VMC Day 1

Posted retrospectively.

Shelburne, Mass - Here is the normal daily schedule at VMC.

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
11:00-12:00 am     Lunch break
12:00 -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
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

So there I was on the first day, up and at 'em at 4am. Actually, I quite enjoyed the early morning meditation - slipping into the warm, inviting hall while it was still dark outside and tuning into my mind before it became stimulated by the events and activities of the day. We were not required to be in the meditation hall for that early morning session, so many people just stayed in their rooms. Indeed, I suspect that many people just stayed in their beds. But somehow, I did not have too much trouble getting out of my warm cozy bed, knowing that I was just moving my body to the warm cozy comfort of the hall.
 
If and when I got sleepy, I would take a short break, get a drink of water, walk around in the cool air outside, then return to the meditation hall. At 6am, the assistant teacher would play a recording of chanting, which (I later read) was supposed to fill the room with love and positive vibes to enable our learning. It actually was an uplifting start to the day.
 
After breakfast I was back in bed for an hour (nothing else to do), then we all made our way in the meditation hall for our first Group Sitting.
 
Instructions for Day 1: focus your attention on your breath (always through your nose); when your mind wanders - as it does - don't get frustrated, just gently bring it back to the matter at hand - the breath. This is what we would do all day long.
 
For the record, things would not change too much on the following days. Our instructions became a little more explicit, eg, narrowing the area on the nose and lip where we were to focus our attention and feel the breath. But for the most part, we spent the first three days just breathing. Breathing.

I definitely got antsy. It's interesting to see where the mind wanders off to, though. I rehashed incidents from the past - as far back as high school and college. I fantasized about my next assignment in Belize (and "fantasize" is the right word, as the book is not even scheduled for an update yet). I had fullout arguments with friends, who I imagined would question my intentions for doing this course. Occasionally, I would realize that I was in the midst of a completely nonsensical dream sequence... Each time, I would patiently pull myself back to the present moment. The breath.
 
We were required to be in the hall for all four Group Sittings (listed above in red) - and somebody would come find you if you didn't show up. We could not leave the hall during these one-hour sessions. We had a little more leighway with the longer meditation sittings (in blue). So, for example, nobody ever gave us permission to use these 90-minute slots to go back to our rooms and go to bed, but there was nothing to stop us from doing so.
 
Day 1 happened to be sunny and springlike, and it felt wonderful to emerge from the meditation hall into the fresh air and blue sky after the first Group Sitting. I had the brilliant idea to do my meditation sitting on a rock in the sun, a la Henry David Thoreau. Even when the sun retreated behind the clouds, I stayed outside and did a walking meditation. "This isn't going to be so hard if I can keep this routine up," I thought. In fact, after my first half-day (one-twentieth of the way through the course!) I felt great.
 
That night we had our first Dhamma Discourse. This is when Goenka addressed us by video, explaining the philosophy behind the practice and giving tips to make sure we stay on course. "Danger number one," he said, "Do not meditate outside. The sunlight, the breeze, the noises... there are too many distractions." Dammit! Maybe this was going to be harder than I thought.
 
I was disappointed that the discourses took place on a TV screen. I had anticipated having some personal interaction with the teacher (not Goenka, but a teacher), and the video seemed pretty impersonal. That said, even by television, Goenka came across as a wise, compassionate and even funny person. It was clear that he understood the challenges of what we were doing, ie, that it's HARD to sit still for 10 hours a day. He was supportive but unwaivering in his insistence on the importance of following the schedule. "Day one is over. You have nine more left to work..."

Next: VMC Day 4