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Yoga
and Vipassana: An internal work.
Article by
Alexander Vorobiev, Mikhail Baranov.
Interview about yoga & vipassana practice with yoga-teachers Vladimir
Karpinsky and Ilya Zhuravlev.
The article
expatiates on Vipassana meditation in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin and
S.N. Goenka. The authors express their sincere gratitude to Vladimir Karpinsky,
a yoga instructor, who organized the first 10-days Vipassana Meditation courses
(in Goenka`s tradition) in Russia (1993), for providing materials, his support
and editorship.
Meditating Buddhas
AN INTRODUCTION.
WHAT IS VIPASSANA?
In the Pali language Vipassana means true vision or to see reality as it is. It
is an ancient technique, which was known in India a few thousands of years
Before Christ. Its main ideas were described by the Vedas. Then, in the 6th
century B.C., it was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha. After that, the tradition of
learning the Vipassana technique has continued in South India and Burma up to
the present day. The term Vipassana can also stand for a popular meditation
school headed by an Indian teacher, Mr. S.N. Goenka. The first Vipassana course
in Russia was held in 1993. It is pleasant, that the whole technique is
explained in simple words, without any excessive and complicated terms or
philosophical categories. The theory is given only to support practice. The
practice is sufficient, and it lasts for 10 days under ideal conditions
throughout the course.
To illustrate you what is happening during a Vipassana session, we list here
some quotations from its Code of Discipline.
THE CODE OF DICIPLINE (FOR A 10-DAY COURSE)
The basis of the practice is sila (ethical behavior).
Sila provides a foundation that enables samadhi (concentration of mind)
development. Purification of mental processes is achieved through panna (wisdom,
intuition).
Any participant must strictly obey the following five
rules during a Vipassana course:
1. Do not kill any living creatures.
2. Do not steal.
3. Avoid any sexual activities.
4. Avoid telling lies.
5. Do not take any intoxicants (including alcohol and all kinds of narcotics).
For the duration of the course one should totally
discontinue all forms of worship, meditation and healing practices. This is to
experience the technique of Vipassana in its purity. It happened a few times in
the past that some students commingled this technique with another practice by
intention, and consequently did themselves great harm. Should there be any doubt
or lack of understanding, students can always ask for their Teacher's advice.
All students must perform Noble Silence. It means
silence of body, speech, and mind. Any means of communication with other
students, including gestures, signs and notes, are forbidden. However, students
can talk to the Teacher, whenever it is necessary. They can also speak to the
Management, if they have any problems concerning food, accommodation, health,
etc. But such contacts should be minimal. Students should have the feeling that
they are working individually.
Complete sex segregation should be maintained. During
the course spouses and couples should not contact each other. The same applies
to friends, relatives and so on. Besides, it is important that throughout the
course there should be no physical contact between individuals of the same or
different sex.
Although yoga and other physical exercises are
compatible with Vipassana, they should be discontinued during the course, since
proper facilities are not available. Students may walk during the breaks in the
designated places.
According to the tradition of pure Vipassana, the
courses are funded solely by donations. Donations are accepted only from old
students, who have finished at least one 9 or 10-day course, led by S.N. Goenka
or by any of his assisting teachers. A first time student can make a donation on
the last day of the course, or any time later. In this tradition such donations
are the only source of funding for Vipassana courses all over the world. There
are no big foundations or individual sponsors, supporting them. Neither
teachers, nor organizers get any financial benefits for their work. This is how
the spread of Vipassana is handled, with its purity of purpose and free from any
kind of commercializing.
4.00 Time for getting up
4.30-6.30 Meditation in the hall or in your room.
6.30-8.00 Breakfast break.
8.00-9.00 GROUP MEDITATION IN THE HALL.
9.00-11.00 Meditation in the hall or in your room as instructed by the Teacher.
11.00-12.00 Lunch break.
12.00-13.00 Rest period.
13.00-14.30 Meditation in the hall or in your room.
14.30-15.30 GROUP MEDITATION IN THE HALL.
