Vipassana Meditation

The technique of Vipassana Meditation is a simple and practical way to achieve an inner peace of mind to lead a happy life.

Vipassana means “to see things as they really are” – it aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. Vipassana Meditation benefits one with tranquility, peace of mind and the ability to accept things as they come. Vipassana helps you to see things as they truly are, not as they appear to be.

Vipassana is a logical process of mental purification and self-transformation through self-observation. It places much focus on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which does not invoke the help of a “God”, spirit or other external power, except our own efforts. Vipassana is an observation-based journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion. The Buddha indentified two factors: desire and ignorance, as the roots of suffering. When they are removed, the mind will touch something that is beyond the changing world, which is happiness.

Although Vipassana is part of Buddha’s teaching, it is a non-sectarian technique and can be practiced by people of all backgrounds. The Buddha himself taught Dhamma, the way, the truth and the path. He did not call his followers “Buddhists”, but “Dhammists”. Vipassana courses are open to anyone who is sincere about the technique, regardless of race, faith or nationality. Vipassana Meditation advocates all things universal. For example, when we experience anger, it is not Hindu anger or Christian anger, Chinese anger or French anger. Similarly, community or creed does not bind love and compassion.

One can practice Vipassana Meditation, which revolves around awareness of the breath and the breathing process:

1. Belly Watching

Our belly plays an important role in meditation, as it is where the “Hara” centre is located. The Hara is a consciousness point, which is also the centre of our body that is located an area below the navel, or the belly button.  By placing our awareness of the Hara, we can enter into a meditative state easily. During belly watching, our thinking process slows down by meditation upon the Hara center, as we become aware of the rising and falling of our belly as we breathe in and out.

To do this, sit in a comfortable place and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths to relax yourself and enter into a meditative frame of mind. Place your attention over the Hara and watch the rise and fall of the belly with the flow of your breath. As your watch your belly, you will find yourself in an enhanced state of awareness.

2. Sensations in the nostrils

This Vipassana Meditation involves placing our attention on the sensations on the contact of our breath as it passes through the nostrils. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take deep breaths and place your awareness on the breathing that is taking place through your nostrils. Notice the sensations that you feel as the air passes in and out of your nostrils. Whenever your mind shifts into other thoughts, bring it back to the breathing momentum and the sensations in your nostrils.

3. Watching breath in its entirety

This technique involves watching the breath as an object of meditation. We need to be aware of the breath as air enters through the nostrils, passes the throat, diaphragm, lungs and the abdomen. To do this, sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take deep breaths and follow the breath as is passes through your body. You will also come to realize that at the end of each inhalation and exhalation, there is a gap, or a “still point”, where there is not breath coming in or out. The mind is least active during these gaps. Ensure that you are breathing naturally – you should not manipulate your breathing rhythm in any way.

Practicing Vipassana Meditation 15-20 minutes daily can help you to relive stress and tensions by achieve a state of inner peace and silence.