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Vipassana Meditation

The technique of Vipassana meditation is a simple, practical way to achieve real peace of mind and to lead a happy, useful life. Vipassana means "to see things as they really are" and the technique is a logical process of mental purification through self observation.

From time to time, we all experience agitation, frustration and disharmony. When we suffer, we do not keep our misery limited to ourselves; instead, we keep distributing it to others. Certainly this is not a proper way to live. We all wish to live at peace within ourselves, and with those around us. After all, human beings are social beings: we have to live and interact with others. How, then can we live peacefully? How can we remain harmonious ourselves, and maintain peace and harmony around us?

Vipassana teaches us to observe the reality within ourselves. Through this impartial observation we gain insight into the causes of our agitation or dissatisfaction. Out of ignorance we keep reacting in a way which is harmful to ourselves and to others. But when wisdom arises and one comes out of this habit of blind reaction one is capable of real action - action proceeding from a balanced, equanimous mind, a mind which sees and understands the truth.

In this way Vipassana meditation helps us to dissolve the tensions and unravel the knots within and lead a more positive, balanced and happy life - full of peace, harmony and goodwill for others.

Ten-day Courses

In order to learn Vipassana meditation it is necessary to take a ten-day residential course under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Ten days of sustained practice have been found to be the minimum amount of time in which the technique can be learned. During the retreat students remain within the course site, free from outside distractions. They refrain from reading and writing, and suspend any religious practices or other disciplines. They follow a full schedule of meditation, with daily instructions and an evening discourse elaborating on the technique. They also observe silence, not communicating with fellow students; however, they may speak with the teachers whenever necessary and may contact the staff for needs relating to food, accommodation, health, etc.

During the first three days they learn how to calm and focus the mind with the help of the breath. On the fourth day they learn Vipassana itself: the observation of sensations throughout the body, the experiential understanding of their changing nature and the development of a balanced mind.

On the tenth day students resume speaking, making the transition back to a more extroverted way of life. The course concludes on the eleventh day.

The technique is taught at ten-day residential courses during which participants follow a prescribed Code of Discipline, learn the basics of the method, and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results.

The course requires hard, serious work. There are three steps to the training. The first step is, for the period of the course, to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual activity, speaking falsely, and intoxicants. This simple code of moral conduct serves to calm the mind, which otherwise would be too agitated to perform the task of self-observation.

The next step is to develop some mastery over the mind by learning to fix one's attention on the natural reality of the ever changing flow of breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils.

By the fourth day the mind is calmer and more focused, better able to undertake the practice of Vipassana itself: observing sensations throughout the body, understanding their nature, and developing equanimity by learning not to react to them.

Finally, on the last full day participants learn the meditation of loving kindness or goodwill towards all, in which the purity developed during the course is shared with all beings.

A short video (5.7 MB) about the observation of breath and bodily sensations in this technique can be viewed with the free Quicktime movie player.

The entire practice is actually a mental training. Just as we use physical exercises to improve our bodily health, Vipassana can be used to develop a healthy mind.

Because it has been found to be genuinely helpful, great emphasis is put on preserving the technique in its original, authentic form. It is not taught commercially, but instead is offered freely. No person involved in its teaching receives any material remuneration.

There are no charges for the courses - not even to cover the cost of food and accommodation. All expenses are met by donations from people who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the opportunity to benefit from it also.

Of course, the results come gradually through continued practice. It is unrealistic to expect all problems to be solved in ten days. Within that time, however, the essentials of Vipassana can be learned so that it can be applied in daily life. The more the technique is practiced, the greater the freedom from misery, and the closer the approach to the ultimate goal of full liberation. Even ten days can provide results which are vivid and obviously beneficial in everyday life.

All sincere people are welcome to join a Vipassana course to see for themselves how the technique works and to measure the benefits. Vipassana Courses are even being conducted in prisons, with great success and wonderful benefits for the inmates who participate. All those who try it will find Vipassana to be an invaluable tool with which to achieve and share real happiness with others.

For additional information on the availability of local Vipassana courses see Application/Schedule page.

Universal Technique

Although Vipassana was practised and taught by the Buddha, it contains nothing of a sectarian or religious nature, and can be accepted and applied by people of any background. The technique works on the basis that all human beings share the same problems and that a pragmatic method which can eradicate these problems can be universally practised: Moreover, it involves no dependence on a teacher. Vipassana teaches those who practise it to be self-dependent. Vipassana courses are open to anyone sincerely wishing to learn the technique, irrespective of race, faith or nationality. Members of many religions - monks; priests, nuns as well as lay people - have all successfully practised Vipassana, as have those of no particular faith.

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living.

This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. Healing, not merely the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human suffering, is its purpose.

Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.

The scientific laws that operate one's thoughts, feelings, judgements and sensations become clear. Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace.

Course Finances

All courses are run solely on a donation basis. Donations are given on the last day of the course from those who, having experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the same opportunity. Neither the Teacher nor the assistant teachers receive remuneration; they and those who organise the courses volunteer their time.

The Tradition

Since the time of Buddha, Vipassana has been handed down, to the present day, by an unbroken chain of teachers. Although Indian by descent, the current teacher in this chain, Mr S N Goenka, was born and raised in Burma (Myanmar). While living there he had the good fortune to learn Vipassana from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin who was at the time a high Government official. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. Since then he has taught tens of thousands of people of all races and all religions in both the East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet the growing demand for Vipassana courses.