What is Vipassana Meditation? 10 days of strict silence in the camp

What can intensive meditation for 11 hours, every day, for 10 days in a row transform you into?

There's only one way to find out. September 2015. I realized that I had no chance to escape. The phone was handed over, the parking lot was locked, communication with other participants was stopped.

Starts Vipassana Meditation Camp.

What makes these meditations special? Are they worth a try for you?

A couple of months ago: Why did I decide to try Vipassana meditations?

I didn't mention in the participant's questionnaire that I was mainly motivated to come here by curiosity - how I will feel when I go outside my comfort zone. I wanted to make sure that the emotional and physical growth I had done over the past five years had improved my neutral state of mind.

I say neutral because I didn't know how I would feel not doing my morning rituals, not exercising, not eating my normal foods, and completely giving up everything I love.

Of course, I expected something. I wanted to learn how to stay focused longer and improve introspection, processes that have long and regularly after 20 minutes, I meditated in the morning.

Reading about Vipassana, this practice did not appear to be steeped in incense and clothed in colored garments, which are associated with other meditation practices and Eastern religions. I promised my friends and family that I wasn't leaving to become a sectarian.

Although on the last day at home I wondered: "What the hell did I sign up for?"...

The camp was held in Molėtai district, in a homestead by Lake Bebrusu. On the eve, about 100 curious participants from all over Lithuania gathered. A small group of Englishmen and one Pole also arrived. I didn't meet any acquaintances, but does that change anything?

"Working with yourself" will start the next morning, so in the evening everyone once again delved into the rules, wished each other luck, said goodbye, and then the vow of noble silence came into effect - not to communicate with other meditators in any way until the last day.

We also promised not to do physical exercises, not to run, not to do yoga and not to make a fuss in any other way, because it will distract not only your attention, but also that of others.

The camp is free of charge and gives meditators the opportunity to live like monks. This means that food and shelter are provided by the well-being of others.

Plus, there are five oaths to follow:

1. No stealing - no borrowing toothpaste.
2. Without taking life - yes, a completely vegetarian diet.
3. Abstain from sexual intercourse,
4. Don't lie - it's easy when you don't speak at all.
5. Do not use alcohol.

And finally, one must completely detach oneself from one's worldly life.

No phone, no notes, no books to read, no music, and really nothing but toiletries and clothes. Males and females live separately, eat separately and walk in cordoned sections. Although everyone gathers in a common meditation hall, they use dedicated entrances and sit in separate groups.

Day no. 1: Am I addicted to coffee?

4:00 – the first gong heralds the beginning of a dark and cold morning. It's time to get up, shower and start an hour and a half meditation marathon.

Approximately 6 and a half hours were allocated for sleep. According to the Vipassana system, this is enough for a person without active physical activity. But it must have appeared to few, because everyone looked like zombies. Peaceful, calm and meditating zombies.

6:00 – we received a warm breakfast and tea. It was already bright after the meal. I was walking and couldn't help but wonder how low my activity level was without my regular cup of coffee. Caffeine is my second favorite molecule, but I don't believe I'm addicted to it. Coffee just takes my activity to a higher level.

During the rest of the day, the thought of going back to the cabin and taking a nap kept coming back to him.
There were four of us and we set some rules the night before. And all other household affairs took place by themselves, completely uncomplicated. Since everyone didn't talk for the same reasons, by the evening of the first day it didn't bother me at all. At least by me.

Day no. 2: Contraband immunity

One of the hardest days for me and probably many others.

In my mind, I rebelled against the lack of physical activity, because our bodies are built for movement and we feel best in movement. Sitting for hours is unnatural.

You were allowed to sit as you wanted. Lotus, half lotus, Zen-folded legs - whatever. Others even used special benches or simple chairs.
My biggest concerns were my knees and back.

It seemed illogical. How can a person focus on meditation when in pain? Oh, how little I knew back then…

Vipassana, he explained to us, was rediscovered by Gautama Buddha, and thanks to a chain of teachers, the method has been preserved unchanged for about 2,500 years. I believe Gautama was a cool guy, but I also believe in evolution and technological progress. Especially when these take place on ancient foundations. My inner hacker kicked in.

Perhaps 20-minute meditation sessions with breaks are a more effective method for improving introspection? Why close your eyes if you don't have to in Zen meditation? Why not meditate outside?

There was rebellion in my mind and unwillingness to listen to the audio instructions of Goenka, the main and current teacher of the system.

