Vipassana Meditation Review
In late September 2009, I was in north-eastern Spain with my girlfriend at the start of a 4-month bicycle tour from Madrid to Rome. I remember the two of us in Salvador Dali’s hometown, sitting at a cafe in the evening. I was reading Keith Ferrazzi’s awesome book on networking, Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
. The book helped me identify times in my life where I could reach out and mentor, as well as find places to be mentored. I learned about evolving what I plan to do with my life, and how to achieve my goals most effectively. Anyways, in the middle of the book, Keith talked about leaving one company and feeling particularly lost. He didn’t know what to do, so he enrolled in a Vipassana meditation retreat somewhere in the US. I felt that I connected with him a bit, being ‘lost’ in life and not knowing where to go next. Part of the reason Kristen and I were taking the bike trip was to find … something. To get an idea of our next step, without social pressure or the glam of a job working for someone that we didn’t connect with.
I looked online that same night and found a Vipassana class in Italy in early December. To our absolute luck, the class was at the exact spot that our schedule was empty. We were looking for someplace to go or something to do in early December for 7-14 days. It was a perfect fit, and it was something that the two of us thought would be a great experience.
We booked our spots, free of charge, on the dhamma website.
Fast-forward 3 months and we’re at the meditation retreat in the beautiful dew-soaked foothills of northern Italy. We arrived at noon and quickly realized we were the second and third person to get there. We hung outside for the majority of the time, and within a few hours, people started showing up. Families kissing their moms as they joined us in the queue for registration. There were both men and women, young and old, who were there. Most were Italian, but Greg – a French/Englishman, and a few others spoke English. We found the group to be very welcoming and felt relaxed.
After we sat down and ate our first vegetarian cooked meal, we were told the rules of the course. No speaking for 10 days. Meditate at specific times throughout the day. Eat at specific times. Wash our own dishes. No looking at the opposite sex, or making gestures or sign language to them either. Things seemed strict, but we signed up for the class …
Every day was very structured. Waking up at 6:00am to get ready, then meditate for 90 minutes. A bell would ring and we went for breakfast. After we ate, we’d have some downtime to sit outside, or lay in bed. We were not permitted to read. After the break, we had a group meditation for an hour, then meditation in our rooms or in the hall. Then lunch. Then meetings with the instructor, if you desired where you were permitted to ask any questions regarding technique. Then another meditation in the hall, back to the room for more. Dinner, then a final meditation. Lights out at 9.
I slept in a room with 5 other men, all clean and respectful. Some did snore, but nothing that kept me up! I bet I was the louder guy, anyways. :-)
On the 9th day, we were able to break our noble silence. It was a very surreal feeling to talk again, especially at length. After 10 days of stilling my mind, I was forced to THINK of what I was going to say. Very fun feeling.
Kristen and I both believe that the experience was totally worth every second. Over 100 hours of meditation in the 10 days, and it was difficult. Some days, I felt like my knees were going to break apart in the middle of a group meditation. Other times, I couldn’t keep my mind off of a tune in my head. I’d have days where I practiced the technique close to perfectly, and others where I was so far from the goal.
Almost 5 months later, and I regularly use the Vipassana techniques I was taught. I use it in meetings when my mind is running all over the place. I use it when I’m driving and I notice that my body is getting tense. I use it when I’m cycling and a car brushes by me at 60 mph. It’s a technique that doesn’t leave you, and only helps to bring light to your life.
There are courses all over the world, including the construction of an enormous meditation retreat in the United Kingdom. I just checked their website and they’re offering a 10-day course for business executives and government officials. That’s the kind of consciousness our world needs!
To find a Vipassana class near you, go to: http://www.dhamma.org/ and click on your location at the left.
“From every pore flows gratitude, I have no way to repay my debt.
Living a Dhamma life, distributing the happiness of Dhamma to those who are suffering–this is the only way!”
- S.N. Goenka, chanting at the start of a 10-day Vipassana course
May you have success in your path on Dhamma!
Casey Stanton
P.S. — If you’ve gone through a 10-day, 2-day, or a longer course, please let me know by commenting below. I’d love to hear your story!
Posted in Lifestyle.