THE QUESTION: WHAT IS DHARMA
धर्मं वो है, जो या तो इंसान को बेबस बनाता है, या फिर आतंकवादी।
(dharma is that, which either makes you
either a helpless person or a terrorist.)
These words uttered by the lead
protagonist from the movie “OMG:Oh My God” very precisely explain
the predicament of dharma in the modern day world. Humans consider
themselves weak and pray to God for all kinds of wish fulfillment.
They recite their holy scriptures, but very few actually understand
them.
Those who understand knww that dharma does not make you weak. It makes
you free, independent and stronger. While reciting the Bhagvad Gita,
Lord Krishna tells that one should be a sthitpragya, the one
who maintains equanimity in the times of happiness as well as in the
times of sorrow. Swami Vivekananda interprets Mahabharata as an
internal war of the good and the evil within us, and asks us “to
arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.”[1] Moreover, Lord Krishna goes on to say that one should work for
the sake of work. Work, but do not get attached with the fruits. That
seems impossible to follow. In fact, it is because of the seeming
impracticality of these principles, that dharma and day-to-day
life are kept segregated.
In some form or the other, most of the
organized religions of the world have similar advice to offer. Yet we
say, it is difficult to follow.
How can I maintain equanimity when
there is sadness all around, when I am bankrupt, or when someone
close to me has died. How can I work without expecting fruits? It is
because that I will get a hefty raise and a decent salary that I
work. I understand that money is not everything. Yet I work for money
all the time. How can I not be angry when the other is hostile
towards me? How can I forgive someone who has harmed me? How can I
let go?
Isn't that strange that we talk about
these principles, but rarely follow them. We probably think that
there is no value in following those principles.
But then, why did all the great
thinkers and philosophers give such importance to them? Is there a
real value in practicing what is preached in dharma?
“Yes, there is...”, says Indian
Billionaire, Subhas Chandra, the man who brought the Zee TV and the
Essel Group into existence. But, he is not directly talking about any
particular philosophy. He is referring to an ancient meditation
technique, which emphasizes on the importance of morality that is
described in most of the world religions. The technique is known as
Vipassana, and he attributes his success in business to this
meditation technique. [2]
WHY I WENT FOR VIPASSANA MEDITATION?
The examples of various successful businessmen is just one of the many reasons, why I went for a 10
day retreat. Instead of going back home and staying with my parents,
I chose to stay in an Ashram where I was not allowed to speak for 9
days, out of 10.
Vipassana is a simple exercise for
training the mind, simple to explain, not necessarily simple to
follow. But, it has had far reaching consequences. When I learnt this
meditation six years ago, my anger disappeared almost completely.
And, it disappeared effortlessly. When I went to the
meditation center or when I left the place, I never consciously
thought that I will meditate so that I can control my anger. No, I
never thought of that. I simply followed the instructions, as a
result of which I became calmer. Moreover, it improved my
concentration, lessened my stress and made me happier.
People say that in modern world, stress
is a part of day-to-day life. When you go to a Vipassana retreat, you
realize that even today, happiness is a choice. Stress is the
creation of our own untrained minds (very much like untamed horses).
Apart from this, many people have got
rid of their diseases related to mind, diseases like migraine or
insomnia. In fact, the current teacher of Vipassana, S.N.Goenka was
himself an industrialist of Burma in 1950s. He suffered from a
migraine which medical science of those days could not cure. He was a
rich man and went to various countries for his cure, but none could
help him. He was administered morphine injections, so that, he could
stay calm at the times of attack. It was in such a state that someone
mentioned to him about Vipassana. He learnt the meditation technique
and got cured. Later, he made it his mission to spread this wonderful
technique to the country of its origin, India.
WHAT IS VIPASSANA?
Vipassana is to observe the truth, as
it is, in its purest form. It is taught as a 10 day course and
offered for free in many countries across the globe.
As a meditator, you have to stay in the
ashram for 10 days avoiding any contact with the external world. You
have to observe noble silence, that is not just the silence of
speech, but the silence of mind. You can talk to your teacher about
any doubts related to meditation technique, or with the organizers
about any facility or food, but you cannot talk to anyone else. You
are not allowed any books, newspapers, phones or internet. You have
to live an introverted life for 10 days. Additionally, you have to
follow vows that include: no killing, no lying, no stealing, no
sexual activity, no intoxicants.
During the course, you have to clean
your room (if you wish to), and you have to wash your own food
utensils. For many, all these rules might not sound that tough. But,
there is an additional rule: you cannot pray to God, or
perform ritual or rite of your particular organized religion. If you
can do that and follow all the above mentioned vows, you are ready to
learn Vipassana.
