How Vipassana meditation has helped me to move forward – by sitting still
Like many that came before me, I wanted to see what the meditation hype was all about. I mean, who doesn’t want to be “10% happier”? During my quest for a meditation practice, I came across Vipassana meditation. Vipassana meditation is an ancient meditation technique that was rediscovered by Buddha some 2,500 years ago[1]. This meditation practice is taught in present day through many different forms, but when I came across a 10-day silent retreat, I quickly applied for the next course offering and received notification of acceptance a few weeks later (you’re asked to fill out an application and write a short summary as to why you would like to participate in the course). I was super excited! Ten days of silence, away from the hustle and bustle from everyday life, who wouldn’t be? Right? Well, little did I know I was about to embark on one of the most challenging and trying 10 days of my life. Below are 10 things I learned – that most likely will stick with me for the rest of my life.
1. The habit pattern of the mind
Most of us think little about the ‘micro’ posture adjustments as we go about our days at our modern-day battle stations, the office desk. You cross one leg over the other, you lean forward, you lean back, we shift our weight in this direction or that other direction, heck, you might even stretch your arms up. We perform micro-adjustments all day long, and who really pays much attention to this? The first day of the course I became very much aware- painfully aware of said posture adjustments. We were asked to sit and to focus on the breath, as I’m working really hard to keep my attention centered, I can hear my fellow meditators throughout the meditation hall, tossing and turning. “Oh good, I’m not the only person in here who is just painfully uncomfortable.” This is the habit pattern of the mind, always seeking to move away from discomfort – averting “what is”. “You can’t control what happens to you, only how you react.” While most of us understand this common saying at an intellectual level, it’s another thing to understand it at an experiential level. Sitting for long hours at a time, you are essentially forced to understand that you cannot control certain things, and the more you resist, the more the pain persists; the mind will always try to move away from pain, the untrained mind that is (more on this later).
2. Breathing is truth
The first thing we are taught in the meditation hall is to focus our attention on the breath, literally as the breath enters and exits the nostrils. No matter the type of meditation practice, they all share a common theme – a component of breath work. Why is this so fundamental to meditation? I would discover throughout the course that breathing is a vital tool to being in the absolute present moment. “I should’ve said this…”, “I should’ve done that…”, “I have this blog to write…”, “I’ve got an interview coming up…”; these are the types of thoughts that constantly bounce around in my head, and probably most of us experience similar thoughts through-out our day. While it may be a fact that I have an interview coming up in the next few weeks, it is not reality. Breathing is a tool for your mind to see reality as it really is, most of the outer world is our own creation, it is an overlay of our perception of the truth. When you focus on your breath for hours on end, you begin to see reality as it really is – your breath is truth, and while it may be a fact that I have an interview scheduled, it is not reality. Reality is this moment.
3. The most important moment of your life is now
Yes, we have all had special moments in our lives, falling in love, the birth of a child, landing that dream job, but that is no longer the reality. Those past moments are simply memories from our past, and the moment that is the most important moment is what you decide to do now (literally). This current moment is the reality, it is the truth of your life. This moment is all you have, and all you will ever have. While thinking about the future allows us humans to attain and achieve great things, e.g., building the first automobile, landing on the moon, are products of individuals thinking about the future. While you might be thinking about the dream home that you would like to buy one day, the truth is, that dream home is not reality. Yes, while you may very well someday own that beautiful home, the only way you will obtain it, is by getting to work right now. The only truth is now, and meditation is a great tool that helps you embody this truth, and the practical benefit is that it helps you take action towards your goals.
4. Awareness of oneself will make you dangerous
After sitting and going deep into one’s psyche, you will naturally reflect on your past circumstances. You see how your childhood has influenced you, how your environment has influenced you, but most importantly you begin to see what your natural inclinations are – this is self-awareness. When you know who you are, there is no stopping you, not any person, not any external circumstance will stop you. You know who you are and where you’re going. You are dangerous.
5. Pain is real, suffering is optional
After sitting for long hours, holding postures for extended periods of time, the body naturally begins to experience aches and pains. This is normal and expected, but suffering is optional. What is the difference between pain and suffering? Not to get too much into the science, but here is a brief scientific description of both: Pain is a physiological response to some stimulus, while suffering is a psychological response. So, why is suffering optional and how can one learn to control it? During the first Vipassana meditation session, the instructions were to sit for a period of two hours and to “not move”. We were first asked to focus on the breath (again), at about minute 45 of the two-hour sit, the pain that I began to experience was almost unbearable, and it was taking every ounce of will-power to not get up and move to get some relief. The instructions that followed changed me forever; we were asked to shift our attention from the breath to the top of the head – and as soon as I did, the excruciating pain that I was feeling just moments earlier was gone – completely gone. How could this be? I know the pain was there just a few seconds ago, and I know it was real because the pain had brought me to tears, and now it was 100% gone. How was this possible? See, the pain that I was feeling during the meditation sit had never actually left my body, but what did leave me that moment was the suffering. As soon as I shifted my focus to the top of the head, in essence re-focusing my attention, the suffering vanished. I learned that I have the power to shift my focus, and therefore to essentially eliminate suffering at will.
6. Equanimity is achieved through suffering
On the flip side, the absolute only way to achieve an equanimous mind, is to suffer. Paradoxically, you must suffer to learn how to control and to minimize suffering. Equanimity is being able to remain “even-keeled” amid unpleasant sensations and uncomfortable situations and to have the wisdom to carry this same state of mind into comfortable situations and when experiencing pleasant sensations. The only way to gain this wisdom is through suffering. Step into those uncomfortable situations and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised on the other side.
7. You are the source of your anger
Someone has done something that you did not like, and now you are angry. Do you believe it was that person’s actions that are causing your anger? The truth is, it is your expectations of that person’s behavior that is at the root of your anger. When our expectations are not met, we become irritated and angry. Only you can make yourself angry, no one else. So, let go of expectations.
8. Compassion is powerful
What is compassion? Webster defines it as “concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” When you make a genuine effort to exercise compassion, your inner world changes. One of the best methods to make compassion genuine, is to be hyper-aware that all humans face the same destination. In the words of Steve Jobs, “sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Death is the destination we all share, no one has ever escaped it.” This is a powerful tool because once you are compassionate toward the world, the world in turn becomes compassionate toward you, this elevated emotional state will drive action – and action is powerful. Don’t take my word for it, give it a try.
9. Your physical sensations condition your mind
Most of us are not aware that there is a deep interconnection between the physical sensations that our body is continuously experiencing – and our mind. A light breeze hits our skin, an itch at the tip of our nose, the fabric from our clothes as it touches our skin, are all physical inputs that we don’t pay much attention to. It is only through systematic and patient observation of the physical sensations that form the life of the body, that we begin to understand the deep interconnection between body and mind. It is through this direct experience that one’s awareness of the mechanics of how the human body produces suffering begins to be understood, and in turn we begin to understand how we can move toward alleviating ourselves from suffering by remaining equanimous, by remaining in wisdom.
10. Patience will allow you to move fast
This might seem counter-intuitive but having absolute patience with yourself and with those around you, will give you the opportunity to exercise compassion, which will turn into action, and ultimately make you move faster in the direction of your goals and will sustain productivity. A patient demeanor results in meticulous care toward your tasks, which leads to high-quality results.
I invite you to go within and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised.
[1] https://www.dhamma.org