Extreme meditation in Sri Lanka

GO FEEDBACK : It sounded like the ideal way to unwind after sixmonths travelling through India but it turned out to be the toughestthing YVONNE MORAN had done in years

THE IDEA OF meditating with no contact with the outside world fordays on end on the sultry, tropical island of Sri Lanka might soundheavenly - but it proved to be the toughest thing I'd done in years.

No talking, no eye contact with others, no phones, internet,reading or writing: trying to spend all your waking hours during the10-day course committed to learning Vipassana meditation wasdifficult enough.

But 10-plus hours spent meditating every day, all the time tryingto sit - and remain immobile - in the lotus position, whilesimultaneously attempting to still the mind, to think of one thingonly, and nothing else, was almost torturous.

Several "old students", or experienced mediators, described theirfirst course as "hell".

Sweat was pouring off me in the early morning darkness and lateinto the night. The first few days were spent writhing in extremediscomfort and pain as I attempted to sit crossed-legged and erecton the cushioned floor in the same position for what seemed likeinterminable periods of time.

Stilling the mind, trying to clear it of everything other thanfocusing on breathing, for the first four days, then on the body'ssensations for the next six, proved a Herculean task.

Our busy minds run helter-skelter; trying to train the mind tofocus on the one task and to have to continually bring it back fromits incessant thought wanderings, was a monumental task.

It took many days before I came even close to achieving therecorded instructions. And still the mind wandered, just less oftenand with quieter thoughts. I had to keep on reminding the mind tofocus, focus . . .

A ringing bell at 4am woke the 51 sleeping, mainly Sri Lankan,participants (there were three female and four male foreigners).Those pre-dawn two-hour meditation sessions were the toughest.

The 6.30am breakfast of tea, white rice, spicy vegetables and abanana was served to the segregated sexes in the dining room. Theirmetal cups and plates washed, meditators returned to the basicdormitories or two-three bedroom cottages to sleep.

Group meditation sessions started at 8am. During these four dailyperiods, participants were asked to try and remain in one positionwithout moving at all. That meant no leaving the the meditation hallfor any reason. It was. apparantly, a way of gaining strength fromeveryone undergoing the same process simultaneously.

Meditators could sit against the wall or walk outside for shortrest periods if they needed a break during the non-group sessions.

A 10-20 minute break was followed by more meditation. Lunch at11am usually consisted of rice, perhaps lentils, a good selection ofspicy and some boiled vegetables, with something sweet to finish.This was the last meal of the day.

It was then time for showers, washing clothes and resting beforethe bell summoned us to the 1pm meditation. Group meditationcontinued through the early afternoon, followed by more meditationuntil teatime, - four crackers and a banana were the usualofferings.

Then there was another hour of meditation at 6pm. A video talk bylay meditator SN Goenka, who brought the technique from Burma toIndia, and from where it has spread around the world, followed. Thelast group meditation of 30 minutes finished at 9pm, followed bybed.

It was so hard, I was counting the days to the end. But slowly Icame to realise it would be impossible to learn this form ofmeditation without undergoing such an intensive course.

The 2,500-year-old Vipassana meditation is universally applicableand non-secular. It teaches through your body's sensations to seethings as they really are.

By neutrally observing the changing nature of body and mind; ofobserving how the body's sensations continually change, meditatorslearn the nature of impermanence, suffering and egolessness.

Eventually, you become more able to note the body's pleasant andunpleasant sensations (pain or tension from sitting in one position,for example) without craving or aversion - without having to changeyour position to alleviate the discomfort, realising that it istemporary and not permanent.

Those meditating become more balanced and learn not to reactimmediately to everyday life's perceived pleasant and unpleasantevents. It enables them to face life with more equilibrium, knowingthat nothing is permanent and that everything passes.

I was exhausted after six months of travel in India and felt thatdoing something completely different would instill a new enthusiasm.Meditation was something I'd been interested in learning about, andwith time to spare, I thought it would be a good idea to attempt it.

I was also exhausted after the course, and thinner, but I feltlighter, more positive and a bit more patient. Two hours daily isthe recommendation. I do it in fits and starts, over less time. Inthat way, hopefully, it will eventually become a part of my everydaylife.

There are no charges for the course; donations are accepted. Theteachers aren't paid, so it remains commercially free.

Vipassana Meditation Centre, Dhamma Kuta, Kandy, Sri Lanka,dhamma.org