What is Vipassana meditation?

That which you call as Vipassana today is a very recent phenomenon. They claim that it comes from the Buddha, actually it’s not. The stream flowing from Buddha got extinct around 8th or 10th century A.D.

This modern Vipassana came up in Burma just around 100 years back and this is not what the Buddha taught. It’s very much an improvised thing. If you could really ‘look’ then first of all you would look into what you’re doing right now.

Why would you be someone who has the capacity to look at something as subtle as the breath and yet he’s not able to look at something as gross as his actions. It’s about looking right? Observing i.e. Vipassana, observing rightly. The breath is subtle, actions are so loud. If you could look, what is it that you would first of all look at - your actions.

And if you’re able to directly look at your actions, do you really need to look at the breath, this or that. See how you’re living ,that’s all. Seeing is important, obviously, but what to see? Breath?

There’s nothing wrong with the breath, why are you watching the breath? Maybe watching the breath is a convenient way to avoid watching that which really needs to be watched.

You need to watch your behavior towards your wife, instead of that you’re watching your breath. You need to watch how greedy you are towards your customers and how exploitative you are towards your employees and instead of that you’re watching your breath - nice, pretty nice.

You need to watch your restlessness when you’re waiting at the traffic signal and it’s so evident, it’s observable. Look at the tension in your car, see how you’re constantly pushing at the clutch pedal or the accelerator even though you know fully well that the car is in neutral. There’re 40 more seconds to go before it goes green and you see how your legs are twitching and you’re fiddling with the controls. The moment it goes green, you honk.

Is all that not observable? Then what is all that drama of watching and observing the breath? Can’t you observe the thousand things that you’re continuously doing but probably you want to, as I said, avoid watching your real life, your day to day life.

So you go for a 10 days Vipassana retreat. 10 days of watching the breath and muscular sensations, then you can come out with a certificate.

That helps the inner lie - I’m spiritual and now I can go back to my shop and continue adulterating and looting.

Watch the full video here.

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