Insights from my 10-days Meditation Retreat

10 days Meditation Retreat in Dharma Malaya as taught by S.N Goenka

This article will be based on my insights after attending a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat where I meditated for 10 hours a day. This amounted to a total of about 100 hours of meditation. I wonder how I did it! 

I would like to share some of my realizations on how to lead a happy and successful life with you ( Disclaimer: May be subjective as it is based on my personal experience and therefore exercise your own discretion). I hope you will benefit from them as well!

     1. HAVE NO ATTACHMENTS: Attachments lead to craving and aversion, which only causes suffering.

I am sure everyone has taken Science. We understand that solids are made up of many particles vibrating on the same space at a very rapid pace. Now apply this concept to our physical body- this also means that we are made up of many small particles vibrating at rapid pace.

Nothing is just one mass of solid. Everything is just made of particles vibrating and at constant change. In other words, everything is impermanent.

This is the basis of Vipassana Meditation. To understand that since everything is in constant motion, we should not develop any craving or aversion towards them because LIKE IT OR NOT, IT WILL GO AWAY. The law of universe states that change is the only constant. Therefore, once you are attached to something, you are bound to suffer because whatever you are attached to will not be yours forever. 

SIDETRACK: For those who are curious to know more about how Vipassana meditation works 

Vipassana meditators point out that everything boils down to SENSATIONS. You crave for something because you like the sensation it gives you (i.e. pleasurable feeling from eating ice cream), and you are adverse to something because you do not like the sensation it produces (i.e. pain, embarrassment) Therefore, if you learn how to not react to any sensations and not judge them as good or bad, then you will eliminate craving and aversion, and thus, sufferings/ unhappiness.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Think about how you apply this Universal law to your life, and how your life will change because you understand this simple logic.  Your relationships with your loved ones? Your happiness?  

Understanding this law would mean healthier relationships, cherishing people you love more, having no more craving for MORE MORE MORE in this materialistic world  etc. etc. etc. You will be happier!

Change is reflected in everything. Even the river which you may think is constant. Think of the Singapore River. You visit it today, and you visit it again tomorrow. You may think it is the same river that you are visiting. BUT IS IT? The water is in constant flow. Therefore, even though you may see it as the same river, it is not the same waters. This is when I finally understood the popular saying- same same but different.

    2. BE IN THE MOMENT.

During meditation, I experienced what it really feels to be in the moment. It is the moment where you are caught in the flow. It is the moment where time seems to slow down and speed up at the same time. Recall having an engaging conversation with someone. Do you remember talking and before you know it, 3 hours have flown by? Just like that. And it didn’t feel THAT LONG. Why? Because, YOU WERE IN THE MOMENT.

Meditation allows one to experience the present, finding joy and peace in the moment. When I was concentrating on meditating with nothing on my mind, I felt at peace, calm, and time just stood still. However, its usually during such moments when I realized 1 hour just flew by. 

On other occasions where I start looking forward to the end of the session or daydreaming, time just seem to stop in a bad and agonizing way. 5 minutes will crawl by. Recall an extremely boring lecture and you will get what I mean!

So the next time, if you have something you can’t wait to get out of, forcing yourself to be immersed in it may be the best way out! You may also learn something along the way, after all, I have realized that we tend to remember things better when we are in the moment, enjoying the process

So, lesson learnt. Be in the moment, live in the present! You will find that you will be able to experience more and have a more fulfilling life.  

3. EQUANIMITY. Observing without judgment.

Good or bad is determined by social expectations and norms. During meditation, I learnt to observe without judgment. Sometimes during the sitting, I will feel aches on my shoulder, my legs, basically EVERYWHERE! Normally, we will be tempted to move into a more comfortable position- but Vipassana meditation teaches us to just observe. Observe the pain and it will go away.

Pain is not bad. Pleasure is not good. Both just are. Both pain and pleasure have the same innate characteristic, they are impermanent. So why react? Being able to observe everything with equanimity trains your mind to be more focused. It allows you to control your mind instead of letting it control you. 

When dealing with situations in your life, view everything with a balanced mind. Observe before reacting. Start with a calm and quiet mind. It gives you a clearer perspective and prevents you from committing errors in a moment of folly which you are likely to regret later. Instead of flaring up, it is probably better to just observe, notice your emotions, and let it sizzle away.

      4. EFFORTLESS EFFORT. 

      

      Effortless effort is associated with the Taoist philosophy of WuWei ( just being). It is highly paradoxical. How can something require effort when it is effortless? Meditation allowed me to get a glimpse into this idea

Meditation may appear effortless. It just requires you to sit, and to many people, meditators appear to be just resting. However, meditation is a highly internal process. Inside the meditator’s mind, a war is actually going on. The mind has to control the thoughts. The mind has to make sure it is observing what it is supposed to. Now that is tough! We all know it is hard to control our thoughts, often we try to clear our mind but random chatter always seem to be going on. Therefore, while meditating, I often find myself perspiring even though the room is cool.

What can we learn? Things that seemed to be done effortlessly actually require lots of effort. Think of people who seem to be able to give captivating speeches, or artists who seem to get it right the first time they draw something. Do you think it was really effortless? Or did they put in a lot of hard work before so it makes the whole thing seem effortless?

This brings us to the next concept,

5. YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW. 

This wise saying is SO TRUE. All good things must be earned through hard work. I am sorry to break this to you, but there is really no easy way out. I was looking out for one too...but have not been successful thus far.

When I signed up for the meditation I was always hoping for that ‘Aha!’ moment. You know, just sitting there and suddenly everything falls into place and you UNDERSTAND.

Halfway through the course I got frustrated as nothing seemed to be happening. I was just sitting there observing my respiration. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in....

It was only after I heard what Goenka said that I finally understood that if there were to be any 'AHA' moments, it would have to be gained through my own hard work.  

“Work seriously, work persistently, work diligently, you are bound to be successful, bound to be successful.” – S.N Goenka

This one phrase Goenka kept repeating throughout the course made me understand that NO ONE WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL, you HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SUCCESS BY WORKING HARD FOR IT. There is no such thing as an easy way out.

***

I continued working hard, following exactly what the teacher taught. Waking up at 4am and meditating 10 hours a day is not easy. It requires a TREMENDOUS AMOUNT of discipline! 

At the end of 10 days, I can say its all worth it. I felt more alive, full of energy, and my eyes were even sparkling! I felt recharged too! And I am proud to say I worked hard for it! 

All these came from my hard work. What you get is related to how hard you work for it. Just plainly enrolling into the course does not mean you will be successful, to be successful, you have to work really hard for it. You are responsible for your own success!

So now, take a step back, observe your life, instead of being so caught up in the hedonic treadmill, start to think about:

Leading a Mindful life.

Living Consciously.

Living Deliberately.

Not going through motion, according to societal norms and expectations.

Vipassana Meditation is an experiential technique that teaches you to radiate love, compassion, harmony, peace, happiness from within. It helps you get rid of all negativity and you learn to view everyone with love and compassion.  Isn’t it beautiful if everyone is able to do that? The world would be a better place!

Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam

May all beings be happy!

Lovely Friends I made on the last day of the Retreat <3