The retreat was in the hills a little beyond the village. At the entrance was an imposing arch, shaped like a shaolin temple manned by security guards. You went in after you showed your papers. A long winding road took you up an elevation until you were on flat grounds again. This area was walled by tall trees and there was a small cottage with abundant space around it. There were benches so that the visitors could sit and rest till the administrative paper work was completed. There was a cold water tower and many glasses provided. At the office, you had to declare all your belongings and hand them over to the staff. You went in with only your clothes on and nothing else!
In the afternoon, there was an introductory session where you were free to ask questions. A solemn looking man in a flowing robe sat with his legs tucked under him, seated on pedestal. You sat before him. “This is going to be like a deep surgery” he said, and “You will surprise yourself at the end of the session”. For the entire period of 10 days you were to not utter a single word! This already had started to look challenging.
Each person was allotted a bare spartan room with only a bed and a small table. The rooms were arranged in a forward-facing row. The lounge in between led to toilets and restrooms at the end of the corridor. There two large airy halls a little away. The area was landscaped with gardens, lawns, motifs and terracotta. But the premises were dominated by the giant golden-domed pagoda.
The next day we gathered in a meditation hall and we sat cross-legged. The hall was spacious, airy and clean – no bugs or mosquitoes. Ahead, on an upraised platform, sat our mentor. He wore white clothes. We started the session by concentrating on our breathing. Just watching how the breath comes in and goes out. Even if one were tired with the repetition, one kept doing that. This lasted about an hour. There was a break for about 10 minutes. You could refresh yourself, go to the toilet, and take a short walk in the verdant green surroundings – all in silence. No talking to each other. Then we congregated again and the practice continued. We had a lunch break between 12.00 to 2.00 p.m. We all walked in silence to the dining hall. There were about 200 people in the dining hall, but not one was talking! Again, the one-hourly sessions started and continued till 4.00 p.m. after which we had a tea/milk break of about 20 minutes. We started the session again and continued till 8.00 p.m. After that, it was time to move towards a different hall with audiovisual facilities. On a large screen the speaker spoke about the basic tenets of Vipassana, its origins, his own personal experience and the timeless quality of this ancient practice, which bestowed peace, tranquility, and self acceptance on its followers.
It was retiring time by 9.00 p.m. You entered your room locked it, shut off the light, and went to sleep. Early morning by 4.30 a.m. you were to wake up, clean up, and wash up. There were the volunteers of the facility who tinkled tiny bells in front of your room, if you did not get up! No admonishing, just reminders (gentle but firm!). Then you walked to the dining hall and had a glass of tea or milk with some wheat bread - all in total silence.
A cool breeze wafted in those early hours of the morning. Birds were not yet up and singing, but one could hear the morning approach from a distance. The signs were unmistakable. Walking from the dining hall to the meditation hall, one could see sky turn mauve from the pitch blackness. There were several meditation halls and students ascribed to their individual halls went there and even took up seats only meant for them. Then the sonorous and solemn chanting in ancient Pali resounded in the hall over the audio system. Everybody shut their eyes and took in the deep import and the effect.
The meditation schedule, after the first two days of observing the breath, turned more focused and demanding. Now you could no longer shift your legs for the one-hour session or bend your spine. You sat erect and cross-legged. The meditation grew deeper and more fulsome. You turned your attention to your body - slowly but comprehensively going over every square inch of your body from the toes to the scalp registering every sensation. Tightened muscles, stickiness, wetness, scratching sensation, twitching – any sensation that arose in the field of consciousness. Then you calmly observed the sensation through its manifestation i.e. till the time it arose, lasted, and disappeared. And you noted that it was “Anitya” or impermanent. You saw to it that it became your experience that it was “Anitya”.
The hour now seemed to pass quickly and comfortably without breaking your posture or your breath pattern. An equipoise arose in you and a sense of benevolence became your nature as you went through the entire day – hour by hour – practicing the ancient art of “Dukka Nivarana” – elimination of misery through the seeing that desire and fear were “Anitya” and making it your own personal experience.
At the end of the ten-day period, the modern-day mendicants had performed a ritual practiced by ancient Bhikkus or Buddhist monks. It was indeed like a deep and complete surgery of the entire mental apparatus.
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