Six Months At The California Vipassana Center

If you don't know, I spent the last six months living at the California Vipassana Center, in North Fork, CA. A center devoted to the practice and instruction of Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka. And, I wanted to share some of the photos, stories, thoughts, and reflections on my experience there.

When I first arrived, I really had no idea what to expect. I had been to the center about 4 times before, but only for a week or two at a time. What was I getting myself into? I gave up my home and my job and most of my stuff to follow a dream. But, what was the dream? Was I just out of my mind?

Well, whatever I had in store, I decided to really go for it 100% and really give it a fair trial. I shaved my head and my face clean just after I arrived, and then, yes... I let it grow... and grow... and grow. I was told I looked a little like one of my idols, Henry David Thoreau. (that's the kitchen behind me.)

Awareness and equanimity. That's the practice in a nutshell. Everyday, every second, every moment, remain aware, remain equanimous. Every day we meditate at least three hours.

The center runs 10 day courses for anyone who's willing to give up all their entertainments, phone, email, gadgets, comforts, and meditate 12 hours a day. The courses usually bring in about 75% new students, and 25% students who are returning for a second, third, or even eighteenth helping of silent meditation.

Over the six months I was there, I was a student for five 10-day courses (all silent, nothing but meditation). And, I served about six 10-day courses as well, mostly working in the kitchen serving up tasty vegetarian dishes to nourish and sustain my fellow meditators. I also worked on various projects around the campus, such as painting buildings, running a cable through a trench in the ground, shampooing carpets, installing hardwood floor, and more. The photo to the left is the barn I was staying in most of the time I was there.

This photo is one of the walking paths. I spent many hours slowly walking these paths to exercise my legs.

I must admit that sometimes my experiences were some of the most painful I've ever experienced in my life. Some experiences were incredibly beautiful too. The point, though, isn't so much what kind of experience arises, but rather how we react.

There was a quote which really served as my inspiration throughout the hard times:

"The meditator dwells enduring equanimously the fruition of his or her past actions, no matter how painful, severe, sharp and terrible they are." - Buddha (SN 1.1.168)

This is one of the men's residential buildings. They aren't the most luxury accommodations, but they do the trick for those who are practicing renunciation for a week or two. As soon as I arrived at the center, it became very clear that this tradition was designed for "householders" - that is to say, not for monks. It's a little funny, since I don't hold a house, and I don't have a wife and kids. Though, I'm certainly no monk either. The tradition has a lot of elements which reveal the Burmese and Indian cultures from which it comes.

The center is full of wildlife. Every night as the day came to an end, we would always send our blessings to all the beings on the meditation campus - big and small, visible or invisible, wishing them happiness and liberation. I think the animals must feel it. I saw a jack rabbit, tarantulas, lots of deer, lizards, gophers, and more. Unfortunately, I never got to see the fox, the bobcat, or the scorpions, but I heard the stories.

I spent the first few weeks living in a tent. It was summer, and hot (up near 108 degrees F.) And by the time I left in December, I had enjoyed at least one snowfall.

They affectionately call it "dhamma land," and it definitely has it's own unique quality to it. Peaceful, harmonious, and simple. May All Deer Be Happy!

Peeking through the trees here, you can see the assistant teacher's (AT) residence. The assistant teachers are students of meditation like the rest of us, but with a fair amount of experience. They vary from course to course, and come from all over the world to give service here. They don't receive any money, and so in general they are all financially independent on their own. The main teaching, however, comes on video tapes and audio tapes of S.N. Goenka himself. I'm hoping I might get the chance to see Goenka when I go to India. He's in his eighties and not doing well physically, but I've heard he still makes an appearance now and then.

Of course, one of the most common questions I get is "what did you get out of it?" Well, some cool photos, some new friends, some good memories. But, really it's not at all about what I got out of it. It's about what I got rid of. I let go of so many memories that were no longer serving me. I let go of so many old patterns of generating suffering for myself. I let go of fears, and anger, and rage, and judgments, and anxieties. I even let go of cravings, desires and fantasies of things which may have seemed quite harmless on the surface, but really only served to take me away from the present moment.

I think it's hard to even describe it well enough to do it justice. But, the peace and happiness and contentment that's available after ditching all the unneccesary self-centered junk, well, it's the greatest blessing I could've possibly recieved.

I feel so incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone else out there who's even thinking of it. It's not always easy, but who said things would be easy? And, the sunset's always seemed to have a way of saying that everything really is alright in the end.

For more photos, check out my Picasa photostream.

[Update: Some people have asked me questions regarding this post, so I've started a FAQ here, feel free to contact me with any other questions)