Vipassana Meditation Course 05

Today I thought that I would discuss what I remember of the discourses that we heard nightly. I have gogged my member with some material from a website dedicated to old students of the course, but whatever I say is just my memories, not the actual words or even ideas that we heard.

Day One Discourse:
We learned about some of the problems that we might face at first and then Goenkaji explained the purpose of the mediation. He pointed out that there are two kinds: anapana and vipassana. The first increases the meditater's ability to concentrate but does not lead toward enlightenment. The second is the tool which moves you further along the Path. He also explained that respiration is chosen as the starting point because it focuses you on your bodily sensations and is always available. He then went through the five hinderances:
kamacchanda-craving
vyapada-aversion
thina-middha-physical sloth and mental torpor
uddhacca-kukkucca-agitation and worry
vicikiccha-doubt, uncertainty

He then discussed the five strengths as was to overcome the hinderances:
saddha-confidence
viriya-effort
sati-awareness
samadhi-concentration
panna-wisdom
There was more but I am no longer sure of exactly what he said. Since all writing materials had be locked away, there was no way to take notes. Everything seemed to sink in by not necessarily at the conscious level.

Goenkaji ended each discourse in the same way that he ended our meditation sessions. He sang the phrase Bhavatu sabba mangalam, or May all beings be happy! three times. As I think I said before, he has a very unusual voice and the last time that he sang mangalam, he managed to extend the ga syllable and embed lam within it. The only other time I have heard anything like this at all is the Mongolian camel singers.

Day Two Discourse
In this discourse he began by discussing sin and piety and describing universal definitions of them, definitions that nothing to do with religion but rather were experiential. Moving on he explained the Noble Eightfold Path, the eight things that one needs to do to become enlightened:
samma-vaca-right speech
samma-kammanta-right action
samna-ajiva-right livelihood
samma-vayama-right effort
samma-sati-right awareness
samma-samadhi-right concentration
samma-sankappa-right thought
samma-ditthi-right understanding

Goenkaji gave the standard description of the first three being related to sila, morality, and the next four to samadhi, concentration or the mastery of the mind. He again pointed out that the precepts that we had accepted put us in accord with sila and the anapana mediation that we would do for the first three days would move use along the paths of samadhi.

Day Three Discourse
Goenkaji went over the Noble Eightfold Path again and in some detail. This time he added the last of the eight and described it as panna, or wisdom, of which there are three kinds: received wisdom which is gained by listening to others, intellectual wisdom which is gained by analytical understanding, and experiential wisdom which is gained through direct personal experience. During the discourse, he discussed the four elements:
pathavi-earth (solidity, weight)
apo-water (fluidity, cohesion)
vayo-air (gaseousness, motion)
tejo-fire (temperature)

Although the Indian system, much like European system, said that these were the smallest elements of matter. He treated them more like characteristics or factors, as in the elements of success. This makes them much more acceptable to Westerners or those with a knowledge of modern science. Finally he discussed the three characteristics of all phenomena:
anicca-impermanence
anatta--egolessness
dukkha-suffering

Day Four Discourse
In this discourse Goenkaji introduced the practice of Vipassana, discussing the law of kamma and the importance of mental action. He said that there are four aggregates of the mind: consciousness, perception, sensation, and reaction. He also said that the way to emerge from suffering, become enlightened, is to remain aware and equanimous at all times.

Day Five Discourse
On this day Goenkaji discussed the Four Noble Truths, which along with the Noble Eightfold Path are the foundation for all Buddism. These truths are the fact of suffering, the origin of suffering (craving), the cessation of suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The path, of course, is the Noble Eightfold Path. He discussed at length the third, the cessation of suffering, but this was too long and complicated to summarize here.

Day Six Discourse
In this discourse, Goenkaji continued adding to our understanding of Vipassana. He particularly stressed the importance of developing awareness of and equanimity towards sensations. He reviewed the four elements and showed how they relate to sensations. He also introduced the four causes for the arising of matter: food, environment/atmosphere, a present mental reaction,
and a past mental reaction. This lead to a deeper description and discussion of the five hinderances, which had been introduced during the Day One Discourse.

Day Seven Discourse
By this time were were doing Vipassana mediation all day so the discussion was directed at what we were experiencing directly. He spent a lot of time on the importance of equanimity towards subtle as well as gross sensations. In the mediations that we were doing, we systematically scanned our bodies from head to toe and then from toes to head, becoming aware of the sensations that were occurring in each little area of our skin. He said that continuity of awareness was important, in other words, distractions were not helpful. In this regard he discussed the five friends: faith, effort, awareness, concentration, and wisdom

Day Eight Discourse
This discourse first focused on the idea that suffering does not combine linearly but rather it increases in multiples. Goenkaji then said that the way around this was to maintain equanimity, causing the suffering to disappear. He also said that equanimity enables a person to live a life of action, rather than reaction, ensuring a happy future. At this point I experienced some direct proof of the value of awareness and equanimity. I have had a pain in my left hip for a couple of years. I saw my doctor about it and he decided that it was probably a muscle or a pinched nerve, in any case it was not cancerous and there was nothing important at the place in my body. He suggested that I just accept it an live with it. One of the problems with it is that the pain increases when I sit for a long time, sometimes not even a long time. Of course, during the meditation periods it would start to hurt, sometimes extremely painfully. So, I followed the directions and directed equanimious aware to the spot for minutes at a time. I did this for two days and then I noticed that the pain was no longer there. It has now been more than a week since I last felt it and I have the feeling that it is gone for good.

Day Nine Discourse
On this day Goenkaji discussed the ten parami or mental perfections:
nekkhamma-renunciation
sila-morality
viriya-effort
khanti-tolerance
sacca-truthfulness
adhitthana-strong determination
panna-wisdom
upekkha-equanimity
metta-selfless love
dana-generosity; donation

Goenkaji went through the parami one at a time and discussed how they could be applied to our lives after the course finished. I thought that it would be a pretty good way to live and will follow them as much as I can.

Day Ten Discourse
This was a review of everything that we had learned both the techniques and procedures for each meditation exercise that we had done as well as all the things that Goenkaji had told us during the ten days

Day Eleven Discourse
This discourse told us how we should continue practicing once we returned home. The suggested course is to meditate for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Also for five minutes just before going to sleep at night and upon waking in the morning. The meditation should be Vipassana, the last exercises that we learned, but if we were having trouble, we should go back and do Anapana for a while, a few minutes or even the whole hour. Also we should do a few minutes of metta, or loving kindness toward all living things, at the end of each meditation.

I came home with the expectation of returning to the form of mediation that I had done before the 10 day course, but I find myself doing Goenkaji's version instead. This week my daughter and grandson are here so I am only meditating for an hour in the evening, but after they leave tomorrow, I plan to try doing it twice a day. Goenkaji claims that you need less sleep and you become more efficient at what you do during the day, so you do not really suffer any loss of time. I will probably start the new schedule on Saturday.