Questions on recommending to others

[RajeshKumar]

I did the 10 day course in Vipassana and found that it was challenging to most of the members due to the pain in the knees and back. Is it okay to apply pain balms to these pains or does it interfere in meditation?

When I recommend this training to my friends and relatives, should I tell them not to go together ( like family group ) because if one of them quits the other members will also quit quickly?

Thanks,
Rajesh

[Matthew]

Dear Rajnesh

The body takes time to adjust to meditation as you are placing different stresses and strains on it. I do not think there is any harm in using balms and lotions - given they are not painkilling analgesics which I would use sparingly. One of the items allowed to be carried by monks in the Buddha Gautama's Sangha was medicaments.

They were allowed very few other possessions including two robes, a bowl and a water strainer. I can see no harm in using ointments and balms to help your body adjust for this reason: there is a long history of meditation and medication going together. The words even share the same Latin root "Medicare" - to heal.

With regards to recommending family members not to attend the same course I would strongly urge you to make this recommendation. When attending any meditation course one is trying to gently rid oneself of the habitual, of the accumulations of body and mind, ideas and thoughts, stories and etc that make up the false conditioned "self".

If one attends any meditation course with a group of friends or family one will not be escaping that habituated mindset to the fullest degree possible. Even if one sticks by all the rules, the mere presence of those close to you will continually drag mind back to it's very comfortable and conditioned home. To get the most from a course one best attend with no one to whom you are known - to get the most from it. That is my personal experience and recommendation.

Please accept a warm welcome to the forum. I hope those answers to your questions are beneficial.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew