Vipassana Meditation Course Part 4: Getting Established in the Technique

Location : University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines

What is Vipassana?
Vipassana is a meditation technique - that's it! It's not religion, there are no deities, no rituals, no rites, etc. - just a technique to purify the mind at the root level to attain full liberation. Sounds simple, but the technique is so difficult to get established into that it takes a full 10 days, meditating 11 hours a day with scrupulous guidance by the teacher and his assistant teacher. We get all-out support by a team of servers who feed and nurture us and course managers who ensure our logistical needs are met - they, more than anyone, know the difficulties we face - they'd been there.

Where the Real Battle Takes Place
On the outside, you see a motionless sitted person with closed eyes. How hard could that be? But the real work is happening inside the mind...as you go deeper and deeper into the innermost sanctum, battling with your demons every step of the way...until you reach the root level. Not everyone finishes the entire 10 days. Some simply give up in mid stream. This is my 4th sit, and perhaps I can claim that this is the first time I'm able to keep pace with the course program. But doing this the 4th time didn't make it any easier.

class picnic during the break

The Real Deal
Despite the fact that I could not establish myself into the practice even with 3 ten-day sits on my belt, I still cannot walk away from it. Why? Because I'm convinced it's the real deal. Of all the spiritual movements I've taken a minor peek into, this seems to be the purest - no guru deitification, no ritual, no dogma, no talk of God or church, they don't put you on a spot for money, and you're encouraged to question or probe how sensible it is for you. Its message is simple - everything you need for your salvation already resides within you. I don't see this 'elbow room' in any church, religion or cult. I've tried looking at it from many directions looking for flaws, but my critical mind couldn't find any.

Being Homeless
This one is particularly eventful since by signing up for it, I was also prompted to leave Dumaguete as well. When I showed up at the University of San Carlos in Cebu for the sit, I was practically carrying my life belongings too - a full 65-liter backpack plus another fully loaded day pack for my laptop, power regulator, etc. They were both bulky and heavy and presented such a challenge in riding jeeps, buses and boats. After the 10-day sit, I'm essentially homeless. I don't know what it is about spiritual immersion courses that make me leave a place to go out 'in search of'.

Pushing Buttons
Even though a Vipassana Course is always exactly the same every time, it always hits you differently - and every meditator is hit differently from the other. Given our varied life experience and the issues we face, we all have different buttons. But in the Dhamma talks discoursed by SN Goenka (where he gives an hour of video discourse each night), given the wealth of his insight, his intelligence and his compassion, he gets to hit all our buttons. He said something that made so much sense to me that it allowed me to walk away from my anger...at least for now.

Faced with Mortality
I had an opportunity to talk to a composed individual who is faced with his own mortality. He moves on, being productive, still extending himself in the service of others despite the ticking bomb that can explode anytime. I wonder what it's like to be young, gifted and dying - I can't even begin to comprehend that. Yeah, life is not fair.

A Meditator's Inner Thoughts
A fellow meditator once remarked that I was so solid in my sit...that I would not move for an hour and remain still. I wanted to tell him that deep inside my mind, 45 minutes into my sit, the pressing question in my mind was, "How can Iron Man eat Chicharon Carcar without removing his mask?". Yes, from the outside, a motionless meditator can look deep in concentration. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was just thinking about his first kiss 20 years ago. It takes a lot of effort to keep the mind from going astray.

Reality vs. Self-Image
I also realized that your self-image can be different from how people actually perceive you, and what reality is - radically sometimes. Call it rude awakening. Example - imagine thinking your entire life that you represent an unbroken chain of royal bloodline, genetically superior to that of the common man, being a son of a king, who in turn was the son of a king...that went back centuries. And on your deathbed, someone told you, you were adopted.

Ending Thoughts
I asked the assistant teacher that with the odds, winning the lottery was easier than getting enlightened. Given all that sacrifice with no guarantee that it can be done after several lifetimes, would it even be worth it, when what we have in the here-and-now is not that bad. At least I'm not complaining. Everything I go through in life - the pain, the joy, the craving, the aversion...these are the things I signed up for. He calmly said, "I won't lie to you. It's not easy". It was really a rhetorical question. I'm not obsessed about the final goal - it's a nice-to-have. The marginal gains I realize are already milestones, improving the quality of life and making me feel better about myself and the world I live in. Ideally, I should do this once a year for grounding.