A typical schedule for the nine day is
as follows:
|
4:00 am |
|
Morning wake-up bell |
|
4:30-6:30 am |
|
Meditate in the hall or in your room |
|
6:30-8:00 am |
|
Breakfast break |
|
8:00-9:00 am |
|
Group meditation in the hall |
|
9:00-11:00 am |
|
Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's
instructions |
|
11:00-12:00 noon |
|
Lunch break |
|
12noon-1:00 pm |
|
Rest and interviews with the teacher |
|
1:00-2:30 pm |
|
Meditate in the hall or in your room |
|
2:30-3:30 pm |
|
Group meditation in the hall |
|
3:30-5:00 pm |
|
Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the
teacher's instructions |
|
5:00-6:00 pm |
|
Tea break |
|
6:00-7:00 pm |
|
Group meditation in the hall |
|
7:00-8:15 pm |
|
Teacher's Discourse in the hall |
|
8:15-9:00 pm |
|
Group meditation in the hall |
|
9:00-9:30 pm |
|
Question time in the hall |
|
9:30 pm |
|
Retire to your own room--Lights out |
THE TECHNIQUE
(This is not compulsory. People who cannot sit on floor or cross-legged because of some knee problem etc. are provided chairs to sit on. The compulsory thing is that when you sit your head and back should be straight.)
For the first 3 days, you learn
aanapana, wherein you are required to focus your attention on
your breath. Breath comes in, breath goes out. Just that. Plethora of
thoughts will clutter your mind every now and then and your attention
will get diverted. They tell you - Understand that it is your mind
which has not been trained. It does not know how to focus. So, stay
equanimous and accept that reality, “my mind has diverted away”
and then again focus your attention on your breath.
The instructions gradually change. And,
by the third day, your mind calms down and is sensitive enough to
feel the subtle sensations near your nostrils. In the afternoon of
the third day, Vipassana is taught. You are asked to move your
attention throughout your body. Now you can feel many sensations
throughout your body, which you were not able to feel with the
untrained mind. When you start observing these sensations, you are
introduced to a truth:
All the sensations are impermanent.
They arise and they fade away.
And you are further
told:
Do not develop any craving or
aversion towards those sensations. Just observe them objectively, and
strengthen your ability to stay equanimous.
As you continue observing the
sensations, you start believing in the stated truth, not because
someone told you, but because you can feel it by your own experience.
For example, you feel itching sensation, do not take that hand of
yours and use it to scratch that part of your body. Instead, just
observe. Just observe. This is a sensation. It is temporary. It will
fade away.
And, now that you have experienced that
truth, you start observing that for the first time, you are doing a
practical of dharma. You are being a 'stithapragya'. Whether the
sensation is good or bad, you are neither generating any craving, nor
generating any aversion. Yes, this is the practical of the
dharma, which we have always read and believed in theory.
In the evening discourse, you are
explained in detail. “Nature has its own rules. If you generate
compassion, you feel happy. If you generate hate, you feel miserable.
And, once you develop this faculty of observing your sensations, you
understand this law of nature.” And, these laws are exactly what Buddha had recited in Pali language some 2500 years ago. You follow his word as it is.
On the tenth day, you learn Mangal
Maitri, that helps generate compassion.
CONCLUSION
As already stated, Vipassana meditation was discovered by the Buddha.
But, it is important to remember that Buddha was just a man. And,
when you practice this meditation, you are not being converted from
one organized religion to another. It is just that the teachings of
Buddha are for everyone.
True Dhamma is universal. And, anyone who
follows the path is bound to become happier. Siddharth Gautam did not
have the monopoly of becoming a Buddha. Anyone and everyone willing
to work hard can become a Buddha.
Yes, this appears mystical and
otherworldly. But, to my rational and pragmatic mind, the practice of
this meditation helps me improve my focus and live my life in a
better manner. It is a highly developed science of mind, that cannot
be explained through experiments and words. It has to be felt. You
have to perform the experiment on your own mind and body and you have
to yourself learn the truth about the mind matter phenomenon.
Everyone should try a 10 day course to feel the positive impact of this mediation. It will transform your views about happiness and dhamma forever. Yes, it might be difficult to find that kind of time. But, when you are determined, you can do anything. When people like Subhash Chandra, who have business empires to run, can cut themselves off from the world for 10 days to meditate, then for others like us, not being able to find that kind of time are merely excuses that show our disinterest or laziness.
May you get to experience the true
Dhamma !
And, May You Stay Happy !
For more inspiration, you can watch:
(a) Vipassana in Business http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Msp1XAJu8
(b) Vipassana Course for Business Executives: http://www.executive.dhamma.org/en/index.htm
(c) Vipassana in Tihar Jail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8tZX3dGSM8
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[1] The “goal” refers to controlling our own mind (The Science of Breathing – Swami Vivekananda )
[2] Forbes Article where Subhash Chandra talks about the meditation: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/0326/billionaires-12-asia-pacific-subhash-chandra-zee-tv-vipassana-transcendental.html
