Vipassana in the Himalayas — An Account

You never enter the same river twice.

A ten-day inward journey.

No talking, no writing, no reading, no phones, no external food items, no looking into anyone’s eyes, no communication of any kind with fellow meditators, no hand gestures, no sign language, no physical contact of any kind, no mixing of men and women, no intense exercises that can distract others or catch the attention of others, no practice of religions, rituals, and other rites, no religious accessories, no alcohol or other intoxicants, no physical pleasure, no hedonistic pleasures.

These are the precepts that one has to bind oneself for a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat. Sounds exorbitantly oppressive and stringent when viewed at a macroscopic level but it isn’t. One has to remove oneself from the high dopamine-providing circadian habits, distance oneself from stimuli, and obviate any aberration and interference that can dilute one’s focus so one converges all the thoughts and actions on oneself.

I attended a 10-day Vipassana retreat last month in the harsh and implacable Himalayan setting before the entire world was brought down to its knees by a famous virus that shares its name with a beloved Mexican drink. The Dhamma Ladhha located around half an hour car ride away from Leh, decked in the middle of the black Karakoram and the bluish tint snow-clad Himalayan peaks, might be the most beautiful meditation centre in the world. Far removed from the civilisation, amidst the most elemental and…