Ten years ago, to the day, I began my first (and only, so far) 10-day Vipassana course at Dhamma Giri.
I first heard about Vipassana in 2011 from a colleague. It was described as a silent retreat — ten days of meditation with no talking allowed. I immediately added it to my bucket list.
In 2015, I finally signed up. By then, what amazed me most was that the retreat didn’t charge a fee — people only contributed if they wished, after completing the course. The early mornings and long hours of meditation didn’t scare me. What I worried about most was the food: breakfast at 6:30 a.m., lunch at 11:00 a.m., and tea at 5:00 p.m. — the last meal of the day.
Of all the things I learned there, the lesson that stayed with me was this: all I really needed was to sit still with my thoughts and feelings. With no writing, no talking, no distractions, there’s no escaping them. Sooner or later, the things I had been avoiding came bubbling up. It was intense — and necessary.
Now, ten years later, I often catch myself being busy, or worse, busy with distractions — all to avoid those same thoughts and feelings.
This tenth anniversary of my Vipassana feels like the right day to trade distractions for stillness — again