Vipassana Meditation, discovered by the Buddha, has been benefiting humankind since ages and the technique if followed correctly, will not lose its effectiveness even after millions of years. Detaching you from worldly chaos, this 10-day instructed course involves no verbal or gesture communication with others, observing complete silence, and strictly prohibiting the use of phones or gadgets. In this digital era, it might sound a little difficult for a beginner to follow these rules, but the experience and learning throughout these ten days is worth it and will accompany you for the rest of your life.

Why Vipassana?

There was a point in my life when my professional and personal life were raising the bar and so were my stress levels. I wondered if all the aspects of life are going as planned then what could be the reason for feeling so stressed and direction-less? That was the time I realized I needed introspection as well as redirection in my life, and I decided to enroll in a 10-day Vipassana course. 

If we observe our thoughts, most of them are related to our undesirable past experiences or are related to worrying about the future. We all struggle to live in the present moment. This creates unnecessary mental stress and eventually takes a toll on our physical health.

Vipassana teaches us to see things as they are. It teaches us to be in the present moment, observe the present breath and different sensations arising in the body as well as thoughts crossing the mind. Only observing and not reacting to these arising sensations is the key. 

Nothing is permanent(anicca), neither the random thoughts nor the bodily sensations. Witness them as they occur and let them pass. Easier said than done:) The real fruit of Vipassana can be obtained only through dedicated practice and guidance by Vipassana teachers. 

Aanapana – the Beginner’s go-to activity

Aanapan is observing your breath as you inhale and exhale without trying to change the breath’s natural flow. Your breath can be shallow, deep, or normal. With this, you witness the present moment with complete mindfulness. It is extremely common for our mind to divert to other thoughts while trying to focus on breathing. But bringing your concentration back to breath observation will train you day by day to live in the present moment and reduce uncontrolled wandering of the mind towards unnecessary thoughts. This simple activity can be done anytime and anywhere and gains more effectiveness with practice. 

Authorized Vipassana centers conduct these courses free of cost for course enrollers while the funds for the course are contributed by several big-hearted people who voluntarily donate so that every one of us can benefit from Vipassana. Isn’t this a wonderful way to fulfill the Buddha-taught ‘Dana Paramita’(generosity).

Benefits of Vipassana:

Better Stress management

Mindfulness

Improve concentration

Attain overall well-being

Gain clarity

Increased compassion for others

Vipassana official website: https://www.dhamma.org