Homoeopathy and Vipassana

(Published in National Journal of Homoeopathy, August 2012)

We all know that Homoeopathy is a holistic science based on Nature’s laws of cure. It’s very nearer to nature and harmony. When I went to attend Vipassana Shibir last month, I was continuously feeling so much similarity between Homoeopathy and Vipassana that I decided to share it with my Homoeopathic friends…

Vipassana is basically a technique of meditation which helps us to reach a state of “Nirvikaar”, i.e. a state of perfect equanimity (Samta bhaav), overcoming cravings(Raag) and aversions(Dwesh)…!

Vipassana is an experiential learning…! Learn through what you yourself experience firsthand… Not through lectures, not through intellectual exercises… but learning through what one experiences by himself or herself… Experiencing the bodily sensations… One is told to concentrate and pass mind through each and every part of the body with closed eyes and steady posture and experience the sensations. When one actually experiences, he/she sees that NO TWO sensations are same and no sensations remain permanently. The sensations different people experience are different and sensations in different parts of the body of a same person are also different and unique. Eg. People may experience heat, cold, perspiration, tingling, pain, itching, irritation etc many more different types of sensations during meditation. One just needs to concentrate on these sensations. It’s not at all an issue that one sensation is good and the other sensation is bad… It’s just that one needs to be aware that they are different and whatever they are just accept them as they are…

And this is exactly “The Law of Individualization” in Homoeopathy. No two individuals are same. Each and every individual is unique in their own way, in their thinking and feelings, in their likes and dislikes, in their actions and reactions etc. and thus also in their complaints and affinity for tissues being affected, whether it’s during health or during disease state… Thus, two individuals suffering from same disease present with different sensations, modalities and different concomitants… And that is what is the uniqueness of Homoeopathy, if we understand and apply it properly, it helps us reaching simillimum.

During Vipassana, while observing these sensations, one needs to be just aware about these sensations, whatever it is… and just see them like an observer, with Drashta bhav(know thyself)… without naming them whether its good or bad(Just Observe without Prejudice)… without desiring good and rejecting bad sensations… Just be aware and be equanimous to it…

And that is exactly being “Unprejudiced Observer”(Drashta bhav)in Homoeopathy. A Homoeopath also needs to observe and understand patient with unprejudiced mind… Thus, Homoeopaths needs to be aware about his/her own concepts and values(know thyself)… to understand concepts and values of patient better… Then only a homoeopath will be able to reach simillimum in best possible way…

Vipassana is a technique of reaching a state of Nirvikaar, i.e. overcoming vikaars, negative emotions…

And that’s exactly Homoeopathic simillimum does – bringing the deviated vital force to its original state, from disease to health…

While practicing Vipassana technique, it happens that old suppressions do come on the surface in the form of pains and discomfort... but gets rid slowly and steadily from deep within to bring peace and harmony…

And that’s exactly Homoeopathic medicines do... it also brings out the past suppressions on the surface to eliminate it completely and reach the state of health…

Thus, for the followers of Homoeopathy, Vipassana is very easily palatable… and similarly for the follower of Vipassana, Homoeopathy should be the choice of system of medicine if they are aware about the similarity between the two.

Lessons learnt from "Vipassana"

Finally a long awaited thing happened... I got chance to attend Vipassana shibir last month at Global Pagoda, something I was eagerly waiting for since last few years... "To be in silence for 10 days with my own self..." Just this thought always excited me and always wanted to experience it... And let me say, it was an excellent experience... I personally recommend it to everybody earliest they get an opportunity....

The journey of 10 days was very enlightening... It was also comparatively easy for me because of few factors like - my birth in a religious jain family, a follower of and practising holistic science, Homoeopahty, deep interest in the subject of Psychology, listening to Osho and Brahmakumari discourses regularly... Thus, understanding was very easily palatable... Also could apply it in day to day life, could understand its similarity with Homoeopathy(Which I would express in another blog)...

Vipassana has many valuable lessons of life to teach... But today, i would focus on 2 most important lessons... When 10 days of Vipassana shibir was getting over... I tried to conclude what I had learnt? What was most important message from this shibir? And 2 lessons came very striking to my mind....

