Vipassana meditation retreat to be held in Sisters

Buddhism coming to Sisters? Well, not exactly. According to a local program coordinator, Janet Huerta, "Vipassana is a meditation technique that was taught by the Buddha, but we don't consider this Buddhism. It's very specifically non-sectarian and is practiced by people of all religions."

Vipassana (pronounced with a short "i" as in "it," vi-PAW-suh-nuh) does involve a basic moral code. As Huerta explained, "No one who practices any religion would disagree with the code."

In a nutshell, she said, the code is simply to do no harm to others and bring only good to other people.

Although the schedule lists next week's course as being in Sisters, the participants will be camping near Camp Sherman.

Why here?

"We have a number of people in Central Oregon who practice this form of meditation," Huerta said. "So it's nice to be able to have something like this locally."

Don't rush to sign up, however; the few slots were all filled months ago. Further, the three-day session is kind of a graduate course. All participants must have already completed a ten-day course of meditation and instruction to qualify for this local event.

About 20 of the 10-day courses are taught annually at each of 120 Vipassana centers throughout the world. There are five centers in the United States. The nearest is in Onalaska, Washington; although a ten-day course was also offered earlier this year near Rogue River.

"We hope to one day have a center in Oregon," Huerta said.

Huerta repeatedly emphasized the non-sectarian aspect of Vipassana.

"It's comparable to me going to the gym and having a personal trainer teach me how to improve my swim stroke. "The whole purpose (of Vipassana)," she said, "is to see things as they really are."

Central parts of the meditation technique involve awareness of the breath and sensations on the body. A typical course day begins at 4 a.m. and includes at least ten hours of meditation. Three of those hours are spent in "group sittings," but the participants do not speak with each other. Participants typically maintain silence throughout the course but may ask questions of the teacher at lunch and during a discourse period at the end of the day. There are three breaks for meals and tea. "Lights out" occurs at 9:30 p.m.

Huerta explained, "Human beings all over the world face the same things. For example, we will all die. In that time, we will face illness and decline; and no one gets everything they want. The premise of this practice is to give a way to deal with that loss and suffering and to increase compassion for other beings."

Sisters resident, Chuck Kuzminski, who is Roman Catholic, attended a 10-day course at the center in Massachusetts. His view is that Vipassana is "not at all religious. The whole thing is about body awareness," he said. He commented that "It was demanding to sit that long, but it's really mystical. I was interested in what people would have to say at the end of ten days of silence. The men didn't talk much when it was over, but the women sure did. I didn't find it at all hard to be silent."

Local practitioners have the opportunity to meet weekly on Sunday evenings in Bend. Huerta says that it's nice to have a group sitting for support. Again, such sittings are silent; but, sometimes, meditation with others helps to reinforce the experience.

Huerta has lived in Sisters for 10 years, and her own religious roots are Presbyterian. She says she's tried a number of things to become a better person and became involved in Vipassana six and a half years ago. She now serves on the Oregon board of directors. All persons in the practice - from the organization's leader to the newest beginner - are volunteers. There are no fees, charges or dues; but donations are accepted.

Huerta summed it all up this way: "Vipassana gives me a way to carry out this idea of not doing harm to others and only doing things that benefit myself and others."

Next week's Vipassana course begins on Wednesday, September 10, and concludes on Sunday. For more information about Vipassana, contact [email protected] or call 549-1578.