Cell Time- Cell # 11
Over the last 10 days I spent around 60 hours, in total, in a cell just 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. It was rigorous back breaking hard work. Oh you must have started imagining what has Harry done this time!!
Well this was a cell not what you thought, although it helps people in those type of cells too. The movie Dhamma Brothers shows you the power of Vipassana Meditation inside a prison
So where was I? – I was at the Vipassana center which houses a pagoda with cells built in for meditation and serious work on self realization. Over the 10 day period I spent a total of 120 hours in meditation. The day starts at 4 am and ends at 930pm each day for the 10 days you are at the center. This being my second experience I had a bit more maturity than my first meditation experience . The 300 plus hours of meditation since my last years meditation and introduction to this technique have been the reason for the present awareness and maturity I brought to the cell time….
This cell is a paradox- it does not confine you. On the other hand it liberates you from your deepest bondages of the mind. It purifies you. You might not be able to relate to this process with the intellect alone. This was a cell of liberation. The experience that I share is only a reference point, you will have to try it out yourself for getting your own experience.
Here is an analogy I could use- a few months ago I signed up for an online cooking course and one of the recipes I learned and practiced was making vegetarian and non vegetarian stock(soup) for storing over longer periods of time and having it handy for making soups and other dishes.. Here goes- You take the raw vegetables or any of the meat you wish to prepare the stock from, cut it into pieces/parts wash it thoroughly to ensure it is clean. Add just enough water to submerge the ingredients you have taken in the cooking pot. The mixture at this point is clean and clear. Now place the pot over a stove squarely and start up the heat. Keep the heat just enough to simmer the stock and not to boil. Over the next few hours (4-5 hrs) of simmering, what started as seemingly clear water, turns a different shade and also there are impurities surfacing slowly which you never knew existed in the mixture or were able to see at the beginning. As the impurities surface you take the impurities off with the ladle. After multiple passes of clearing the surfacing impurities the stock starts getting clearer. As the hours tickle by you see the stock is getting ready to be cooled and preserved to form part of a tasty meal as and when required. A very integral and important action here is not to interfere in the process, not to stir or agitate the mixture and to have just enough heat to avoid boiling
At the vipassana meditation this happens to our mind and body. No no don’t run away yet; you are not cut into parts and cooked over the fire, not physically atleast but in a way you can relate to it. You already are a mixture of many ingredients the major ones being your body and mind. So you might see yourself as a clear mixture at the beginning of the process. What you do know are the times when you are miserable and suffer because of these miseries. So when you start the process of purification of the mind and body you sit squarely and as comfortably on a cushion and a pillow – like the pot is made to sit on the stove.. … And the low heat- in this instance is the focus of your mind. You are trained to develop this intense focus with a proven technique which is practiced and honed over the last 2500 years. As you sit and pay focused attention over the many hours of meditation with just enough break time so that you don’t break. What happens is something similar to the impurities of the stock surfacing . Your deep rooted impurities start surfacing. These impurities manifest themselves as gross sensations, pains aches or at time subtle sensations on the body. As you continue to sit and watch without interfering with the process, without agitation or boiling without creating likes or dislikes to the various sensations manifesting on the surface of your body , the deep rooted once unseen impurities start being dissolved and get eliminated. And you too are left with a clear, clean state of presence. In this state there is only love, compassion and kindness. The after affects of this cleansing process leaves you with qualities, capabilities and abilities which are beneficial not only to you but to every one you come in contact with.
Another interesting insight was- when you prepare a non-vegetarian stock the impurities that surface are more and take longer to eliminate. On the other hand a vegetarian stock has lesser and lighter impurities. So the message was very clear to me- If you keep putting meats and other food in your body you will keep having to spend longer working on your body and mind to purify . So one of the changes I am implementing is moving towards a predominantly vegetarian diet
Some of the other benefits which get thrown in are:-
1. You learn you can create new habit patterns which overwrite the old ones. Breaking old habits or traying to change them is diffcult instead overwiring them with new ones is easier comparatively. For instance instead of struggling with giving up the habit of smoking you create a new habit pattern . The new pattern could be as simple as breathing deeply when the craving to smoke arises. The smoking goes away. The Vipassan technique sharpens your mind to become aware of your sensation to crave and activates a non reactive response
2. You become aware of the importance of living an aware life- aware of the present moment. You learn through experience that each moment, sensation and thought are impermanent and this in turn starts dimming your attachment to the future and its imagined consequences. You start living a more simple happy life.
3. You start using the power of focusing the mind to achieve results at work which are not only better but faster. You realize you can do the same amount of work in less time than before without feeling hurried or stressed about it
4. Your health starts to improve. The innate wisdom within the body along with the mindful awareness that you develop hastens you towards creating healthy lifestyle changes
This meditation technique is a scientific experiment you should undertake at least once in your lifetime. No words of mine can express the urgency and compassion with which I would like you to get to the first course available in your vicinity. Treat this as a lean start up business start up model i.e check and verify as soon as you can if this is working for you and if not make a pivot in your strategy To get to the pivot point you need to first experience and gather feedback. So Just do it. Go for it.
One of the many good aspects of this Techniques and the course is – It is Non religions, free of cost. You do not have to chant or be part of any arcane rite or ritual, it will not challenge your present God or belief.