15.30-17.00 Meditation in the hall or in your room as instructed by the Teacher.
17.00-18.00 Tea break.
18.00-19.00 GROUP MEDITATION IN THE HALL.
19.00-20.00 Teacher's lecture in the hall.
20.15-21.00 GROUP MEDITATION IN THE HALL.
21.00-21.30 Time for questions in the hall.
21.30 Time to sleep. Lights out.
COMPARISON
S.N. Goenka
Beyond any doubt, many practitioners of hatha yoga
remember the second Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: yoga stops the fluctuations of the
mind. By means of meditation one can experience this state personally, which is
far more valuable than just reaching an intellectual agreement with Patanjali's
aphorism. Mr. S. N. Goenka explains it here: «Followers of both these doctrines
accept them on intellectual level only. None of them know on the basis of their
own experiences as to what is the reality existing in it. They just accept
others saying without testing them on the basis of self experience. They do not
know that mere acceptance of realities, does not constitute rtambhara prajna or
knowledge acquired on the basis of one's own experience without which we will
never be able to understand Buddha or Patanjali in their real context». (from
"Yoga as seen in the light of Vipassana" by S. N. Goenka. A lecture at
Kaivalyadham Yoga Academy, Bombay. April 30, 1990)
During the session one has to obey the rules and follow
the restrictions. That is shila (In Pali language shila means ethical
behavior). Some of them resemble Patanjali's Yama and Niyama, which he describes
in his Yoga Sutras. More precisely, Yama is accepted in full (silence, regimen
etc.), and Niyama is only recommended for individual practice. Leaving aside
rigorous comparison, we can definitely state that sila, as well as Patanjali's
instructions, in their very essence, have the same goal of creating ideal
conditions for the followers to perform their practice most effectively.
Complete obedience to the given rules ensures that one will succeed in proper
understanding and mastering the Vipassana meditation technique. During the
evening lectures of the course it is often mentioned that sila is the basis for
one's meditation. Per se, this is a mutual interconnection which operates as
follows: maintaining sila helps to meditate effectively, and as a result of such
meditations, a practitioner enters a certain state of mind, which reveals that
obeying the rules is natural.
During the practice one's mind doesn't get any
new feed, and it starts digesting the previous meal. As a result of this, the
inner dialogue constantly becomes less active, and, finally, obsolete.
Frequently, this can be unpleasant. Our inner problems, psychological complexes,
blocks and junk material, that used to be hidden by the constant flow of our
thoughts, cravings and feelings, come to the very surface of the mind. It should
be mentioned, though, that purifying one's mind from mental junk takes time. It
does not happen all at once, but, steadily, day by day. During the process of
meditation there appear some kleshas, commonplace or blind reactions to
perceived experience; they are known, both in yoga and Vipassana, as obstacles
on one's way to liberation.
The following obstacles are called kleshas in
Patanjali yoga tradition:
1. Avidya - ignorance, false knowledge
2. Asmita - egoism
3. Raga - overwhelming attachment to objects of pleasure
4. Dwesha - overwhelming aversion to objects of disgust
5. Abhinivesha – clinging to life
In the Vipassana tradition there are three roots of inner impurity as below:
1. Raga (Lobha) - attachment
2. Dosa - aversion
3. Moha - ignorance
In Buddhist Pali Canon there is also a full set of 10
kilesa as follows: lobha (greed), dosa (aversion), moha
(ignorance), mana (conceit), ditthi (speculativeness),
vicikiccha (skepticism), thina (sloth), uddhacca
(restfulness), ahirika (imprudence), anottappa (lack of honesty).
It is assumed that lobha = raga + abhinivesha; dosa = dwesha; moha = avidya;
mana = asmita.
As far as the methods for overcoming these obstacles
are concerned, there is an obvious resemblance. At least, it is obvious for a
practitioner. Now we will take a closer look at what is going on during a
Vipassana course.
