Sun, 28 Apr, 2024

Dr. Rudra Pandey Talks About His Vipassana Experience

By Nikita Gautam

“There is nothing so easy to learn as experience and nothing so hard to apply.” -Josh Billings The above statement is something that relates the experience that our Chairman, Mr. Rudra Pandey, recently had. It was not easy for him to take the decision of joining Vipassana. It was in fact a challenging step of his life. However, now he regards it as something that changed his life positively. We could easily make out positive vibes in every blink of his eye and every word he spoke. Vipassana meditation is an ancient meditation practice discovered 2500 years ago. This meditation is considerably more challenging than any other normal meditation since it refrains the participants from keeping any kind of contact, speaking even a word, and making physical gestures with other participants or available members for 10 long days. This course certainly requires persistence, hard work and serious effort. Ten-day courses in Vipassana meditation are made accessible in different major cities of Nepal. Mr. Rudra Pandey, attended the 1st session of meditation in Dhamma Shringa, Nepal Vipassana Center, one of the many meditation centers located in Budhanilkantha. Mr. Rudra Pandey shared his feelings and experiences after his return from the Vipassana center. The thought sharing session was attended by all the members of Deerwalk Services and Class Representative from DWIT. Initially, when the session began, there was  a complete silence in the hall. But later, the silence was replaced by laughter when Mr. Pandey started to speak up. The way he shared his experiences enthralled everyone and filled the room with fun. The fascination with the face of the audience was clearly visible. "In the first four days", Mr. Pandey explained, "it was very difficult for me to adjust there. It was a completely different environment with strict rules and regulations. At some point, I felt like running away!". Further, he explained that every day in the Vipassana center could be regarded as a meditation day. About 16 long hours, that is, from 4 AM to 9 PM, was solely dedicated to meditation with only two vegetarian meals in between, at  6:30 AM and 11 AM. Mr. Pandey admitted that it was from  the 5th day of the course that he started to figure out the real purpose of attending Vipassana and started enjoying the sessions. He said that he learnt to focus his mind to a specific body  part and find the deep interconnection between the body and mind.  Managing the pain and observing the pain sensation in  such a way that it leaves the affected body part was something magical that he got training on. He also firmly mentioned that he now has the capability to control his anger.  Reincarnation of life was something mentioned during his course hours that he could not believe. Finally, he ended up the thought sharing session by suggesting everyone to try out Vipasana Meditation once, and also declared that every month one member from Deerwalk will be sent to Vipassana, especially the managers. He said that he aims to open one Dhamma Hall in Deerwalk where a group of people who have experienced the Vipassana course will come and practice meditation.