The day before yesterday, I went to a salon for a haircut. I realised that just some time back, hair was part of me, and once they were cut by the barber, it was just garbage to be thrown into the dustbin. In fact, we want to quickly wash them away after taking a bath. Leave aside hair and nails, we donate our blood, and once we donate blood, we do not carry the same sense of "I" with that blood. Today, medical science is capable of transplanting kidneys, liver, and even after that, the sense of "I" still remains the same. The transplanted organ also becomes a part of "I".
In Vipassana, we are told to practice concentrating on the breath and observing sensations in different parts of our bodies. However, that's quite counterintuitive. Since childhood, we have been programmed to have that strong sense of "I". To react to every pain and take immediate measures to treat it. We do not wait to take a painkiller. The moment there is any pleasant sensation in our body, we try to find a solution. If we feel hot, we immediately switch on the fan or AC. The moment we feel cold, we try to put on a sweater or go to the blanket. The moment we have an itch, our fingers naturally travel to the body part. The moment we feel uncomfortable, we quickly change the position we are sitting or lying. Every moment, we are reacting to our body sensations. Now, in Vipassana, we are asked to be a witness to the body sensations. That's not easy. Since childhood, our natural instinct has been to make our bodies comfortable. Now, in Vipassana, during Adhistana, we have to sit in a witness mode despite having unbearable pain in our legs. That's quite difficult because of that sense of "I" that owns up even the transplanted organs.
There is no doubt that the natural instinct to react to uncomfortable sensations is a necessity. If we do not feel uncomfortable with heat, we will not get to know if there is a fire while we are sleeping, and we will die. This will apply to every sensation. Our sensitivity to these sensations saves our lives. Our sensitivity to these sensations protects not only the physical body but also our emotional connections. When we form a close relationship, we start having the same sensations for close people. We feel their pain and therefore take the same steps for them. For example, if a mother watches her son burn his finger in the fire, she will feel the same pain as her child feels, and that will make her react.
We install fire alarms in our buildings to make us aware of the threat of fire. As soon as there is a fire alarm, we run out of the building to save our lives. However, sometimes, the fire alarm develops a snag, and it keeps making an unbearable sound again and again. That becomes irritating, and the same thing that was supposed to protect our lives becomes the biggest cause of our irritation and inefficiency. What do we do in such situations? We get the fire alarm repaired, or find out who is smoking a cigarette, and ask that fellow to open the window so that the smoke goes out of the building and the smoke sensor does not get activated.
Unfortunately, we are in a world full of smokers, and their smoke activates our fire alarm. While driving on the roads, we have to face bullies and people who break traffic rules. In offices, we have to face people who are full of an inferiority complex and insecurities, and can become quite aggressive to defend their turf. We have to face conspiracies in almost every office. Even back home, we have to face unreasonable expectations of the people around us many times. There is and will always be smoke around, and that's why our fire alarms keep making irritating sounds. We get irritated not because of the smoke but because our fire alarms are not tuned to the ecosystem. When we switch off the fire alarm, because we want to smoke or be in the company of somebody who smokes, then naturally there is a danger that we will not notice if there is a fire in the building. That's why awareness is the key. When we are aware of the body sensations, we know which sensations to attend to and which ones to ignore. If there is a fire while doing Vipassana, the meditator will also run away like any other person and will not say "Anichha" or "these sensations are temporary". However, if he is aware, he can intelligently choose his response.
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