Square Rootz Tries: Vipassana Meditation

Words: Marly Pierre-Louis • Jun 11th, 2008 • Category: SPOTS.

Ed Note: Not wanting to be hypocrites, we constantly encourage ourselves to be curious about what the world has to offer. We jump into new experiences feet first and tell you all about it, in hopes that you’ll do the same and discover something new. If you think you have a bit of street beater in you and would like to join us on our next Square Rootz Tries adventure, or want to recommend something we should try, hit us up: info[at]squarerootz.net.

Life is an art form, your mind is a mystery, master them both.

I’m going to be honest with ya’ll. I hesitated to write this piece. It’s not that I didn’t want to share this incredible experience with my folks - I wasn’t trying to be secretive or mysterious about it. On the contrary. Upon returning from 10 days of silent meditation, I wanted to load up a bus with all of you, and go directly to Shelburne, Massachusetts to the meditation center. I struggled to find ways to put this experience into words that would not lead to you all recommending commitment to the psychiatric ward.

The Meditation Center in Shelburne, MA- Women\'s Residence and Walking Path

Upon arriving at the Vipassana Meditation Retreat, I didn’t know what to expect. I mean, I had done my research. I read every piece of information on the website and even read The Art of Living. I thought I knew it all, what the food would be (vegetarian), the schedule (up at 4 a.m., down at 9:30. p.m.), I knew not to bring anything and that I couldn’t speak to anyone. I was ready. My mother dropped me off and after jokingly asking if I was joining a cult and if I would be returning with a shaved head, I bid her adieu and walked into the center, unassuming and ready.

The center is in a secluded area, completed surrounded by trees, a natural sanctuary. The facility was simple and bare - there were no posters or paintings on the walls, no fancy lighting or decorations, no music playing, no TV’s, no stimulations. Since there would be no speaking, there was a bulletin board, where the days schedule changes and announcements were posted. Students are instructed to leave behind all external distractions - including reading and writing material, music, cell phones and all religious objects. Men and women are completely separated from each other. The rules are simple: dress modestly, observe

The Code of Discipline was to remain silent. By silence, I mean all forms of communication, verbal and non-verbal, are discouraged. No eye contact, gesturing or smiling. Essentially, all outside stimulation was removed and I was left with the one thing I went there to become acquainted with…myself.

Vipassana, meaning “seeing things as they really are” is an ancient Indian mediation technique. According to Wikipedia, It is a way of mental purification through self observation and introspection. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind

The resonating sound of a small gong signaled the beginning of meal time and meditation sittings.

and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. The instructions are not esoteric or difficult, but basically involve retraining the mind to avoid its innate conditioned response to most stimuli. The purpose is to bring full awareness of the mind, body and all sensations and be fully present. This practice is thought to develop a deep, experiential understanding of the impermanence of all phenomena and also brings to the surface and dissolves deep-seated complexes and tensions. The Dhamma website describes the process as: One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness one proceeds to observe the changing nature of body and mind and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. This truth-realization by direct experience is the process of purification.

Now, you may be asking yourself, if I was there, why is she using outside sources to describe this experience? Dear friends, if I had to describe what this experience was, it would sound something like: “It was some crazy, psychedelic, third dimension, Twilight Zone, intergalactic, mind altering sh** yo!” Not very articulate right?

At 8 p.m. on the first night, Noble Silence began. For 10 days, I meditated for 13 hours a day. Hour after hour, I worked to train the wild animal that was my mind, initially unable to stay focused on anything for more than two minutes. Meanwhile, my body also resisted. Sitting for two hours straight?! Oh hell no. My bones cracked, my back ached, and my knees creaked. There were times when I wanted to run - run far away from that place. It became painful, physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Slowly, my

A typical meditation sitting.

mind sharpened, I became aware. My senses became extremely sensitive; the sun seemed brighter, the wind felt cooler, nature’s songs became clearer. The pain never went away but the realizations and surfacing truths were real and profound. I left with a sense of resolve and self-understanding that I didn’t know was possible, and I learned that self-work is the hardest but most important work I will ever do and a job that will never be fully completed.

I’ve left a lot of details of my experience out of this piece on purpose. For Vipasssana meditation to be successful, it must be experienced solely within the framework of one’s own body. Everything I felt and realized came from inside, therefore, I will refrain from sharing the details to avoid skewing anybody else’s experience and to avoid creating expectations and assumptions amongst readers. I will say that I strongly recommend this retreat to anyone interested in knowing themselves on a deeper level. Ten days may sound like a long time, but in the scheme of life, is it really? Trust and believe, the benefits will far exceed your expectations. The retreat is FREE (yea, for real) and is run exclusively on donations and volunteers. There are centers around the world and throughout the United States including Massachusetts, California, Maryland, Virginia and Michigan. Seriously people, the loss is minimum and the gains are life long.

The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation

Tagged as: meditation retreat, SPOTS.

