Inspiration for Vipassana meditation
In recent times the mindfulness movement or the Vipassana movement has spread all over the world. Millions are taking courses, learning to meditate. Many are benefitting from the practice. It is our fortune that Buddha’s teachings have been re-established on earth. This is known to be Buddha’s second sassana and has spread with the help of teachers like Sayagyi U Ba Khin, Shri S N Goenka and others. The practice and the teachings are available to us through 10 day Vipassana courses which are taught all over the world.
So what is mindfulness after all?
In our day to day life our minds are rarely in the present moment busy either craving for something wanted or rejecting something unwanted, thus fluttering between past and future. These thoughts and feelings are nothing but mental content that is generated inside us as a response to the sensory stimulus we receive from the outside world. Out of ignorance we start getting attached to these thoughts and emotions and start identifying with them as “I”. It is this attachment that creates suffering. Unhelpful thoughts or feelings like anger, hatred skew our view of reality leading to negative or faulty perceptions and beliefs. For example when I am feeling angry I may think that my neighbor is a horrible person and I may end up shouting at him. But when my mind calms down I might realize my mistake and notice the harm my stormy emotions caused. Instead of creating such misery for ourselves and others, we can build a way of life- an art of living that helps us stay calm and connected with the truth of every moment. We can do this by objective observation of our thoughts and feelings accepting them as they are. When we are centered in truth there is no place for suffering.
Mindfulness is the quality of purity of mind, that is calm and aware, detached from the senses. It is a mind free from all cravings, aversions and delusions and is centered in truth and the reality of the present moment.
Vipassana and it’s origins
The word ‘Vipassana’, pronounced as Vipashyana, finds its origins in the Pali language, the language at the time of the Buddha and means seeing reality as it is. Vipassana meditation is an art of living, an ancient technique discovered by the Buddha. It is a practice of observing the truth of suffering; refraining from any illusion, creation or imagination. Buddha taught the Dhamma– the law of nature which is simple and universal for all beings. If we generate loving kindness and joyful feelings inside us we are rewarded and if we generate feelings of animosity inside us, we are punished. With time however, people manipulated, modified and repainted its meaning as per their convenience- adding layers and veils on top. As a consequence, Dhamma lost its essence and meaning as the simple universal law of nature bringing happiness and wisdom to all; instead it began to hold additional dimensions of sectarianism, casteism, color and religions which we adapted to, easily.
The Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born as a Shakyan prince to king Sudhodhana and queen Maya in the kingdom of Kapilvasthu (which is in present day Nepal) around 6th century BCE. At the age of 16 he got married to princess Yashodhara. One day when he was out on the chariot with driver Channa, he encountered these four sights- a sick man, an old man, a dying man and an ascetic. These sights affected Siddhartha so much that he grew in detachment towards the world and decided to leave home in search of the truth of suffering. He was merely 29 and father to a 7 day old son Rahul, when he left his palace renouncing the princely life, to live the life of an ascetic. While in search of the truth Siddhartha struggled for many years trying various forms of meditation practices. These included the 8 concentrations or Jhaanaas while studying under different gurus. He even tried some extreme practices involving self-torture and fasting for long periods of time but later denounced them finding no value in them. Finally he discovered the technique of Vipassana – the path of liberation from all suffering.. He sat for his final meditation under a Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya with the resolve to not get up until he attained Nirvana. He sat for 49 days without food, deeply meditating and finally attained the goal of enlightenment. He was 35. He then began teaching the Vipassana technique, the Dhamma to all- as a way of life. He propounded the Middle path of equanimity and asked people not to roll in the two extremes of sensory pleasures and self-mortification.