So where was I? – I was at the Vipassana center which houses a pagoda with cells built in for meditation and serious work on self realization. Over the 10 day period I spent a total of 120 hours in meditation. The day starts at 4 am and ends at 930pm each day for the 10 days you are at the center. This being my second experience I had a bit more maturity than my first meditation experience . The 300 plus hours of meditation since my last years meditation and introduction to this technique have been the reason for the present awareness and maturity I brought to the cell time….
This cell is a paradox- it does not confine you. On the other hand it liberates you from your deepest bondages of the mind. It purifies you. You might not be able to relate to this process with the intellect alone. This was a cell of liberation. The experience that I share is only a reference point, you will have to try it out yourself for getting your own experience.
Here is an analogy I could use- a few months ago I signed up for an online cooking course and one of the recipes I learned and practiced was making vegetarian and non vegetarian stock(soup) for storing over longer periods of time and having it handy for making soups and other dishes.. Here goes- You take the raw vegetables or any of the meat you wish to prepare the stock from, cut it into pieces/parts wash it thoroughly to ensure it is clean. Add just enough water to submerge the ingredients you have taken in the cooking pot. The mixture at this point is clean and clear. Now place the pot over a stove squarely and start up the heat. Keep the heat just enough to simmer the stock and not to boil. Over the next few hours (4-5 hrs) of simmering, what started as seemingly clear water, turns a different shade and also there are impurities surfacing slowly which you never knew existed in the mixture or were able to see at the beginning. As the impurities surface you take the impurities off with the ladle. After multiple passes of clearing the surfacing impurities the stock starts getting clearer. As the hours tickle by you see the stock is getting ready to be cooled and preserved to form part of a tasty meal as and when required. A very integral and important action here is not to interfere in the process, not to stir or agitate the mixture and to have just enough heat to avoid boiling
At the vipassana meditation this happens to our mind and body. No no don’t run away yet; you are not cut into parts and cooked over the fire, not physically atleast but in a way you can relate to it. You already are a mixture of many ingredients the major ones being your body and mind. So you might see yourself as a clear mixture at the beginning of the process. What you do know are the times when you are miserable and suffer because of these miseries. So when you start the process of purification of the mind and body you sit squarely and as comfortably on a cushion and a pillow – like the pot is made to sit on the stove.. … And the low heat- in this instance is the focus of your mind. You are trained to develop this intense focus with a proven technique which is practiced and honed over the last 2500 years. As you sit and pay focused attention over the many hours of meditation with just enough break time so that you don’t break. What happens is something similar to the impurities of the stock surfacing . Your deep rooted impurities start surfacing. These impurities manifest themselves as gross sensations, pains aches or at time subtle sensations on the body. As you continue to sit and watch without interfering with the process, without agitation or boiling without creating likes or dislikes to the various sensations manifesting on the surface of your body , the deep rooted once unseen impurities start being dissolved and get eliminated. And you too are left with a clear, clean state of presence. In this state there is only love, compassion and kindness. The after affects of this cleansing process leaves you with qualities, capabilities and abilities which are beneficial not only to you but to every one you come in contact with.
Another interesting insight was- when you prepare a non-vegetarian stock the impurities that surface are more and take longer to eliminate. On the other hand a vegetarian stock has lesser and lighter impurities. So the message was very clear to me- If you keep putting meats and other food in your body you will keep having to spend longer working on your body and mind to purify . So one of the changes I am implementing is moving towards a predominantly vegetarian diet
Some of the other benefits which get thrown in are:-
1. You learn you can create new habit patterns which overwrite the old ones. Breaking old habits or traying to change them is diffcult instead overwiring them with new ones is easier comparatively. For instance instead of struggling with giving up the habit of smoking you create a new habit pattern . The new pattern could be as simple as breathing deeply when the craving to smoke arises. The smoking goes away. The Vipassan technique sharpens your mind to become aware of your sensation to crave and activates a non reactive response
2. You become aware of the importance of living an aware life- aware of the present moment. You learn through experience that each moment, sensation and thought are impermanent and this in turn starts dimming your attachment to the future and its imagined consequences. You start living a more simple happy life.
3. You start using the power of focusing the mind to achieve results at work which are not only better but faster. You realize you can do the same amount of work in less time than before without feeling hurried or stressed about it
4. Your health starts to improve. The innate wisdom within the body along with the mindful awareness that you develop hastens you towards creating healthy lifestyle changes
This meditation technique is a scientific experiment you should undertake at least once in your lifetime. No words of mine can express the urgency and compassion with which I would like you to get to the first course available in your vicinity. Treat this as a lean start up business start up model i.e check and verify as soon as you can if this is working for you and if not make a pivot in your strategy To get to the pivot point you need to first experience and gather feedback. So Just do it. Go for it.
One of the many good aspects of this Techniques and the course is – It is Non religions, free of cost. You do not have to chant or be part of any arcane rite or ritual, it will not challenge your present God or belief.
Comments
Harry. VERY MANY THANKS. this was an amazing read.i am surely going to give it a shot. The very well articulated writeup by you is my inspiration.
Keep coaching buddy I have started enjoying what you write.
Hey Gopu, Thank you for the feedback. It is encouraging
I look forward to your sharing of the experience after the course, Wish you happiness and peace mate
Harry, quite an achievement. But being slightly claustrofobic I think I will pass.
But well explained and nice to read.
Regards
Rein
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Thank you Waldo. hahaha