Long Term Service - FAQ

A number of people have asked me questions about my experience living at the Vipassana center in North Fork, so I wanted to do a follow up to one of my original posts.  I know that it can sometimes be hard to get a hold of anyone at the center to answer your questions (after all, they are all volunteers.)  So, here are my answers.  I will try to update this if I get more questions:

Q: I have sit a couples of course and recently I have been thinking about staying there and serving the the center on a long/short term basis... I would like to know when you are not serving or sitting the course.  Do they have a fixed schedule for you to follow?  Will they allow access to the internet etc during those times or even when you were serving?

A: If you are staying at the center, here are the rules as far as I know.  This is UNOFFICIAL... so I will always defer to whatever they tell you:
1) You have to stay on the five precepts and meditate a minimum of 2 hours per day no matter what. Even if you take a day trip up to Yosemite, there shall be no boozing and fornicating.
2) When serving a course, you are expected to follow the server schedule which includes six hours of work per day and 3 hours of sitting.  If, for some reason you need to sit or rest more and work less, they usually can accommodate that.  Internet use, phone calls, leaving the center, etc. are all discouraged while a course is in progress, but sometimes they will make an exception if you ask and it seems reasonable.
3) Courses generally end on a Sunday morning.  That Sunday is considered the day off.  (Yep, one day off every 2 weeks.)  You still need to meditate 2-3 hours, but otherwise you can do whatever you want: internet, yosemite, skinny dipping in waterfalls, hiking, movies.  One time, a group of servers went to see the latest horror movie which just came out (I declined the invitation.)
4) From Monday until the next course is considered a service period which has it's own rule.  Basically, you will follow a schedule similar to the server schedule (6 hours of work, 3 hours of meditation)  except with a bit more lenience about leaving for day trips or using internet, etc.
5) In general, at no time are you supposed to do anything other than practice dhamma or do dhamma service on center grounds.  So, that means no reading (other than approved dhamma books.) No listening to your ipod, no playing guitar, etc.  If you want, you can just drive down to the end of the driveway and play your guitar by the street for an hour and then return.  Personally, I kind of like this rule, because it really keeps the intention crystal clear about the purpose of the center.
6) One more note: the time after lunch clean up, from 1:00-2:30 is considered break time and it is highly recommended to get in bed and take a nap.  This is great rest, and you will probably need it. If a there is no course going on, it can be a good time for a quick email check, as well.

Q: Anyway, it is great to know that I am not the only one want to live the dream of staying at a center.  It seems a little scary but at least now I know someone else has done it.

A: You are definitely not the only one.  I met dozens of servers staying anywhere from 2 days to 2 years or more.  The scariest part is taking the leap, but actually there is nothing to be afraid of.  It will take some work to return to your householders life after your stay at the center, but Vipassana meditators never shy away from a little work, right?

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)