Thoughts about India are resurfacing. My main experience of India is as follows: it is the best learning experience I have ever had. It was also the hardest trip for us so far- no glitz, no glamour, just real life. Whether that real life encompasses meditation & silence, or chaos & filth, it is as close to a REAL & TRUE experience as I have encountered. This kind of learning experience is priceless, because you start to see your whole world in a different light. Think about it: you wake up in the AM, & go to bed at night. As the day goes by, how do you feel and how do you react on your drive to work? How does the traffic affect you? How does the weather that day affect you? How do you feel about work each day? How do you feel about the people you work with? Or, in specific work situations, how do you feel about the people you are helping? I could go on forever, but think about every small or large stimulus you encounter each day-- the things that make you angry, depressed, happy, excited, tired, anxious, bored, etc etc etc. Thinking of that usual day, imagine that all of a sudden, even though all of these feelings were still there, still potentially affecting you, each piece of your day now feels different, now takes on a different meaning in your thoughts and in your experiences? Wouldn't that be weird?? An almost out-of-personality experience ?! Like you are a constantly changing person, still you, but slowly improving, and slowly learning more about yourself with every experience. I guess you could call it life changing.....
We definitely noticed the contrast between the north & south of India. And our observations coincided with our 'train companion' Indian couple. The south is cleaner, more educated, and people are more worldly. The north feels more chaotic and more filthy, and as our Indian friends tell us, more ‘backwards’.
We definitely want to return to the Himalayas, the south & the Punjab region.
Vipassana---
I realize that I may not have explained the Vipassana experience as well as I should have. Also, it was mentioned to me that I never described Tom’s experience. Surprisingly, everyone’s experience had more similarities than differences—however, it seems we all arrived at the conclusion in completely different ways, in ways compatible with our personalities and ideals. But it is really amazing that we all still came to the same thoughts and conclusions. As for Tom, I was surprised to hear that he also had troubles during the 10 days. There were many times he himself wanted to quit and he was frustrated with the sitting, the silence, and dealing with others. It made me feel much better to hear this after the whole experience. To know that Tom, a much more mild and calm personality than myself, had trouble with similar things and a troublesome 10 days himself, made me feel like GOLD. I felt that much better about my accomplishment! It is incredible, how without talking for 10 days, you still arrive at such a similar experience. It just shows how similar we really are no matter what we do, where we come from, and how we view the world.
For practicality purposes, here are some of the things that we did or didn’t do.
No mantras or chanting, just awareness of bodily sensations.
No rituals or prayers, just awareness of your surroundings--all beings are alive, so respect them.
No work at the centre as a new student- you are usually requested to help as an old student.
Noble silence for the full day and night for 10 days. Therefore, no chance to meet anyone until the end of the course.
More simple accommodations and location in comparison to an ashram or yoga center.
The daily schedule is very rigorous.
I am not sure how else to explain the details, it is an experience that each of us should have. Talking about it is not enough...
A friend we met on our Halong Bay trip described India in the best way: he coined the tourism slogan of 'Incredible India' ---it surely is INCREDIBLE-in both good and bad ways--in every way incredible, no matter how you experience it. Take the surreal with the disgusting, take the chaos with the serenity, take the filth with the spirituality. Anyone who sees the place will leave (or not leave) with their own Incredible India.