Marly Pierre-Louis is a passionate promoter for social justice and equality worldwide. Weaned in Brooklyn, raised in Boston and now residing in Philadelphia, it’s no wonder Marly considers herself a vagabond. The funky fresh budget socialite spends most of her days beating the streets of Illadel. A passion for words, beats and laughter is why she joined the collective.
Email this author | See all Square Rootz writing by Marly Pierre-Louis

13 Responses »

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1. rose on June 12th, 2008 at 4:36 am:

   hi,

   Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I too like to do vipassana meditation. Sometimes I sit with music and sometimes without. See while being in vipassana, we don’t need any resource but sometimes my mind is making more noise then I prefer to meditate with a cd called “Beyond Boundaries of Gurumaa”. There is another cd called ‘Odyssey of Love’, on mysticamusic, it’s a record label.

   There are other music cds as well which are helpful for various kind of meditation techniques, like to do dynamic, passive, urja, om, mantra meditation, chakra meditation and many more.

   Here I am sharing this link you can explore it yourself, and I promise you it’ll enhance your will to sit longer during meditation.
   http://www.gurumaa.com/witnessing-mindfulness-guided-meditation-nishkriya-eng.php

2. Rhonda Jones on June 12th, 2008 at 8:36 am:

   Marly,
   All I can say is OMG. I am just at awe with this piece. OMG. I commend you for the desire and even the courage to want to embark on such a journey, the journey with silent, solitude, and self. As you know, I am a Christian meditator and have produced over 23 Christ-centered meditation Cds to help people learn to be still. In fact, I have written a free eCourse titled 18 Weeks to Greater Peace, Joy, and Intimacy with God and I talk about Sacred Silence, Solitude, and Meditation. I have never done a 10-day silent meditation retreat but I will be searching for one in this area and encouraging all my subscribers and people who visit my website to attend one as well. I want to share your article with my subscribers too. Thank you for writing this article, I believe it will help many people. Can you send me more information? Also, please visit my website at http://www.thechristianmeditator.com and sign up for my eCourse. Thank you again. Your article made my day! Blessings!

3. Marjorie on June 15th, 2008 at 11:08 am:

   Hi Marly
   I have to admit, I was pretty nervous after dropping you off that day, and also sceptical. Ten days without talking! not my daughter. I waited by the phone, ready to pick you up. You made it through!!! I’m so proud. I’m learning a lot from you and hope to embark in a similar journey soon.
   Love you
   MOM

4. Jessica Jones on June 18th, 2008 at 1:22 pm:

   I’m going!

5. Marly Pierre-Louis on June 18th, 2008 at 1:48 pm:

   Thanks Mrs. Jones!! I hope you found the information useful. I highly recommend you check out the California retreat.

   Thanks Mom. Hmm… remember when you clowned me the whole way there and the whole way back?! That was my second favorite part. LOL. I’m only able to go on this journey because of your love and support.

   Jessica… GO!

6. Dee on June 18th, 2008 at 7:58 pm:

   Marly,

   I love ur mom’s comment—awwww!

7. Bianca on June 21st, 2008 at 7:17 pm:

   Thank you for sharing this Marly.
   I’ve been thinking about doing this for about a year now, and always imagined myself re=emerging with the same sentiment: “It was some crazy, psychedelic, third dimension, Twilight Zone, intergalactic, mind altering sh** yo!” hahaha!
   Then I got worrisome and thought I’d have a mental breakdown after my thoughts led me to confront things I’d rather not. But your article has re-inspired me to give it a try next year.

8. Marly on June 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm:

   Hey Bianca, I’m glad you enjoyed the article! Although Vipassana can be a difficult experience and at times I really wanted to break out, however, what I’ve learned is that, self work is hard work but it’s also the greatest work I’ll ever do. I encourage you to try it out and please share your experience with us! Peace.

9. Gina Renzi on August 13th, 2008 at 9:43 pm:

   so awesome that you did this. i have a friend who goes to vipassana meditations every few months and is the one person i know who has the most insight into every situation. i plan to go some day. i just need to figure out how to take off from work.
   gina

10. wendizzle on February 17th, 2009 at 1:35 am:

    marly mama
    i absolutely <3 this article
    im gonna look into checking this out soon
    can u send me details
    like where u sleep, is food included in this free trip, etc
    paz

11. cindy on July 20th, 2009 at 8:08 pm:

    thank you for this post. i’m going to the retreat in sept and am increasingly nervous and excited.
    eager to hear of anyone’s experiences. i think about the most basic things - the pain of sitting for such long periods, the caffeine withdrawal and of course, the wildness and resistance of my mind.

12. FAME VASQUEZ on September 28th, 2009 at 3:31 am:

    REMBER BEFORE SUNSET! HUH TYME SURE DOES FLY!

13. Omar on October 2nd, 2009 at 11:46 am:

    Hi! I liked your article.

    Could you please inform me if there is any of these retreats on South Florida? You can email me the info.

    Thanks

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