Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana is taught as a silent 10 day live-in courseanswers to their questions within themselves. The
initially and has a very strict schedule of meditation,teacher provides whatever guidance is needed in the
eating and sleeping. Once you have completed a 10practice, but it is up to each person to implement these
day course you are then able to do further 3 dayguidelines: one has to fight one's own battle, work out
courses and it is recommended you repeat the 10 daywhat is right for themselves.
course at least once a year. For more dedicatedThis is the reason 10 day Vipassana courses are
meditators the course is also run as 30 days in someconducted in silence and no reading or writing materials
centres.are allowed. The purpose is to go deeper inside
There are no charges for the course, food oryourself and this happens automatically when you
accommodation but each centre is run solely byhave no outside stimulus to distract your thoughts.
volunteers and by donations. Once you haveThe first few days are the hardest, physically as your
completed a 10 day course you are able to donate tobody has to learn to adapt to sitting still, however it will
the centres and you are then also able to volunteerlearn to adapt if you persevere. As you continue to sit
your time and indeed it is recommended that you giveyou will start to clean out areas of your mind that you
back in this way so that other people can receive thewould normally ignore. You will just accept any
benefits that you have received.thoughts as simply thoughts and let them go. The
The Vipassana meditator uses his concentration as aeffort, although difficult, is definitely worthwhile.
tool by which his awareness can chip away at hisVipassana mindfulness meditation, and indeed other
thoughts and his beliefs about what is true in life. It is aforms of meditation, will help you move past the
gradual process of ever-increasing awareness into theconstant thoughts of "If only"; if only I had more money,
inner workings of your own mind. As you becomeif only I had a better relationship, if only I weighed less
more and more proficient in your meditative practiceetc. It will help you move to a place of acceptance
you will also become calmer and more focused in yourwhich is what brings a sense of peace and happiness.
everyday life.One of the teachings in Vipassana is that change is
A course in Vipassana mindfulness meditation is anconstant and change is inevitable. Many people fight
opportunity to take concrete steps toward liberatingagainst this premise of constant change and fight to
your mind. In these courses the participant learns howkeep things in their life constant. When we can accept
to free their mind from the tensions and prejudices thatthat life is constantly changing, there will always be
disturb the flow of daily life. In doing this the participantnew things to want and new situations to aim for, then
begins to discover how to live each momentyou will begin to find the peace in life that we all strive
peacefully, productively and happily. At the same timefor.
the participant starts progressing toward the highest"Mindfulness is the process of bringing one's mind to
goal to which mankind can aspire: purity of mind,the present moment. When we try to bring our mind to
freedom from all suffering, full enlightenment.the present moment, we observe its true nature - how
None of this can be attained just by thinking about it orit habitually wanders around, day-dreams and
wishing for it. One must take steps to reach the goal.fantasizes. We are always preoccupied with the past
For this reason, in a Vipassana course the emphasis isand the future. The mind is rarely in the present. It is like
always on actual practice. No philosophical debatesa mad monkey that jumps from one branch to
are permitted, no theoretical arguments, no questionsanother. It is swift and jumps around. It is always in a
that are unrelated to one's own experience. As far asstate of flux. It is impossible to observe the mind's true
possible, meditators are encouraged to find thenature, unless we pause with mindfulness." - Ven.