I have tried so many courses by now. The only reason they didn't work their magic on me is because I haven't been consistent with any of them. Consistency is the key. Regularity a must.
None of these courses are necessarily better than the other. They are all good. They all can yield amazing results if the practitioner shows amazing commitment.
Date: 14th December 2018
1. Introduction
2. Art of Living
3. Vipassana
4. Landmark Forum
5. Inner Engineering
6. Comparative Analysis
7. And that wild plant
8. Concluding Remarks
9. A few questions and tools to get you started
1. Intro:
I started writing this post with the intention to note down each day's experience at the Inner Engineering program as I am attending the course right now, and then realised I had signed up a form on the very first day promising them that I will not divulge the contents of this course to anyone else.
"Oh come on, you believe in such things?" You may ask me...
"Yes I do." Is my reply.
But I do want to write about my experience minus the details of the course. And not just that, I want to talk about other spiritual explorations I have done in the past few years.
Guess that's fair.
My divorce was the first incident that drew my attention to something beyond the physical and the material life I was fixated in at that moment. I was just 23 and deeply sad with my life situation. Nothing I had hoped for my life had quite worked out that way. I did not know what I had done to deserve the kind of life and situations I was in. That's where the search began...with the question... WHY ME?
Had I been singled out? If yes, why? And who was doing this?
Had I done something terribly wrong in my life to deserve a horrible marriage?
What determines what you get in your life?
I was hard working, focused, intelligent, pretty, forceful, competitive..everything I had watched on TV other women in important positions have...I believed I had it...then, why this?
Initially, I took it as a challenge. I read the autobiographies and biographies of 'successful' individuals! [ Mark that word..... 'successful'..it's important] . I learnt that all of them had faced difficult situations in their lives. There had been mistakes, downfalls, intense depressions, insulting failures....you name it and they had it on their resumes. I once again patted myself for having survived a divorce, I was on the right path, I believed then.
Some more years, degrees and certifications and jobs followed. Some more broken relationships later, I was asking the same questions again!
'Damn it! This whole thing is going round in a circle! Am I really on the right path? If I was, my troubles should have been different at every turn and at every stage...isn't it? But essentially nothing is changing. I am coming back to square one.'
I had to find out what was causing this.
What followed was spiritual shopping. And to do that, you have to be in India!
Lucky me :-)
Whatever I wanted, I had it here. Without wasting any further time, I got started with my shopping list.
2. Art of Living:
The first course I attended , some 10 years back - was 'Art of Living'. This course taught me basic techniques : asanas, pranayam and meditation.
It helped.
But wasn't enough.....I was hungry for more.
I did the basic and the advance courses. The peace at the Art of Living International centre in Bangalore convinced me that there indeed is heaven on earth. All these places ( Ashrams, meditation centres, Pagodas) are so calm and peaceful...aren't they? In the middle of the city, this huge ashram had successfully created that divine atmosphere.
I was determined to explore further. The 4 day silence course at AOL didn't work it's magic on me. One of the inmates at the Ashram told me I should try Vipassana if I am really interested in exploring silence.
So there it was, my next destination was 10 days Vipassana course at Bangalore!
3. Vipassana :
Vipassana opened my eyes to the world inside my head for the very first time. I got to see , what they call, the monkey mind. And it was, it really was. It refused to sit in one place no matter what I did. Every Vipassana course is an adventure and I always look forward to the next one.
4. Landmark forum :
The next one was Landmark Forum. It is marketed as a Personality Development program and not as a spiritual experience. But to me, it was a spiritual experience.
I realised that all these courses have a common denominator.
They work on the Mind.
The techniques they prescribe, the practice, cost of the course differ. But the result is that it keeps enhancing one's ability to deal with one's life and maintain calm and peace in most situations.
Landmark Forum is a powerful 4 day course. It shakes your foundation, and repairs your broken wings. It is like updating your software or the processor to the latest technlogy. At the end of the 3rd day, you will go home so damn energized and powerful, you won't believe it! Only if you can survive the first 3 days, that is. It's ruthless to the core....I liked it!