During lunch, at 11 o'clock, I found a theoretically inexhaustible supply of black and green tea in the canteen. I was overjoyed when I felt the familiar effect of caffeine pleasantly making my mind spin faster than yesterday.

After fiddling with the schedule, I also remembered that there is no need to dehydrate and, despite the cool weather, to drink enough water.

Not to mention, the weather conditions became ungrateful - cloudy, raining, cold humidity. A cold epidemic has started successfully and progressively. Before the camp, it was repeated many times that it is not appropriate to carry non-prescription drugs. I guess that most of those who got sick regretted it very much.

There were no drugs in my secret biohacker box - which I had hoped not to use - but I didn't need them. 500 mg vitamin C capsules, warm thermal clothes and a cold shower in the morning helped keep my immunity strong.

Day no. 3: Tamed routine

I established an acceptable schedule for myself, which began with the fact that I stopped going to group meditations in the morning. During the day, we had about 10 and a half hours of meditation, divided into blocks of different lengths. 6 sessions were compulsory and took place in the hall, while the rest depended on the teacher's instructions and personal determination.

In theory, two sessions (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) are also dedicated to meditation, but you can also meditate in the room.

That's why I did this. I get up with everyone, I take a shower, then I meditate in the room for half an hour, and I take a nap for the remaining hour until breakfast. Heresy or not, I felt better during the day.

Of course, my tactics had one flaw.

It was a short walk from the living quarters to the men's mess. About 150 meters. The canteen was right next to the colleagues who came out of the hall. Therefore, those who "meditated" in bed (believe me, I was certainly not the only one) sometimes had to scrape the porridge from the bottom of the pot. To hear the breakfast gong, to put on outdoor clothes... We were not in the army, so it seemed unnecessary to rush.

There was yogurt and cereal for breakfast, so no one really went hungry. However, I preferred oatmeal, which I diluted with a little milk, sweetened with butter (when there was any left over) and sunflower seeds.

We got tea three times a day because everything was taken back to the kitchen with the food. Monks don't drink tea for themselves. But the tactic of having spare tea in their pockets soon became common among men. Because there was always hot water in the canteen. I believe that an active mind simply meditates better.

I quickly stopped following another recommendation. Left alone in the room, I would do push-ups, pull-ups under the table and general stretching exercises. It is interesting that when meditating then I felt my body much better on a physical level, which later allowed me to experience a completely different spectrum of experiences.

The days began to be divided into clear blocks:

1. Breakfast and morning meditation until 11 am.
2. Lunch and break until 13:00.
3. Afternoon meditations until 6 p.m.
4. Tea break and evening meditations with a lecture until 9 p.m.

Day no. 4: We start(?) to meditate Vipassana

So what have we been up to now? It turns out that we are meditating Anapana - an introductory meditation, when attention is focused on breathing.

During the evening lectures, it was emphasized that all forms of meditation are good, but Vipassana is the best, the purest, because this tradition:

1. Not changed;
2. It does not tell you to concentrate on a word or an image - a mantra or a visualization - that leads to one or another cult and idolatry.

Vipassana meditation is about focusing your attention on the sensations in your body - not judging them - but just observing them objectively.

• And this leads to the skill of not judging events (good/bad) in your environment.
• And this leads to not creating desires (to get something or to avoid something).
• And this leads to liberation from old desires - associations/neuroassociations (which are hidden in the subconscious).
• And this leads to enlightenment.
• This is where the saying comes from, that Vipassana is self-work.

Later the weather improved. Although it was not very warm, we got portions of the sun. Being outside during breaks made me feel so much better. So I found out that it takes me 756 steps to get around the men's area, which is surrounded by a rope. And the paved walkway has about 750 tiles.

For seating, we had three benches, seven large benches with tables and one picnic table. I forgot how many trees and barbecues there were around.

The established routine and the realization that there was still a lot of time left in the camp were not happy thoughts. But the meditation sessions and days gradually became emotionally and physically easier.

I watched how beautiful nature really is, how natural lighting highlights or hides a house on a lake island. I became very fascinated by trees, and birches in particular, and decided that they were my favorite trees. One of the favorite moments of the day was watching the eastern corner of the forest "light up" in the light of the evening sun before the 7 o'clock meditation.

Day no. 5: . . .

The number five looks like the middle and half of ten. But it turns out that this is not true. Day no. 5 means that there are six days left, because you have to count the current day as well. Day no. 6 means there are five days left and so on. As it turned out later, I was not the only one demotivated by this truth.

