Vipassana Technique.

Hi Good day PPL!

I am back after my 10day vacation stint, feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, calm, peaceful & raring to go! Everyone of my friends,colleagues wanted to know where I was these 10days & know more about it.

I was at a meditation course called 'Vipassana'. I was taking their basic 10day course at Igatpuri,India which is 1 of their main centers from around the world. This was my 3rd course in the span of 5 years.

To tell you more about this meditation:

Vipassana, means to see things as they really are.

It 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.

The foundation of the practice is:

• sīla — moral conduct. Sīla provides a basis for the development of
• samādhi — concentration of mind; and purification of the mind is achieved through
• paññā — the wisdom of insight.

So in short, it helps purify the mind of all defilement's which are the cause of lot of misery in ones life.

It is a great technique which works with the 'Truth' & nothing else. By Truth it means your physical structure. It doesn't take support of objects, visuals, mantras, processes, breathing exercises,... It just works on what is within you. It is not a sectarian technique, which some people are under the impression since it works on the teachings of Buddha.

The technique asks you to work as instructed to get best results which becomes the Truth for you. The teacher Goenkaji repeatedly keeps telling you, accept only the Truth you experience. Dont accept the Truth which Buddha found or what your teacher tells you. Human beings are rational beings & they prefer accepting which they have experienced at the experiential level. So work & accept what you Experienced.

Basic FAQ's:

• Who all should do the course?

Ans: I would suggest or love if everyone does it. It may seem tough to some people, but give it a try & you'll see for yourself there is nothing difficult in it. I wont force any1 but sincere request to 1 & all Please go for the course at least once.

• Arent there shorter courses. 10days is a lil too much to get holidays for?

Ans: There are shorter courses too, but they can be done once you have done the basic courses & for the required number of times. 10days don't seem much once you do it. Again it depends on 'How bad you want change?'

• What are you taught?

Ans: This is a meditation technique to help purify mind & lead a better life. There are other positive effects of it, which can be experienced by each 1 who does it. The technique is taught by giving instructions during the 1 hour sittings which are scheduled throughout the day. This is followed by discourse by the teacher Goenkaji in the evening before you retire for the day. These discourses discuss,tell,solve queries about what,how,why's of what you did in the entire day & the process.

• Do you need to know or have practiced meditation before coming to this course?

Ans: No. In fact its better if you are learning something like this for the 1st time coz its easy to understand & accept the concept, thats what I feel. You will perfectly understand the technique & be able to practise it by listening to the instructions & discussing with your assistant teachers.

• How can we stay without any communication or contact from home for 10days?

Ans: :) You can. There is the rule of Maun or Silence & no connection with the outside world for all the 10days. It is to help you meditate better, so it again depends on you. This technique shows you the path, there is no forcing or compulsion for anything during the 10days, but you are requested to follow to reap the best results.

Any more questions ? Do visit the site: http://dhamma.org/. Feel free to ask us too for any queries.

Last year when I came back from the course I had written these huge blog posts. Do read them for more understanding:

Art of Living-Page 1 http://nav-justanyrandomtopic.blogspot.com/2008/12/art-of-living-page1.html
Art of Living-Page 2 http://nav-justanyrandomtopic.blogspot.com/2008/12/art-of-living-page-2.html
Art of Living-Page 3 http://nav-justanyrandomtopic.blogspot.com/2009/01/art-of-living-page-3.html
Art of Living-Page 4 http://nav-justanyrandomtopic.blogspot.com/2009/01/art-of-living-page-4.html
Art of Living-Page 5 http://nav-justanyrandomtopic.blogspot.com/2009/01/art-of-living-page-5.html

Some snaps of the center from last year's course.
Check them out. Till then:
Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam which means: May all beings be happy & share my happiness, merits, peace,harmony.


This is the entrance to the center which covers an entire mountain. The center is just 10minutes away from the Igatpuri railway station. The design & architecture structures are replicas of the Vipassana centers in Burma built by King Ashoka's dhammaduts.

There are meditation cells called Shunyagrah for each student. The rows u see below the yellow tower contain the cells. The structure is so built that meditation in the cells or the meditation halls happens easily.

The pagoda & the meditation hall entrance from the Female section.

The small bells/chimes at the top of each pagoda. The chime sound it creates is divine music, so very soothing. But this time its not so chilly or windy so could treat my ears to that wonderful sound very rarely.

The stairs to the upper level of the pagoda where the teachers & assistant teachers cells are.


The gong which wakes us p at 4am & informs about start of each session & breaks. Massive & the vibrations are awesome!

The Dhamma hall or meditation hall where the students sit with the assistant teachers in front. If the teacher is there, he sits on the bigger chairs at the front with his wife. The students if having difficult in sitting on floor or back problems, can ask for back rests, chairs.

Guruji's residence. S.N. Goenka is the teacher who started spreading & teaching the technique in India.


The mountain range is very close. Its a perfect get-a-way from the hustle of the city. One can enjoy nature in full action here :)


Each student has a room with all the basic facilities required for stay & praciting this technique without any difficult, since you cant talk for 10days ;). The new students share room with 1more students, the old students get a room each to themselves. :)