There is something surreal about being in silence, observing silence, and feeling silent. Three different states that were synonymous to me, until I hopped on the 10-day vipassana journey to see what happens. Vipassana was a mad concept when I first heard about it from someone I had just randomly met in Kalimpong, West Bengal. I never thought I would do this myself, but the string of events that happened was perhaps just designed for this to materialize! Another friend gave a slight nudge, and I found myself outside the main hall at Buddha Pada in a tiny yet mesmerizing place called Kalimpong, contemplating why I have signed up to go on hibernation when I can do so many things, be in so many places, find happiness in so many ways. The questions made me reluctant to submit my phone β a pre-requisite for the retreat, but the deed had to be done. What follows next is a series of 10 slow yet eventful days that made me travel, question, answer, happy, sad, curious, mad, content, joyous, relaxed, and finally made me eager to want to step back into the world with a refreshed mindset and body.
I went for a 10-day silent retreat practicing Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation under Bhikku Dhammagavesi and Hugh Poulton in Buddha Pada Institute, Kalimpong. The diaphanous similarities between meditation and conscious living scream to be heard together, and this article is just an attempt at that.
TWIM is one of the many forms of meditation that teaches Buddhaβs teachings in its own very unique way. The course was structured in a way that gave us the opportunity to explore meditation in a practical manner. We were taught Sukhita Yoga (developed by Hugh Poulton himself which focuses on moving through and with the energetic center), and walking meditation in addition to the normal traditional meditation that we see and know of. The whole experience, now in retrospect, teaches us about the impermanence of things and therefore about what truly means to be living a balanced life – a question that has to invite dedication and thought by anyone asking this question. Where does the material world stand in this regard is perhaps a question that I am yet to answer for myself. The teachings of the Buddha urge us to leave the strong sense of βIβ or self-belongingness we as humans have, and that on which capitalism harps and capitalizes on. While I am far from truly being able to relinquish this strong association with self, having the knowledge that I and all humans have a tendency to personalize any and everything is a great tool to cope with situations where needed.
The energetic flows feel like a wave of freshness within, while doing the Yoga, or while meditating. As the days slipped by, and I started understanding the power of meditation, I truly felt the interconnectedness of our practice. The course is a practical retelling of what Bhante Vimalramsi (who founded TWIM) says about meditation β that meditation is life, and life is meditation! The basis of the entire practice sits on the conservation of energy and not on consumption of energy. Within a few days into the retreat, the bodily clock aligns, the appreciation for the outside world enhances and we start having valuable interactions with self and the external in several ways. In a world where we are exploited with devices, tools, and choices like never before, TWIM teaches us to use just one tool with maximum efficiency and come to the realization to think rationally about any given situation, craving, or even aversion.
Our teachers used to say that they are merely guides in this journey and that it is us who have to teach ourselves. So apt, I wonder! Isnβt this actually how the world works? Gradual and incremental change is the rite of path, and it is upon us to steer the wheel in whichever direction we want to, with whichever intensity we are most comfortable with at that moment. Slow and sustained growth over a period of time compounds itself to maximum gains and also gives us the perspective to work for a larger vision. The mechanical and mindless world often dismisses the nuances of what the natural and a humanly world is capable of. The addiction to numbers and growth blinds the worldly world off the beauty in letting time marinate over projects and ideas or even guide the course of certain events. As I had started approaching the end of the retreat, I had also questioned my teachers if my progress was going fine, wondering why nothing new or mind-boggling is happening β basically trying to plot more things than needed. My teachers laughed and said all is just fine. The journey doesnβt end in these 10 days, in fact, a new journey began on my 1st day. And I may hit re-set several times, in several ways, and there will be growth even if I may not be able to make sense.
Simplicity and ease, smile and compassion. We were asked to work with love and kindness as the main object of our meditation, our guiding compass being a smiling heart. A kinder and gentler world is exactly what we need today, and if it was for a world with compassion, half of the fights would evaporate in thin air. Half of the battles would not have to be fought, or may not be as difficult as they are currently. The meditation opens a portal for a responding attitude, not a reacting attitude. When we sit with our own selves for hours, concentrating inward, somehow the world around us grows in space. Often a tense mind and body feels claustrophobic and jolted, but an inward perspective frees the world and re-enforces humanity with humility. And as one grows into the course, it becomes second nature to spread this positivity and kindness around.
In a world where sufferings have no end, the meditation asks us to re-wire how we see things, and maybe then respond in the most appropriate way. Happiness is a process, not a destination. Similarly, being relaxed about a situation is a state of mind. The level of both of these that we try to maintain shall eventually be translated to what we feed in our minds, and how we act. While the teachings are simple, truly living by them is an art. And we, the artists of life, should try our hands on this, right? Maybe then, we shall be kinder to one another, and to our living planet as well. The jargons for being eco and socio-conscious are on the rise, but maybe the intention we put in to really be mindful, aware, and empathetic should also be.
