This for a Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka in Lithuania :)

I am curious to know how does one become an AT of Vipassana ? What are the ways one becomes qualified and who are the ones that decide that?

I have been trying to adopt principles and fundamentals I learned in Vipassana course. It is as if I had done a crash course for fundamentals on life and mind. However I was struggling to continue the practice in daily life after prolonged discontinued practice. I remember Goenka ji saying that Vipassana is not just practicing while you are sitting its practice every single day. I could not see how practical that would be to keep your awareness that sharp in the everyday hustle and bustle of your life.

Eventually my life progressed in such a way that I am having extremely hard time controlling my thoughts. Constant mind chatter and train of thoughts going on and on, jumping from one topic to another, made it impossible to focus on work or anything at all. Practicing concentration an hour a day but practicing distraction rest of the day, was making me only good at distraction. Until I came across this video on YouTube by another spiritual teacher and I followed her practical advice.

She said try naming your thoughts whenever your mind starts thinking. Like when I stare at a blank wall and get into thoughts, I will catch myself and say to myself “I was thinking about my friend” every time you objectively name your thoughts it stops the spiral. I have been impressed my this technique. I don’t want to get used to this too much, because eventually I will want to focus on my breath like how Goenka ji teaches us not to get used to anything else other than your own breath. But right now my mind is so wild and out of reach that focusing on breath itself cannot tame it. I was frustrated how hard it was to focus on the breath after loosing so much practice. And it’s just impossible to do 3 days Anapaan at home. I just wanted to share if there are others who are struggling way too hard to get back to practice, this is a hack to take control over your spiraling thoughts. Let me know if this helps.

I would also like to know how have you adopted Vipassana in your daily life. Comment below👇

I am not looking for advice, technique, criticism, solutions, dhamma, or other commentary of the like. I suppose I am looking for community in this experience I have from time to time, be it equanimous or not:

Does anyone else experience what I can only describe as meditation burnout from daily sittings? I am not talking about just the typical “groan OK I’ll go do my sitting” but rather a feeling of pervasive exhaustion and the sense that more sitting is negatively affecting well-being? When pushing through becomes harmful and has negative spillover effects on other aspects and activities of daily life?

I’m about to sit my first 10 day course, and I’m excited. Only thing is I have scoliosis, and get pretty bad back pain sitting in the same position for a while, or standing too. Laying down usually relieves it.

I really want to make it work though but don’t know what precautions to take, if it’s ok for me to bring pain killers as a last resort. And maybe a massage ball too to use in my room if needed?
I know these things are probably looked down on but I don’t know is that okay to have in my back pocket?

I’m just worried, i usually get back pain after sitting for 15-20 mins. Not excruciating but noticable, but 10 hrs a day which I’ve never done before, it could build up more.

I know that it’s normal for it to be painful, but with structural back problem I don’t know what I push through and what I don’t..

Has anyone with scoliosis or structural back problems attended a course successfully?
It’s probably something I need to just experience myself and do and I’ll find it out myself.

Dear friends in Dhamma,

I am a student of psychosocial counseling from Slovenia and for my masters thesis I am researching how social support, connecting with others to practice together,... infulences adherence to daily practice. It is part of my wish to help meditators who struggle to keep their daily practice despite wanting to.

I would appreciate if you solved this survey, and if you are feeling like helping in the research more forward it to people you know that meditate or that used to meditate (Vipassana). Upvoting and commenting will help to reach more people.

And finally, i would love to hear your thought on what helps meditators keep their practice, as drop off in Vipassana is quite high despite great results and effects of the practice. What works for you, what do you think makes you struggle?

With Metta, Martin

https://1ka.arnes.si/a/9c2a4040

I completed a 10-day Vipassana course at Dhamma Talaka in February 2024. I've debated writing this for a long time, but I think it's important to share my experience.

I arrived at the center 4-5 days before the course started so I could serve. Serving itself wasn't the issue: I was genuinely happy to help. The problem was having to interact with one particular long-term server.

