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PRABUDDH JEEVAN
JUNE 2014
Thus He Was Thus He Spake : VIPASSANA
Vipassana- what is it? Just a way to discipline the mind-' to see things as they really are.'The ten days of silence are essentially working towards 'observation' or 'drashta bhaav' without action or reaction. Just watch. Before entering the first day of silence, we make five vows-Vows of abstinence- abstinence from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct and the use of intoxicants. The two vipasssana experiences I have had were in But then be Spartan, be celibate, be silent outside. I Igatpuri and Dehradun, in that order. And both were am not advocating one over the other because they diametrically opposite inside of me. Outside we were were two parallel experiences. One helped me go all observing silence, but the first time around I saw my within and one helped me to understand 'freedom in entire life as a series of montage pictures, random and boundaries.' to be oneself and thus the understanding saw craving/aversion rise, fall, rise, fall. There were of what really is 'one.' Vipassana's air was filled with downpours and intensities and occasional insights. And silence, or the wind sounds or occasionally Goenkaji's the second time exactly a year later, without much effort Strong' Tera mangal' filling you with goodwill for I saw some of the earlier pictures but without realizing, everybody, and occasionally sounds of your own head. I saw myself not responding to the pictures in my mind's The air in Osho could have sound waves of a flute, a eye. Some pain crept up, I was watching it, memories lute, bollywood, of pleasure-joy came up and I was still watching it. water, drums, karaoke, santoor and sights of the Wow, yes but it comes and goes this feeling of 'wow. vividest colors, paintings, dancing. It has been Some days there is default equilibrium, some days it is condemned to be hedonistic. Hedonistic means' living not.
for pleasure and pleasure has always been associated Vippasana is a practice, which means it requires with momentariness but so is pain - momentary. The practice, days, months, maybe lifetimes. It is beautiful, fact of the matter was that people who came to there are no two ways to that but when you step out, Vipassana were also a motley of people seeking peace after the ten days 'in', it is difficult to be 'out.' It feels and truth some were drug addicts, some sexually fragile. One wants seclusion again, wants to hold on depraved, some divorced, tired bewildered Israelis who while inside all you have been working is to let go, The could not understand what was happening to Palestine Osho commune, on the other hand has been and so as in the commune. ostracized for being 'immoral. Both the times I went the end of the ten days at the Vipassana centre saw there, I was asked to have lots of 'fun' by educated, lots of purified energy, good feelings of brotherhood, liberated, friends. The definition of fun is 'activities that purgation, lighter souls after so much of silence, and a are enjoyable', frolicsome, merriment. Yes, Osho is 'fun' couple of days at the commune also saw people with in the truest meaning of this word. His way of coming laughter, creativity, joy, relief. to self-knowledge is first at least lighten up' then Through pleasure or through pain; through abstinence automatically you will like that state of lightness so much, or through indulgence; through 'jog' or through' bhog' you will want to be it. And he has all these things that we all are going to all these places only to cease this constitute fun in this scientific, organic and aesthetically chaos within. There is no good or evil practice because made commune ever. In the commune, Pune there are as anais Nin correctly said 'We don't see things as various meditations like vipassana, whirling,gibberish, they are, we see things as we are.' kundalini.
I choose vipassana when I want to feel like I want to Where there is music, and there is silence. You choose, step back, see, and be. you be. And all this freedom in an unspoken boundary, I choose the commune when I want to be creative and you do not disturb others, you wear a robe to maintain abundant and frolicsome. homogeneity, you adhere to punctuality, to that In Vipassana, you suddenly chance upon the free flow' discipline, in luxury.
In the commune, during the So if Spartan ness is good, One helped me go within and one helped no dimension meditation and luxury is evil maybe me to understand freedom in boundaries.' I suddenly chanced upon the choose one over the other.
technique of freeness, both
