What is Vipassana?
A Brief Vipassana Outline
Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. Long lost to humanity, it was rediscovered by Gotama the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. The word Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self- purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. This Truth-Realization by direct experience is the process of purification. The entire path (Dhamma) is a universal remedy for universal problems and has nothing to do with any organized religion or sectarianism. For this reason, it can be freely practiced by everyone, at any time, in any place, without conflict due to race, community or religion, and will prove equally beneficial to one and all.
What Vipassana is not
It is not a rite or ritual based on blind faith.
It is neither an intellectual nor a philosophical entertainment.
It is not a rest cure, a holiday, or an opportunity for socializing.
It is not an escape from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
What Vipassana is
It is a process that will eradicate suffering.
It is a method of mental purification which allows one to face life’s tensions and problems in a calm, balanced way.
It is an Art of Living that one can use to make positive contributions to society.
Vipassana meditation aims at the highest spiritual goals of total liberation and full enlightenment. Its purpose is never simply to cure physical disease. However, as a by-product of mental purification, many psychosomatic diseases are eradicated. In fact, Vipassana eliminates the three causes of all unhappiness: craving, aversion and ignorance. With continued practice, the meditation releases the tensions developed in everyday life, opening the knots tied by the old habit of reacting in an unbalanced way to pleasant and unpleasant situations.
Although Vipassana was developed as a technique by the Buddha, its practice is not limited to Buddhists. There is absolutely no question of conversion. The process works on the simple basis that all human beings share the same problems and a process which can eradicate these problems will have a universal application. People from many religious denominations have experienced the benefits of Vipassana meditation, and have found no conflict with their profession of faith.
For further information or to experience Vipassana first hand, visit Dhamma.org
Jozef’s Vipassana Experience and Advice
If you have not researched this please do so and decide if this experience is right for you.
Jozef’s Vipassana experience was exactly what it was supposed to be: to serve the whole. this was accomplished in perfect alignment with the Universe to fulfill perfectly his service work to others.
The top of this document is comprised of Jozef’s personal comments and suggestions, as follows:
Reading about it before hand does not help……you will not understand it until you go through it…afterwards when you read about it, the materials will make sense.
While in it…don’t try to remember or write notes, for the future, on what is being said, shared especially during your stay….don’t use your mental energy (during in class or after class) on that…you will be able to find any and all related information you liked…. after you leave……it is all in print so do not bother with that during the processes.
Do take a small battery alarm clock. Even tho there are electrical outlets everywhere…it is best to be self sufficient…
Take crackers, peanuts, sunflower seeds, etc (or your choice of snacks admissible at Vegetarian retreat)…. to have in your luggage bag in case you get hungry at (after) dinner time…..until you adjust to their meal portions….one must always have at least 25% (quarter) empty stomach…… to meditate…over eating will cause the opposite…..of the intended practice……I would like people to be begin this practice in their daily life…..
Several days before departure for your Vipassana experience, practice rising at 4 a.m. and do a meditative practice (refer to time table below). Have a basic breakfast (like the one you will be having at the retreat…….oatmeal, cereal, fruit, etc), lunch, and dinner (as outlined below). Follow this to the best of your ability. If you get used to this in 2 – 3 days before you arrive and begin, your system will not be in so much shock and you can focus on the practice. The more prepared you are, the more successful you will be.
You will be asked to follow the Precepts laid out for the VIP experience. Everyone please follow them. It will make such a huge difference in what you do/get. Embrace the Precepts with all your Heart and Soul. Follow them, do not break them. Jozef is personally asking us to follow all of their outlines, suspending praying, rites and forms of worship, no tools, etc for the whole 10 days. Most important: this is a detox of the soul, the spirit and the physical all at one time. It is wonderful, incredible and hard work.
Jozef will be asking everyone who works with him to do the 10 day course once a year, and for those interested, as he is, to do the more advanced courses. It takes some people 2 – 3 times to fully receive the full benefit of this process, but the 10 days, if you have done your personal work, will guarantee that you will understand it and be able to take it from there and grow it.