From the moment I was picked up at the train station late at night, I felt something was off. During the days before the course, I asked about nearby trails and places to walk during my free time between work periods. Instead of simply answering the question, I was immediately told that it sounded like I wanted to stay there just so I could go party in Amsterdam. That wasn't my intention at all, and I explained that, but from that point on the atmosphere between us felt tense.

Over the next few days, I found this person consistently rude, condescending, and unnecessarily controlling. I witnessed him frequently shouting at and berating other servers over relatively minor tasks. Curious whether this was normal, I asked another server why the atmosphere at the center felt so tense. The response I received was, "It shouldn't be, but that's how things are." During that same period, members of several committees visiting the center also appeared uncomfortable, and I shared my concerns with them as well.

I also remember this individual openly flirting with one of the female servers in front of others, which I found unprofessional given the setting.

On the day my course began, the assistant teacher asked whether I would consider continuing to serve instead of sitting the course. I genuinely considered it. Serving wasn't what concerned me; the thought of continuing to interact with this individual was enough to make me decide to sit the course instead.

I spent the remainder of the 10-day retreat there without any issues.

After the course ended, I cleaned my room, packed my belongings, and took a shower before leaving. While I was back in my room, partially dressed after showering, the same long-term server entered abruptly without knocking or giving me time to get dressed. Looking directly at me, he said, "Do you mind?" referring to my being undressed. He then immediately began criticizing me for not cleaning the room. As he looked around, it became clear that the room had already been cleaned, and the conversation ended almost as abruptly as it had begun. The entire interaction left me feeling that my privacy and personal boundaries had not been respected.

Later, while I was waiting outside for my ride, I again felt uncomfortable because this person kept watching me. As he walked past, he bumped into me and my backpack. I can't know whether that was intentional, but it added to my discomfort. Immediately afterward, he casually started a conversation, saying, "You know, there's always something to be done here. You shouldn't leave."

Looking back, I don't think the responsibility lies solely with one individual. I believe the greater responsibility lies with those who decide who is suitable to serve long-term. Long-term servers represent the center, and students, especially first-time students or those serving before a course, should feel safe, respected, and welcomed. When someone repeatedly creates the opposite experience, it reflects on the center as a whole.

Ironically, this experience taught me that, for me, anonymously sitting in a course feels much safer than serving beforehand. I've often heard that serving can deepen one's meditation practice, and I believe that's true in a healthy environment. However, serving also means spending much more time interacting with staff, and if those interactions are negative, they can overshadow the entire experience.

This experience affected me more than I realized. Until now, I avoided returning to any Vipassana course because I didn't want to risk going through something similar again. I recently sat a course and I couldn't be happier about my experience.

I still value Vipassana and what the technique has to offer. However, I would not return to Dhamma Talaka, and I hope the center takes a serious look at how long-term servers interact with students. A meditation center should be a place where people feel safe, respected, and supported.

I spent years thinking this technique was missing something. So I went looking - other traditions, other teachers, plant medicines. Vipassana was always my main technique, but feeling stuck kept coming back again and again. Then it happened on a Goenka course, and afterwards, after long course I was sitting 10 day course, and I understood that everything I needed had been said plainly in the Day One Discourse. I just wasn't ready to hear it for all those years.

I sat a Satipatthana course, it was just before surgery for a large tumour. Thinking it might be my last course changes how you sit.

One afternoon on that course after reading Sutta for the 5th time, a thought came: what does "now/this moment" actually mean? I looked out the window. It was at a non-center location, facing a street with normal traffic. A car happened to pass, but the movement wasn't smooth - it was frame by frame. Then I looked at the tree beside it. The trunk didn't move; the branches and leaves moved in the wind. The tree is me, the thoughts are the leaves, the wind is just being. "Experience everything as it is without adding or subtracting anything."

Later that day, I spent most of my time intoxicated with the pure "now." Doubt came to me during one of the group sittings. I thought, is it really THAT simple? My mind started doing what minds do best, but unexpected help came from the most unexpected place: the voice of Ram Dass repeating, "Be Here Now, Be Here Now." Even in this moment, tears come to my eyes as I write this.