THE
MIND OBSERVES ITSELF… by touch
Throughout the course a practitioner experiences different states on physical,
emotional and mental levels. There can be heavy, painful body sensations as well
as mental displays of euphoria or depression. Certainly, these are the extreme
polarities, and between them, there exists an endless variety of all the
possible states of mind. However, these states alone are not useful for our
personal growth, as long as our mind is accustomed to recreating them, reacting
to them and identifying our personality with them.
Key technique for controlling this habitual behavior is
to work with one's body sensations by looking at them impartially and calm, from
a detached observer's point of view. In its utmost depth this state is called
upekha, it means equality. Training this ability is one of the most important
aspects of the Vipassana meditation; since it removes the core sources of
impurity (raga and dosa) and, consequently, causes eliminating of ignorance
(moha or avidya). Here the goal and the tool are one.
Practicing Vipassana you perform only one sitting
position, but, for significant time periods. It is no surprise, that even those
who are fit physically and experienced in hatha yoga, still get very
uncomfortable sensations. Especially, it becomes apparent when an additional
condition of addithana is introduced to the meditation technique. It
requires that a practitioner should remain motionless for one hour during the
meditation process, and this enforces the reaction of resistance coming from the
unconscious mind. It appears as heavy and painful body sensations. By having
fixed the main features of one's body position (including the arms, legs and
spine) the practitioner will eliminate external movement sensations, and that
should allow perceiving more subtle internal vibrations, related to the mental
system.
In Pali Language addithana literally means
inflexible intention. The introduction of addithana might have been enforced by
the fact that such deep experiences of reality are not so easy to ignore. Thus,
here we have a situation where the mind of a practitioner has to master and
apply the technique correctly. In other words, a desire to change the pose for a
more comfortable one shows clearly the habit of the human mind to feel disgust
towards something unpleasant and to be attracted by something nice. If in this
situation one can keep mental steadiness, calmness and awareness, then further
practice will make heavy sensations melt and will sharpen the ability to
perceive more subtle sensations. However, it is not the goal by itself. The
final result of this practice should be melting of all the sensations; i.e. a
practitioner should get rid of all the impurities. The mind should give up the
habit of reacting mechanically (chitta's stereotypical models of perception),
and that is how both raga and dwesha kleshas are eliminated.
(About chitta`s models see also "Nadi Vijnana. Inner
Workings during Yoga Practice" by Dr. T. V. Ananthapadmanabha. Janus Books,
2000)
What is the cause of our body sensations? Why do they
appear? S.N. Goenka's comments below can give you a full picture on this matter:
«He also visualizes in the state of trance the
psychosomatic relationship between his mind and body as also the general
relationship and interdependence of mind and matter. The practitioner of
Vipassana or Patanjali Yoga observes these happenings with spirit of a
scientist. He does not take into consideration the so-called different
traditional philosophical hypothesis while doing his practice. He depends and
trusts what comes true on his own experience. A deep practitioner is also
successful in experiencing the reactions of mind and body when the sense objects
encounter their respective objects e.g., a visual object while comes in the
range of eye the practitioner will find that this contact of eye sense organ
with its respective visual object produces a reaction on a particular part of
mind which tells that something is present within the range of eye.
In good old days this part of mind was termed as
eye-consciousness or chakkha vinnanam. Its function was merely to raise an alarm
that some visual object is present within the range of eye. Now the another part
of mind being activated by the alarm of consciousness recognizes the object into
its good or bad qualities. This organ of mind was technically termed as sanna,
that is perception. This organ functions into two ways i.e. it recognizes and
evaluates the respective object. The evaluation made by this part of mind emits
a particular vibration that permeates the whole body. If the evaluation is in
favour of the object the vibration thus emitted will be so pleasant and
agreeable that it will create a craving for that object. On the contrary if the
evaluation is not in the favour of the object it will emit a vibration which in
turn generates avarice to the respective objects. Thus the emission of vibration
created after the evaluation of the object by the perception was technically
termed as sensation or vedena. This process of cognition goes one step further
wherein, the good or bad impression of sensation is retained on a particular
part of mind termed as sankhara or imprint and the accumulation of such imprint
was termed as anusaya.
