VMC Day 10: Metta Day

Posted retrospectively.

Shelburne, Mass - There was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air at VMC, as we awoke for our morning meditation session. Although we started at 4:30am and proceeded to breakfast in silence, as per usual, we knew that this was the last day.

During the morning group meditation, we would learn a new form of meditation, Metta. And after that, Noble Silence would be over. "Then noble chatter begins," Goenka had said in the Dhamma Discourse.

Metta, or "loving kindness", is a practice used by Buddhists of all strains. I have been exposed to this practice in various forms at my Unitarian-Universalist church, as well as in other books and teachings.

Traditionally, it starts with directing loving kindness toward one's self, then toward one's family, friends and community. The next step (the hard one) involves sending metta toward one's enemies. In some practices, the meditator is encouraged to consider a specific person, like the gossipy neighbor you can't stand or George W Bush, which is much more difficult than thinking about enemies in general. Then the circle expands even wider, as you send out this positive energy out to the whole world, or all beings.

As we learned about this practice on the final day of our course at VMC, I was surprised that there was no specific procedure for this practice (surprising, since our instructions for Vipassana had been so precise). Even my description above - with four or five specific thought targets - is something that I learned in my previous experiences, not at VMC. Here, we just sat in the glow of our good will while Goenka recited chants in a language we could not understand. He encouraged us to use this practice for a few minutes at the end of every meditation sitting. And he asked that we might include him, our teacher, in our thoughts of loving kindness.

Personally, I have found the practice of metta to be a powerful tool, and I was disappointed that we did not get a little more direction. But this is clearly not the main dish in Vipassana meditation - it's just a little dessert, or a "healing balm," as Goenka described it.

Then the session was over. We exited the meditation hall. Everyone knew that Noble Silence was over but nobody knew what to say. Back in the residence hall, a group stood dumbly, examining the schedule for the rest of the day.

The course manager came over and broke the silence, encouraging us to talk to each other. Day 10 was meant to be a transition day, to prepare to leave this monastical setting and re-enter our real lives. We would still sit through two more Group Sittings and one last Dhamma Discourse, but the other sittings were completely optional.

Once the course manager broke the ice, VMC became a hive of chatter, as the students were anxious to share their experiences. Many people had used their time to confront some pretty serious life issues. It's a brave thing to do - sitting in a dark room, surrounded by silence for 10 hours a day, there is no escape. You can imagine that might result in some emotional upheaval.

Many students were still sort of analyzing what we had just come through. Some people called it a life-changing experience. But most people - like myself - recognized that the life changing comes only with years of practice. And I certainly recognized that it would be difficult to incorporate into real life routines (especially as Goenka recommends a minimum of two hours of meditation a day - one in the morning and one in the evening).

One guy who was a passenger in my car (yes, we were even allowed to talk to the boys on Day 10) shared his experience, as this was his fourth 10-day course at VMC. He said that it was only after returning to
VMC as a volunteer - not as a student - that he was able to incorporate a consistent Vipassana practice into his daily life back at home. Anybody is invited to return to VMC to serve after completing one 10-day course as a student. These volunteers still participate in the three daily Group Sittings, but they also cook meals and clean and keep the place running for the students.

This is the highest form of dana, or generosity - selfless service to share with others the good you have acquired at VMC. It is also an opportunity to refresh the teachings of Vipassana, and at the same time put them into practice while interacting with others and trying to get some work done. It was this merging of action and contemplation, my acquaintance explained, that allowed him to make Vipassana a regular part of his life.

Personally, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about this technique and - even moreso - about the Buddhist philosophy that underscores it. I was a little put off by the emphasis on suffering and misery and Vipassana as the only way to end one's suffering and misery. I am neither suffering nor miserable, so what does Vipassana offer me?

But I do recognize the Noble Truth that my good fortune will not last forever. As we know, everything is always changing. I may not be suffering now, but certainly I will be at some time in the future. And I appreciate the value of approaching these changes with balance and equanimity, trusting that the universe will not throw us anything we cannot handle, and recognizing the impermanence of everything and everybody. Vipassana has provided a tool that I can use to remember all of that.