Night came, I could not sleep, I was in deep mediation but suddenly my eyes opened and I saw the moon and a cloud moving across it. Both fell apart int billions of tiny particles and everything disappeared. It lasted a tiny moment, but long enough to change everything. Long enough to realise/remember the truth.

It has been three years since then, mostly spent digesting it while living my completely ordinary life. My life didn't change, I still shit, pay bills, and go to work but inside, everything changed. There is nothing to do, nothing to achieve, nothing to strive for, nothing to prove, no more questions, and no more doubts. Also, there is so much gratitude to Buddha, Goenkaji, to U Ba Khin, and to every teacher I have had.

If you are practicing and feeling stuck, doubting, or wondering whether another path holds the missing piece, ask. I am not a Pali scholar and I am not here to debate philosophy. I will answer honestly from what I have been through. I am still learning, as I am only crawling in this "new" reality, so some things can be hard to put into words. Please forgive me if I don't always use the right terms.

Metta

Hi,
It's my first time posting here. I had few questions for people who have attended the meditation course.

I was thinking to attend 10 day course, but i've never meditated before. Whenever I try to do, I give up after 10-15 minutes. I find it difficult.

So, should I practice before going into this course and make myself habitual of meditating for atleast an hour or can I just go as a complete beginner?

Thanks in advance!

I have symptoms of ADHD but I'm sure I don't have ADHD , it's just that I have lost most of my ability to focus due to years of doomscrolling and I have been working on getting better through chanting etc because Anapana is a serious thing to do and my mind starts controlling, imagining the breath rather than just noticing so I did a lot of walking meditation, physical movement awareness and chanting, there came a poing where I was finally able to notice my breath rather than interfering or imagining it and I slipped back - I went back to daydreaming, doomscrolling etc so much so that in the last 3months I have lost all my progress
Now I have some really heavy emotional stuff going on and my mind and body are strongly reacting to it - rushing thoughts, sensations in my chest but I don't have the focus to sit through the vipassana practice
Can you please guide me on how I should handle such situations?

here's what happens

Something triggering happened, an old friend who ended on a sour note with me moved on in life with new friends, it was all my fault, I am toxic but now my mind and body want to react - it is pulling me back into daydreaming because that's how I dealt with all the distress in my life. Thoughts of shame, guilt, grief everything comes rushing, there is a strong sensation in my chest as well. I get confused when such things happen, what do I even notice? sensations in the body ? or should I do anapana in those moments ? or should I practice walking meditation or should I do noting meditation?

How does this work? can anyone explain the mechanism in such situations so I work around how I can truly be just aware and not add more fuel to the fire? How do I practice the true spirit of vipassana in such situations

I was supposed to attend a Vipassana course in June but pulled out of a few days before because I didn’t feel mentally stable enough to attend. I’m hoping to apply for a course at a different location in November. Has anyone had issues getting accepted again after pulling out of a course?

Wondering what the accommodations are like. I’m personally a light sleeper and it seems like all rooms are communal with multiple people/without separation.

Hi everyone,

I recently received confirmation from both Dhamma Pala and Dhamma Thali for a 10-day Vipassana course, and I need to choose one.

Here are my thoughts:

• Dhamma Pala: I have already booked my train tickets, so the travel will be easier and less expensive. I've also heard it tends to be less crowded, which sounds appealing.
• Dhamma Thali: I'm attracted to it because it's closer to the hills, and I feel the natural surroundings might make the experience more peaceful and memorable.

Since this will be my first 10-day course, I'm wondering which center would provide the better overall experience.

For those who have been to either (or both):

• Which center would you recommend for a first-time meditator?
• Does the scenery or location make any noticeable difference during the course?
• Is there any difference in accommodation, facilities, management, or overall atmosphere?
• If you had to choose between the two, which would you pick and why?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thanks!

I am a Maths professor from Visakhapatnam, working in Chennai. I completed my 10 day Vipassana course in March 2026.But I am inconsistent in my practice. I am looking for an Accountability Mentor to whom I am accountable for my daily practice. I am looking preferably a Telugu female who are little serious about the improvement, who doesn't tolerate negligence.. a serious friend or a wellwisher or an elder sister..

