Mar 16-25, 2018

Satipatthana Sutta Vipassana: 10-day meditation course

Location: Dhamma Malaya Vipassana Meditation Centre (opposite University Malaysia Pahang), Gambang (district), Kuantan (city), Pahang (state), Malaysia
No. of Students: 39m/45f
Teacher: Yeo Sin Fatt
Sitter/Server: sitter

What is Satipatthana Sutta?
Satipatthana Sutta is a more advanced 10-day silent meditation course in Vipassana with increased focus on 'awareness'. The technique and meditation schedule is the same as the regular course, but the evening discourse by SN Goenka is different. Eligibility for the course requires at least three 10-day sits and a vigilant adherence to the tenets of Vipassana. To qualify for the course practically meant living a semi-monk life.

Declined in Kathmandu
I was previously declined for my application at the Kathmandu center for not being able to do the entire 2-hour daily meditation, even though I meditated daily. I could have taken the regular course again, but I felt the need to move on to Satipatthana. Still, if I were declined again for Satipathana, I would apply for the regular course again...and again. I need my Vipassana every 6 months as a way to put me back in alignment. To date, it would be nearly 3 years since my last. I was just glad all over, and I'm more than willing to tie-up all the loose ends in the Philippines to make the move to Malaysia.

arriving at Dhamma Malaya

Dhamma Malaya
Dhamma Malaya is in a spacious land almost along the main highway in a quiet section of Gambang. It can house 108 students into individual rooms with ensuite. It has two halls and a building with 74 air-conditioned meditation cells. To dissipate heat, it has high pyramid roofs and provides multi-language facilities. The center has ample shade from the surrounding trees.

Wildlife
You can tell how placid and serene the center is by the way wildlife is behaving inside the compound. Nearly daily, I would see a monitor lizard, one as long as 2.5 feet, walking so leisurely across a paved walkway while meditators on their after-lunch walk stopped to make way for it. Some would stop and engage in eye-contact! The small birds who resemble little pigeons would land as close as a meter from you and feed on the ground. The squirrels usually stay on top of trees and make loud noises.

Breaking the Mold
My sits were largely frustrating because the mind kept wandering away - sex, food, people, adventures, Cubbyhole thoughts, etc. Not making serious progress, I was beginning to feel guilty about the food and accommodation - was I just eating their food and occupying space? Luckily, I got a break and reached new ground. I've done a straight 2-hour sit with sharp focus and have gone to a depth I've never been to before, although I didn't dissolve into a mass of vibration yet - I was still solid but with large pockets of sensation. Out of a 10.5 hours of daily meditation, I would be lucky to have a one-hour sit where the mind completely cooperated - the rest would more resemble a tug-of-war between the wandering mind and the internal focus. Making best use of my time in the center, I went to the meditation hall even outside the group sit period, instead of doing it in my room where I know I would inevitably fall asleep.

Verbalizing to Keep Focus
The practice doesn't encourage verbalization, but sometimes, it is what allows me to stay focused. For every body part, I would verbalize in my mind's eye,

awareness "...I am aware of my shoulders. It is broad and round with 3 deltoids...the front and middle bigger than the rear. With a vigilant mind, I am alert to any arising sensation...pleasant or unpleasant."

sensation "...with this arising sensation, I observe it with an equanimous mind with no reaction whatsoever knowing fully well that this sensation arises, persists and eventually passes away in compliance to the natural law of impermanence."

Staying In-Character or being At-Ease
Nearly all the meditators remained "in character" after the group sit. They walked meditatively and ate meditatively. I would have wanted to do that as well as I've done in the past, but my mind badly needed a break. It's no easy job reigning-in the mind for 10.5 hours/day! Instead, I just felt "at ease" like it's a normal life. This gave my mind the break it needed.

Established Seniors
Even though the participants came from all walks of life, it was fairly obvious who were the more established ones - seniors who have done well and prospered. What gets my attention is that even though they have reached a high level in the economic totem pole, and given their life experience, they still had the humility to admit they haven't figured out everything in life yet...thus their participation in the Vipassana course.

Vedaña (Sensation) - the missing Link
This is the crux of Buddha's contribution to humanity (in my humble understanding). The ramification of this discovery is profound, sweeping and renders the old understanding to be flawed. Until Buddha became enlightened, the common thinking was, worldly pleasures are the cause of craving and misery. Thus, the devotees have gone through extreme abstinence or penitence such as eating one grain of rice a day, reducing their bodies to skin and bones. Buddha discovered that between the worldly pleasures (or pain) and the resulting craving or aversion is a missing link - vedaña or sensation. This is what needs to be dealt with and not the external factor. With this, the Middle Way was born. It was now ok to eat as much as needed to satiate the needs of the body.

Applying Vedaña
How was this possible? Let's use Steve Harvey as an example when he announced wrongly who won the Ms. Universe pageant. If you were that contestant who was declared Ms. Universe, you'd jump for joy feeling on top of the world. But when Steve later admitted fault and gave the crown to someone else, you were crushed into unfathomable misery. This can ruin your life! How do we apply Buddha's discovery here?

