Just completed a unique ten day adventurous and very courageous journey where only few dare to tread, whose destination is unknown, the path and milestones are newly explored. Its journey to within oneself, and the adventure was ten days of advanced meditation course(AMC) , which happens in silence. Generally AMC is for 4 or 5 days. This was my 17th one in the past 12 years of being in AOL,
About a month back when I saw a poster in ashram about this first time ever in Bangalore ashram, ten days AMC, immediately decided to go, and like all good things in life, especially related to Art of Living, everything falls “happens” in place, with least effort, got permission from my two bosses ( one at house, and one at office and my office backup ). Generally people do the other way around, get all permission then decide to go.
For people who are yet to experience AMC, it’s a unique blend of various activities but all done with the main purpose of resting all the seven layers of existence. Its great combination of meditative yoga, pranayams, deep guided meditation by guruji, profound knowledge, seva, nature walks, satsangs.
The most important beautiful and very supposed to be scary part for new comers, it all happens in silence, from day one to the last day. Silence means it starts with mouth being shut, avoiding gestures, avoiding eye contact, avoiding phones, and slowly the mental activities of the mind also gets silent.
Its generally fun to watch new comers, misinterpreting silence as only for the mouth, and communicating in sign language in the ashram. But since this ten day was only for people with some prior experience, this batch of 300+ people mostly everybody was in real silence, throughout the 10 days
Ashram is not a place of solitude, it hosts about 3-4 thousand people of various backgrounds who have come for various course/activities. From serious mediators, to householders trying to get solutions for their family problems, youths trying to get into family and its issues, and teenagers/children who come for time pass. Being in such a diverse, chaos atmosphere and maintaining silence requires some skill and practice.
Our satangs are a beautiful combination of still silence found in Himalayas caves, and next moment becomes like rock show with great drum beats, and everybody dancing and singing/shouting in full ecstasy. And when guruji is there, it also has having profound knowledge in a very simple smiling way.
Simple rules which I generally follow in AMC
Congratulations on your completion of the course! You have nicely portrayed here things happend in the course. One must be lucky to delve into their self and experience the bliss of Joy! and needless to say that you are LUCKY 🙂
— Gopi Challa
Shankarji, I am feeling blessed to read this note. Tempted to attend AMC.