“I also planned to pursue a college degree and other soft skill training programs that would help me to empower myself. “Two years ago, I left Da Nang for Ho Chi Minh City to work for an Australian start-up business as I wanted a change of work environment,” said Vuong. Minh Vuong, a 26-year-old IT engineer, decided to quit his job in May because he was struck with a sense of imbalance in life. Most young people like Thuy have to either use up their yearly days off, or quit their current occupation and find a new one afterward if they are to join the meditation program. Leaving work aside for 10 days was no easy feat. She woke up at 4:00 am every day, spent the majority of her daily schedule practicing proper techniques under professional guidance in the meditation hall, and went to bed at 9:30 pm. “I was deeply concerned whether I could go through with this, but it turned out to be quite easy.”ĭuring the retreat, the woman had no access to any smartphones, televisions, or newspapers.Įven interpersonal chit-chat was out of the question. “I’m also a night owl and I do all kinds of things on my phone until 1:00 am every day. “I work in the media and I’m still single, so my daily routines are unpredictable," she said. The meditators also had to remain absolutely silent, refrain from conversations, including eye-contact and hand gestures, as well as fast for the whole duration of the experience.Īfter 17 years being attached to her phone, these 10 days were the longest amount of time Thuy had spent without it. The sleeping arrangement had a very simple bed and pillow.įor 10 days at a stretch, the meditators were away from their daily conveniences.Īll of their phones and other tech devices were stored away until the program ended. Number 45, for example, indicated the holder could only use locker 45, bed 45, seat 45 in the common dining hall, as well as cushion 45 in the meditation hall.Įven the restroom area had numbers in it and the participants were forbidden from entering a room bearing a number different from their own. Some of them are university lecturers, while others work as IT engineers, nurses, undergraduate students, and housewives.Įach received an identification number on their orientation day. The 100 meditators come from all walks of life. There was one large and one small meditation hall together with a kitchen area. The participants in this experience stayed in two dormitories, one for men and another for women. To make sure she could land a spot, her registration was done one month in advance. Vipassana is a kind of meditation that concentrates on mindfulness and awareness. Thuy signed up for a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat program in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City. Thanh Thuy, 28, was taken aback to realize that over half of the 100 participants in her meditation camp were between 20 and 30 years old. Meditation suits all age groups however, this practice might strike outsiders as tedious and boring. The meditation experience offers a breakaway from the earthly worries of life. A large number of young Vietnamese office workers are adopting a special form of mindfulness meditation, instead of traveling, mountaineering or doing charity as a way to find inner peace.
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