Vipassana: 10-day meditation course (my experience)

So, I did it! I stayed to a Vipassana center (dhamma) near my house in Mumbai. There are hundreds of centers in the world, in 94 countries, and it’s free (donation based).

What is Vipassana?

Vipassana means "seeing things as they really are" and is a meditation technique from India. I'm not sure how many people outside of India know about it but it’s fairly popular here. I've always thought of a Vipassana center as a "silent retreat" but that's not really what it is. Vipassana is a technique taught by qualified teachers. Participants are called students and have to commit to a 10-day course if it’s their first time—there's no shortcut.

Meditation, to the tune of ten hours per day, is Vipassana’s way to reach the goal of maintaining awareness, equanimity, and to enter the path to enlightenment. Practitioners observe themselves without judgment, face the world's problems without taking things personal and slowly purify their mind of all sins.

The technique was first practiced in India by Siddharta Gautama 2500 years ago and preserved within Buddhism in Birma/Myanmar, but it's not owned by any organized religion. Since 1969, it has spread (once more) across India with the help of Satya Narayan Goenka, a former business tycoon turned Vipassana teacher from Birma.

Rules and discipline

The 10-day course requires a lot of discipline. The teachers and their assistants make sure everyone follows the rules. The most important rules are: no talking ("noble silence"); arrive at all required sessions on time (most sessions are required, few things are optional); sit still in a lotus position without any support beyond basic necessities (a pillow for most, a hardback chair for people with back issues); no dinner (just a simple snack); no reading or writing.

You basically live like a monk because you're always sleeping, eating, or meditating. At Dhamma Pattana there were also a few unwritten rules. For example, women were required to cover their upper bodies with a scarf, even though we were already very modestly dressed, before entering the meditation hall. No shoes were allowed in any of the meditation or dining halls. Also, use of back support and elevators was strictly reserved for people with medical conditions. People with medical conditions were also served a small dinner.

In my experience people are terrible at following rules so I was surprised how well everyone behaved. After a while, though, I found that some ladies had taken a few more liberties than I had. For example, I participants who were sharing a room whisper to each other behind closed doors. More and more people took the elevator; some hoarded pillows in the meditation hall; and an ever growing number of ladies required to eat dinner after all due to "medical needs" (I, on the other hand, lost three pounds). These things didn't bother me though. Everyone was respectful and doing their best.

Schedule and program

The daily schedule was the same every day except Day 1 when we got two hours "off" from meditating and Day 10, when we were allowed to talk to each other and meditate in the pagoda.

Day 2-9 looked like this:

4:00 Wake up call

4:30 Meditation (listen to recorded chanting 6:00-6:30)

6:30 Breakfast

8:00 Meditation (5 minute break after each hour)

11:00 Lunch + break, optional private audience with the course teacher

13:00 Meditation (5 minute break after each hour)

17:00 Snack

18:00 Meditation

19:00 Discourse (recording of Goenka)

20:30 Meditation

21:00 Retire to room

Amenities

I have nothing to compare it to, but the level of comfort at a Vipassana center probably varies depending on the location and the weather. I went during the hottest season of the year, but I chose a mediation center with great amenities, including AC. The food, vegetarian Indian dishes with the occasional continental side-dish, was delicious. Though I didn’t really like the 5 PM snack, which was always (overripe) banana and some type of toasted rice mix.

Dhamma Pattana is where Goenka himself stayed for the final years of his life and is probably one of the best in India. It’s extremely clean and well maintained for Indian standards. Everyone had a private room except for those who wanted to share with a friend. There was daily laundry service, a beautiful garden to walk around in, and hot showers.

My only complaint was the teacher. While the male teacher could be seen smiling at and connecting with his male students, our teacher was a very old lady who appeared to be asleep during meditation (every time I opened my eyes she seemed to be in the process of falling to the side before correcting her posture) and was borderline unfriendly when talking to the group.