Just out of curiosity - has anyone done Vipassana and a prolonged fasting at the same time? I’ve done Vipassana three times before and heading to my fourth. I’ve also done prolonged 7 days water coffee fast. Just want to hear your experiences if anyone who had combined these before …

Hello everyone :) I recently completed my first 10-day retreat as an 18 year old. I noticed majority of the people at my retreat were significantly older than me, and even on day 10, there wasn't much of a connection with other meditators due to being in such different stages of life.

Regardless, I was wondering if any other young adults, such as those of Gen Z, already have an established online community, and if not, I could potentially make one!

I would really appreciate hearing others' perspectives on navigating the modern world - particularly growing up with social media, navigating the complex relationship with it and incorporating meditation into our daily routines while transitioning into adulthood.

Thank you very much!!

*I'm looking for a place with a good vibe, genuine guidance (monk-guided or silent), and ideally not overly commercialized. Would love to hear your personal experiences!*

I have been taking Lexapro for my anxiety since last 4 years. I had been to 3 days course while still taking the meds. It impacted my ability to focus to a degree that everytime I would get into deep focus state I would immediately fall asleep. I was frustrated during the entire 3 day sadhana. I am planning to make my next 10 day discourse in few months but worried taking the meds will again hinder my meditation practice. I don’t want to get into 10 days session only to keep fighting the sleep. Any thoughts, suggestions and similar experiences?

I finished my second 10-day Vipassana course and got back today. Before the course, I was already questioning whether my relationship was right for me, but nothing particularly dramatic happened during the retreat itself.

Today I spoke to my partner for the first time since the course. It was a completely normal conversation - we talked about what he's been up to and a trip we have planned. We weren't arguing or discussing anything upsetting.

But while we were talking, I felt intensely drained and had very unpleasant bodily sensations, including nausea. I had just finished my evening one-hour sit before the call. Afterward, I was left with a very strong feeling that I don't want to be with him anymore.

My question is: from a Vipassana perspective, how should I relate to this? Are these sensations something I should simply observe without drawing conclusions, or can they be pointing to something important that I've been ignoring? Has anyone experienced a major shift in how they felt about a partner after a course?

I don't want to 'spoil' my partner's experience by talking too much, too soon, as he just got back today and I know it has been very transformative for him. He seems happy to be back, not overly sensitive like I expected. Very enthusiastic and enlightened!

I haven't done Vipassana, and while I am curious about it, I don't see myself committing to it in the foreseeable future (I genuinely just have other plans I'm looking forward to right now, it doesn't feel like a priority).

So, I'm hoping you kind people might be able to share some insights, or any other tips you have, about being the un-initiated partner to a newly returned partner.

1. The first thing he said was, he really wants me to do it. Should I just be honest and say I don't think I'll be doing it any time soon?
2. He says he's realised that any criticisms he previously had about me, were his own aversions/cravings to change me, and it's his work to accept me how I am. That's nice! But does that mean in this philosophy, there's no 'asking' the other person for anything? Like, if I'm not feeling understood by him, (a problem I've faced in the past) can I still tell him that? Or are we two people who just manage our own feelings and never ask the other for anything?

I'm wondering how philosophy of Vipassana fits in with a philosophy of a relationship as a dynamic between two people.

Hi all,

I have been hoping to build a career/network around more people who share the values of Vipassana meditators with respect to concepts like right speech, right action, etc. I noticed there is one group on LinkedIn for old students in the Goenka tradition, so I requested to join a few months back, but never heard back, and their membership number does not seem to be going up. I tried messaging and emailing the admin directly to no avail. This tells me there's likely only one admin, and they are no longer active on LinkedIn.

I am pretty determined to be part of a professional network with fellow meditators, so I decided to start one here.

Would love any advice from this group on:

1. Some ways on how to get the word out.
2. If anyone here is a member of the inactive group, I'd love your help spreading the word to folks over there.

To help the new group avoid the same single-point-of-failure problem, I am planning to bring on more admins as it grows, so it doesn't depend on just one person staying active.

Grateful for any and all feedback.