Vipassana: An important OS update (part 2/3)

I lived like a monk for 10 days to learn Vipassana, an ancient meditation technique. Here's how it went.

(check out part 1 to read about what Vipassana is)

Why did I decide to go?

I don't come from a religious background. I am an outcome of people of science. My parents are doctors. So are my maternal grandparents. On the other side of the family, my dada-dadi majored in chemistry. While science and religion aren't mutually exclusive, I think it is safe to generalise that they don't usually go together. Religion was never forced. My brother and I had the freedom to form our own beliefs, and we didn't grow up to be particularly religious. We are fairly open-minded, which is what attracted us to try this out. My brother did the same course 3 years ago, and after hearing about his experience and the experience of some relatives, I was all the more curious to check it out.

I got a lot of pep talks once I decided to go. I learnt that Vipassana bore different values and significance to everyone depending on where they are currently in their life and what they go in expecting. I made a conscious effort not to form many expectations. But when asked why I was going, which was very frequent, I said that I wanted to learn to be still and be content in my own company. It is true, and I did learn those things to a great extent, but that's not all.

(I would like to note that Buddhism isn't technically a religious discipline but is often mistaken for one)

A little bit about Buddhism

For a high school literary assignment, I had deep-dived into analysing the work of J.D Salinger, an American author most famously known for his novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’ Buddhism was a predominant theme in his fiction. I was intrigued by its secular nature, but apart from that, I didn't know much about it until now.

This eastern approach to understanding the universe is expressed in "the four noble truths":

• Dukkha (suffering)

• Samudaya (the cause of suffering)

• Nirodha (the end of suffering)

• Magga (the path that leads to the end of suffering)
  

Buddhism does not promote, reward or reject any religion. Central to Buddhist ideals is Dhamma (pali for Dharam). Today Dharam means religion. It lost its true meaning through the years, and I loved how Goenka Ji explained it. From my understanding, Dhamma is the law of nature. It dictates the truth and the natural order of the universe. Fire burns as a verb and a noun. That is the Dhamma of fire. Over the 10 days of discourse and the 20 years of my existence, I have come to understand that misery is the nature of our existence.

Go to part 3 to read about my experience of learning Vipassana.