If the management or facilitators are being detached, that is because that is how they are supposed to be; it is not personal to-for-about you so do not create paranoia in your head about their behavior…. repeat: they and other participants there are not there for you nor do they have an opinion about you….and you in turn should have none for anyone there. You are there for you and only you….imagine you are there alone with no one else….and proceed.
You will NOT be asked to recite any mantras, chanting, etc so you do not have to worry about repeating anything you don’t understand…if the audio lecturer does an invocation, he will explain what it means. It will most likely be a very simple blessing and invocation. Fear not.
READ CAREFULLYÂ the introduction and the Code of Discipline (again Jozef asks you please adhere to this commitment to its fullest). (Be sure you have registered for a class that is taught in a language you understand!)
There is nothing to fear. Every day is exactly the same. A new simple aspect of the method is added each day, that you can all do. There is no mystery here. In fact, you will think it is nothing, but it will yield huge results as the days pass.
Your stuff will come up, gets stirred up, and each of you are capable of being mature and allowing the process to work the agitations out. Deal with everything maturely.
What a day is like
On the first day you check into the center in the afternoon. (They do not go through your luggage to check what you have brought.) The staff will inquire if you are an old or new student, (prior/old students are asked to work while they are there) and you will be given a sheet to fill out on both sides. This is general information: who to contact in an emergency (take this information with you so you have it available). They ask for your medical history ~ (take a basic outline), and will inquire for your assessment of your physical/mental/emotional health. They want to know ~ who are you? so they also ask about your work history. Also at check in, an outline of the schedule will be given to you. You are allowed to converse with others that first evening until they ask you to stop and go into the Silence.
You are assigned a space. This can be one of two things depending on the location and the facilities available… either your own room with a bed or a space in a large room with a number of beds in it. The website information tells you to bring your own bedding, but at Jozef’s location, all of this was provided. Inquire of the specific center what is actually needed before taking it all with you.
Try to arrive on time ~ if not it is not a big deal – easier to get into what you are there to do when you are there from the beginning. There is an orientation after dinner (on the first day) that is brief. They explain about the boundaries that are gender specific with well marked paths. Men and women are in separate facilities except when in the meditation room, where they sit on their own side of the room.
There is a male and female facilitator and one to several staff members are assigned to each dormitory building. This is whom you speak with if you need anything having to do with your accommodations or needs. The facilitators are there to assist, and to create the energetic container, nothing more. YOU are the difference, not them.
After the orientation meeting, you will gather at the meditation hall, where a meditation method is given to the participants by the facilitators to begin the next morning. You are awakened and called to different meetings by a bell. You will hear it, it is not loud or obtrusive, they walk around inside the buildings and the grounds with the bell. Note that you are permitted to meditate in your own room or in the meditation hall. Jozef suggests that the hall be used each time. There are several short breaks for the bathroom, etc during meditation times throughout day. And if you have to go, GO. Leave quietly, return quietly.
Cell phones, computers, etc. ~ Jozef thinks people should follow the rules. Honor the agreements you make in going to Vipassana. You should not take work related materials unless you are going to travel directly from the retreat to work. Jozef suggests we do NOT do this. You should have your cell phone in your bag. Do not turn it on or mess with it (this is about choice and safety nothing else). Have it for emergencies only, which should not occur while you are there.
Most Common Schedule
4:00 a.m.-Morning wake-up bell. Time to pull yourself together.
4:30-6:30 a.m.-Meditate in the hall or in your room. You have been given a practice the night before by the teachers.
6:30-8:00 a.m.-Breakfast. Also time to shower, clean up.
8:00-9:00 a.m.-Group meditation in the hall. Continue the practice.
9:00-11:00 a.m.-Meditate in the hall or in your room. As above according to the teacher’s instructions.
11:00-12:00 noon-Lunch break.
12 noon -1:00 p.m.-Rest, and interviews with the teacher and only ask questions about you and the technique. They are not really able to help you otherwise.
