Considering A Vipassana Retreat? Here's What To Know Before You Go

Vipassana is a 10-day silent meditation retreat—and there is nothing like 10 days of silence to show you the nature of your own mind. Vipassana means "to see things as they really are," and that is exactly what I experienced in the course. Vipassana meditation reveals the ways in which we create our suffering, and once this is understood, we can begin to free ourselves from that suffering.  

Vipassana is an ancient tradition that extends all the way back to Buddha. The teachings have been passed down through many generations, and in 1969, S.N. Goenka began teaching Vipassana in India. Goenka taught this meditation technique to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world before he took his last breath at 89 years old. Although he passed in 2013, he continues to be an integral part of the Vipassana course because they play videos of him teaching every night of the 10-day retreat. Vipassana courses are donation-based, residential experiences where participants learn the technique in the traditional form and practice it thoroughly.

Attending a Vipassana course requires discipline and commitment. Participants are asked to refrain from killing, stealing, any sexual activity, dishonesty, and intoxicating substances. The purpose of this code of conduct is to quiet the mind so participants can experience the benefits of the technique. Vipassana students are required to engage in this meditation technique only during the course—so experienced meditators from other traditions are required to check their existing practice at the door (along with all electronics, books, and writing utensils). In addition, all forms of prayer, worship, healing techniques, spiritual practices, and religious ceremonies must be suspended for the duration of the course.

During the 10-day course, students must observe noble silence (no speaking, no eye contact, no body language, no written notes or any communication at all). If it is necessary, students may speak with the teacher or management, but this is discouraged unless absolutely needed and should be minimized. Physical contact is not permitted at all, and the male and female spaces are separated. Women are required to remain in the spaces designated for women and men in the spaces designated for men. Yoga and physical exercise (with the exception of walking in designated areas), reading, writing, and music are not permitted either. 

As you can see, there are a lot of rules in Vipassana—and that's probably one of the reasons it's so effective!

If you can cultivate this understanding in meditation, you can apply it to your whole life. Vipassana is taught to be shared with all beings everywhere, so on the final day of the course, a lovingkindness meditation is shared.

I attended my first Vipassana in 2018, and it was life-changing. I had many insights, but there were a few moments that permanently shifted my life:

On the third day of the course, I found myself being very critical of the Vipassana structure and the technique, and I had made up my mind that Vipassana was not for me. That evening in meditation, in a deep state of self-observation, I saw how I had prematurely judged the course. We hadn't even learned the Vipassana technique yet, and I had already made up my mind about the 10-day experience. I realized how often I had been doing this in my life and how it prevented me from fully experiencing life. I let go of my judgments and found a deeper sense of presence than I had ever experienced. It has remained with me.

And if this was happening on a solo silent retreat, this must've been happening everywhere in my life. This woke me up deeply, and nothing has ever been the same.   

When you sign up for a Vipassana retreat, you are committing to 10 days of silent meditation. You cannot read, write, speak, use technology, or exercise during Vipassana, and it's a time of deep quiet and contemplation. While this practice is not easy, it can teach participants incredibly valuable lessons about thought, emotion, and the human experience.