This may not be directly related to "travel," but it was what inspired my trip to India.
Back when I watched the movie *Eat, Pray, Love*, the female lead attended a meditation course in India where she had to maintain Noble Silence and wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone. That was probably back in high school or my first year of university, but for some reason, I became really curious about this "silent meditation course" and really wanted to try it. The course lasts at least 10 days, and though I’d thought about it for years, I finally had enough time to attend this time—it was a very special experience.
What is Vipassana Meditation?
Vipassana Meditation is an introspective spiritual practice that originated in India. Though it was lost in India, it was preserved in Myanmar and later revived, leading to the establishment of Vipassana centers in many countries around the world.
The term Vipassana means to observe things as they truly are, objectively, by focusing on one’s breath and subtle bodily sensations. The entire course emphasizes the concept of “Anicca” (impermanence), helping participants understand the “Art of Living” through observing the body. Although I felt the method leaned toward Buddhism and included many stories about the Buddha, the course itself is non-religious and open to anyone.
The Struggle Before the Course
To be honest, I hadn’t been able to follow through with this idea mainly because I lacked confidence in myself. My biggest concern was the Noble
silence—I already find it hard to stay silent for 10 hours, let alone 10 days, completely cut off from the outside world. Also, as someone who loves meat and hates sitting still, the thought of eating vegetarian for 10 days and sitting cross-legged for over 10 hours a day was a real struggle. So even when I had free time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend it on this course. But sometimes, if you don’t do something now, you might never get the chance again.
Since I was going to do it, I decided to learn it at its birthplace. After much deliberation, I chose the particularly secluded Dhamma Giri center in Dharamshala and successfully registered online a month before my trip to India.
Ten Days of Seclusion
The Vipassana center I chose is located in Dharamshala, a mountain city in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The center is tucked deep in the mountains, completely isolated from the outside world, at an altitude of about 2,000 meters. The weather is cold year-round, around 10–20°C. During my ten days there, I got so cold that I ended up with tracheitis and a bad cough.
The Vipassana center strictly separates male and female students. The women’s dormitory consists of five houses, mostly with single or double rooms. There is also a large hall and a smaller hall (Dhamma Hall) used for main meditation sessions, as well as a Dining Hall.
Women's Dormitory Map
During these 10 days, we had to strictly follow this schedule:
Each day includes over 10 hours of meditation. I was mentally prepared to wake up at 4 a.m., but even so, I was surprised to see there was no dinner!!!
The other main rules to follow are:
－No phones, computers, cameras, or any form of contact with the outside world (this was my biggest worry, as I’m quite the phone addict)
－No reading, writing, exercising, listening to music, or any other entertainment (basically, nothing except meditation, eating, sleeping, and using the restroom)
－Vegetarian diet and no killing of living beings
－Maintain Noble Silence—no verbal, physical, or eye contact with other students
Arrival at the Vipassana Center
Fortunately, I was assigned a single room. I secretly thought that if I couldn’t hold back the urge to talk, at least I could talk to myself in the room. My phone, computer, books, pens, wallet, and other “contraband” were locked away in a safe room early on. With no phones, over twenty girls could only gather together and chat, trying to make the most of our last moments of conversation.
A Bare Room
Normally, in the zoo, you see monkeys in cages—but here, we were the ones in the cage looking out at the monkeys. They were always running around on the tin roof and even coming into our rooms. It was their private invasion of our space, yet they could act aggressively to keep us out. In the mountain rooms, insects were inevitable—one auntie’s room even had a spider the size of a palm. We worked together to kill it, breaking the “no killing” rule within just a few hours.
Accommodation Environment – Monkeys would climb on the roof, jump into trees, or surprise you when you’re walking down the hallway
There were more monkeys than people here. Most of the time, they weren’t just in the trees but right at our doorsteps
The official course began at 7 p.m., and Noble Silence officially started too. One second everyone was chatting happily, and the next, everything went silent. Day 0 was just an introduction to the rules and a trial meditation session. The two teachers sat like statues in the Dhamma Hall, while the students seemed not quite in the zone yet. Day 1 of the course officially began at 4 a.m.!
My Insights
Over the ten days, both my body and mind went through various changes. I won’t go into detail here, but those interested can check my Blog. The fifth day was the hardest for me. I had several similar nightmares in a row—people losing limbs in various accidents. The last dream involved my parents getting caught in an escalator, their hands torn off and bleeding profusely. The scenes felt incredibly real. These dreams, combined with days of no contact with the outside world, left me unable to sleep the entire night, and I kept thinking about it the next day.
Aside from learning Vipassana, I also made a bunch of new friends!
Maybe I'm still young, haven't gone through many ups and downs, and nothing specific triggered my interest in spiritual practice, so this course wasn’t life-changing for me. But aside from observing my body and nature during meditation, it was also a great opportunity to observe what’s going on inside my own mind.
I thought ten days of being cut off from the world—no talking, no phones—would be the hardest part of the course. But in fact, this simple lifestyle turned out to be the most luxurious treat. For those ten days, I could choose not to smile without being called unfriendly, not speak without being labeled antisocial, and go eat, shower, or stay in my room without anyone questioning it. The best part was lying in bed at night, listening to cicadas, thinking things over or just spacing out, and falling asleep in the darkness of nature.
I’m used to being glued to my phone, but it turns out living without it is surprisingly freeing. Without my phone, my downtime meant walking in the forest, sitting outside watching monkeys scramble around, caterpillars crawl across the grass, spiders weave webs, or moths flutter under the lights. I got to witness every sunrise and sunset. That’s what real rest feels like.
For a more detailed account, please visit:
https://mandykmli.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/vipassana/
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