...The word anusaya is a compound of two words
anu + saya, wherein anu means follow and saya means "into dormant situation."
Thus etymologically, anusaya signifies those defilements which are lying dormant
on our unnoticed part of psychic level i.e. unconscious mind and go on flowing
along with it without any knowledge to us. They remain as such along with us
even after our death and in successive births. The practice of all the above
eight meditations bury them so deep that it becomes difficult to be even aware
of them. But they are just like volcanoes dormant at present but bound to erupt
as and when conducive circumstances exist, whether the same are available today
or after several rebirths». (For further
reference on mind reactions towards individual experience in context of the
Indian yoga tradition you can study Yoga Sutras, Part II, paragraphs 7-8.)
Getting rid of these impurities by means of observing
them in a calm state of mind (upekha) opens the way to Vipassana.
MY EYES ARE OPEN, AND I CAN SEE
So, ideally, we have got a mind which is free from all the impurities. The
absence of any disturbing noise will naturally make a lucid mind expand its
awareness to a wider range. It means that our personal circle of attention is
beginning to grow, and it allows us to carry out our everyday activities more
efficiently. The same applies to hatha yoga practices.
Moreover, some secrets or aspects on practicing asanas
and pranayamas etc., which we have learned previously from books, are beginning
to reveal themselves. Many of the concepts, that used to be abstract for us,
such as energy channels, prana movement etc., are now experienced spontaneously
on the sensational level. This accounts for the fact that our practice becomes
less mechanical or imitative, and it is more or less conscious. If the practice
is profound, then our mind can be deeply transformed by means of a meditation. A
practitioner becomes more open-minded and perceptive. One's personality is
changing when habits and unconscious complexes disappear. It also affects the
body by means of relaxing muscle stiffness, spasms and cramps. Due to this, many
hatha yoga practitioners have noticed a fantastic increase in flexibility.
But the main characteristic of the mental state, which
is acquired, is the growing ability of one's mind to apprehend the current
situation in an adequate manner. This means that habitual, automatic reactions
are replaced by the state of permanent awareness.
It becomes obvious during asana practice. When some
body sensations appear, while we are executing certain poses, they are not
estimated by our minds as being pleasant or unpleasant any longer. It allows us
to evaluate our abilities adequately and to come up closely to performing the
utmost asana's variant, which is now within our grasp. As time periods of static
fixations in asana practice start to grow significantly, you spontaneously
become aware of the structures and inner movements that lie within the poses.
Surprisingly, it reminds the concept of inner work in
asanas coming from Kripalu yoga teachings as referenced below: Holding postures
for significant time periods teaches you to withhold your habitual reaction of
fear towards painful sensations. When you witness different states of your body,
without labeling them as pleasure or pain, it frees your energy blocks. As a
result, you overcome another barrier without any struggle. As you hold your
pose, you witness what is happening inside, and this is how you can enter the
second and the third levels of intensity, which you have not experienced before.
How long should you hold an asana? When you
overcome you fear and get rid of your tension, your body will show you your real
physical limitations. Nobody can tell you when you should stop. It is something
you have to find out yourself in your own conscious yoga practice.
To make our viewpoint on the tradition of Vipassana more
objective, we find it essential to list here some opinions belonging to yoga
practitioners who have participated in a Vipassana session.
YOGA
AND VIPASSANA: INTERVIEWS
|
Vladimir Karpinsky |
Ilya Zhuravlev |
We
interviewed two practicing yogis who completed a Vipassana course: Vladimir
Karpinsky (Moscow), a yoga instructor who translated into Russian the
book of Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon and David Life, and Ilya Zhuravlev,
an instructor from Ashtanga Yoga Center (Moscow)
1. What has induced you to enter a Vipassana course?
Vladimir Êarpinsky: My long time wish was to master a technique that
helps expanding awareness by observing breathing. But the course program
surpassed all my expectations. They taught us to be free, natural, kind and a
lot of other useful things. In spite of all the hardship I was infinitely happy!