Gratitude
I am grateful to Gautama Siddharta for sharing this Vipassana wisdom to the world, to SN Goenka and the long line of teachers who, from pupil to pupil, ensured the discipline remains in its original form, and I am grateful to his assistant teacher (not sure if he wants to be named) who vigilantly overlooked our progress. I am thankful to the course managers and the servers who persevered in seeing us through and selflessly attended to our needs. I am excited at having met new people who became part of my increasing Vipassana family. I look forward to get to know most of them. Metta to all!

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Reader Comments:

TheLoneRider
"Where and When (If possible!) can I attend a "Free Beginners" Vipassana Meditation class/retreat?" -- Wil Davies
(Dec 6, 2013) Vipassana is always free, but there is no beginner's class - everyone starts off with the 10-day silent meditation retreat. There used to be a Vipassana movement here in Cebu (that's why I ventured here), but for all intent and purposes, it's inactive already. The only place for Vipassana now in the Phil is in Damarinas, Cavite in Luzon. For now, there is no schedule yet for next year. But you can refer to this site for 10-day sit schedules: http://courses.dhamma.org/en/schedules/schphala

Dedinne Docoy-Boucher

Mayk Juat

Next Meditation story: [an error occurred while processing this directive] Next Yoga story:

Yoga at Cordova Reef, Cebu Beach Resort

(May 6-7, 2012) When my 10-day Vipassana meditation was over, a meditator practising Kundalini Yoga invited me to join her to this resort - Cordova Reef Village Resort in Mactan to check-out the possibility of introducing yoga as a resort offering. With a night's lodging and meals included, I tagged along...more »»

More on Cebu City:

Cebu City Google Map

Cebu City, Philippines

tourist attractions

• Tops - hilltop offering panoramic view of the city
• Taoist Temple - temple on a hillslope in Lahug with panoramic view of the city

hotel

• Hostel Seven Cebu - newly opened, resto/bar, central location, solo/group travellers
  Juana Osmeña Street, Cebu City
• S Hotel & Residences - new hotel, luxury rooms, central location
  827 M. Velez corner Andres Abellana St.

resto / cafe / bar

• Fujinoya - new and refreshing twists to Western style desserts using Japanese techniques
  Wilson St., Lahug, Cebu City - tel. 888.6075
• Bad Boys Wingz - Buffalo Wings, unique versions of sauces! Great service, accommodating staff, bad boys vibe
  Kasambagan, Cebu City | (032) 415 4811

yoga

• Love Yoga World - yoga studio
  11/fl, Skyrise 2 Tower, IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
• Yoga Now - first Yoga and Wellness studio in Mactan offering daily Yoga Classes
  at The Yacht Club Mactan

mountain biking

• Cebu Mountain Bike Adventure - MTB tours, bike sales and repairs. Bed and Breakfast + Resto Cafe + wifi
  1298-b V.Rama Ave, Guadalupe, Cebu City | 0942.959.7451

Cebu City to Siquijor by Bus, via Liloan (Santander)

(as of Jan 2023)

Sugbo Urban
There is only one bus plying this route - Sugbo Urban. Tourist class coach, a/c, comfortable, Sun-Fri (these dates keep changing). P420 for bus, P275 for ferry to Liloan. Leaves Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) at 8 pm (Sundays 1 am), heads south to Liloan (Santander), takes the ferry to Larena Port, Siquijor, docks around 5 am, makes a clockwise roundtrip around Siquijor Island - Larena, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi (stops at Lazi market for breakfast and leaves 6:50 am), San Juan, Siquijor (arrives 8am, P50 from Lazi to Siquijor Poblacion) and catches the 1pm ferry at Larena Port for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City 10 pm.

Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because when it reaches Larena Port (Siquijor), it continues its trip around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena. It spares you the cost of hiring a tricycle or habal-habal which charges exhorbitant fares. Besides, it's a long trip to the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.

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