Let's dissect the process to understand. When you were announced Ms. Universe, before you jumped for joy, there is this micro-second gap where you felt a pleasant sensation - "joy". You can then observe that "joy sensation" without being carried away. You are just aware that this "joy sensation" exists inside your body at the moment. As you observe with a balanced mind, you are very well aware that this "joy" is impermanent and will not last forever - next year you'll have to step down, the pageant could be abolished, you may get health problems, etc. So you don't feel attachment to it. So when Steve took back the crown, you simply understand that this temporary thing has already come to an end. Of course you are disappointed - after all, you are still human. But you are not crushed, you don't become depressed and you continue to keep the balance of your mind. A weaker person may take refuge in drugs or in the bottle or might even commit suicide. Your next move is to look forward to another opportunity in life, coming away unscathed. You could think, "I have a good singing voice. When this media circus settles down, I'll take up voice lessons."

Of course, this is much easier said than done. In fact, to the regular guy, this stance is nearly impossible. It takes years of constant mental practice and awareness of impermanence to develop this fortitude.

Satipatthana 3-in-1
To me, the practice of Satipatthana is distilled into 3 lessons to be taken as one (think 3-in-1 coffee that you ingest as one drink). As this is something very relevant and applicable to everyday life, I've juxtapositioned it with an everyday life example:

catching the sensation - this can only be done through awareness - aware of your thoughts and aware of any passing sensation within the body not only during meditation but at all times. This makes sense to me. I have always maintained that the only time we exercise free-will is through awareness.

Example: somebody cuts you off the street while driving. Without awareness, you auto-pilot and give the other guy the finger and remain agitated for as long as the agitation lasts - there is no free will in that. With awareness, if someone cuts you off the road, you don't auto-react. You are mindful of what has just taken place, and now, you observe this unpleasant sensation (the agitation) without reacting to it. You look at your exercisable options (aside from giving the finger). By being mindful, you exercise free will.
observing sensation while remaining equanimous - without #1 above, this 2nd part cannot be done. You can observe your anger while remaining angry - not ideal. Or, you can scream while observing an increasing pain - not ideal. This would be awareness with reaction. But what if you observe the increasing pain without reacting to the pain...just observing it with a balanced mind? How long can you observe pain or pleasure without being carried away?

Going back to the example above, after catching yourself before becoming upset, you can quickly examine what exercisable options there are, without getting upset. You can give the finger like you usually do, give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he is in some kind of emergency, or call the police hotline. Either way, you didn't react and you didn't get agitated. You didn't lose the balance of the mind.
have the full understanding of impermanence - the sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, will persist but will eventually fade away - nothing is forever.

Back to our example, maybe you choose to give him the right of way for whatever emergency he might have. You even do this with your blessing that he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else as he drives recklessly. It doesn't matter if he was in an emergency or just an asshole driver. At the end of it, you didn't react, you kept the balance of the mind and you were able to make an intelligent decision about the situation. The agitation will soon fade away. But by becoming aware and not reacting to it, the agitation cannot even gain a foothold to begin with.

Ending Thoughts
I came away from the course having a greater understanding of this path to self-realization - both intellectually and as a practice. The greater challenge to me now is how to apply them in my day to day life at all times. I'm not particularly after enlightenment or liberation - I don't even know what that means. But being on the practice means being happy and having a peaceful life in harmony with others. And that's good enough for me.

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

Reader Comments:

Jim

Thai Plum Village
(Mar 28, 2018) Insightful...felt like I was there.

Ksenia

(Mar 28, 2018) Atapi, sampajano, satima ❤

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Kuantan (city), Pahang (state), Malaysia

ESSENTIAL LANDMARKS

Terminal Sentral Kuantan - main bus terminal in Kuantan for trips to Kuala Lumpur and other provincial destinations. To get to Kuantan proper, take the Rapid Kuantan 303 bus to Hentian Bandar station.
Hentian Bandar bus terminal - the local Rapid Kuantan bus terminal for destinations within Kuantan (MYR2)
Stadium Darul Makmur - multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people used largely for football matches
Masjid Sultan Ahmad Shah - Pahang's state mosque, inspired by Ottoman-Moorish style architecture

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Taman Esplanade (riverside park) - walking distance from Kuantan's main hub, 1 kilometer long, wide promenade, fishing, playground, fitness facilities
River Cruise - leisurely cruise along the Kuantan River
Mini Zoo Park Teruntum - free admission, near Teluk Cempedak
Teluk Cempedak (beach) - Kuantan's most popular beach, Rapid Kuantan #200
Global Max Trading (durian store) - durian during season starts at MYR15/k, Musang King at MYR55/k
Tanjung Lumpur - fishing village and seafood eating place

HOTEL

Kuantan Backpackers - MYR 30/day, clean, wifi, a/c, central location, all-day toast/coffee, common kitchen/fridge, walk to bus terminal
No 39, 1st Floor, Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuantan City