Ilya Zhuravlev: My friends' stories. A number of my friends have served
their time there, and some of them, more than once. They described it as useful
but quite tough, and even extreme practice, because it might make you loose your
mind. This, of cause, only roused my interest. Indeed, under present
circumstances, when such retreats are available (if you have no money you can
participate for free), you can't really call yourself a yogi until you attend a
Vipassana course. Moreover, for quite a few years I have taken a great interest
in Buddhism, and Tibetan teachers mention in their books that it is a basic
meditation technique in the South Buddhism, Theravada. You can meet it in the
Northern Buddhist schools as well. But only the followers of Sri Satya Narayan
Goenka's teachings organize retreats which are only devoted to this practice
solely. I like their approach. During the retreat they only teach you one
technique, which seems simple at first blush, but since it is given in full, you
will notice its effects, in any case. Because the main problem in studying
spiritual disciplines on the West is that, even though the information is
available and there are a lot of descriptions of their techniques, only a few
people practice them constantly or even once in a while. Samsara rotates too
fast. So, you should really persist in doing any of such practices to make them
work. On the East they used to practice not only when they "had time and were
willing to do so", but constantly, until they would finally reach the
realization that was sought for. An intensive hours-long Vipassana course helps
you to experience this.
2. What did you get from your first Vipassana meditation experience?
V.Ê.: A sensation of emptiness in my body. On the 9th day I felt
distinctly that my body was only a shell of different states and sensations that
were inside. It means that elaborating on your sensations you can change the
structure of your body... thought changes matter. This is psychokinesis on the
body level. I couldn’t believe it was real for a long time.
I.Zh.: My first teacher Jayakumar Swamysree from Mysore, who used to give
lessons at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, taught me a mini-Vipassana that lasted
15-20 minutes. In due time, he himself completed a Vipassana course in India
that was taught in Goenka’s tradition, by the way. But my impressions of a
10-day retreat were, certainly, stronger. I realized how weak I was sometimes at
controlling my mind and felt some hidden stiffness in my body that later on I
removed with my asana practice, which was easier for me. Any stiffness of your
body reflects a certain tension in your mind. That is why, if you work with your
mind during meditations, and with your body in asana practice, your chances for
liberation will grow. It was interesting for me to go through the tough
experiences of the first days, observing my mental reactions as if from afar,
taking an outsider’s viewpoint. Even though the retreat organizers were making
efforts to keep their students in a tabula rasa state of mind, and all spiritual
and psycho-energetic practices were forbidden, I broke this rule several times,
and every now and then practiced asanas for a little while. As far as I’m
concerned, it only sharpened my ability for conscious observation and made my
poses more stable. The meditation sessions, prior to which I, secretly, had
managed to exercise asanas, had the deepest impact on my personality. The answer
of the teacher to my question regarding hatha yoga made me realize that his
conception of it was rather vague, and that he probably had never experienced it
in practice. But, when you go to Rome you must do as the Romans do. I took
interest in a specific technique and, of cause, was ready to study it on the
teacher’s terms. One can endure living ten days without intensive asana
practice, at least for the sake of pure experiment. After all, the attachment to
maintaining a stable order of your daily routine is mentioned as an obstacle in
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika. I’ve always been right in my head since I was a child,
so I neither went insane, nor achieved an instant enlightment. However, on the
whole, this retreat experience was quite valuable for me. I started to do better
on calming my mind, concentrating and meditating in a sitting position, and not
least, I made an estimation of my abilities, which was sober and pitiless in
good, Kastaneda’s sense. Most of us keep imaging things about themselves... The
retreat gives us a chance to estimate our state and to realize to what extent we
can control our minds under austere, close to monastic, conditions and not only
“when we have got the right mood to”.
3. How did it affect your everyday yoga practice in general and each training
session in particular?
V.Ê.: I felt an urge to be closer to the nature. I’m trying to not to
step beyond the limit. I avoid hypo- and hyperventilation in order not to become
stoned, neither by oxygen nor by carbonic acid gas. The same apples to the
intensity level. The practice should not get excessive, otherwise your
adrenaline will raise and make you high.
