My Vipassana experience
Answers to a few questions I’ve received from friends, family, and people in my network.
I was fortunate to attend the 10-day Vipassana course from 30th Nov 2022–10 Dec 2022 at Dhamma Khetha (Hyderabad). After completing the course, many friends, family members and people in my network have asked various questions.
In this blog, I will share my experience through the questions I’ve received.
How was your overall experience?
I totally loved it. For me, it’s the best thing I’ve done so far. It’s not like you will keep experiencing it that way from the 1st day. The graph will be high and low. You will want to run away at times. But, if you persist through the 10 days, I think you will love it too.
There is no god, belief, etc. It’s completely different from anything you think. It’s totally one’s own experience. I felt it to be like a science lab, very logical and experiential. The whole program is designed to get you maximum benefit.
And it being offered for Free is just unbelievable. The food was awesome; the accommodation was just right. I did it at Dhamma Khetta (Hyderabad).
I rate it super high. A few family members are going soon.
What was your reason for attending?
I heard about it from a friend, and I found it facinating. In the last few years, I’ve been trying different meditation techniques. I realised meditation is super powerful and kept exploring various books, apps, etc.
Were you able to fulfil your objectives to attend it?
Definitely, I totally loved it. The technique and purpose for everything they thought were just spot on. However, it’s not just about those ten days; the key is how you practice every day. For example, think of those 10 days as an introduction to playing badminton. Now, you cannot become a player without daily practice.
What has changed for you post-Vipassana?
Since it’s been only a few days since I finished the course, the awareness levels have increased. With awareness, the way you talk and make decisions will have a certain impact. And how you handle a few things that are not going well also improves.
I enjoyed the experience of not having a smart phone for all 10 days. So, I decided to stay that way as long as I can. I’ve deleted all the communication apps from my phone (Gmail, GChat, Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram & others). I’ve decided to use them only while I’m at work. If anything urgent, the good old SMS is the answer. So far it’s working great. Surprisingly, there are hardly any “urgent” messages — most then can surely wait.
As I mentioned, this effect might be there only for a few days. The key is a daily practice to get benefits continuously.
How was the food and facilities there?
The food there was wonderful. I totally loved it and did not feel hungry anytime during the course. A brief menu:
- Breakfast (at 6:30 AM): one of upma, idli, sabudana & others; chutney; raagi java; tea (with + without sugar)
- Lunch (at 11 AM): salad (carrot + cucumber); rice (white + brown); chapathi (with + without oil); two variety curries; daal; butter milk
- Dinner (at 5 PM): one of pop-corn, bhel; 2 variety of fruits (banana, apple, orange, watermelon); raagi java; tea (with + without sugar)
The menu is slightly different for old-students (people who previously completed at least one 10-day course).