5. Inner Engineering :
Some of the instant benefits of Isha Engineering have been: better focus, calm mind, more productivity and an ability to deal with stressful situations.
Sadhguru is simply brilliant in his lectures.
6. Comparative Analysis:
| Art of Living | Vipassana | Landmark Forum | Inner Engineering | |
| Fees | Rs.3000 ( This was long back, I hear the prices have gone up!) | Pay as you like or don’t pay. | Approximately Rs.18k | Rs. 2k for the basic course |
| Instruction | Trained Volunteer | Trained Volunteer + Videos | Trained Coach | Trained Volunteer + Videos |
| Days | Basic: 3 days | Basic: 10 days | Basic: 4 days | Basic: 6 days |
| Advance Courses Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advance Courses helpful? ( according to me.) | I tried. They are okay. | Tried. Each Course takes you deeper. This depends on one’s current spiritual status. The teacher’s are well trained to handle the difficulties of the students. They are also very senior people with much life experience and vipassana practice. | Have not tried the advance course. Too expensive. But I have heard it was equally powerful. | Have not tried yet. |
| What do I have to say about the Guru? | Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: He is witty and peaceful. But I felt a
gap somewhere along the way. I needed more clarity and more
information which did not come even after I attended advance
courses. I was particularly pissed at the Teachers who presided over the advance courses. Did not appreciate their attitude. This may have a thing to do with my own attitude. I can be a difficult case. |
This is the original technique as used by Gautama Buddha. And therefore he is the first Guru. S.N Goenka is a teacher whose videos are played every day. And every course has assistant teachers to help students clear their doubts. This is a well rounded , well researched course that could support my intellectual and spiritual thirst. I am 2 courses down and ready for a 3rd one. | There is just one coach for 300 people and he fucks the life out of you single handedly! If not for anything else, just attend a Forum to see the dynamic personalities their coaches carry. Oh My God! They are Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant! | Sadhguru: I like this guy. I have watched and heard numerous of his talks and they make a lot of sense to me. Their teachers stick to the minimum instructions, just the basics. Everything else is handled by Sadhguru through the videos and that works well. |
| Would I go for a 2nd / 3rd / 4th one irrespective of the fees? | Unfortunately No. I am done. I was initiated to the 2nd level by someone known. Wouldn't have voluntarily attended a 2nd one. | Yes. Yes. Yes! I do not required any coaxing or anyone asking me to do it. I do it myself. | Yes. Anytime! I will never say a no to a Landmark Forum!
Sponsors anyone? ;) ( Heavy marketing is done at each course which is irritating to the core! It is obnoxious!) |
I may. A lot of marketing is done at the basic course. |
| Grades: Which one would I recommend first? | You can actually attend all these courses to experience for
yourself what they do to you. Grading won’t help here. Actually
comparisons don’t help too. Negative points: Spiritually oriented courses should refrain from marketing . That branch called Marketing ruins human instinct and intellect and our ability to make independent decisions. |
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7. And that wild plant:
This one is in a category of it's own. How it will help you depends on what you are thinking at the moment of smoking it. If you are in doubt: DO NOT SMOKE! When you have insecurities in you, they will magnify . How much they magnify depends on your imagination and level of fear.
This plant greatly helped me in my spiritual process. Perhaps that is why it is banned. Because the Government would rather have you drunk and wasted than thoughtful. It's all business, after all. Money scores higher than inner growth.
I have had insights on life the kinds none of the above courses could give. New dimensions opened. I could talk with my cat and my dogs! I am simply Brilliant when i consume this..! Everyone seems to be so lovely and funny ...life seems nicer..isn't that great? But this is when all is well. If you have even one worry at the back of your mind, this particular plant is capable of messing your life to an extent you may regret.
So please, use with caution!
And do not end up in jail!
8. Concluding Remarks:
I believe everyone , except a few of these people who have become the Guru's need a combination of these courses in order to rise spiritually.
It is a sad observation that people generally are ready to pay for anything that has returns in terms of money value. They want to see whether a particular course can be added on the resume or whether it will help them rise up the ladder in their careers or help them make more money.
