Noble
Silence & Me
e practice of Vipassana meditation involves following the
principles of Dhamma (Pali) / Dharma (Sanskrit), the way
to liberation - which is the universal law of nature.
W
hat intrigued me was
that you don't speak to
anyone for 10 days,
what bliss, especially
since my voice box has been chattering
non stop for the last 4 decades.
When is this possible, well at least for
working professionals like me, perhaps
only during in-between jobs. While working,
one can probably take 10 days off, but
being away from cell phone and email is
almost next to impossible these days.
This happened at Vipassana meditation
center, outskirts of Bangalore, about 1
hour drive from M G road, in Alur village
on Tumkur road.
Vipassana, which means to see things
as they really are, in Pali language, is
one of India's most ancient techniques
of meditation. It was rediscovered by
Gautama - The Buddha, more than 2500
years ago and was taught by him as a
universal remedy for universal maladies.
Pali is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical
language native to the Indian
subcontinent. Pali died out as a literary
language in mainland India in the
fourteenth century.
It is a logical process of mental
purification through self-observation.
The practice of Vipassana meditation
involves following the principles of
Dhamma (Pali) / Dharma (Sanskrit), the
way to liberation - which is the universal
law of nature. It involves walking on the
noble eight-fold path, which is broadly
categorised into Sila (Morality),
Samadhi (concentration) and Pañña
(wisdom, insight).
To learn Vipassana, it is necessary to
take a ten-day (in travel parlance it is
actually 11 nights and 12 days)
residential course under the guidance
of a qualified teacher. During the entire
duration of the retreat, students remain
within the course campus, having no
contact with the outside world. During
the course, participants follow a
prescribed Code of Discipline. We also
observe noble silence by not
communicating with fellow students,
including not having eye contact with
fellow meditators. During meal times as
well, one sits behind each other and not
facing other.
Oct./Nov. 2019 www.yogicherald.com
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