VMC Day 4: Vipassana Day

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Shelburne, Mass - Day 4 is a big day around here. It's Vipassana Day! This is the day we actually learned the method that has the power to eradicate everybody's suffering. As it turns out, those first three days of breathing were just preparation for the main course.

On Vipassana Day, the schedule remained the same, except that everybody had to report to the meditation hall from 2pm until 3:30pm for special instruction in the technique of Vipassana.

Basically, it involves scanning the body from head to toe, focusing on each individual area and feeling any sensations that might be happening at that moment. An itch, a twitch, a pain, a strain, a dryness, a moistness, a pulsing, a vibration, whatever... As soon as we felt something - anything - in one area, we could move on the next, passing slowly but surely from the head, down through the torso and arms, through the butt and into the legs and feet.

There were also a few rules added. Mainly, we were not supposed to react to any of the sensations, just observe them. No scratching that itch. No stretching out the leg to relieve the pain. In fact, starting on Day 4, we were not supposed to shift our position at all during the shorter one-hour Group Sittings. We were supposed to adopt addithana, or "strong posture", for the duration.

The idea is that we can train ourselves to NOT react to every sensation - negative or positive - and eventually it goes away. If this is true in meditation, it is also true in life. Everything is constantly changing, so there is no reason to get all upset about some unpleasant incident, as it will pass.

This new method was a lot more work than just breathing. Personally, I appreciated the extra assignment for the brain and I found it much easier to keep my mind focused on scanning the body and feeling the sensations, which was more interesting than just breathing.

But the addithana was really tough at first, as my feet fell asleep and my knees screamed for relief and my back ached. The first time I completely failed. The next day, I found that as long as I started in a good position with plenty of cushions for support, I only had to shift once during the hour. And by Day 6 I could sit still through the whole hour with only a slight stretching of the back now and then. Oorah.

Meanwhile, I had taken to meditating almost exclusively in the hall (once the outside thing was ruled out). I tried to meditate in my room once a day, but more often than not I just fell asleep, sitting on my cushion against the wall. The gong would sound to summon us back to the hall, and it would rouse me from my unintentional nap. Woops.

We had two hour "rest" periods when there was no meditation required. After breakfast, I usually went back to bed. But after lunch, I always always always went outside to walk around the grounds.

On Day 3, a sky full of snow flakes shimmered in the sunlight. On Day 4, the temperature dropped and I stomped through the snow with my hands thrust deep into my pockets. On Day 5, there was a veritable blizzard. But I insisted on going outside. I needed my Vitamin D; my body craved the revitalizing fresh air. Besides, there was nothing else to do.

Next: VMC Day 6