I was all of 43 when I attended my first Vipassana
program. With absolutely no prior idea of what it entailed, no expectations, no
mental baggage; when I arrived at the venue in Igatpuri, one monsoon day of
2005, it was more with trepidation than questions. Vedanta took root
thereafter; with constant reading and introspection, the mind developed
equanimity in thought; and with regular practice in meditation, the mind developed
equanimity in emotions. Years later, recently, when I went for the latest short
session in Vipassana; there was a predominance of Vedanta in thoughts. Set me
thinking on the title of this blog post.
Ignorance is bliss; we have learnt. We have also learnt
that half knowledge is dangerous!!
Vipassana is a technique in meditation; at least that is
what I will believe; although we were taught that it is Dhamma (religion).
Vedanta says Dharma is the essential characteristic of a given thing. For
instance, dharma of fire is heat; dharma of sugar is sweet and so on. Latin
teaches us that Religion is that which takes us nearer to ourselves; i.e. that which reconnects. In that
respect, I believe that both teachings take us nearer to our Inner Self.
Vipassana practice starts with bringing the mind in
complete attention to a focal point in the body, without allowing it to digress
to any other thought. Everytime the mind wanders, we learn to bring the mind
back, with love and patience, towards that focal point of attention within the body.
Gradually, as the mind develops concentration and a unitary point of focus, we
start observing with equanimity, every sensation that we are experiencing at every
given part of the body. With practice, this equanimity at the bodily level is
translated into an equanimous mind, balanced and witnessing in nature, at all
varied happenings in our life, in the knowledge that everything in life is
transitory, ephemeral and rising only to die away.
Vedanta, is the philosophical part of the Vedas and Vedic
texts. One of the concise yet detailed; poetic yet prophetic Vedanta treatises
is the Bhagavat Geeta. Not surprisingly, our Ex-President, Hon’ble Abdul Kalam,
was a voracious reader and believer in the teachings of the Geeta. The Geeta encompasses the entire
Vedanta. Although predominantly learning oriented, Practical Vedanta, when
applied through right-thinking in our day-to-day living, is a great tool in
understanding the intricacies of life, the purpose of our having taken a
physical embodiment, the logical reasoning behind every event occurring in the
cosmos, our own internal linkages to each event and our relationship with each person in this world, etc.
Once having realized these on an intellectual level; the teachings make us
reflect internally on these, and realize that everything in life is transitory,
ephemeral and rising only to die away. Having realized that, we develop the
internal faculty of equanimity at every experience in life; love towards all
and a purposeful march towards doing only good with our life.
Whether it be Vipassana or Vedanta, they only lead us on
the path of maintaining a balanced mind, a right thinking intellect and a
functionally useful body that is used for the good of mankind, always in the
principle that we learn to become but a witness to what is happening without the attitude
of doership and ownership to anything or any being in the world.
Prem & Om
Suresh
