The Art of Living - Ten days living like a nun

I heard of Vipassana, “Jing Guan” in Mandarin, around four years ago when I was in Hong Kong studying Social Work and always expect to have a try.  Although I did not really understand the concept, I thought it was related to “here and now”, “feeling and sensation”, and “awareness”, all of which help to reframe the mindset and regain the inner peace.

When I was introduced by a friend that there is Vipassana Meditation Centre in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, and they regularly organize ten-day free Vipassana Meditation Course, I was so surprised and excited to have a try.  I was surprised because I knew Vipassana came from the East and I met it in the West.  I was excited to try because Sunshine Coast is only two-hour drive from Brisbane and is famous for its fantastic beaches and the landscape. 

I immediately applied for the ten-day meditation courses without any hesitation and I treated it as a normal workshop, which meant I would learn meditation skills from the teachers and experience the peaceful and relaxed meditation sessions in a beautiful centre.  I did not read the course information carefully before I applied for it.  All my imagination about the courses was not wrong, but they were not the full picture.

"The technique of Vipassana meditation is a practical way to achieve peace of mind and live a happy, productive life. It is learned by attending a 10-day residential course with a qualified teacher where the student is free from distractions so that the reality within can be observed. " (Vipassana Meditation Course: http://www.dhamma.org.au/)

The ten-day experience is really unforgettable. I would like to record some of my feeling at that time to remind myself that I once had such an interesting experience.

“Precept One: to abstain from killing any being”

Day 0:  I always treat it as a course, but when I mention I cannot use internet or mobile phone for ten days during the course, my friends think it is like a retreat and I will not learn something seriously.  Maybe they are right, and anyway, I do prefer a good rest.  My only concern is that I will feel hungry all the time and my stomach will be in pain since they only provide vegetarian food and there will be no dinner, only fruits and the milk tea for the evening break. Finally, I hide some bananas, chocolates and nuts in my bag to attend the course, and I find an excuse for myself, “it’s just in case I need them.”

“Noble silence: Noble Silence means silence of body, speech, and mind. Any form of communication with fellow student, whether by gestures, sign language, written notes, eye contact etc., is prohibited.”

Day 1: I feel I am living in the film, Shutter Island.  Everyone follows noble silence, no any form of communication, even no eye contact among each other.  During the break, most of the students just stand or sit on the lawn watching the sky, the clouds, the mountain, the trees, the flowers, the birds or the group of Kangaroos, for a long time, since besides that, there is almost nothing to do.  According to the rule, no reading, no writing, no workout, no Internet, no phone is allowed during the ten days.  Walking in the garden is fine, but only in the day time.

“Daily schedule: The meditation sessions starts at 4:30 am and ends at 9 pm, totally 12.5 hours per day. “

Day 2:  I realize that the meditation courses will be getting harder and harder, since I need to sit still and move as less as I can for 12.5 hours per day.  It is definitely hard work and I did not expect that practicing meditation can cause pain for my neck and shoulders.  Where is the promised relaxation?

“The teacher said, since you decide to spend 10 days of your life here, try to work diligently to gain as much as you can.  Work diligently and properly and keep practicing.”

Day 3: The teacher’s words are convincing.  I ask myself to work diligently for the 10 days. Today I feel I am getting used to the practice and I am being less impatient.  Meanwhile, the practice of observing my breath in and out is becoming more and more interesting.  I am an outsider of my breath, which means I cannot control it and can only observe it.  Let it come; let it go; let it be.  What surprises me most is the practice is sharpening my sensation and I am able to feel more subtle sensations.

Day 4: After one day’s practice, during the evening break, I feel I need to talk to the female manager.  I feel the pain of my stomach and it is the real pain.  I want to figure out what is wrong with my body.  “Nothing is wrong and it is normal.  Just observe it and the pain will pass.” She is right.

“4.30 to 6.30 am: Meditation in the hall or in your room; 6.30 to 8.00 am: Breakfast break.”

Day 5: I find it is almost impossible to meditate in my own room from 4.30 to 6.30 am, since it is very cold in my room in the early morning.  I prefer to go to the hall where I can concentrate on the techniques of Vipassana much better.  After the first four days, I realize my favorite time here is the breakfast break.  Usually, I spend 30 minutes for a simple breakfast which means I eat as slowly as I can to appreciate the food and have a good rest.  Then I spend the rest of time to have a morning walk in the bushes surrounding the centre.  The morning sunshine in the bushes is really fresh and sometimes I share the bushes with a group of kangaroos.  I feel peace and joy during the morning walk.

Day 6: I feel I miss home very much. The only thing I can do is to let the feeling in and let it out.

“5 to 6 pm: Tea break.”

Day 7: It is really nothing to do during the tea break in the evening.  It is too dark to walk in the bushes.  It is too boring to be in the room.  I decide to wash my clothes, although I bring enough clothes for ten days.

Day 8: Finally I can feel some subtle sensations when practicing.  From the fourth day, there were only gross sensations, especially severe tension on the back and shoulders.  I am so curious to know where they come from and how to accept them as normal, rather than bad sensations.  It is not hard to understand it by mind, but it is really hard to let the body feel it.   “The truth is everything is changing, including our own sensations.”

Day 9: I start to miss the passing days here, especially the morning walk, the time watching the group of kangaroos, as well as the feeling of nothing to do.

Day 10: Nobel silence is over and students start to talk with each other. I start to feel the pressure of social, so do the kangaroos.  They just disappear in the bushes and it is hard to believe they came to the centre every day during the Nobel Silence.

After the course: I cannot believe I had ten days living like a nun.  I realize I had many misunderstandings about the life of nuns and monks.  Although it is only a simple life, actually, it is very hard to keep living in that way until we find the way to reach the inner peace.