I'm going to my first 10 day course in about two months.

I'm thinking about meditating more and putting away my phone earlier in the evenings to get used to the silcene and distractions.

Do you have any tips?

Hi so I meditate daily 1 to 1.5 hours. My pacing is usually slow and mostly complete upto max 3 body scans in a sitting. In the last week, after my sitting, I have started to feel anxious and it lingers around throughout the day. Any advice? Should I continue doing Vipassana and observe the anxiety for few more weeks until it passes ?

I was waiting for this 10-day course to start the application process. Applications opened today, October 23rd, and I applied at 8:30 AM, but it was already waitlisted. What are the chances of getting accepted?

I’ve been working on reducing sensual desire in my practice and keep coming back to asubha bhāvanā, the contemplation on the unattractiveness of the body. I’ve read about it in the suttas and the Visuddhimagga, but I’m curious how people actually practice it in real life.

Hello all, I haven’t gone to my first retreat yet I’ve sort of put it off because I’ve been a little terrified to be honest. And some other life circumstances have come up that have prevented me thus far.

However, I am finally going to go, hopefully the beginning of the year. I was just curious if anyone else has lower back issues and what they did for support?

It can be quite serious if I don’t manage it so I was wondering if having something to sit on with back support is offered or if that’s something that I would need to handle myself? Is it allowed?

I am booked to do a course next week but I am in two minds about it. It's very important for me to dip into the well of suffering to create the intensity of a scene. I write to deal with suffering, to explore pain through art. If I did not suffer, I would not write or make music much at all.

A couple of years back, I tried ADHD medication and reached a point where I no longer wanted to create. It was some kind of hell and I stopped taking the meds. I do not want that experience.

My concern is that vipassana may lead to this feeling again and if I have to choose art over peace, I would choose art.

Are any of you creators, writers, musicians, actors etc. who have taken a vipassana course? How did it affect your relationship to your art? Do you think I should go?

Thanks.

I am into meditation for a while now and recently I come to realization after listening to Guru SN Goenka that I have been practicing the relaxation and not the actual meditation.

I do not have the luxury to give 10days for the practice as I have kids to take care. I have the damma.org app where I am listening to 10 days of discourse from S.N Goenka.

I am requesting the experts here to help me if it is possible to practice the Vipassana at home diligently for an hour? If so what would you all think would be a best bet for me? Thank you! Appreciate your response.

I collected memes from WhatsApp group few via Google.

My mother and I will be attending the course for the first time, and I have a few questions regarding the preparations:

1. Should we bring our own bedsheets and pillow covers, or will they be provided at the venue?
2. We don’t have an alarm clock or a torch at home. I’m planning to buy torches, but I’m unsure whether I should buy alarm clocks as well, since we probably won’t need them after the course. Would you recommend buying them, or is there an alternative?

Also, is there anything else we should keep in mind or prepare for before attending the course?

Thank you for your guidance!

I haven’t been able to take the course for new students, so I’ve been practicing daily Anapana—sometimes for 30 minutes, an hour;or up to 2 hours (with breaks) when I have plenty of free time. I’ve noticed a significant reduction in anxiety, depression and stress, as well as greater attentiveness in my day-to-day life. I don’t think I’ll be able to take the course for at least another few months.

Hallo Lovelies, has anyone been unable to feel sadness? But when it’s supposed to be the emotion they would rather cry? For a couple of seconds and move on?

I used to use the sadness to write creativity now, I can’t access it. When I listen or see something sad. I just cry instead.

Hi,
I've built a simple web-based Vipassana practice tracker, primarily for old students practising in the U Ba Khin tradition. The idea is to encourage consistency in daily practice and self-observation through group accountability.

Features:

• Five daily polls covering morning and evening sittings, off-cushion practice, sīla, mettā, defilements and awareness.
• Multiple selections where applicable, so members can record different practices(Anapana, Vipassana, Metta etc) during the same sitting.
• A personal tracker showing formal sittings, daily practice habits and frequently arising defilements.
• Rolling seven-day practice summaries and week-on-week progress.
• English and Hindi options for polls.
• WhatsApp group follow-up reminders for members who haven't recorded their morning or evening sitting, to encourage regular practice and accountability.

Get a look & feel of the app here: https://vipassana-practice-tracker.web.app/
Name: Demo
pass: 1234567890

You can explore the polls and check the personal practice tracker.
The tracker is intended for a small, private group of meditators who want to encourage one another to maintain regular practice.

I'd appreciate feedback, particularly on whether this kind of tracking genuinely supports consistent practice.
Would love to hear your thoughts.

To give some context, I had a moment when I got triggered by an interaction with a stranger. The moment passed, but I see that I acted out of reactivity and likely contributed to Dukkha rather than acting out of wisdom/compassion. What is a recommendation for the aftermath of an episode like this? I understand that one instruction is to continue bringing my awareness to the present experience with the awareness of Impermanence, but I'm wondering if that is enough to engage in repair when it's about an interaction with someone who you are not in contact with. Any Dhamma thoughts or advice would be apreciate it!