Chain of teachers – Ledi Sayadaw, Saya Thet Gyi, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, S N Goenka
As centuries went by after Buddha’s passing the Vipassana technique got lost and started to disappear from the Indian subcontinent. Fortunately, it continued to exist in its purest form, in the form of Guru Shishya Parampara in the country of Myanmar. Ledi Sayadaw born in 1846 was the earliest known teacher in this tradition, a monk of great repute who taught Vipassana meditation to both monks and lay people alike. His student Sayagyi ThetGyi who was a farmer became the next teacher. In 1930’s a clerk named U Ba Khin in the office of Accountant General of Myanmar started learning Vipassana from Sayagyi Thetgyi making tremendous progress on the path very quickly. Webu Sayadaw, a known Arahant (an enlightened person) of those times noticed the proficiency of practice in U Ba Khin and asked him to start teaching. U Ba Khin became a renowned teacher of Vipassana and began to be addressed by his pupils as Sayagyi U Ba Khin- many students came to learn from him and later went on to become reputed Dhamma teachers themselves helping in spreading Buddha’s teachings all over the world. One such student was Sri Satya Narayan Goenka.
Notable Vipassana traditions and teachers
In 1955 Sri S. N. Goenka, an Indian industrialist who was living with his family in Myanmar at this time, happened to come across this technique while searching for a cure for migraines. He was taught the technique by Sayagyi U Ba Khin and remained in his tutelage for 14 years. Finally in 1969, he was appointed as Principal teacher of Vipassana. His teachings spread far and wide in the form of 10 day Vipassana courses and is now available in most countries taught in different languages with the help of assistant teachers.
There are a few other Vipassana traditions and teachers as well who have gained repute all over the world. Some notable names are- Mahasi Sayadaw, Nyanaponika Thera, Thich Nhat Hanh, Mogok Sayadaw and Pa Auk Sayadaw. Some western teachers who learnt from Sayagyi U Ba Khin known for spreading Vipassana in the west are Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, John Coleman.
The 10 day course and the technique
In most traditions the introductory course of Vipassana is taught as a 7 or 10 day camp with an initial training on Anapanasati meditation and the rest on Vipassana meditation. The course is a 10 day long camp. First 3 days we are taught a concentration practice based on breath called Anapanasati.The rest of the 7 days we practice Vipassana. Noble Silence (Arya Maun) and five moral precepts (Sheel) of no killing, no stealing, no misconduct, no intoxication and no lying are observed throughout the 10 days. Morality is an important prerequisite in Vipassana. According to Buddha, morality, concentration and wisdom (sheel, Samadhi and pragya) are the foundations of this practice. They work hand in hand to help us attain liberation from suffering.
In the first 3 days, in Anapanasati meditation, we simply observe our breath going in and coming out without attaching any name or image to it- breath is supposed to have a direct connection with our mind and it’s nature- when our mind is disturbed, our breath is disturbed. By observing our breath, we are able to tap into the deepest subconscious parts of our mind and get rid of our negativities and defilements. Vipassana Meditation is the practice of observation of the sensations arising on our body without reacting to them, instead we directly experience with awareness the impermanent nature of these sensations and learn to be detached. This practice gives rise to wisdom (Panya) and compassion (maitri or loving kindness) for all. Observing sensations with equanimity or impartiality (Tatastha Bhava) slowly liberates us from the suffering of craving, aversion or delusion.. Equanimity is the only yardstick of success in the path of Vipassana- the less biased we become towards our sensations, the lesser we react, the freer we are from our defilements (negativities or impurities). It also makes our minds calmer. The more tranquil our mind, the more focused and sharp, alert and attentive it becomes. Thus with the practice of Vipassana we slowly train our mind to see joy and sorrow as the same- without any prejudice. This shift in view towards total acceptance and no bias is very rewarding and is the core of the practice.
As we develop in this practice our mind becomes very discerning and equanimous and our past karmas come up. As we keep observing them objectively, they dissolve. Thus we can get rid of our negative tendencies and past karmas.
