Meditating in the Mountains

I completed my 10 day meditation retreat at a meditation centre located in Hinokiyama, one of the many beautiful snow capped mountains overlooking the peaceful countryside on the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan.

And as promised, here’s my update on what happened.

The retreat, a Vipassana meditation course to be exact, teaches an untainted form of meditation said to have been passed down directly from the Buddha himself. It is the very technique believed to have helped him attain enlightenment over 2,500 years ago.

“Vipassana”, a Sanskrit word, literally means “insight into the true nature of reality.”

Sounds pretty deep, doesn’t it?

I thought so too.

The course was recommended by a close friend back in Singapore, who had attended one in Cambodia before I left on my travels. Having never done anything like it before, I was intrigued and decided to sign up for the next available course. There are Vipassana centres all over the world, but I chose Japan because I thought there was something rather romantic about doing it there.

Looking back, that probably wasn’t the best reason.

I went in with just one expectation.

To enjoy some proper quiet time alone, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

I also thought it would be a good personal challenge to spend ten days completely free from technology, while observing the course’s mandatory vow of noble silence.

Little did I know that those would turn out to be the easiest parts of the experience.

Getting to the centre took an entire day’s journey by train and bus from Tokyo. By the time I stepped off the shuttle bus, the sky had already turned a deep shade of blue. Towering pine trees surrounded a small cluster of quaint wooden buildings nestled quietly among the mountains.

It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Standing there in the cold evening air, I felt a mixture of awe and anticipation.

What would the next ten days be like?

I took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

To cut a very long story short…

The ten days were mentally and physically exhausting.

Life at the centre was simple.

Meditate.

Eat.

Sleep.

For a city boy like me, it was torture.

We woke up at 4 a.m. every morning and went to bed at 9 p.m. We spent hours sitting perfectly still in meditation. Meals were simple vegetarian Japanese food at 6.30 a.m. and 11 a.m., followed only by fruit at 5 p.m.

It was challenging in every sense of the word.

The one thing I genuinely looked forward to each day was the evening discourse.

Every night, we watched video lessons by S. N. Goenka, the teacher who helped reintroduce Vipassana meditation to the world. He explained the practice with so much warmth, humour and clarity that I found myself sitting up straight and paying close attention every single evening.

Although…

I have to admit that was partly because it was the most exciting thing that happened all day.

As the days slowly passed, something began to change within me.

I didn’t notice it at first.

But eventually, it became impossible to ignore.

I went into the retreat as someone carrying a chip on my shoulder.

I came out realising that I didn’t need the world to change for me to be happy.

I learnt about the impermanence of everything and the importance of accepting reality as it is.

I learnt how to let go.

I learnt to seek understanding through experience instead of blindly accepting what others told me.

Most importantly, I learnt that true happiness doesn’t come from the constantly changing world around us, but from the equanimity of our own mind.

In short…

It was life changing.

Trying to fully explain everything I learnt during those ten days wouldn’t do this practice any justice.

It is something that simply has to be experienced.

If you ever have the opportunity, I would genuinely encourage you to take that leap of faith.

Don’t dismiss it because it sounds too spiritual or too abstract.

I can personally vouch for its authenticity, provided you approach it with sincerity.

Despite its origins, I don’t see Vipassana as a Buddhist practice or even a religious one.

To me, it is a universal way of understanding reality, cultivating compassion, and ultimately learning how to love not only those around us, but ourselves as well.

All in all, I feel incredibly grateful to have experienced this retreat and to have been given the opportunity to begin this journey of self discovery and self love.

Have I reached my destination?

Not even close.

But I know I’ve taken the first step.

And for now, the only thing that matters is the path that lies ahead.