“If individuals lack peace in their minds, how can the world possess peace? Cultivate peace within your own mind first.” ~S. N. Goenka
I have just finished my third Vipassana meditation course.
At the beginning of the course, relinquishing your phone feels meaningful. The outside world gradually quiets, unveiling the noise you’ve been holding onto.
At the conclusion, I have no desire to reclaim my phone.
Ten days devoid of a phone, literature, journaling, eye contact, or dialogue. No outside influence.
A rare commitment in an age of distractions. It’s not a retreat but an engagement with life unmediated.
Having attended this course three times, I was intrigued about how it would resonate with me. Following a significant life change, I wondered if the experience would feel like a repeat or something new.
The format remains unchanged: wake-up alarm at 4 a.m., meditation from 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., totaling ten hours daily. Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m., and fasting until the next morning (new students receive fruit at teatime; returning participants do not).
I didn’t experience hunger. An empty stomach supports meditation, and sitting for long periods requires little.
Evenings are filled with a talk by S.N. Goenka, who introduced Vipassana to the Western world. Although he passed away over ten years ago, his voice continues to guide every course. The timeless teachings, humor, and instructions preserve its essence.
What Vipassana Truly Is
Vipassana is a focused meditation technique based on direct sensation.
You shift your attention through the body, witnessing sensations just as they are—pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral—without grasping or resisting.
This purifies the mind at its most profound level via sensation.
Practicing equanimity and non-reactivity cultivates tranquility amidst experience.
This practice teaches non-reaction beyond the meditation hall.
Sit long enough, and the body ceases to feel tangible. Vipassana makes it clear that we are composed of subatomic particles. My hands were clasped, yet I could not sense them. At times, my body felt as though it had entirely vanished.
Perceiving What Truly Exists
Vipassana uncovers everything.
You observe your inner landscape with no chance of escape. When you feel trapped, what lies within rises to the surface.
My inner mischief was alive during the silence, amusing and managing me.
Imagined shenanigans kept my mind engaged.
Additionally, there were moments of diversion—a book in my thoughts, revisiting memories, planning future dialogues.
Confronting my ego was a challenging discovery—greed, judgment, selfishness.
However, you cannot alter what you refuse to acknowledge.
Vipassana does not fix you; it encourages you to notice without guilt.
In sincere, consistent observation, something begins to soften.
Why Comprehension Is Insufficient
We endure suffering due to our reactions.
Reactions rooted in craving and aversion leave us uneasy, not understanding.
Mindset work has its boundaries; we are more than our minds.
Comprehension alone is inadequate. Vipassana imparts presence, not repression or indulgence.
It provides space, serenity, choice, and the practice of non-reaction.
This is genuine tranquility.