To start with I would like to give a brief idea of the technique of Vipassana.
The word Vipassana in Pali language means “Insight”. Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. Long lost to humanity, it was rediscovered by Gotama the Buddha more than 2,550 years ago. Vipassana means a special kind of vision: observation of the reality within oneself. One starts by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With this 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-realisation by direct experience is the process of purification. Vipassana meditation aims at the highest spiritual goals of total liberation and full enlightenment. It is an art of living which eliminates the three causes of all unhappiness: craving, aversion and ignorance. With continued practice, the meditation releases the tensions developed in everyday life and unties the knots tied by the old habit of reaction in an unbalanced way to pleasant and unpleasant situations and develops positive creative energy for the betterment of the individual and society. The process of self-purification by introspection is certainly never easy: one has to work really hard at it. By one’s own efforts the student arrives at one’s own realisations.
The duration of the course is of 10 days and the students who are fit physically and mentally will have to stay on the premises for the entire duration of the course, having absolutely no contact with the outside world and scrupulously follow the rules, regulations, code of discipline and the course timetable diligently and thoroughly.
The purpose of Vipassana is to eradicate suffering by eradicating its causes: ignorance, craving and aversion. To achieve this goal the Buddha discovered, followed, and taught a practical way to this attainable end. He called this way the Noble Eightfold Path. This Noble Eightfold Path can be divided into 3 types of training: Sila, Samadhi, and Panna. Sila is moral practice, abstention from all wholesome actions of body and speech. Samadhi is the practice of concentration, developing the ability to consciously direct and control one’s own mental processes. Panna is wisdom, the development of purifying insight into one’s own nature. The person who wishes to practice Vipassana should be learnt only in a course where there is a proper environment to support the meditator and a properly trained guide. It is a technique, which deals with the depth of the mind and should never be approached lightly or casually.
By passing through this course the meditator relieves the mind of some of its tensions and enjoys greater mental health. The meditator finds that whatever mental strength was gained during the course, whatever was learned, can be applied in daily life for one’s own benefit and for the good of others. Life becomes more harmonious, fruitful, and happy. Vipassana literally removes the impurities from the depths of our mind. The meditator becomes egoless and it also helps considerably to change the old habit pattern of the mind. It will also help the meditator to be in the present reality. This technique is a type of experiential wisdom and if practiced regularly, will change the life of an individual completely and will enable us to become free from conditioning.
We should forever be grateful to Gotama, the Buddha for gifting us Vipassana-bhavana, and the development of insight into one’s own nature, insight by means of which one may recognize and eliminate the causes of suffering. Also we should be equally grateful to S.N. GEONKAJI for bringing from Burma the long lost treasure which originally belonged to India, back to our country and spread it across the seven seas. Our Gratitude also goes to all those great teachers who were responsible in preserving this technique in its pure form for the benefit of mankind.
May all beings be happy and peaceful!