1:00-2:30 p.m.-Meditate in the hall or in your room, continuing the practice.
2:30-3:30 p.m.-Group meditation in the hall.
3:30-5:00 p.m.-Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher’s instructions.
5:00-6:00 p.m.-Tea break.
6:00-7:00 p.m.-Group meditation in the hall.
7:00-8:15 p.m.-Teacher’s Discourse in the hall. Something added to practice each night.
8:15-9:00 p.m.-Group meditation in the hall. Begin addition to practice.
9:00-9:30 p.m.-Question time in the hall. Don’t stay, get ready for bed.
9:30 p.m.-Retire to your room; lights out.
Who does the teachings? You are listening to audio recordings of Goenka (throughout the day) and in the evening he shares the wisdom -teachings and the instructions for the next day, while watching a large screen DVD. This way you get the most powerful message/energy, undiluted by delivery of anyone else. As the process continues you may be moved to a more private place to meditate or you may not.
After the evening discourse, the facilitators will call you up two at a time, and ask you questions about how your process is proceeding, they will make suggestions to assist you. Everyone must do this. The facilitators are seated up front in chairs facing everyone. Older students are seated on either side, facing each other. We are seated on the floor facing the facilitators. When it’s your turn to confer with them, you will sit on the floor in front of them on a pillow while they remain seated. This is basic protocol – Do not attach any meaning or significance. It’s just you sitting on a pillow in front of them.
What is important here: SITTING. You will be assigned a place to sit. You will find all you need there, pillows, blankets, etc. If you do not like where you are sitting, you must make an appointment with the teacher and tell them you want to move and they will move you. You need to consider that you are going to be sitting for approx 10 hours each day. What will make you most comfortable? If you have a small collapsible folding chair with a back and no sides, the kind you might take to a sporting event or a concert on the lawn that is a good thing to have. If need be, you can ask for a chair during the meditation time.
When Jozef sat, he sat with his legs crossed with one foot resting on the opposite knee and the other foot resting below the opposite knee. He placed a small pillow between the lower knee and the floor. The second pillow went between the knee and the foot above it. Sitting in this position, it is best to have the hands folded loosely, avoiding any poses or hand gestures you might have seen on TV. You want to be able to sit comfortably for long periods. Do not expect to be able to do this for long periods right away. After a couple of days, as you sink deeper into the practice, you will be able to hold the posture appropriately.
Food: Breakfast is simple and basic with cereal, oatmeal and fruit. You may have as much as you want. Lunch is a good, big, hardy meal. They have items like vegetarian lasagna, salads, etc. Again, you may have as much as you want. It is very good. Tea in the early evening is exactly that. An assortment of teas and fruits. They have plenty of food and will not run out. Remember your manners. All meals are served cafeteria style and you help yourself. There is a designated eating area. Afterwards, your rinse your dishes in the designated areas.
Take all of your vitamins that you normally take. If they require refrigeration, you can do that. Place the items in a ziplock bag with masking tape that has your name and how often you need the refrigerated item on it.
Because you are not really “doing” anything really physical (walking is the only exercise) so enjoy. You do not get dirty and can wear your pants and shirts for 2 – 3 days, so there is no need for 10 outerwear outfits, unless you want them. Since you have no use of a washer and dryer, take as many sets of undergarments as you will need. You may hand wash items and dry them on the line.
The bathrooms are private and the showers are also closed room ones. The sinks are communal.
If you begin this process, you need to stay the whole 10 days. It is not a good idea to leave. It is not advisable to go with others, but if there is someone present that you do know, simply agree to pretend you do not know each other.
You cannot go into this experience in a negative state. You cannot have extremes of “active” negative mental and emotional reactions (this is different than your “stuff” coming up). This process is too powerful to be in that kind of condition and it could make matters worse for you. Consider attending when your heart and mind are more open to it.
I have attempted to outline the highlights, I know there is more; my wish is to take the unknown out of this so you can become the knower…. (Knower and Known)…thank you for your kind attention.
OneJozef
