위빠사나 수행 가이드

2월16일부터 22일까지 호두마을에서 있었던 성오스님께서 지도하시는 집중수행에 참석했던 캐더린 락이 쓴 수련소감문입니다. 번역본이 곧 올라갈 것입니다. Vipassana Meditation Center Walnut Village A warm and heartfelt greeting to readers, friends, and fellow participants! My participation in a weeklong Vipassana Meditation was one of the most rewarding weeks during my stay in the country of South Korea. I am currently an English teacher on a one-year cultural exchange between the countries of America and South Korea. In July 2002, I left with the hopes of learning more about Korean culture, religion, and history through my own adaptation into modern Korean society. A complete and total immersion into a new culture is the best way to try to understand people, in this case, the peoples of Korea. As an outsider I have learned that the most important skills to assimilation are the following: patience, trust, understanding, observation, and an open mind. The struggle to maintain this accepting and open-minded attitude is truly a challenge to my each and everyday. I chose to participate in a Vipassana meditation retreat in order to observe the practice of meditation and the religion of Buddhism amongst Korean peoples and secondly, to experience the act of meditation and Buddhist worship myself and learn about the method and teachings of Vipassana. Meditation is an experience of and within the self, but especially when experienced at the same time amongst other people (alongside Koreans), it can also merge the self, your relationship with others, and the world around you. I thought to myself, if the Koreans could do it and sit on the floor for a week then I could do it too! The day before the meditation session began, I did not know what to expect or what I would discover about myself: visions of bodily pain, floods of sadness, suffering, and anger came to mind. If these emotions arose, how would I deal with them? How strict is the master or head monk? What are the other participants like-are they professionals at meditation? All of these questions dissipated and changed upon my arrival at the Vipassana Meditation Center Walnut Village. The meditation center is situated amongst a small agricultural community, orchards, and surrounding mountains in Cheonan, South Korea. The participants included: forty or more male and female Korean participants (of various socioeconomic backgrounds), two female monks, and staff members. Our head monk or master, Seoung O, has recently returned from Myanmar (Burma), where he studied Vipassana meditation for ten years. The daily schedule was rigorous and intense: a total of thirteen hours of meditation beginning at 3:30am and ending around 10pm. The schedule included: chanting or prayers in the dark morning hours, two separate talks given to the group by the head monk, sitting and standing meditation, as well as a the opportunity to speak one on one with the head monk every other day The Vipassana method was quite different from my past meditation and academic experience(s) in the United States. I began my study of Eastern religions and Zen meditation about two years ago as an undergraduate student at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA. The opportunity to study Buddhism in Korea, an Asian culture deeply imbedded in the ancient traditions of Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist teachings, is one of the main reasons I chose to accept my teaching assistantship to South Korea. During my time here, I expected to look further in the teaching of Zen, one of the dominant schools of Buddhism in Korea. Yet, after talking with my Korean home-stay mother, an avid practitioner of Vipassana herself, I became interested in this form of meditation and she encouraged me to partake in the February Vipassana meditation retreat. In the beginning, I struggled with the new instructions and form of meditation. It was difficult to change my Zen mediation style. Slowly, session after session, I began to clear away my habits of Zen meditation and welcome the Vipassana way. Vipassana includes two forms of meditation: sitting and standing. During the meditation retreat, each session of sitting or standing meditation is for about one hour’s time. The sitting method is done as follows: cross-legged (or lotus position) on the floor or cushion, one hand overlapping the other upon the ankle area (arms form an oval shape), back straight, eyes closed, and the individual breathes in and out of the nose. The focal point of sitting mediation and area of extreme concentration or mindfulness is the “touching point” in and around the nasal area. The “touching point” is the sharp, often cool or warm sensation of your breath on a specific spot as it passes through the nose. The “touching point” varies with each individual and one is able to feel and locate this area during the final moment of inhalation or exhalation. The mind and body are completely dedicated to observing this “touching point” throughout the sitting meditation. In walking meditation, the simple daily activity of walking is transformed into meditative movement and a fusion of the mind, body, and its relation to the outer world. The mind is absolutely aware of each bodily movement. No movement is done carelessly or without thought. Particular attention is directed towards the bottom area of the foot as it touches the ground and during this time, an otherwise hidden energy can be found moving in and around the sole area. Before beginning a session of walking meditation, the mind should move over every part of the body and you should be aware of everything from head to toe. The arms are held in a relaxed oval shape, with one hand resting lightly over the other in the front of the body. The eyes are kept slightly open and absolute concentration often requires the absence of sight. There are three speeds to the walking meditation: the first twenty minutes of an hour session is done rather quickly at a normal speed of walking and over the course of the remaining forty minutes, the pace is gradually slowed as the individual grows more and more conscious of every move. As for my personal experience, each meditation session brought a greater awareness and understanding of the Vipassana way. Through the course of one week, I failed and succeeded in many ways. I struggled with my body’s threshold of pain and was unable to maintain a sitting posture for the hour-long sessions of sitting meditation. I was often very frustrated with myself and disappointed with the progress of my meditation sessions. I found it difficult to maintain a sharp mind, free from impurities and constant wanderings. Yet, I also experienced a self-transformation and liberation: Vipassana heightened my awareness of the present moment--the true origin of happiness. My mind gave way to the past: beautiful and horrible emotions arose. Past anger, buried for so long within, emerged and then disappeared into nothing. I forgave others and myself. I was often overcome by a pure, beautiful sense of peace and serenity. In certain moments, especially during walking meditation, I experienced the wonderful and deep interconnection between mind and body. My mind finally returned to my body. After a week of meditation, more so than ever before, I was connected to the world beneath my feet, the smells touching my nose, the faces of the strangers passing by, and every sense of my being was heightened and clear, so clear. I was aware of the world whirling into my face and under my feet as I walked down the street or even rode the bus. In the past, I was only able to find peace in nature, a flower, or the woods and suddenly, after my Vipassana meditation, I could find peace in city streets and concrete. I was amazed. Now, as I move through my daily life, I am less likely to succumb to anger because of these Vipassana teachings. I discovered that anger arises only from the self. I hope to someday experience forgiveness towards all things before the thought of reacting or onset anger. Vipassana taught me the importance of inner and outer peace. The self, our mind and body, is part of and crucial to the wholeness of the universe. Each one of us is capable of peace. Alas, world peace begins with the self. My first Vipassana meditation retreat was an even more rewarding and memorable experience due to the sincere and welcoming hearts of my fellow participants. I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging amongst them, particularly with the female members and monks. The generous assistance of kind and understanding people always elevates all feelings of loneliness, detachment, or difference between us. I learned that language separates human beings only so far and the real, most important communication lies between the heart. Thanks to all of you, I was blessed with an appreciation for Korean Buddhist culture, perspective on my life and yours, as well as a peaceful and real love for many people in this world. May you continue to love and care for others and yourself during our lifetimes and beyond. I wish you the best! always, Katherine E. Rork