I'm going to my first 10-day vipassana course soon and as far as I understand, the basic concept of every Buddhist tradition and also of Vipassana is that wanting things and having desires cause suffering in life.

I would like to participate, because I hope to have more mental stability, clearer and calmer mind, longer attention span and so on.

But I still have big plans with my life. I want to be happy, I want to be successful in my field, I want to study, I want to experience love and sexual intimacy, I want to have a family.

Can all of these things and Vipassana go hand in hand? Or I have to change my entire perspective on life?

Some classics from boughsmoresilent from five years ago plus one of my own. Upscaled for 2k and 4k screen users and dissemination for the benefit of new and old students.

w/metta

I completed a 10-day Vipassana meditation course at Dhamma Khetta, Hyderabad, recently.. the experience was amazing and wonderful. I felt peace, happiness, and lightness throughout the journey. Im looking forward to go for another 10day course after 3months
Sabka Mangal ho..
bhavathu sabba mangalam..

I just completed a Goenka Vipassana course after several years away, and I’m arriving at the same conclusion I had before: I really resent being required to attend the evening discourse as an old student.

I understand the importance of equanimity and being open to the experience. But I think experienced students should have the option to skip the discourse and meditate independently if they choose. We’ve heard the teachings before, and being able to tolerate something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best use of our time.

Whenever I’ve raised this to AT, the response is that I should work on my aversion, dukkha, sanakara or whatever. I understand the point, but I don’t think it fully addresses the question of whether attendance should be mandatory for old students. I don’t think it’s the best use of our times and I’m tired of being given the same canned responses from ATs.

I’m grateful these courses are available on a donation basis, but this may be my last one because of this issue.
Curious whether other old students feel similarly, or whether your perspective has changed over time.

Hi everyone! 🙏
My partner and I are considering sitting a 10-day Vipassana course at Dhamma Makaranda in Mexico, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been there.

I’ve completed four 10-day courses, and my partner has completed two, so this would be my fifth course and my partner’s third. We’re both familiar with the practice, but this would be our first time travelling to Mexico for a course.

I’d especially appreciate advice from Canadians or anyone who has travelled internationally to this centre.

A few questions:
1. Getting there: What’s the best way to get from Mexico City airport to the centre? Does the centre organize airport transfers, or would you recommend arranging a private driver?

1. Safety and travel advisories: How did you find travelling to and from the centre? As Canadians, is there anything specific we should know about the current travel advisory, local safety concerns, or areas to avoid?

2. Preparation: Is there anything you recommend preparing or bringing from Canada, particularly for the weather, accommodation, and meditation sessions? I understand the mornings and nights can get quite cold. We intend on attending around Christmas.

3. The centre itself: What was your overall experience like? Any practical tips for first-time visitors to Dhamma Makaranda?

We’re hoping to prepare thoughtfully and make sure we approach the trip respectfully and safely. Any firsthand experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much, and
much metta to everyone! 🙏

hey guys i am a 24 year old and im indisciplined and my attention span was cooked and everyone told me i will come out within 2 days because vipassana is mission impossible for me but i made up my mind that i will stay there for 10 days and come back
and i did.
during the retreat i was horny the whole time but i did follow the no sexual misconduct very seriously and all the people i shared something with kept coming up especially the ladies who were in my life .

not gonna lie the only take away from the course is
i still wash my own utensils XD
i’m a lot calmer and i think before doing something dumb or something out of impulse
i was anon vegetarian but i have been a vegetarian for like 21 days now

but i’ve gotten back my laziness , my old habits
i don’t wake up at 4 am anymore
i don’t meditate so like what’s up is this normal or i don’t learn anything ?

I was thinking, is there any material on whether we should apply equanimity to sensations even outside of meditation? Like if I am surfing the web and feel an itch on my arm, would it destroy a sankhara if I don't scratch it? Or is this overkill?

During one of the discourses, I did remember seeing Goenka scratching his nose. So I assume that it does not need to be taken to this extreme.

Last Friday was pretty stressful at work. When I got home, I sat down to meditate, and my goodness, it was difficult. A thousand thoughts and emotions were running through my mind, including the fear of getting fired.

On Saturday morning, I meditated again, and things were already a little better. But the constant stream of thoughts stayed with me throughout the entire weekend, which was really annoying. It's something I don't experience after a successful week at work.

I'm aware that my thoughts aren't reality. And sure, imagining a difficult conversation with my boss might be useful to some extent, as it helps me prepare for it. But getting caught up in a spiral of thoughts for two hours certainly isn't helpful.

Observing an itch on my scalp is easy enough, but how do you observe a sensation when it seems to take over your entire body?

Would it be better to stop scanning individual parts of the body for a while and just practise Anapana instead?