What I learned

I can’t really describe what I learned because I’m still figuring it out. What I think so far is that meditation is a good antidote for stress and anxiety. It has no downsides except it takes time to do, which is hard to reconcile with the busy, fast-paced life I’ve created for myself. You could try to be an FSO and a Vipassana practitioner, but you certainly can’t be an FSO with young kids and a lot of hobbies and a social life and also be a Vipassana practitioner. In many ways running is my form of meditation, with the big difference that running is exhausting while Vipassana meditation is reinvigorating. Living ascetically for a while made me healthy and happy. Discipline is a good thing and I could use more of that in my life. Sitting around thinking about nothing doesn’t change you as a person, but it makes you a lot lighter when you ditch your own baggage and disassociate yourself all from the noise coming your way every day.

How to prepare (what I wish I'd known in advance)

Because Vipassana is pretty simple, there’s no real need to do anything before you go except committing to staying for ten days. It’s definitely frowned upon if you try to leave early—I’ve heard they try to make you stay. The only “shock” was that sitting still cross-legged for 10 hours a day is a lot more painful than I imagined. So in hindsight I would have practiced that a bit before going in.

Most importantly: I would have read the book “The Art of Living” by Goenka. While I enjoyed that everything was more or less a surprise, because it was completely new to me, I had a lot of questions I couldn’t ask. A little bit more academic background would have been better because I would have been less frustrated by the limited amount of information you get during the course.

What to pack (or leave at home)

Packing carefully is key! You don’t need much, but when you have very little the things you bring become more meaningful.

Clothes: I could have used the laundry service and made do with two outfits, but I was very happy I had some stuff to choose from. Everything has to be long and baggy. The most useful things I brought were the kurta sets I borrowed from my friend. Thank goodness these sets came with scarfs (dupattas) because those were mandatory. Bring comfortable shoes that are easy to slip on and off. If you expect cold, bring socks, cardigans, and shawls.

Clocks: Also important were my watch and alarm clock. Even though there are loud gongs and bells to indicate the beginning and end of sessions, I loved being able to keep track of time and waking myself up after a post-lunch nap.

Toiletries: Nothing is provided so bring everything. Mosquito repellent is always important in India. I brought nail polish but never had to repaint my nails because they remained in perfect condition! Definitely bring a towel.

Bedsheets: I didn’t bring or need anything beyond the fresh sheets they provided, and my pillow was fine. I never meditated in my room so a meditation pillow would have been unnecessary.

Food & drink: You need a water bottle. Food and drinks are not allowed in the room, and I really didn’t plan on bringing any, but I’m so happy I last-minute decided to pack a mug and herbal tea, so I could make myself a nice 4 AM breakfast tea, some chewable vitamin tablets and a bar of chocolate to give myself a tiny, post-lunch, post-nap boost. I also brought some instant coffee so I could have it any time I wanted instead of only with my meal.

Not needed: you don’t need any type of workout clothes or equipment besides shoes to comfortably walk on during breaks. You also don’t need to bring any type of activity, because you barely have time to yourself in your packed schedule. Every free minute I had was spent walking, showering, or just laying down on my bed to rest my back. You generally don’t need money, except when you put money in your laundry service account, and to buy soap/toilet paper or other basic necessities they sell there.

One confession: I brought stuff to write. I ended up writing down a lot of things that felt urgent which, in hindsight, were not urgent at all. I kind of regret doing it because it was unnecessary. On the other hand, I really enjoyed it and sometimes felt it was the only thing that kept me from missing my family and wanting to leave, because I mostly wrote down things about our move to The Gambia next month, and how to make the transition to our next post go smooth for everyone.

Participants

So, who were the other students? Even though we were actively discouraged from thinking about other students, or even acknowledging them, I couldn't help observing them constantly. During the first couple of days it was my main form of entertainment to memorize everyone's face and give them a nickname.

On Day 10, when we were allowed and encouraged to talk again, I gathered there were two larger friend groups. These women were very well-to-do as witnessed by their posh English accents and LV scarfs. There were also a handful of younger women who seemed to be more serious in their quest for spiritual relief. There were also a few women who didn't speak any English and wore traditional Indian clothes, who may have come mainly to escape their daily household duties (as I was told). There were also a few women whose husband was doing the course simultaneously. Overall, most participants seemed cosmopolitan and progressive for Indian standards. I was the only non-Indian student.

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