RESTAURANTS

Hoi Yin Restaurant - Curry Noodles, No. 31, Jalan Teluk Cempedak, Kuantan
Operatings Hours: 7am-2pm (or until sold out), closed alternate Mondays
Kedai Kopi Ah Soon - Nasi Lemak | Lorong Kubang Buaya 21, off Jalan Kubang Buaya, Kuantan
Operating Hours: 7.30am-12pm (or until sold out), daily
New Capital Chicken Rice Restaurant - Chicken Rice | 59, Jalan Bukit Ubi, Kuantan
Opening Hours: 8am-3pm, daily with unfixed closed days
Terminal Satay Zul - Sate | No. A 2600, Jalan Alor Akar, Kuantan
Operating Hours: 6pm-12.30am, closed alternate Mondays
Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant - spicy sweet sour tilapia fish, herbal beggar chicken, spicy pineapple crabs, pork and fruits in yam cake and hot pot tofu, homemade sugarcane juice | Lot 7695 & 7696, Jalan Kubang Buaya, Kuantan
Operating Hours: 6pm-12am, daily
Ana Ikan Bakar Petai 3 - Ikan Bakar | Kampung Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan
Operating Hours: 5.30pm-12am, daily
Restoran Zaman - Nasi Lemak | Lot 1-3811, KM14 Jalan Gambang, Kuantan
Opening Times: 6am-2pm, daily
Mustafa Cendol - Cendol and Rojak | Jalan Teluk Sisek, Kuantan (near the Shell gas station)
Operating Times: 11.30am-7pm, daily
Pak Soh Corner - Keropok Lekor | Cherating Tanjung Tengah, Sungai Karang (Balok)
Operating Hours: About 12pm-6pm, daily
Jess Cafe - Yong Tau Fu | No. A15, Jalan Seri Kuantan 80, Kuantan
Operating Hours: 9am-6pm, daily, closed Mondays
Globalmax Trading - durian | Jalan Dato Lim Hoe Lek, Taman Pacific, 25200 Kuantan
+60 10-933 1079
Lai Yien - Mee Kari (fav of Lee Boon Tai) | Lorong Seri Kuantan 25

MEDITATION

Dhamma Malaya - Vipassana Meditation Centre

Satipatthana Sutta Course Eligibility

Satipatthana Sutta Courses are open to serious old students who

have sat (not including courses served) at least three 10-day courses
have not been practising any other meditation techniques since last 10-day course
have been practising this technique of Vipassana for at least one year
who are trying to maintain their meditation practice and the five precepts in their daily lives

How to get to Dhamma Malaya from Kuala Lumpur

*** ride share with other students

KLIA2 airport to BTS (Bandar Tasik Selatan) - you'll land in KLIA2 airport. Go to the 2nd level of the airport to buy an ERL train ticket bound for KL Sentral but get off at BTS (Bandar Tasik Selatan) near TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) (32 mins, MYR38.40 ). Walk down to Level 1 to board the ERL train
*** ERL train leaves every 30 minutes during off-peak hours - 11:18am, 11:48am, 12:18pm, 12:48pm
Bandar Tasik Selatan station to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan bus terminal - walk out of BTS and walk to TBS
Terminal Bersepadu Selatan to University Malaysia Pahang - at TBS, board a bus for Kuantan, but ask the driver to drop you off at Gambang, University Malaysia Pahang (UMP) stop (3.5-hr, MYR24). TBS bus schedule to Kuantan:
- Catch That Bus
  Kesatuan Express - MYR 24.00, 11:30 AM, arrive 02:30 PM
  Transnasional - MYR 24.10, 01:30 PM, arrive 05:00 PM
  Transnasional - MYR 24.10, 02:00 PM, arrive 05:30 PM
  Plusliner - MYR 24.10, 02:45 PM, arrive 06:45 PM
- Red Bus
  Mayang Sari Express, 12:00, MYR 23
  Mayang Sari Express, 13:00, MYR 23
  Transnational (Club Class), 13:30-17:00, MYR 24.1
  Transnasional Club Class, 14:00-17:30, MYR 24.1
  Plusliner Club Class, 14:45-18:45, MYR 24.1
- useful link from Dhamma Malaya site: bus schedule
UMP stop to Dhamma Malaya - from the UMP stop, you can either:
a. walk to the center (2.5KM away) or
b. wait at the security post at the entrance to Mangala Resort to hitch a ride with fellow students taking the course

Total One-Way Cost from Cebu, Philippines to Dhamma Malaya, Malaysia

To Vipassana meditators in Cebu, Philippines who wish to do their practice in Dhamma Malaya (Malaysia), here is run down of my actual cost to give you an idea. This is as cheap as I could make it: ($1 = Php52.50, MYR1 = Php13.50)

Php 4200 - Air Asia promo fare, Cebu to Kuala Lumpur (amount depends on seat promo you avail)
Php 1620 - Phil travel tax
Php 750 - Phil airport terminal fee
Php 520 - ERL train from KLIA2 airport to Bandar Tasik Selatan ($10, MYR38.40)
Php 324 - TBS to UMP ($6, MYR24) and walking to the center or hitching
Php 7414 - total one way expense