vipassana meditation

from quite a long time i had been thinking to join this vipassana course for meditation because i had heard about it from lots of people,read in papers and internet.
in fact my closest friend Sid had attended this 10 day course once and when he came back he told me his experiences which sounded almost surreal and it made me more eager to experience the same feeling.back then in my mind the only thing which was running was that this meditation is a technique which will give me an out of body experience,some kind of hallucinations and i quixotically remained inclined towards it.i was always looking for a chance to join this course but never got 10 days to squeeze out from my semester. in fact i have written in my previous posts about how eager i am to join this course .i am really lucky in a way that after completing my engg i have got plenty of time to spare.on one day while i was going through one management forum where there were discussions by symbiosis MBA students, i got to know that there students were made to undergo this course compulsorily during the start of their semester.

before reading this i was bit apprehensive regarding joining this course.my concerns were very common like what if i loose the aggression and smartness which is needed for managers,what if i became a hermit and choose to live an austere life after the course and what if i leave non veg food,leave alcohol and this n that.
but after i got to know that MBA students are made to go for this course i made myself my resolute to join this one.i quickly checked for the batch commencement date on its site and found that 2 day later a course is starting at sarnath ,Varanasi .i was very happy,i asked my parents permission and went for this course.

about my experience:

unlike what people think vipassana is a course which is free from any religious ideology,social practice and ceremonies so people from any caste,creed,race can join this course for the betterment of their life.it teaches you an art of happy living.the idea is that you will still life the same life with same conditions but this technique conditions the mind in such a way that you can keep the negativity of life at bay,learn to live life by self observance i.e by just being aware about everything happening and performing all duties without creating unnecessary aversion and craving for anything.it helps concentrates the mind and increases your resolution and will power through its unique techniques.
the technique has few rules which are quite strict to follow but when they are observed in their purest form the maximum justification is guaranteed.it is a 10 day course during which everyone has to observe noble silence,eat only 2 times a day and live life like a bramhacharya.
it is tough but this rule helps to meditate more better and by this we introspect and find answers pertaining to our identity which this course helps gives us the answers about the ultimate truth about our being.
when i joined this course ,it was summer at its peak with 40-45degrees during day ,loo winds blowing and minimal power duing most part of the day.it became very tough for us to concentrate due to extreme weather as half of the time we were sweating.but through this course i learn how to keep equanimity even in worst times,how not to react and control your mind.it is hard to tell you how tough times i had been through during those 10 days but i am happy that i did not break any rules and tried to give my best during my stay though i could see that most of the people did break their silence on 3rd day.
i started to feel aversion during 3rd day and 4th day but it was at peak on 5th day when i couldn't get the technique right,it was hot as hell and i was feeling morally very down and out.so much so that i decided that i cant bear this all pain and i went the guruji to tell him that i am going to quit the course.
but he talked me through this and he helped make up my mind and gave me motivation which was enough to keep myself away from aversion and negativity which was entering my soul.
by and large my 1st experience which not very satisfactory largely because i went in wrong weather,because i wasn't much determined but i am still satisfied that i gained enough because now when i see myself i find that i am much more composed,calm and poised.
vipassana is the way of life and in future if i get time i will again go for this course.
for more info one can visit WWW.dhamma.org.