Now it is easier for me to let go of all the unnecessary staff in my asanas and
movements. I feel more flexible and fluid. My mind now perceives consequences of
movements as a whole and continuous process. This applies not only to my
movements, but to all the movements in the hall at the same time. It helps me to
run my yoga classes. Since, I can see at once if somebody is underperforming or
needs help.
I.Zh.: I’ve already mentioned that, thanks to my yoga teacher, some
elements of Vipassana have been present in my practice from the first day. He
often reminded that while performing an asana one should maintain awareness and
observe body sensations without attachment or disgust. That is why there had
been no dramatic change in my personal practice. Later on, when I was taught by
some other teachers in India, I used to meet similar approaches. It is probably
a commonplace for the cultures where meditation practices are well known. Here
you can meet people that practice asanas in harsh, sportive style, when there is
no smoothness, and the energy moves inharmoniously. Shandor Remete during his
yoga seminar expatiated on this typically western mistake. Here you can meet
people who get stuck on their sensations, because they are longing for an
euphoric state, or on the contrary, some people are dramatically afraid of any
sensations and totally unwilling to face any kind of discomfort. Should they
accidentally come across it, they would instantly go ahead with the savasana and
stop all the activities. I reckon that they can overcome such obstacles in their
yoga practice by experiencing Vipassana.
4. Do you continue practicing Vipassana? Have you adjusted it somehow, or it
remained pure and unaltered in your practice?
V.Ê.: I meditate every day at home, because it is super useful. During
the course, every time I did not succeed in doing something, I was always
looking for an easier and still more powerful approach, in order to do things my
way. Usually, I ended up performing what had been called for. It was the best
way for me, and, the only way it had to be done. I continue searching so far...
I.Zh.: The meditation technique itself is so simple and all-sufficient
that it is difficult and rather senseless to stuff it with your own inventions.
Such inventions often prove to be a trap, where we are driven by our ego. It
happens when a person hasn’t really mastered any traditional techniques, and
still he wishes to improve them. But our Universe has its rules. First, you
should learn notes and scales, and only after that, you can play a symphony. If
you know only a few chords, don’t play anything more difficult than punk-rock.
Another question, however, is that a Vipassana session could be introduced very
successfully into an individual practice pattern. For instance, your Vipassana
sitting meditation will be much more stable and deeper after a sequence of
asanas and pranayamas. Goenka teaches us to practice only sitting Vipassana, and
in this respect, I haven’t become his outright follower, since I also do hatha
yoga and Buddhist practices, which have been received during other Buddhist
teachers’ retreats. Also, I disagree with some of the postulates from the
lectures, which were taught during the course. Because, my personal experience
and some other teachers’ words, whom I find trustworthy, do not match with the
opinion of the Theravada school. But, this is subject to your personal choice,
which opinion should be the main one, on your own Way. It can be Theravada,
Vajrayana or some school of Hinduism. The Vipassana technique itself will work
fine in any case, since it is natural. Here is my sincere advice. If you read a
book about it and try some meditation at home that will not be like a retreat at
all. Do not produce illusions. You can never recreate a regimen of an intensive
retreat, while you live in the society. If you take interest in this authentic
technique, which has been passed for many centuries in a ceaseless disciples’
continuity, find an opportunity to attend the course. Because, the practice
solely gives way to success, and you can only feel the rhythm and the spirit of
a practice if you learn it in a living process; it has always been this way in
all the spiritual development systems.
CONCLUSION
We have tried to examine this topic as objectively as we could, judging from our
own experience. We hope that this article will not only provoke your idle
curiosity towards the Vipassana practice, but, also a desire to verify all the
above statements on you own experience.
You can sign up for a 10-day course in Russia at
www.russian.dhamma.org
BHAVATU
SABBA MANGALAM
May all living creatures be happy.
Russian Yoga Magazine, #2,
2003
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