As I mentioned in Day Zero, there were LOTS of rules at the meditation center. I couldn’t document all of them – truly, there were just too many to capture. Here’s a sampling of what I do remember:
- No leaving early (i.e., before the official end of the course at 6:30 am on Day 11)
- No killing anything (including bugs – beetles, spiders, wasps, mosquitoes…)
- No use of any other techniques/rituals/prayers/worship/religious ceremonies
- No interacting with people of the other gender (including teachers and staff)
- No physical contact with ANYONE (including people of your same gender)
- No communication with the outside world at all
- No yoga, jogging, etc. – walking on a designated (small) path was the only exercise permitted
- No alcohol, drugs, or other “intoxicants”
- No tobacco
- No outside food
- No music, reading, or writing
- No tight or revealing clothing
- No laundry (you could hand wash small items if you absolutely needed to, but then had to hang-dry them in your room or outside)
- No tape recorders or cameras
Rules posted in my room:
- No speaking (except to staff to express a concern or need)
- No shoes (only slippers were allowed – shoes could be worn between buildings, but had to be removed at the entrance of each one)
- No food/beverages outside of the dining hall (the one exception was water)
- Keep your room clean
- Keep the shower curtain closed
- Open/close doors silently
- Bathing is allowed only during scheduled times (and the schedule was posted on the bathroom door)
- Turn on the bathroom fan during showers
- Keep your room door open during meditation times
- Do not attempt to change the temperature in your room.
- Keep your window closed and locked
- “Remember: We rely on students to leave their rooms clean and ready for students on their next course.”
Rules in the meditation hall:
- Keep the doors closed
- No stretching
- No laying down
- No taking a break during meditation periods of “strong determination” (see Day Five)
- Don’t point your feat towards the seat of the teacher (even when the teacher is not in the hall)
- Breaks can be no longer than 10 minutes
- No physical contact with anyone (even with people of the same gender)
- No talking
- No entering the hall more than 10 minutes prior to each scheduled meditation session
- No water bottles
Rules in the dining hall:
- Do not enter before the bell is rung
- No shoes
- Must leave the dining hall by the end of each meal/tea time
- No taking tea outside of the scheduled meal/tea times
- (Additionally, most of the rules of the meditation hall and the room were posted here as well, just for good measure)
And while we’re on the dining hall, two things about this space that were very unique:
1) There was only one dining space – but in this style of meditation, men and women must be completely separated during the 10-day course. So, this center had sewn multiple curtains together, and hung the whole mass on a clothesline that ran right down the middle of the room. Men on one side, women on the other; we couldn’t even see each others’ feet.
2) Because there were in effect 2 separate dining halls with this arrangement, we each had our own set of dishes – and our own sets of food. Every condiment was labeled as “male” or “female” – it made me chuckle every time I used female salt, or ate female honey.
