Introducing 10-days Vipassana Meditation Retreat as taught by S.N. Goenka

This article will broken down into 2 parts. The first part will be about my encounter with 10-day Vipassana (Mindfulness) Retreat, and the second part will be a reflection of what I have learnt.

Quote by S.N Goenka

My Experience

When I first heard of the 10 days Vipassana Meditation retreat, I got really excited! I knew I wanted to go for it. It was something new. Living in solitude for 10 days without my phone, laptop, books, and in total silence. It was a challenge! 

I have always wanted to pick up meditation but lack the discipline to do so. This retreat would be a good time for me to foster that much needed discipline. 

Many people have been raving about the course and I wanted to see for myself what is so really special about it. 

No pen and paper were allowed for the retreat so whatever I am writing is based on my memory.

Days spent in solitude

As the name suggests, what you do during the entire retreat is simply meditation.

Food was good. Healthy, wholesome vegetarian dish served by loving volunteers. There were many dishes and it was buffet style, quite a spread! However, there were only 2 meals served a day, so you will have to be prepared to go without dinner ( they will provide some fruits and drinks for you instead). For those who want to improve their diet, it would be a good place to start. Though that should not be your main intention of going there!

What I enjoyed most about the retreat was the evening discourses. It is the time where S.N Goenka ( video taped) would give his daily talk on love, compassion…it is really inspiring and I always find myself smiling listening to him. A smile from the heart. 

I will not describe my exact experience during the retreat, because everyone's experience will be different.

Fast forward to the last day. On the last day, I was really excited. I could finally talk. When indescribable joy hit me. As I saw friends reunited and hugging excitedly, I felt overwhelmed with emotions. It was such a good feeling. We were all so happy. I finally got a chance to meet the people I have been meditating with for the past 10 days.

I realized they come from all parts of the world. Australia, Malaysia, China, Middle Asia etc. and each of them has a really interesting story to tell.

People managed to quit smoking after the 10 days. I have heard of diseases being cured. Meditation has its healing powers if practiced consistently. To find out, you should give it a try! What do you have to lose anyway!

Click here to know more about my realizations during the retreat or continue reading for more details.

About Vipassana Meditation

Many times in life we find ourselves going through motion. We go through life mindlessly. We live unconsciously. What do I mean? Let me explain. Many times, you end up in a job because it is the job which you got accepted for (amongst the 100 applications you sent out). You go to work because you have to. You work hard because you have to earn a living/ want a promotion. You are living un-consciously. You have no time to STOP and THINK. No time to take a step back and ask yourself, is this what life is really about?

Life is short. It is meant to be lived deliberately. It is meant to be lived consciously. Vipassana meditation retreat is a chance for you to get back in touch with this reality.

A little background about the 10 days Retreat

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was first taught in India more than 2500 years ago by the Enlightened one, the Buddha, as a universal remedy for universal ills, an Art of Living.

During the retreat, participants are expected to refrain from any contact with the outside world, killing, smoking, sexual activities and observe noble silence. It is a time for them to look inward.

About the Teacher, S.N Goenka

The meditation is taught by S.N Goenka. S.N Goenka  from Burma, the land that persevered Vipassana in its purest form.

He used to be an extremely wealthy businessman, but all the wealth did not make him happy. He developed severe migraines and even the best doctors could not heal him. It was only when he turned to Vipassana meditation where he managed to get rid of his migraine. 

With this discovery, S.N Goenka set up Vipassana centres all over the world in hope to reach out to as many people as possible. As a form of Dharma, he provides these lessons for free- even the food and lodging for the 10 days are free. This centre does not discriminate based on income. It is open to all. The course is sustained by the good will and generosity of previous course participants.

I feel deep love and respect for this man, all he did was from the heart, to serve and make the world a better place.

Tell me more about the course!

Here’s a brief idea what the course schedule is like everyday. I got this from their website. If you want to know more, you can visit http://www.malaya.dhamma.org or contact me directly.

THE COURSE TIMETABLE

The following timetable for the course has been designed to maintain the continuity of practice. For best results students are advised to follow it as closely as possible.

4:00 a.m.---------------------Morning wake-up bell

4:30-6:30 a.m.----------------Meditate in the hall or your own room

6:30-8:00 a.m.----------------Breakfast break

8:00-9:00 a.m.----------------Group meditation in the hall

9:00-11:00 a.m.---------------Meditate in the hall or your own room

                                                according to the teacher's instructions

11:00-12:00 noon--------------Lunch break

12noon-1:00 p.m.--------------Rest and interviews with the teacher

1:00-2:30 p.m.----------------Meditate in the hall or your own room

2:30-3:30 p.m.----------------Group meditation in the hall

3:30-5:00 p.m.----------------Meditate in the hall or your own room

                                                according to the teacher's instructions

5:00-6:00 p.m.----------------Tea break

6:00-7:00 p.m.----------------Group meditation in the hall

7:00-8:15 p.m.----------------Teacher's Discourse in the hall

8:15-9:00 p.m.----------------Group meditation in the hall

9:00-9:30 p.m.----------------Question time in the hall

9:30 p.m.---------------------Retire to your own room--Lights out

As you can see, the course structure requires you to wake up at 4am and sleep by 930pm. It requires a lot of discipline and mental strength to complete the whole course. But do not be deterred! It is possible to survive it! And if you survive it, you have broken your barriers and this expands you as a person.

Meditation Centre

There are many Dharma meditation centers around the world set up by S.N Goenka. The one I went to was in Kuantan, Malaysia. It is one of the nicer centers around. Each meditator gets their own room with attached bathroom. I heard from other meditators that the one in Singapore St John's island is not as nice. Meditators have to stay in a big room ( 20 people per room?) and share toilet. So if you are planning to give this a try, I would suggest spending a little more and flying to Kuantan to take it!

Registering for course

If you are interested to attend this course, you are welcomed to do so! All you have to do is go to their website, check out their available dates, and register. It is that easy! Taking time off your busy schedule would be the tough part. 

But it's all worth it. Sometimes its good to take time off your busy life to sharpen your saw and get in touch with yourself!


One Last thing...

Oh and one last thing to clarify here. 

Some people may misunderstand this as something for Buddhists. But this meditation retreat is NON-RELIGIOUS. Even though some teachings may have its origins from Buddha, they do not engage in any religious activities. As such, people from all religions, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and even Atheist attend it. So don't worry if you think this may go against your religion (: At the end of the day, we are all united by our humanity. 

If you like this article, check out insights I gained from this retreat!

I recently blogged about my experience as a Vipassana Dhamma Server, read the article here!