Spider as a Guru!

I always wanted to attend the Vipassana Meditation as I was curious to experience the ten days of total silence and sitting cross legged for long hours.

However, for too long a time, I could not make it into the program. Finally, in February 2016, I was able to attend the meditation camp.

All the participants attending the Vipassana course must conscientiously undertake to follow the five precepts for the duration of the course. And the first one is, to abstain from killing any being.

I thought that this code of discipline is the easiest to follow.

However, during the online registration process, this code of discipline was emphasized so much that it appeared as if we all have committed murders and applying for this course straight away from prison!

On the day of reporting at the camp center, we were asked to fill up a form. Again we had to confirm the adherence to the code of discipline. After submitting the form, rooms were allotted and we were asked to assemble in a hall for a briefing. Again, during the briefing session, it was emphasized to abstain from killing! Then start of noble silence was announced.

A thought, ‘are we coming from the prison?’ crossed my mind as I walked silently towards my room.

As I entered the room and was about to sit on the cot, it was a moment of a Shakespearean dilemma - To be or not to be!

I noticed a big spider nearby. In the normal course of day to day living, I wouldn't have given a damn thought to pick up a broom or folded newspaper and smash it to nirvana!

Nevertheless, I picked up the broom kept in the room, fervently requesting the spider to move out of my room. This was the first time, I was requesting the lowly creature spider.

“O! Spider, please don't jump erratically as you normally do. I will guide you to the way out of the room with this broom”.

Of course, this entire request was happening in the mind to keep the noble silence.

Finally, I succeeded in my mission to scrupulously maintain the code of discipline.

This very first experience turned out to be one of the phenomenal experiences that happened during those ten days and even the idea of writing this very book was one among them!

One of the understandings I derived from this experience is ;

I can move like a spider in the web, as the web of thoughts is my own making!

OR

If I am not like a spider then I will stop weaving the web of thoughts and avoid entanglements!

Later it also occurred to me that in fact on the first day of the camp, I had walked straight from the prison, the prison of my own mind!

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