The circular from our Chairman, Mr Subhash Chandra sanctioning twelve days of special leave for Esselites desirous of undergoing the Vipassana course could not have come at a more appropriate time for me. I was at the crossroad of life, or so I thought. I imagined many insecurities and was given to temperamental bouts. In short, I was not in peace with myself.
The Chairman’s circular came as boon from the blue. I grabbed the opportunity and enrolled for the course at the Vipassana Meditation and Research Centre in Alur near Bangalore. The Vipassana guidelines did give me the jitters as it clearly said: no talking, no phone calls, no visitors, not even eye contact with anybody. And to top it, the wake up time was at an unearthly 4 am. How am I going to survive this twelve-day ordeal, I wondered.
As the course rolled from one day to another, my apprehensions began to disappear. Waking up at 4 am was no longer a torment. The ‘noble silence’ that we observed was refreshing and prevented distraction. The meditation was rejuvenating. Every evening we looked forward to the recorded discourses of Vipassana Guru Sri Sathyanarayana Goenkaji, which were both thought provoking and enlightening.
The course was a journey of self discovery. We realised that the solutions to all over problems are within ourselves, and not in the outside world. The Vipassana technique focuses on the ‘Know Thyself’ theory. This was something I had not learnt as a student of psychology for three years. I am sure that no psychologist or psychiatrist has done justice to this theory as much as Vipassana has.
One of the major lessons that Vipassana teaches us is to react to every situation with a smile as nothing is permanent. This is called the Universal Law of Impermanence. It teaches how to forget and forgive as human beings are born to commit mistakes.
After the course, I can feel a major change in myself internally which I am certain will reflect externally too. Earlier, I could actually feel the blood boil in me when I was angry, but now, I have learnt to remain calm and take things in my stride. As Vipassana teaches you, “The person on the opposite side is ignorant… ignorant of the reality, ignorant of the truth, and highly ignorant of himself.” The course has exposed me to a completely new perspective of life… to look into myself first.
Having just completed the course, it might be too early to say if I have turned a new person, but I can safely vouch for the fact that I am no longer the old Surabhi.
Vipassana is about the art of living and has nothing to do with any religion or community. The technique does not even try to influence one against his religious beliefs and thoughts. It only speaks about understanding the present truth at a deeper level of mind. I strongly feel that everybody should undergo this course at least once in their lifetime. It can do wonders to you and to the world around you.
The Chairman’s circular came as boon from the blue. I grabbed the opportunity and enrolled for the course at the Vipassana Meditation and Research Centre in Alur near Bangalore. The Vipassana guidelines did give me the jitters as it clearly said: no talking, no phone calls, no visitors, not even eye contact with anybody. And to top it, the wake up time was at an unearthly 4 am. How am I going to survive this twelve-day ordeal, I wondered.
As the course rolled from one day to another, my apprehensions began to disappear. Waking up at 4 am was no longer a torment. The ‘noble silence’ that we observed was refreshing and prevented distraction. The meditation was rejuvenating. Every evening we looked forward to the recorded discourses of Vipassana Guru Sri Sathyanarayana Goenkaji, which were both thought provoking and enlightening.
The course was a journey of self discovery. We realised that the solutions to all over problems are within ourselves, and not in the outside world. The Vipassana technique focuses on the ‘Know Thyself’ theory. This was something I had not learnt as a student of psychology for three years. I am sure that no psychologist or psychiatrist has done justice to this theory as much as Vipassana has.
One of the major lessons that Vipassana teaches us is to react to every situation with a smile as nothing is permanent. This is called the Universal Law of Impermanence. It teaches how to forget and forgive as human beings are born to commit mistakes.
After the course, I can feel a major change in myself internally which I am certain will reflect externally too. Earlier, I could actually feel the blood boil in me when I was angry, but now, I have learnt to remain calm and take things in my stride. As Vipassana teaches you, “The person on the opposite side is ignorant… ignorant of the reality, ignorant of the truth, and highly ignorant of himself.” The course has exposed me to a completely new perspective of life… to look into myself first.
Having just completed the course, it might be too early to say if I have turned a new person, but I can safely vouch for the fact that I am no longer the old Surabhi.
Vipassana is about the art of living and has nothing to do with any religion or community. The technique does not even try to influence one against his religious beliefs and thoughts. It only speaks about understanding the present truth at a deeper level of mind. I strongly feel that everybody should undergo this course at least once in their lifetime. It can do wonders to you and to the world around you.
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