What is Vipassana Meditation?
Definitively speaking, Vipassana means to see things as they are. The word comes from Pali, an ancient Indian language believed to have been the Buddha’s native tongue.
Vipassana is also the name of a branch of meditation, also originating in India but widely practiced around the world. It has been taught for thousands of years, with every technique and intricacy passing down through a long lineage of teachers, the most recent of these being the renowned S.N. Goenka.
S.N. Goenka was born in India in 1929 and died in 2013. He remains a beloved figure in the Vipassana community for his trademark playful sternness and the natural ease with which he illuminates concepts that lead towards the liberation of consciousness, embodying the true meaning of guru, “from darkness to light.” His “fame” within the Vipassana community may also be due to him being the most recent in the lineage of teachers as well as being the first Vipassana Guru in the era of recording technology; His teachings and lectures, preserved on film, are still used as curriculum in every Vipassana center around the world.
Vipassana. Maybe it sounds familiar to you. It very well might be, especially if you have ever been to what are often called “silent retreats” or have known someone who has. There are countless different kinds of “silent retreats'' offered in the world by an equally infinite number of different organizations with different values, methods, and aims. Many do offer an experience that is ruminative and revelatory, as well as offer you an authentic window of immersion into life in an ashram or buddhist community, like this one in Northern Thailand. Vipassana centers (and non-centers*) offer courses in the meditation technique, a part of which involves taking “noble silence” which basically just means everyone agreeing to not speak for the duration of the course. The exceptions are the brief daily 1:1 Q&A with the teacher for clarification or support on some aspect of the meditation, or of course in an emergency. Not talking for any prolonged duration of time might sound like a lot at first, but once you are practicing it along with everything else that the meditation involves, it proves to be a mere minor detail in the grand scheme of the experience.
This principle of seeing things as they are is the foundation of the Vipassana meditation practice. It is a rich and rewarding psychosomatic practice in which the close, objective observation of physical (as well as beyond-physical) sensation and breath while seated in meditation gradually, experientially teaches us non-attachment towards our cravings and aversions alike, to be liberated from suffering, live in the present moment and, ultimately & by-proxy, to be happy.
Most everyone who practices Vipassana meditation today has built their practice in part by taking one of the free courses offered by Vipassana centers and non-centers worldwide. The standard course is twelve days long. It consists of “day 0” in which everyone arrives, settles and gets oriented, followed by ten days of meditation throughout which the technique is taught and practiced, with a cumulative 11 daily hours of meditation and lectures from S.N. Goenka every evening. On the twelfth day, there is a small closing ceremony and a shared meal, and the course concludes.
I could write thousands more words on the nuances of everything that happens in between, but that is for a future post. Today I want to share with you the bones of how these courses (or “sits”) work and how you can sign up for one if you ever want to.
WHERE: I wasn’t joking about these courses being offered all over the world. You can find sits near enough to almost anywhere with this interactive map on the Vipassana website. That being said, the centers are often located in the countryside or semi-rural regions outside of major metropolitan areas. They are intended to remain easily accessible to students coming from all distances, while still being as near to nature and quiet as possible.
COST: The first question in many of our minds upon hearing about a place where you can go to stay and do nothing but meditate for ten days straight: How much is it? Many are surprised to learn that these courses have no cost. It is another fundamental value of Vipassana meditation that these courses are always completely free, including all food and accommodation, to everyone, everywhere. The expenses of building and maintaining the centers and courses are covered by collective donations from past students worldwide. At the closure of each course, there is an opportunity to donate any amount you would like or are able to to the center and the Vipassana foundation as a whole. Many students will at some time choose to donate to the foundation on a regular basis out of appreciation for the difference the meditation has made in their lives, and out of the desire for the practice to continue to be offered at no cost to anyone who wants to learn it.
ACCOMMODATION: This depends on which center you go to. At my first sit I was given a bunk bed in a shared dorm with 8 other people*. There were shared bathrooms in the halls with more than enough toilets and sinks, and another bathroom full of individual private shower stalls.
At my second sit, I shared a small room with one other woman. We each had a twin-sized bed on either side of the room, our own small closet, light, and table. We shared one bathroom that had a toilet, sink, shower, trash can and I believe a mirror but I cannot now remember for certain. Amidst the premises and closer to the mediation hall there were larger shared bathrooms like the ones at my first sit. These definitely had mirrors.
I have also heard of centers in warmer climates where students stay in individual tents spread out in a designated area of the premises. I cannot tell you every set-up you may encounter but I can stress that the centers as a whole do everything they can to offer a humble yet comfortable accommodation that will be conducive to the work and success of your meditation. They ask that you bring your own sheets and towel, but often have some on the grounds for those who cannot.
FOOD: The food I have eaten at Vipassana sits has been truly some of the most delicious that I have had in all my life. I believe this must be in part due to the love with which it is prepared, as all the meals of the course are made by volunteers or “servers,” who are always past students who have completed at least one sit in the last two years (often servers are Vipassana students who have done many sits or may do 10-day sits “regularly” or at least once a year; servers see their service as an act of giving back to the Dhamma and Sangha). The food is always vegetarian, optionally vegan. There is a small breakfast of bread (or some local equivalent) with fruits and tea (or sometimes coffee) offered at 6:30 a.m. after the first group meditation of the day. Midday, the main and final meal of the day is served, which in my experience has always been a humbly abundant array of healthy and well-prepared dishes, varying depending upon where you are in the world, what the volunteers have access to, their cooking styles, and the love they put into all they prepare.
Around 5 p.m., “new students” (or those for whom it is their first sit) are offered fruits and tea once again as a light snack before the evening meditations. “Old students” are invited to take only tea and refrain from dining late in the day for the benefits this can have for the meditation.
TO REGISTER: Once you have chosen which Vipassana center (or non-center**) you would like to visit or found the one nearest to you, you can use the interactive map to go to the website of that specific center and view their course calendar. This will list the types of courses offered there, when they are happening, and their availability. If it is your first-ever Vipassana sit, you will want to look for a 10-day Course that says it is open to New Students. If it’s not open to new students, try to get on the waitlist if there’s space and your chances should still be pretty good. You might see shorter or longer courses being offered; you will be able to register for these after you have completed a 10-Day sit.
Some centers will have no current course offerings, in which case you can revisit the map and see if there are other centers you could visit that are actively offering sits.
Like many of the best things in this life, you cannot fully actualize what a Vipassana sit is really like or the effect it can have on you, until you try it for yourself. In many ways there is nothing to lose but the potential gain is immeasurable in that it is occurs within the matter of our consciousness. The core underlying work Vipassana seeks to achieve is for the practice’s mantra to manifest as reality in the lives of students who have gained peace from the practice: may all beings be happy.
*For the duration of the course including all meals, group mediations, bathrooms, and in accommodations, students are separated into “women” and “men.” The hard binary of this division is one diversity + inclusivity detail where the organization needs to improve and can be more encouraged to by its community members, old students, volunteers and organizational leaders. From my understanding it has historically been the easiest way to organize a larger group of people staying on the same premises for a prolonged period of time, while ensuring the safety and comfort of each as much as possible. Clearly, this approach could serve to be reconsidered or considered more inclusively. I imagine the Dhamma community would be open to thoughtful suggestions on inclusivity measures that could make their centers even more safe and comfortable for all.
**Non-centers are are facilities where sits are held that are not owned by the Vipassana foundation, but rented. They are sometimes temporarily rented by the Vipassana foundation while a new center is in construction. In other cases a non-centers may facilitate sits for years or indefinitely.
