New Year’s eve with Vipassana Meditation

End of year 2013 was special for me. I got a new experience that might help me to walk on my journey. Since teenage I already learn about meditation, but I don’t know anything about the Technic. I just try different way that I read or watch or got from someone that I knew. Most of them focus on something like breath, dot, mandala, light, and visualization like on chakra meditation, and grounding. About a year ago I heard about meditation retreat from one of my friend, but I need to pay some money (for me was expensive). But then my friend offer me to pay me half, but then it canceled because my friend was not healthy. After that I forgot about it until a few months ago my sister said that she interested to join a meditation retreat based on donation in Kintamani, Bali (a nice place near the lake Batur). The organizer was a Buddhist organization. I was interested too but because I was busy with my work at that time so nothing happened. Until …

A few months before December I set up my annual leave for Christmas and new year. I was planing to stay with my family in Tabanan. Everything already set up until On December everything start to change. One of my client mention that he often go to meditation practice at one of Buddhist temple in Denpasar. The the other client mention that they went to a 10 days meditation retreat. My mind start to remember my plan to join one of it. So I start goggling. Then I found 1 site for vipassana meditation retreat. One of the retreat for 3 days in Kintamani held right on my annual leave. So I contacted the organizer right away. Then I found out that this guy is from the same home town as me. Then I found out that this was the same retreat that my sister wanted to join. So … I really can’t wait for it. Before that I tried to find out about the Vipassana Meditation and this is what I found, intereting for me

The Technique

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living.

This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. Healing, not merely the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human suffering, is its purpose.

Vipassana 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. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.

The scientific laws that operate one’s thoughts, feelings, judgements and sensations become clear. Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace.http://www.dhamma.org/en/vipassana.shtml

I prepared my self for 3 days in silent and meditation practice plus warm clothes because the place is so cold. The retreat was held from 28th of December 2013 and end on 1st of January 2014 in bojjhanga bhavana center, Kintamani . The day I arrived nothing was different, just a nice beautiful place, some nice people and cool weather. http://www.baliretreatcenter.com/

There was about 25 people that join the retreat. Some of them already join this kind of retreat for several times but most of them was a new beginner like me. After our last dinner we start the retreat with the introduction about vipassana meditation by the teacher that came from Myanmar. So in 3 days we were

in silent, no communication at all, no reading, no writing, no speaking. Except for urgent matter we allow to talk to the organizer and on Dharma we allowed to ask. For 3 days no meal after 12pm. And for 3 days we only focused on what happened and arise in our self.

The mind, the emotion, the body, anything that happened to them we focus on it. To be able to focus on it, we need to live in slow motion, we did everything very slowly and focus on every movement step by stem, detail by detail. For example, just to drink there are several things arise and happen, from the dry feelings on the mouth, the mind that wanting to drink, the eyes that looking the water bottle, the mind that intending to grab it, the mind that want the hand to move, the hand that stretching down and reach the bottle, the hand that grab the bottle, the hand that bending up, the other hand that hold the lid, then open the lid, then put the bottle on the mouth, then drink, then swallow, then … it’s not finish yet …. OMG there are still many movement and mind that arse to put the bottle. It need a few minutes just to drink. And we did it on every single action in daily life.

But the main course is the walking and sitting meditation that we did in turn. We did the walking meditation first where we focus on the movement of the foot in one straight line back and forward, start with standing … intending …moving …left … right … left … righ … stop … standing …. intending … turn around … standing … intending … moving … left … right … and on and on. If there were other thing arise we should stop and focus on that, ex. we want to look around, then we stop and observe the wanting mind until it stop and start all over again. if we feel sore, the we stop and observe the soreness until it’s gone the start all over again.

On sitting meditation we start with focus on the rising and falling of the abdomen then we focus and observe on anything that arise. The soreness, the wandering mind, the thinking mind, the pain, the numb, the sitting position, anything that arise at that moment one at a time.

For me the first day was torture. I got pain on my back, lumbar and on the right legs. It was not easy for me to focus on the mind, because it was too wild and too fast. I can only able to sit still lest that 15 minutes. The 2nd day was easier for me. I realize the way I walk was not balance so I walk slower and in the right way and it reduce the pain. I start to able to observe on sitting meditation longer. I was happy on my result but then when I start to enjoyed it on the 3rd day when I was able to sit still for 50 minutes, that was our last sitting meditation. Then we passed year 2013 to 2014 by meditate together. It was so amazing how we realize our mind and body. Then we realize the way we walk, stand, move, see … it was something new. Actually not new but we never realize it that’s all. So I think this meditation is suit for me that move and think fast all of the time. It can make me more calm and more aware on anything. I learned many new things also, about Buddhism, about meditation Technics, about the nature of the mind and body. I already decided that I will join the 10 days retreat on June so I can get more experiences. That would be nice

Actually there’s so much thing that I wanted to share about this retreat but, that will be to long. Maybe next time ya. At least I finally share