1) "VIKAAR" = Sorrow and pain. Wherever there is "VIKAAR", there is sorrow and pain... What is Vikaar? Any negative emotions, say anger, irritability, jealousy, hatred, ego, suspiciousness, fear, anxiety, tension, worry etc... The outcome has to be pain and sorrow...None of these negative emotions are going to let you rest in peace and thus, it will end in sorrow, pain, sadness and unhappiness... Whenever we pass through any emotions, positive or negative... we spread it to our surrounding..... We are continuously linked with people in family, work and society... We can spread only that thing which we have in our reserve... If whenever we pass through negative emotions, whether we want or not, we do spread same negative emotion to our near and dear ones, to the people we work with, to our friends and relatives whom we meet....And more than all these, and before we spread it to others, we spread it deep within our own selves...... And let me tell you that this is the negative energy, which depletes our positive energy at both mental and physical level, our immunity power, our creativity, our happiness and peace of mind ... And this is the same negative energy which is a disease producing energy. Most of the times, we don't realize this truth untill we ourselves become victim of any major illness...Wiseness comes after we have paid high cost at our health level.

So, we should not be in an illusion that we have to control our negative emotions for others.... No... If we succeed in handling our negative emotions, we ourselves are the first ones to be benefited from it.... By this, we are not obliging anybody, we are obliging our own self... whatever we are doing is just and just for the benefit of our own self...

So, if we want to be happy, we have to continuously keep check over our thoughts and emotions and not let any Vikaar, i.e. negative emotion creep in.

2) To develop an EQUANIMITY(Samta Bhav) to cravings and aversions... At each and every moment, we keep on making judgements of acceptance and non-acceptance... we accept what we like and reject what we dislike... Our mind plays this game of acceptance and rejection about individuals.... our family members, colleagues, friends and relatives......, about the life situations we come across and circumstances we are put in.... we either accept or reject as per our own concepts and value systems... We are victim of our mind.... Since childhood we have trained our mind to pass judgements on people and circumstances... We try to look at others with our glasses... We are so much possessed with our concepts and values that we hardly keep any space for other's concepts and values. We become the judge and declare right and wrong about what other's are doing ... We always have lot of justifications to give for our actions.... Here, we accept when they are matching with ours and reject if they are not matching... We are comfortable when things happen as per our wish(Man-kahi) and we become uncomfortable when things do not happen as per our wish(An-kahi)... Our mind is the victim of this Man-kahi and An-kahi....

Here, Vipassana Guruji Goenkaji explains that religion tells one to develop perfect equanimity to our cravings and aversions... Accept things as they are, as an observer(with Drashta bhav)... and just stop there... Don't put a step forward in the direction of acceptance and rejection, true and false... Don't add or subtract anything in it.... Just see what it is... and accept it completely, with equanimity what it is....As our engaging into true and false, acceptance and rejection will lead us only to misery and pain... Its only equanimity which will give us mental stability and peace. 

Lot of people share with me that its extremely difficult not to pass judgement and not to reject those whose ideas, behaviour, concepts, thoughts and feelings don't match with ours.. Here, I would say, yes, its difficult but not impossible... I would show an easy way, which my lot of patients have taught me... I would recommend you to become mother(parent) of a small child in your mind... Whenever mother or father describe their small children to anyone, they would clearly tell their qualities... both good and bad qualities, their positives and negatives. Parent would also tell differences amongst two kids very clearly(even though they are twins).... And here, I would say, they practice perfect equanimity.... I have hardly seen any parent who would be judgemental to their small kids, their nature and habit .. and say whether their qualities are right or wrong...  Parent would just say my son is aggressive and daughter is fearful... or daughter is shy and son is mischevious , son likes spicy food and daughter likes sweets, daughter likes to be in company where as son prefers to be aloof and many more such examples..... Parent might feel pain for the negative quality of their child and might have desire to help them... that's totally different... but otherwise they are just trying to say this is what he/she is... That's all.... Stopping just there... There is no underlying anger...

We need to get conscious and aware in our mind that whenever we go in the cycle of dislikes/anger for people and situations, we should become mother or father in our mind and view the person and it will be very easy to see him/her with Drashta bhav, a perfect equanimity, without trying to add or subtract anything from our side.