'Dhamma Utsav'- 31/01/2010

This is the second time I got to attend 'Dhamma Utsav'- a mela organised biannually, to reach out to family and friends of old Vipassana sadhaks. The Utsav is meant to orient new people to Vipassana- a meditation technique first taught by The Buddha 2500 years ago.

What I find really interesting is that this event gets publicised only by word-of-mouth, still, there are a decent number of new people who make it to the Utsav each time. The standard venue is the Logicstat farmhouse on Chattarpur Mandir Road. It is regularly utilised for such melas, short children courses or special one to three day courses for old meditators.
I have heard that only three such Dhamma Utsavs have been organised till now in Delhi, this being the third one. Last time, all my family members had come along and were quite happy and inspired with what they experienced here. This time round, my JNU classmate, Mina, accompanied me to the Utsav. The short films, discourses by Shri SN Goenkaji and food were as good as last time, but the question-answer session was particularly special. My friend asked some very interesting questions from Assistant Teachers,  ranging from the concept of peace and religion to dilemmas and doubts before stepping onto a dhammic path and so on. It made the interaction so much more meaningful.
I would like to share one particular comment she gave after we returned to JNU. 'For once, I saw so many smiling faces together. Everybody seemed so happy,' she said, wondering how :).

 

 Asking Questions about the Technique

 

Open tents for meditation by old sadhaks. Second photo (red tent) is of October 2009 Utsav.

 

Watching short films in October 2009 Utsav, men and women in separate Meditation Halls

  

Personal Question-Answer time with Teachers 

  

Literature on Vipassana

 

 Volunteers serving Food 

 

Permanent Residents :)

(Photographs of Dhamma Utsav in January 2010 were clicked by Mina Toko)