Vipassana Meditation Essay

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Vipassana meditation, also commonly known as insight meditation, (the Pali word passana means ‘to see with open eyes,’ and vi, means through) is India’s most ancient meditation technique. Although it was discovered by the enlightened one, Buddha, vipassana meditation is not a religious practice, as it does not rely on any deity or spirit. It depends solely on the efforts of oneself. Vipassana meditation is a way of self-transformation through self-awareness and establishing deep connections with the mind and body to aim for an enlightened state of true happiness and the termination to suffering. The history of the practice is centered on dharma- the law of nature and way to liberation, which Buddha preached during his forty-five years in ministry. Today, vipassana meditation continues to be seen as an art of living, taught in its most purified state by N.S. Goenka, like the Buddha, in a non-sectarian way. Vipassana meditation was found 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Born a royal prince in Nepal in 623 B.C., Siddhartha’s early life was filled with endless luxury. His father, King Shuddodana sheltered him from witnessing any suffering that occurred beyond the palace. Shortly after marriage when he was 16 years old, Siddhartha grew bored and curious about the world he had never experienced before, the commonplace. On the first three trips, he saw, sickness, old age and death. On the last day, he saw a monk who had sacrificed everything he had to seek an end to suffering. Siddhartha knew he could no longer live his life as a prince. He left the palace and became a wandering monk living life as an ascetic in search of an end to suffering. For six years, he endured much hardship but realized that neither his luxurious life nor his life as an ascetic lead him to enlightenment. He came to understand that either extremes would not lead to

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