attaching to Outcomes or Resisting things.
What the practice of Vipassana teaches us is to be ok with whatever is going on. To be Equanimous.
So the meditation practice takes us into that place of being OK with whatever, whether it is pleasurable or painful.
I found it very powerful especially the group meditations when we sat in strong determination, I found that I was having very powerful experiences of light, energy and states of bliss moving through me, I even had an experience of my body automatically rising up into a fully solid seated position just like you see the Buddhas seated in meditation. I also experienced outside of the meditations a deep sense of presence, love and appreciation for the beautiful natural environment on my frequent walks around the property.
Since returning to regular life, the most lasting thing I have experienced is a deeper level of presence, love and appreciation for what is. I’m not perfect at it but it is there. I notice more and I am more accepting of what is.
Also my meditation practices are much deeper (I even sit cross legged on the floor for them now) and the wonderful thing is that it has given me a deeper level of allowing myself to work with the laws of nature at a deeper level, and to allow things to unfold more freely and essentially to be ok with what shows up.
This month of June I have set myself an intention to surrender and allow, as much as I can.
To let it unfold.
To be Equanimous.
Are you up for giving it a go with me?
I’ll be posting updates on Facebook each Friday if you’d like to follow me. If you haven’t already joined my Land of Abundance Activation Facebook group, follow this link to join.
Love & light
Jason