What is the importance of Anapana meditation or concentration
Our mind is often lost ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. Such a mind, seldom in the present moment, is not able to be calm or focused. Due to this we suffer. We can change this by the practice of non judgemental observation and acceptance of our thoughts as it is. For this we focus our attention on our incoming and outgoing breath and just observe any thoughts passing by. Breath has a connection with both the mind and the body. When the mind is disturbed, breath is disturbed. Breath is always available to us and is thus a great object to tether our mind to the present moment. By using it as a tool to ground us we are able to achieve calm and a reduction in the thought intensity and volume. This practice is a concentration practice called Anapana meditation and helps us improve clarity and focus. It also helps in calming us down.
Basically what we are doing in the Anapana technique is nonjudgmentally accepting our thoughts, whatever they are, without following them or reacting to them. We remain grounded in the present moment by focusing on the incoming and outgoing breath instead. Slowly by this practice the mind becomes calm and sharp. This is “right concentration” as taught by Buddha and also called the development of Jhaanaas. A concentrated mind has many benefits.
What are the benefits of Anapana meditation or concentration
- Beliefs- Following Thoughts or believing in them too much can lead to negative or delusional beliefs- not following them gives us relief
- Discernment – a sharper mind can have clarity and can make right choices easily. For example choosing right over wrong, useful over useless, important over unimportant, prioritizing etc can happen much better with a sharper mind that can see clearly
- Letting go- A concentrated mind can “let go” because it can be fully absorbed in the present reality. It is able to function and is agile.
- Better functioning – being in the present can help us focus attention on the task at hand. This helps us in becoming more productive.
- Less anxiety or depression – not being in the future or the past but focusing on the present moment keeps us protected from negative mental states like anxiety or depression.
- We can conduct ourselves better in a more mindful manner since we are self observant
- A concentrated mind helps us connect with others in a mindful way leading to good connections
Vipassana, the mindfulness meditation- benefits, practice and support
• Better mental health- Our mental health is fueled by how we think or feel- sometimes we experience thoughts, beliefs or feelings that are disturbing, depressing and harmful triggered by traumatic or stressful life events. If not trained in managing our thoughts and emotions we may find it difficult to accept them and in ignorance generate hatred or repulsion towards them which in turn multiplies these very thoughts and feelings creating a vicious cycle of suffering for us. As we lose control, it starts reflecting in our behavior and knowingly or unknowingly we start harming ourselves and others.
• Higher capacity to overcome adversities in life- The practice of Vipassana creates a space between us and our feelings – a space of awareness and equanimity. Earlier when we encountered our feelings we either rolled in pleasure and indulged in our senses more and more; or cried, complained and lamented. Now with the practice of Vipassana we merely observe with detachment the same feelings of cravings and aversions. This detachment or equanimity – an unbiased view of our ever changing sensations slowly extends to our daily lives, permeating across every aspect and creates a shift in how we view the world. Now when we come across sorrow, we don’t cry as much but observe without attachment; when we come across pleasurable experiences, we do not get excited as much and remain centered with the wisdom that these are all ever-changing phenomena- let us just stay in the present without attachment. Such a view of high acceptance leads us to a happiness and stillness within that does not bend to adversity and a joy that is shared with all.
• Rewarding connections with others- With the arising of wisdom arises a joy within us. This helps cultivate a feeling of compassion, which is universal for of all living beings. As we grow in compassion it starts reflecting in our relationships with others- we do not see people as –‘at fault’ or ‘wrong’ anymore, our judgment and guessing goes down and our acceptance increases. We constantly dwell in a feeling of love and warmth including all in our good wishes.
Today Vipassana has spread far and wide and the students have formed communities all over the world to support each others’ practice. Organizing and hosting hour-long or day-long meditation sits and retreats together is quite common in addition to listening to discourses and lectures that are available through a number of audios, videos, books and online resources.
Psychotherapy now includes mindfulness as an inherent part of the healing practices. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction is a stress reduction and relaxation technique involving the principles of awareness of body sensations often used to assist patients dealing with pain, depression and anxiety. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Morita therapy are also therapies that have developed on the basis of Buddhist teachings of acceptance of self and staying in the present moment as key to happiness.
