Vipassana, one of the world's ancient meditation techniques, means insight leading to wisdom and compassion. Rediscovered by Gotama the Buddha some 2500 years ago, it is the essence of what he practiced and preached during his forty-five years of teaching. Today, Satipatthana Vipassana Kammatthana, or Insight Meditation, based on the four states of mindfulness, offers to people of every religious conviction a path to the truth that lies within all of us.

J. Krishnamurti, the Indian-born philosopher who died in 1986, said, "Truth is a pathless land. Man cannot come to it through any organisation, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, or through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection..."

Understanding the contents of our minds through observation, might well describe Vipassana meditation from the Western perspective. This ancient form of meditation offers a unique pathway of self-discovery and leads to purification of the mind thereby allowing its practitioner to overcome grief and sorrow, pain and suffering-to learn the true meaning of love and compassion.

All forms of meditation, including the two main branches used in Buddhism: Samatha and Vipassana, seek to achieve calmness and concentration. Vipassana stresses 'mindfulness' and uses sitting and walking meditation to develop an acute, balanced, and focused awareness of self. A Pali word which means seeing clearly, Vipassana is most commonly translated as insight. Seeing things as they really are, understanding the true nature of mind and body, accepting the impermanence of all things.

To achieve this deep insight, Vipassana bases its meditation techniques on the Buddhist, "Four Foundations of Mindfulness," the Four Satipatthana, which are mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind, and mind objects. In a Western context, this can be described as focusing on the intrinsic interconnection between mind and body, a relationship which can be experienced by concentrated and disciplined attention to body movements and sensations. In the process, balance and harmony, love and compassion take the place of impurities of thought and deed.

In a talk entitled "Vipassana Meditation and Tipitaka" given to a Bangkok audience, the Buddhist teacher, S.N. Goenka described his own experience of his first ten-day course. "I was asked to keep my attention steadfastly fixed to the area at the entrance of the nostrils, and the middle part of the upper lip. I tried to keep my attention on this small area with the awareness of natural respiration as long as possible. I understood the reason behind this technique a little later. In a day or two, the breath started becoming shorter and shorter, subtler and subtler, finer and finer. I came to know that if the area of concentration is small, the object of concentration is subtle and the continuity of the awareness is maintained uninterrupted for some time, the mind naturally becomes sharper and sharper and more and more sensitive. One starts to feel sensations on this small part of the body. This started happening on the second and the third day.

From the fourth day onwards, when the meditation technique was switched to Vipassana, I was amazed to feel sensations throughout the body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. With every sensation I could realise the nature of arising and passing away...."

This focus on the smallest movements of the body applies both to the sitting and walking forms of Vipassana meditation. In the sitting form, which should be preceded by an hour of walking meditation, the body should be maintained in a well-balanced posture. Meditation begins with focusing on the natural rise and fall of the abdomen, breathing should be relaxed and normal. Gradually the meditator becomes less aware of distractions such a external noise, thoughts and feelings. Walking meditation means what it says but involves much more than strolling around in a state of serene contemplation. Each step and stage of each walking movement are carefully observed with the numbers of stages and parts focused on gradually increased.

For serious practice of Vipassana meditation, it is important to closely follow the fundamental principles of staying in the present moment, ensuring continuity of mindfulness, being diligent and maintaining a balance of faculties.

In answering a question on the tradition of pure Dhamma, Goenka said, "Understand what pure Dhamma is: it is the law of nature, the truth about mind and matter and their interaction, how mind and matter are influencing each other and how this can be experienced. It is not the play of useless intellectual games. The Buddha wanted us to experience Dhamma."

"When you start experiencing the truth at the depths of the mind, you find that it is the same with everyone. The problem lies at the depths of the mind where the behaviour pattern of reaction begins. There is a Pali word, nati, which means inclination. At the depth of the mind where there is an inclination towards reaction, an unwholesome process begins. For example, the reaction of anger is triggered by this inclination and one continues to react with this anger for a long time. As this repeats itself over and over again, the behaviour pattern of reacting with anger is strengthened. This happens similarly with passion or any other defilement. No outside power is producing this behaviour. You are doing it yourself, out of ignorance. Now, with Vipassana you begin to understand, 'Look at this game I'm playing. I am harming myself. I am making myself a prisoner of my own behaviour patterns.' If you start observing this process deep within yourself, you will find that naturally it stops, and eventually you'll reach the stage where even this inclination towards reaction does not arise. What else can pure Dhamma be than this?"

Fast becoming a world centre for insight meditation where it has long been part of Buddhist teaching and practice, Thailand offers many Vipassana centres across the country, which offer a range of options from weekend retreats to intensive courses lasting up to four weeks. All participants must adhere to the Five Buddhist Precepts of abstaining from violence and taking any kind of life, from dishonest practices, from improper sexual behaviour, and from taking alcohol and drugs. Vipassana retreats also require that clothing be all-white and modest.

Said one young couple from New York who had lost friends in the September 11th incident, "The pain and sense of loss, and the memory of that fateful day is still with us. We plan to spend some time at a Vipassana retreat here in Thailand to help clear our minds of the bitterness we still feel, to regain a sense of compassion."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANAI CHANCHAOCHAI

Danai Chanchaochai, 36, is a progressive high-level executive, CEO of a leading public relations firm in Thailand, MDK Consultants. Under Danai's guidance, the company has successfully integrated Vipassana meditation with corporate practices. It not only supports meditation courses for its staff, but also promotes Vipassana meditation for its blue-chip clients and the general public. MDK's staff are encouraged to take 8 day meditation courses to benefit their overall well being and productivity, as well as the company's as a whole.

Danai is a radio host and a regular columnist for several newspapers, in English and Thai, covering Dhamma, Dhamma in the workplace, and other management and social issues. He has also translated several books from English to Thai, covering a wide range of issues from spirituality to corporate branding.