Since none of these courses do that, many people do not sign up for them, thereby choosing to be a suffering blob of negative energy and spreading that like a cancer all around them.
These courses have the ability to change your thinking patterns and reset you on a positive note. They help you take a fresh look at life. You will start feeling different, thinking different and making different choices than earlier to the course.
When I had not done any of these courses and not read up on any spiritual content, I wanted the same things i watched on TV because I was an idiot. Our education system doesn't do much to improve the situation. We have made a mess of our country and our planet with that education.
The greed and the thoughtless rat race for more and more is as much shallow as it is destructive. We all want to prove a point to our neighbor, or our friend. We all want to look successful in the eyes of those who are watching us. This mindless pursuit for a word called 'success' , and attaching it next to 'happiness' without understanding the meaning of the two is a recipe for disaster.
I still tend to cook that recipe for myself sometimes. After all, even I am a product of this society and this education system. But this must stop. I can't carry on eating that shit that doesn't serve me anymore. So I am learning about an alternate lifestyle. Learning more about how I can be happy by learning to accept whatever comes my way. I am learning to choose better- set more sensible, environment friendly and inner peace aligned goals.
9. A few questions and tools to get you started
If you are still with me by the end of this article, please take a moment to ask yourself:
1. Am I doing what i am doing for myself or for someone else?
2. Whose voice is ringing in my head?
3. Do I know what I am? Who am I?
4. Am I reading something that will help me understand myself better or am I just collecting information that will make me look smart/ make my company look smart?
5. How much time am I investing in myself v/s in the rest of the world?
6. Am I more involved with the way I look, or dress than the way I feel?
7. Do I feel anything when I see a child begging on the road, or an animal crying in pain or read the news of people dying in war? If yes, what do I feel and why? If no, why have I stopped feeling it? When did I stop feeling it?
8. Is your life path taking you away from people or bringing you closer? Are you a better person than what you were 10 years back or worse? Have the negative tendencies in you gone higher or the positive tendencies in you?
9. Which part of you are you more invested in? In your negativity or your positivity? what are you doing on a regular basis to invest in your positivity?
Tools to get you started:
1. Read the Gita ( Regardless of your religious backgrounds). : Gita is not a religious text. It is advice to human beings. There is no mention of the word 'hindu' in the Gita. You won't get it the first time you read it, you may not get it even if you are reading it every day of your life without understanding what it means. This one is a power book!
Try this ---> It's free!
https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/
There are a dozen other commentaries on the Gita. Read the basic pocket version first. Then turn to commentaries for deeper understanding.
The process of changing the Thought patterns is slow . It is not like you put in a new software and you will be a brand new You! Takes quite a lot of hard work...go at your own pace. No hurry. Just because my friend can meditate 9 hours a day, I can not. Yes , I have a friend who meditates that much and reads spiritual books and I have seen amazing clarity developing in him. Tried copying his style, did not work for me.
2. Other Books and authors:
There is Swami Vivekanand, Wayne Dyer, Sadhguru, Ekhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra. Keep searching till you find your mix.
3. Become a vegetarian :
Yes. Helps. Advantages: Helps keep calm. I used to bounce around a lot when I ate non veg. Now I am much calmer and peaceful. It helps in thinking more clearly, concentration is better.
4. Company matters:
If you are surrounded by people who are fixated on the material world, then it will be difficult to carve out your path. Find at least one person with whom you can discuss spiritual matters. Try to find someone who is higher than you in their spiritual journey. And yes, be careful not to engage with popat panchi's! These are people who know everything intellectually but nothing on the spiritual level. For them , they get a high out of speaking big things and when it actually comes to walking the path, they fall flat. Behavior patterns to watch out for : Do these people gossip about other people? Are they doing any practice on a regular basis? if yes, which one? Are they consistent with their practice? If not, why not? How are they dealing with their own life?
It's very difficult to find someone who fits this bill. So it is better to follow Guru's, read books etc until you do find someone like that. I consider myself heavily lucky in these matters.
It is better to be a good human being today, than tomorrow.
It is better to live in the NOW .
A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step......Have you taken yours?
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