News of the day: Aditana is an hour-long, firm-willed meditation without moving or opening your eyes. Once in the morning, afternoon and evening. When this was told in the hall, there were no comments.

My inner rebel calmed down. But the hacker is not.

I decided that in order to spend the rest of my time productively, I had to find something interesting. The only and greatest interest was Aditana. I sat down, took on the challenge, and began to meditate. And something interesting happened. It allowed me to immerse myself in one of the deepest meditations of my life.

Contrary to what I imagined, deep meditation is not something like a trance. 

For me, it was a state when I was clearly aware of what was happening around me, I could hear everything - sneezing, walking, rustling - but nothing was distracting me. It seems that I just accepted the whole environment without evaluating it.

At the same time, the attention was focused on myself and I could observe and feel processes that are usually imperceptible. But even my own thoughts did not distract me.

• Her.
• Just.
• Was.

I realized that you will not be able to get into this state by sitting for only 20 minutes. Unless I become a Jedi.

I clearly remember the first thoughts that came to me after descending to that depth: “Strength. Good. But there must be shorter paths to reach this state. Extreme sports and flow phenomenon or psychedelics. One way or another, I will definitely try to come back here again."

According to the instructions, I had to observe the sensations arising on the parts of the body.
However, I discovered one effect that really interested me...

Focusing on a part of the body, say the forearm, I would feel the muscles there contract slightly. But it was different from trying to flex a muscle when you just want it in your mind. When you tense a muscle deliberately - it happens the phenomenon of irradiation (surrounding muscle groups are also automatically activated). It is natural and very beneficial. However, during meditation, only the muscle I focused on would gently activate.

• Normally, the muscles of a moderately trained person can contract up to 80%. The rest of the 20% relies on neurocoding, a technique that separates the pros from the amateurs.
• Is the focus, launched into the muscle, and part of those potential 20%? If so, how can I replicate this effect in motion? For example, rock climbing or weight pushing?

I spent the whole day shooting my muscles, watching and thinking about it. In the evening, I once again managed to fall into a state of heightened attention.

It is interesting that this concentration was not distracted by the minimal movements of the fingers and back. It was like I was sitting in my own attention bubble.

Day no. 6: The end

Unfortunately, playing the attention and muscle game got boring, and even after a few successful Aditans, that interest was released.

The learning process motivates me a lot, but we didn't learn any new techniques until the last day, so most of the meditations became free-flowing time.

I came to improve my ability to concentrate and I guess I did.

I didn't want to give up my desires and sufferings, because as I now understand, my desires and sufferings motivate. I have no doubt that this perception will change in the future, but during the camp I was the closest to what I imagine allows me to break away from human desires. I'm not saying that I was on the verge of some kind of enlightenment. Not really. But gently, just barely, I felt what a consciousness that needed nothing would look like. But I didn't dare and I didn't want to.

Now I think that was kind of a turning point.

Therefore, the rest of my days in the camp became the same and full of mundane planning of what I would do after I escaped to freedom.

The evening lectures were getting a bit annoying, but to be expected. Because it was a different part of the day when the brain could actively listen.

Those who only understood Lithuanian and new students stayed in the hall and listened to the translated audio recording. Even old students who came from abroad would watch a video in another room where teacher Goenka would tell stories and explain about Vipassana in English.

Among the meditators there were old students - participating in the course not for the first time. The difference is that the old students had to follow the rules of several papillomas.

1. To sleep on a mattress that is on the ground (I imagine it because I haven't seen it myself). It symbolized not sleeping in a worldly bed.
2. Not eating after 18:00 in the evening and giving up body decoration, whatever that means.

I also noticed that some old students in the canteen patiently waited until everyone else had their food and only then took their modest portion.

One way or another, we only got tea and a fruit or two for dinner. I usually didn't eat it either, because I knew that my body would be able to more calmly switch to a state of hunger, and sugar would only encourage my appetite to rise again during my evening meditations.

Day no. 7-9: The same

The lake ceased to be interesting, except one evening when a passing boat played rock loudly. At some point, several neighbors of the meditation hall left. I realized that it is much more difficult to deal with boredom when meditating than with physical discomfort or extraneous thoughts.

And speaking of time and thoughts, that's exactly how I started writing this article. I remember reading the hand cream ingredients label in the cubicle more times than I care to remember. In all languages.

It was interesting to see how all the participants constructed unique meditation chairs out of pillows and blankets on their mats. Everyone gets a basic, slightly soft square. Return to your place every time, so you can leave things there.

