How to survive a 10 day Goenka Vipassana course

I just finished my first 10 vipassana retreat as taught by S.N. Goenka, and I just wanted to give a few words of advice for anyone considering taking a 10 day course.

For a report of an ecstatic vipassana experience, check out this blog from a fellow evolver.

http://www.evolver.net/user/jason_bowman/blog/vipassana_meditation_and_t...

Like any psychedelic experience the retreat is extremely challenging, but can be extremely rewarding also. Some people may decide to throw themselves into such an experience unprepared, and may do themselves serious trauma. However, taking a few precautions, and ensuring that the experience is right for you, can increase your chances of surviving this boot camp of the mind, and coming out stronger.

Below are a few recommendations and disclaimers that I have to give:

1. Be Buddhist.

... or at least be familiar with Buddhist terminology and philosophy. Take the time to study things like "dependent origination", the "five aggregates", the "Noble Eightfold Path", and the "Four Noble Truths". Being familiar with words like, anicca, dukkha, anatta, sankara, etc, will greatly aid you in understanding the theory of the practice as it is explained in the evening discourses.

As much as the teacher would like to claim that it is non-sectarian, the truth is that it is a Buddhist teaching. If you feel uncomfortable with bowing, chanting, and other cultural trappings of the East, then this may not be for you.

2. Practice Meditation.

These ten day courses should not be undertaken by total n00bs who have never tried to meditate seriously before. Even for casual meditators, a 10 day course is like being thrown into the deep end, and if you can't even tread water it will be terrifying. Practice mindfulness of breath, Satipatthana, sitting still for long periods of time, etc.

If you are need some basic instruction on the technique of vipassana to begin practicing before a retreat, I recommend:
"Mindfulness in Plain English"
http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/mindfulness_in_plain_english.pdf

3. Do you trust your course organizers?

When you first arrive at your meditation camp it may feel a little strange. This is normal. But despite the strangeness of it you should feel safe, comfortable, and welcomed by your hosts. There are some stories out there of hellishly organized retreats with terrible hosts who have compromised the physical and psychological safety of meditators. If you feel that this may be the case with the retreat that you join, don't hesitate to leave if you don't feel that you are in a safe place. Trust is an integral part of receiving the teachings and practicing the technique. If this trust is absent then you will not have the positive and beneficial experience that you are supposed to.

4. Know your limits, and know how to push them safely.

Dislcaimer: there WILL be pain, there will be depersonalizing and deeply consciousness altering experiences. You will be pushing the limits of your mind and body throughout the course, and doing so in a reckless manner will likely get you hurt, physically, psychologically, or both.

DON'T BE A MASOCHIST! Some pain and discomfort are inevitable, but if you find yourself in excruciating pain then shift your posture, find a spot against the wall, etc. Torturing yourself is not the point of vipassana. And if your teacher cannot understand this, then you need to make your own judgements about how you want to continue the retreat, if at all.

5. Is this a cult? Am I being brainwashed?

Without being apologetic, yes, this is a cult and you are being brainwashed. In fact Buddhism is one of the oldest monastic cults of history. A Buddhist monk is required to give up their own individual identity, cut of all contact and meaningful relationships with the outside world, and allow their teachers/leaders to dictate their diet, dress code, sexuality, etc. If that's not a cult, then I don't know what is.

And for a short 10 days you will be living the life of a monastic.

You will be deprived of food, sleep, physical and social contact, and you will take a vow of celibacy before starting the course. You will be put in what is essentially an environment of sensory deprivation and forced to listen to the hypnotic instructions of S.N. Goenka.

But don't be frightened by this. Why else would you join such a retreat if your didn't want your mind cleansed of it's impurities (brainwashed)? What is important is that you know how to maintain your own ground, and walk the fine line of submitting to the instructors, and knowing when to assert your physical and psychological independence. That is why I recommend that you be able to trust the people organizing your retreat and that you feel safe. In the right hands, brainwashing techniques can be used for good.

(This is why I recommend being Buddhist. If you're already Buddhist then you won't mind being brainwashed into something that you already believe)

In order to maintain your own physical and psychological independence, do the following: Hang on to your keys and cellphone in case of an emergency (and ONLY in case of an emergency, don't be texting your friends! :) ). Don't be afraid to refrain from group chanting and other conformist activities. Don't just break the rules willy nilly and for fun, the rules are there for good reasons, but don't do anything that you aren't comfortable with. And if your hosts/teachers seem to be deceptive, manipulating, or try to induce fear or guilt, this is a sign that you need to leave.

6. On food, sleep, and silence.

For some people, the idea of not being able to talk for 10 days seems really difficult. Same goes for only eating twice a day and getting 6 hours of sleep a night.

But the truth is that after a few days of sitting around meditating, your body will adjust to the low calorie diet and you won't really feel hungry when dinner time comes.

Despite the external silence, your mind will be racing like a noisy chatterbox. Complete silence really is necessary for deep levels of awareness to be cultivated.

You will have a chance to take several naps during the day and this will help. Avoid sleeping through meditation periods, but if you feel that your fatigue has become counterproductive, then don't be afraid to extend your napping into meditation periods.

7. Integrating the experience.

Just like a psychedelic experience, you will have to integrate it before you can return to normal. This is what the tenth day is for, so if you haven't run away by the 6th day, then make the determination to stick it out to the end, because the final day will be of great help in integrating the experience.

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These are all of my recommendations that I have for right now. I hope I haven't discouraged anyone from taking the course, but just like with psychedelics I feel that people need to be properly informed before undertaking such endeavors. It is really like a boot camp for your mind, and if you complete it successfully, you will feel that you have taken a giant leap towards mastering your mind and obtaining a tool/technique that is truly indispensable for exploring consciousness and reality.

With Metta,
~Vincent