A
good friend, Blake Hamilton (a gold metal model citizen) introduced me
to Vipassana Meditation in January this year. February 4th I
started my first 10 day course, and found that thing that I didn't know
I had been searching for. There is a spiritual realm just out of
reach of our 5 senses, and the only way of accessing it that I had
found was through psychedelic substances. The use of these
substances, while being time tested by the shamans of ancient
societies, is not an acceptable medium for inner exploration of the
psyche in our modern culture. Vipassana to me is a legitimate
means of reaching this realm. It requires a full ten days of
silence, with no outside contact or influence, meditating eyes closed
more than 10 hours each day. In this environment there is nowhere
to run from yourself, no excuse to distract the mind from facing
itself. I have recommended in the past a psychedelic experience
to anyone with an ounce of interest in understanding life. Now I
have been exposed to an even stronger tool, which is just as scary to
experience, requires even more discipline, and is much more socially
acceptable. Thank you Mr. Goenka for bringing this ancient form
of meditation back to life for so many.
What exactly is Vipassana? To know you must really experience it,
but in short it is a focus on the current moment. It is putting
the past aside and ignoring the future for a time, and appreciating the
sensation of the current moment, specifically the sensations of the
body as you sit without moving for extended periods.. There is no
dogma, it is independant of religion, and you are to believe in nothing
except that which you personally experience. The technique is
based on the words of the Buddha, whereas Buddhism is a dogma and
interpretation of his ideas, arising many years after his death, much
like Jesus and Christianity. Our personal experiences are the
most important thing that we have, and to not embrace these sensations
is the tragedy of our time.
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