A universal method for more comfortable meditation looks something like this:

1. Put something under your butt that lifts you off the ground a bit.
2. Place two risers under both knees, but not as high as under the butt.

Day no. 10: Time for noble chatter

At 11 o'clock in the morning, the noble silence ended, and everyone could pick up their phones and start sharing their experiences. The actual end of the course is scheduled for the next morning, and the rest of the time is for a gentle return to reality.

By chance, during lunch I happened upon a table of healthy skeptics, which consisted of people of all ages and walks of life.

In a brief three-hour discussion, we deconstructed the teaching of Vipassana, sharing experiences and insights. We have found parallels with various religious traditions (although Vipassana is not a religion) and even neuro-linguistic programming.

I like to listen more, so below are not just my opinions, but general thoughts:

1. Detached from external stimuli and ordinary affairs, you remain with yourself - this is a state in which we are very rarely and superficially. A strict schedule is stressful and exhausting, forcing meditators into states of physical and emotional discomfort, which, by observing and refusing to judge, cultivates the skill of introspection called Anychia in the vipassana tradition.
2. During the rituals of the day, the brain gets tired and lowers some of its protective skepticism in the evening, and thanks to the monotony, it becomes hungry for new information, so it becomes very receptive to what it hears during the evening lectures.
3. It is interesting that not a single question was asked during the entire camp. We have been told to put everything we know aside and accept the teaching offered. To fully and fully practice the Vipassana method, but only for ten days, and then choose whether to stick with it or not. Although in recent days that offer has turned into a pretty serious promotion.

The rest of the time I listened to more different opinions. Internal rebels were a recurring theme. But there were people who really needed some serious training in life to learn how to deal with external factors without stressing them out.

At the beginning of the camp and during the evening lectures, we were warned about the dangers of using other meditation techniques. Or early termination of the course and departure from the camp. About the fact that the dangers exist, but not about what they are.

It didn't seem serious until I heard a story about a roommate of ours who, after one evening of meditation after everyone had left the room, was unresponsive to the staff's attempts to make contact. It's hard not to jump to conclusions and speculate. However, the roommate returned in the evening. But the next day he left the camp.

The teachers were a married couple who had come from some international Vipassana center. For men, a man. For women, a woman. During the meditations, we were invited to come a few at a time and were asked how we were doing. Although the teacher's answers and wishes were sincere, they were always general, related to the instructions already heard. They left before the camp was over. Must be quite a busy schedule.

On all days, an hour was set aside in the afternoon for personal conversations with the teacher. The hour is divided into ten-minute intervals, at which you had to write your name. The meditators could also ask questions after the last meditation in the evening.

We said our goodbyes, exchanged a few contacts and returned to the normal world. Those who wanted could join regular Vipassana meditations in their cities, purchase books, donate to future camps and their organization costs.

We have already become old students who can return to other camps for both the full course and a shorter three-day course.

Also, anyone who completes the course can volunteer at all Vipassana camps held anywhere in the world. You only need to take care of how to get there, and food and shelter in exchange for working in the camp. Of course, you can meditate there to your heart's content.

After all, I still sometimes get asked, would I recommend this experience to others?

Ten days of 11 hour meditations is very intense. However, this course is designed for people who have not meditated before. But Vipassana is a 2,500-year-old method, and the fact that there are more than 280 places around the world that hold these courses means something.

Vipassana camp is not about finding answers to life's questions, but that doesn't mean those questions won't be answered. Maybe not directly and not even during the camp.

It has been said many times that it is work on yourself to free yourself - of course not completely and not in 10 days - from the desires that are the universal cause of all suffering. But it does not mean that after the camp the desire to smoke, drink alcohol or drive recklessly will disappear.

If you want to learn how to meditate, I can make you both happy and sad. You don't need to learn to meditate. You just sit down and meditate. Best every day. How long does it take? Individual. I spend about 20 minutes.

A couple of caveats:

1. If you have never meditated, it will be difficult at the Vipassana camp.
2. If you can't easily touch your toes with your hands - you don't have good flexibility - it will be difficult to sit up straight and long.

If Vipassana can be called the art of life, then it is necessary to add that it is not the only art of life.

However, it is a great medium for developing the skill of introspection that allows us to get out of the states we all live in. And a little touch to a different way of life. Leave your comfort state. After all, new experiences open up new perceptions.

– Simas Balčiūnas