16th December 2025
Day 2
The rhythm was now familiar. The gong at 4 am, assembly at 4:30 and the quiet march to the Dhamma Hall.
Meditation wrapped around every moment, a gentle yet relentless awareness of the body, thoughts and the cold seeping into every corner of my being.
The morning passed in meditation, video viewing and mindful meals. Yet, the cold was biting and the discomfort in my body unrelenting.
My hip pain was persistent, the numbness in my legs noticeable after long sessions of sitting and I realized, I needed help. A chair could be the difference between enduring and collapsing.
So I approached a teacher, humbly asking for a chair to ease the strain. Her answer was simple, firm and unwavering: no.
No chair, no exception.
“This is teaching you to understand discomfort,” she said.
The cold, the pain, the unyielding schedule are all lessons wrapped in practice.
My heart cried silently, but the acceptance began to take root.
That evening, as I walked back to the dormitory, my legs heavy, my back sore, I used my trusty tennis ball to relieve the tension. Tears came, quietly, in the solitude of my dorm, talking to Mom, seeking her presence and comfort.
Lights out at 9:30 pm.
The cold persisted, but so did the small moments of resilience.
Day 2 taught me that sometimes, growth is wrapped in refusal, in boundaries, in the stark lessons that life or in this case, Vipassana, places before us.
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