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.

Introducing April's Host, Mon Mon!

The last time I met Mon Mon was in April last year when GISTers gathered together in Yangon. Yangon's April in my memory was very very hot and all the plants thrived in the hot weather. I was so glad to see Mon Mon again, especially in her country. The traditional dress suited her very well and she looked so confident and elegant.

Time flies. One year has been passed. Miss YOU very much! Let us know your updated statues, Mon Mon. We are looking forward to read your articles in the thriving April.

Meet Mr. Reading and Mr. Running in Australia

It was July last year that I first landed in Brisbane, Australia.  I did not feel it was the beginning of the stable life, for I knew I would go back soon to China to get all documents done, with no doubt, which would be time-consuming.   

We lived in the inner west part of Brisbane, which was about 15-minute drive to downtown that they call “City” here.  The shopping center was just opposite to our apartment and the transportation center of this area was in walking distance.  It was hard not to admit that everything was fine here.  We woke up by the singing of birds every morning and, sometimes, they were just too loud.  It was not necessary for us to have any plants at home at all, for it was always green outside of windows with various species of plants.  It was just hard to see people around except the areas around the shopping center.  Apparently, there was far more trees than people here.  I always knew that I like plants, especially trees.  I just not realized that I liked them more when crowds were nearby. 

For the first several weeks, I was a little lonely at home, even without the company of the furniture, which was still on the journey of sea freight unfortunately.  After my furniture and books arrived, I started reading some large heavy books that I was always interested in but fail to finish.  Compared with the exciting days on the journey and the comfortable and diversified days in Shanghai, days here were simple, quiet and peaceful.  Walking in the community, it was hard to see any people, only cars passing by and some dogs barking.  Almost all shops around closed at 5 pm, except Thursday, on which people got their weekly salaries.  Doing nothing but reading might lead to anxiety and worries about future, but in a short period it might also lead to happiness.  I did not expect that I could enjoy the peaceful days with Mr. Reading so much.  Hope I can date with Mr. Reading as many times as I can.  The second-hand books store in city is the ideal place for us to meet.

Gyms were unique here, many of which were open 24 hours and 7 days, while no supermarket here run this way.  I guess people emphasis more on workout rather than food.  Maybe I was poisoned by the permanent sunny day, blue sky and cosy weather in winter here.  I had a crush on Mr. Running after a ten-year break of regular exercise.  Magically, I started to meet Mr. Running regularly and do some exercise as my daily routine.  I remembered it was in August, but I was not sure of the reasons and the motivation.  It just happened.  When Mr. Running came back silently to my life, I felt some missing part of my body came back too.  

I still remembered the fresh air in Japanese Garden in the early morning after running.  The air was heady with the perfume from trees, flowers and grasses.  Both my mind and body enjoyed those peaceful and fresh mornings.   I guess this was one part of my motivations to run in the early morning in Hawaii.  Although it did not last long since my knees easily got hurt, yet it was the time that I was so close to regular running and other exercise after the 10-year break. 

This time I run very carefully.  I started with a slow pace, control the distance, only run every other day, and did some supportive exercises for the knees, such as squats.  It seemed that I had enough patience based on the understanding of the limits of my body.  I knew what I was doing so I did not complain to myself about the slow pace, the short distance, or no clues to any improvement.  I was waiting for the improvement and I knew my body would feel it.  Fortunately, it worked before I lost my interest.  Luckily, it only took me around 4 to 6 weeks to successfully build the habit.

When I run with Emma, Gretchen, Dina in Hawaii, I did not realize that running had been already very popular in many places all over the world and many men and women even claimed that they were addicted to running.   Now as I am getting into it, I can understand them more.  Thanks so much, girls.  You encouraged me a lot.   Not only have I known more knowledge about running, but also I have experienced the feeling of addiction about it.  In fact, it is amazing, which makes me feel positive, energetic and happy so easily.  The hour for running and exercise turns to be the special hour in each day that I do not want to miss it. 

Sometimes, it is still hard to start the run, particularly when I am tired or I feel blue, but as soon as my feet touch the ground, my body automatically finds back the familiar feeling leading to a running with a longer distance or a faster speed.  Every time after running, the body is tired but the feeling is just fantastic.  It seems that running creates a happier body and a more positive mind just in one hour.

I envied those persons who start running when they are young.  I have no idea why I did not start it during the university time, when I lived in the beautiful campus; why not at the time of my first job, when I was the member of a gym nearby; why not during my master program in Hong Kong, when I lived near the routes special for running and cycling. 

No medicine could heal my regret until I saw the news.  The lady near 90-year-old successfully finished the marathon in Hawaii and she started to run marathon only 10 years ago. 

I am lucky to meet Mr. Running.