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Clare Morin commits herself to the path of enlightenment

Read our other features:
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We jump out of the green minibus opposite the gate for the Beas River Country Club and follow the cryptic instructions from the website: “After alighting, walk back from the toilet about 50 steps, then turn left into a footpath…”

We have come on a mission to locate Hong Kong’s only residential meditation retreat centre. Our minds are sore with stress, and we’re looking for a place to purge. Apparently this site in Sheung Shui is one of the few retreats where people can commit, ahem, book themselves in, for 12 months of the year.

The joy of our search abruptly turns to horror as we see a colossal cement mixer blocking our way. Directly opposite is a small construction site, drills shrieking, jackhammers hammering. Wasn’t this meant to be an idyllic meditation retreat in the country? This may be far-flung Sheung Shui, but we are still very much in Hong Kong.

Two minutes later, we arrive at the Vipassana Meditation Centre – a ramshackle converted pig’s farm that is now home to ten-day meditation retreats. Make no mistake, this is not a chilled out hippy camp for those wanting to socialise and get loved up on life. This place is raw: A cluster of basic tiny buildings, even tinier yards and a central metal corrugated iron shack, which houses the volunteer staff. Yet, the vibe of an Ashram pulsates.

Irene Wong meets us at the entrance. Wong is a voluntary teacher who supervises retreats and has agreed to show us around. “Since 1998 we were hopping from one gypsy camp to another,” explains the softly spoken and kind lady, apologizing profusely for the basic surroundings. “One of our old students had this pig farm and offered it to us, so we converted it and have been running retreats here since 2000. It’s still a bit of a gypsy camp; we would like a more permanent centre.”

The teachings here derive from S.N. Goenka, a Burmese teacher who has opened more than 150 of these centres around the world. Vipassana is an ancient Indian meditation technique that is said to have been taught by Buddha 2,500 years ago. The word means “to see the way things really exist,” and the emphasis is on focusing the mind, observing the subtle movements of the body and, ultimately, realizing one’s selflessness. Goenka insists that all retreats are free – participants are simply encouraged to offer a donation at the end, if they feel so inspired.

The retreat attracts all kinds of people. “We have all walks of life; lawyers, bankers, farmers,” says Wong.  The only entry criteria is that people agree to a Code of Discipline upon registering – they have to leave their mobile phone at the door, and agree to not talk, steal, lie, have sex or kill (yes, that means no murdering your roommates. Or squashing mosquitoes). On top of that, you’re not allowed to read, write, practice yoga, or anything that might offer you a route to mentally distract yourself. “It’s not difficult when everyone is doing it at the same time,” ensures Wong, of what sounds like an impossible task for the average Hongkonger. “There is a force that supports people. If you were doing it at home it would be much more difficult.”

With men and women staying in separate dormitories (to reduce the chance for any of the aforementioned desirous relations) it’s a strict schedule of waking up at 4am, mediating for ten hours a day (in various sittings), eating basic vegetarian food, and going to bed by 9pm, sharp. Every evening at 7pm there are video-taped teachings by Goenka projected in the meditation hall. Admittedly, it sounds a little bit like a cult, but the intention of the Centre appears to be good and kind. It’s not about gathering riches; it’s about pulling people away from their habits and forcing them to observe their minds. There are two times during the day where people can have a one-to-one discussion with the teacher to discuss their meditations, or gain advice if feel they are going completely nuts. But apart from that, it’s you against your mind, left alone to face the madness of your own mental chatter.  

Wong explains that students spend the first three days training in Samadhi, or concentration of the mind, by focusing on the breath moving in and out of the nostrils. “The mind is very wild in ordinary life, so when they come here we have to calm the mind before we can train it,” she says. From day four to nine they engage in the actual Vipassana training.

The teacher assures us that students leave the retreat in significantly better spirits than when they arrive. “It’s a cleansing process,” she says. “You’re dumping your mental impurities. When [students] come here they look heavy, worried, with fear on their faces. After a ten-day course you can see their faces glowing.”

It’s not your average getaway material, and would surely drive most holidaymakers to insanity. But if you’re an adventurous old soul with a burning desire to tame the mind, or in need of some truly intense spiritual cleansing, this might just be the staycation for you.

Vipassana Meditation Centre, Sheung Shui, 2671 7031, www.hk.dhamma.org. The Centre only opens for retreats – upcoming ten-day retreats are July 9-20 and August 6-17. The retreats are free, although registration is required and students are encouraged to make a donation when they leave.

How to get there: MTR East Rail to Sheung Shui, 50K green mini-bus to the gate of the Jockey Club Beas River Country Club, walk 50 steps back from the toilet and it’s down a path on your left.

Read our other features:
Get out
Romancing Sai Kung
Cabin fever
Water mess