Meditation to see things as they really are.

(The imposing Main Meditation Hall of the Dhamma Malaya Vipassana Centre, Gambang, Kuantan, Malaysia)

To-day I wish to write about meditation.  What a boring subject.  Rightfully this should be posted in my Buddhist blog "Life Is Like That".  I am writing about the meditation as taught by the Buddha over 2500 years ago.  Actually it has nothing to do with the so-called "religion".  Buddha never introduced any sectarian religion.  He just revealed the universal truths of existence.  These truths you can see for yourself.  Truth like the impermanence of anything and everything in existence.  Truth like the unsatisfactoriness of our existence.  Truth like all of us carry a heavy baggage within ourselves; greed, hatred and egoism.  But then again, people will want to point finger that Buddhism is still a religion because they want to believe in something else.

Be that as it may, let's talk about meditation in the Buddhist perspective.  The main object of Buddhist meditation is to train the mind to see reality, to see things as they really are.  Do you know, we look but don't see?  Once we can come to terms with the laws of nature, understand and accept them as they are, we will begin to change our way of thinking, and we will live in a more accommodating and understanding way of life.  We don't fight nature anymore.  We flow with nature.  Then we have nothing to complain, our lives will be more peaceful.

I have done meditation since I was a young man, but never achieve  much as I was and still am not a serious enough meditator.  Next week I shall be going for a 10-day meditation retreat.   Away from everything; purely meditation from 4.30 in the early morning till 9 at night, for 10 consecutive days.

This course is introduced by S.N. Goenka  and is taught by him and his assistance in centres around the world.  Fortunately for me, they have started one in Penang, hidden by the hillside, up from the Rifle Range Flats area. I will be in the very first batch. 

For those interested to find out more, please go to the following sites:

Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka

Malaysia Vipassana Centre

Vipassana at work in Malaysia : Video

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(Postscript :  I had to postpone this trip due to unforseen circumstances.  I shall update in due course)

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Update 29 December 2012: I have attended the 10-day course on 5 December 2012.  To read please CLICK HERE.