2008/05/28
Ten days with the Buddha
I participated in the 10-day Vipassana meditation course at the
Dhamma Kuta, at Mowbray Estate, Peradeniya. Situated in a beautiful
location, it calms your mind the very moment you step into their
premises. I had heard of this Vipassana course for many years from those who
followed it but just could not believe that it could give you so
many instant benefits. But then that is the very characteristic of
Dhamma - results are immediate. I had also read the books by Dr. Kiran Bedi who used this course to
reform the hard core prisoners in India. She did not stop at that,
but went on to teach this system of meditation to the personnel of
the Indian Police Force which brought about remarkable changes in
their respective departments. She also used this to reform drug
addicts, gangsters, prostitutes etc. The social reforms this has brought about are too numerous to
mention. Any one interested can read the books by Dr. Kiran Bedi.
Therefore, through sheer curiosity I decided to try it out for
myself. If it can turn around hard core criminals it could be of
great benefit to those who are not criminals too! With this in mind
I walked into ten days of imprisonment at this Centre! I say
imprisonment because the rules do not permit one to have any kind of
communication with the outside world. Once one registers for the
course one has to maintain total silence until the 10th day. One is
not even supposed to look at the beautiful scenery outside. The
staff is very strict but very kind and corrects if one breaks any
rules. Being a trained professional, the first thing that caught my eye was
the methodical and professional management of the centre. Therefore
I settled down easily to the meticulous clean and orderly ways of
the centre. The most significant thing is that the course itself is
very scientific and methodical and gives immediate results according
to your level of understanding. This is supposed to be the original technique of Vipassana as taught
by the Buddha himself and carried down through the ages by practice
from teacher to pupil which is the proper way of continuing the
teaching. Goenkaji picked it up from Burma by practising it himself
and has given it to the world through the centers established by him
for this purpose. The centre can accommodate as much as 100 people and there were
around 80 this time. The course is difficult at the beginning. One
has to sit in mediation for one hour and sometimes two at a stretch.
At the end of each day one has to listen to a recorded discourse by
Goenkaji. The instructions are in English by Goenkaji himself and a good
Sinhala translation follows. The speciality of this course is that
specific instructions are given at frequent intervals and one is
guided throughout the course. I felt as if the Buddha Himself was taking us by the hand along the
path of Dhamma. Therefore with continuous guidance and the
compassionate support of the teacher I managed to grasp the
technique by the 6th day! And it was plain sailing thereafter. The
Peace, Happiness and Harmony one feels cannot be expressed in words.
One who is suffering with so much of hatred, anger, jealousy and all
such defilements within begins to see this as the cause of one's
misery and realise the truth of the saying that one's suffering or
happiness lies within oneself and actually experience it which
changes one's entire lifestyle thereafter. The wonder is that everyone who participates can experience the
peace and happiness to that extent of one's own understanding. A
course so precise, practical and methodical, giving instant
immediate results, can only be designed by the Buddha himself! Come and experience that Dhamma and see the immediate results for
yourself in this very life according to your own understanding! How
true. May all beings enjoy the Bliss of Dhamma. The writer is reachable on either
dhamma@sltnet.lk or 0812385774.
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