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The word Vipashyana is from Sanskrit and Pali it is called Vipassana. Its origin has been traced to a sermon delivered by Gautam Buddha. A young man was mesmerised by the Buddha’s personality and asked him: ‘Are you a human being or a god?’ The Buddha replied: ‘I am just aware’. The young man asked what it meant. On this the Buddha said: ‘When I look to the right, I am conscious that I am looking to the right; when I look left, I am aware that I am looking left’. If we try to understand its meaning, it’s quite clear that the Buddha advises us to be alert about every activity of mind and body. Vipassana also means looking deeply. If you want to see any physical or mental activity, then see it with full depth. To see things as they are. Yathabhutam, as they say it in Sanskrit.
Thousands of Vipassana centers have mushroomed in many parts of the country. Especially in places where foreign tourists flock in large numbers. They come to this country in search of profound spiritual experience, but what they actually get in return, only they can tell!
Capitalists often use methods such as meditation and Vipassana. They are popular because by adopting them, people’s concentration increases, the mind does not wander here and there, people work hard. What more could employers want! Employees should work diligently, improve their mental and spiritual health by meditating etc. and their masters’ business should continue to grow by leaps and bounds.
Vipassana has many benefits in politics too. One learns to look deeper so that one can use the technique to delve deeply into one’s mind and also into the minds of one’s opponents. Often leaders use this method to reach deep into the minds of their opponents, forgetting about self-introspection completely. What are the opponents thinking, what will be their next move, etc? Some leaders announce that they are going for Vipassana when a crisis stares them in the face. If you are in the opposition and the ruling party or government agencies are ready to nab you, then you may get some time to plan their strategy. Secularism has always been popular in India. Now there are no leaders who openly go to Kedarnath or Kashi Vishwanath temple and do not care about their secular credentialls. The current Prime Minister has created such an atmosphere that leaders have to think several times before openly visiting tombs or mosques. They also have to pay attention to the benefits of soft Hindutva. In such a situation, Buddhist methods like Vipassana are also beneficial from a political point of view. The question of secularism arises only with respect to two religions. Buddhism is far away from the maya or illusion of secularism.
The question often arises as to why Arvind Kejriwal goes for Vipassana every now and then? At the end of this month he will again go for ten days of Vipassana. The method of Vipassana is designed for the destruction of ego. When you live in the present moment, as Vipassana teaches, you are free from ego. But a politician always plans for the future, keeps groaning over the mistakes of the past. What is the use of Vipassana for him? Vipassana is about freedom from the self, from egoistic tendencies, and on the other hand, politics emphasises self-expansion. From Delhi to Punjab; from Gujarat to Haryana and then the entire country. The limit of self-expansion does not end anywhere in politics. And methods like meditation make a person calm, he speaks less, speaks sweetly and truthfully. He learns to speak only when necessary. In politics, the more one speaks, the bigger one is considered to be. Speaking the truth is dangerous for the career of politicians. There is a fear of getting trapped in the maze of truth! The path of lies is easy in politics. It is simple and is even considered very useful.
One is the path of liberation, and the other is the path of worldly bondages. Buddha left politics and then he came upon the importance of a wonderful method like Vipassana. If he had remained in the palace, how would such deep thoughts have come to his mind? The politician is busy renovating his palace and making it attractive and beautiful. Seen in many ways, Vipassana, meditation and politics do not meet at any point. Politics and vipassana never meet. The starting point is different, and the destination is also different. A leader going for Vipassana is like a Shankaracharya or a Lama joining politics from time to time and contesting elections.
Why does the need to leave the world of lies, deceit and unrest and go on the path of Nirvana for a week arise at the end of the year? Is there any political aspect to Vipassana where tricks of the political game are specifically taught? This matter should be investigated a little. Vipassana loving leader Arvind Kejriwal had said in 2014 that after retiring from politics, he would dedicate his life to Vipassana. He also said that he has no intention of saying goodbye to politics in the near future. So does someone suddenly wake up in the morning and become Nirvana-oriented? Some signs of going in this direction should already be reflected in your behaviour, speech etc., right? After years of breaking promises, making absurd statements and betraying his mentors, does someone suddenly become enlightened and dedicate his life to Vipassana? There is something seriously fishy about this.
Only he who is agitated, searches for peace. Only he who is restless takes refuge in meditation. If Kejriwal had met Buddha, Buddha would probably have asked: “Do not seek peace. Find the cause of disturbance. Vipassana does not bring peace. When the mind is calm, Vipassana happens spontaneously. It comes unsolicited, uninvited.”
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