Put Goenka and cult together in Google slot and punch. See how much comes up.
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www.google.com]
Anyone thinking of trying a vipassana course should know whether they risk scolding, marginalization, and shame trips if they decide they wish to leave before the course is over.
Your human rights do not cease just because you join a meditation course.
IMO, anyone who dismisses this assertion as the manifestation of diseased ego is a jailor at heart -- and not to be trusted.
"When you decide to leave is the point when you can see the whole structure of power behind the smiling and loving face of the curse." [
webcache.googleusercontent.com]
Note this fine distinction.
When permitted to leave -- you've departed according to the rules, at the end of the stipulated ten days.
When, on the other hand, you decide, for yourself, to leave -- that is, to follow your own rules, not Goenka's rules -- that is when the smiles stop and the scolding begins.
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switzerlandchris
— August 24, 2013 at 7:56 am
Dear Matt
Thanks for your answer.
I’m no expert on vibrations, but I didn’t come to Vipassana for vibrations, nor was Vipassana advertised as a vibrations therapy. All I expected was pure meditation and silence. Nothing more. For people who are into vibrations, the chanting of Goenka may be a rewarding experience. For me and for many of the 70 people who took part in the course, it was pure torture. I found that people who felt the same often had quite a lot of western musical training (I come from a family of classical musicians).
Concerning the notion of sectarianism, I have found enough examples of ex-Vipassana disciples to feel confirmed in my observation that it has unhealthy sectarian tendencies. Perhaps you are limiting your observations to those people who simply like the wrapper and therefore can more easily enjoy the contents?
You’re basing your claim that Vipassana is “scientific” upon a definition of science which, although it is not completely false, is definitely not the common understanding of the term. The great majority of people with some scientific education will not expect a “scientific” teaching to try to teach them that they are made of fire, water, earth and air, and that the subtle sensations they are feeling by means of their nervous system is actually a direct experience of each and every subatomic particle of their body… Trying to sell this as “scientific” in front of a western audience seems misleading and ignorant to me.
Best regards,
Chris
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Luna de mar
— July 13, 2014 at 3:37 am
Vipassana has noting to do with science, I’m a former chemist an I took the course just by curiosity, I’m not unhappy, I don’t need to believe, and I like to understand how the world works. So the first days there I was ok, I agree that the morning chanting was a torture but fortunately you were not obligated to be there. I was very happy that they try to explain as much as possible of the basis of the technique, but that was until the 4th day.
Then I start to relate the pain with a bad position during the meditation and not because of trauma, so I watched the other people around me and realize most of them have a bad position, and that is very irresponsible they could give you a guide of good or bad positions, or also do some exercise to led your body meditate for hours, but I didn’t panic for that I believe when once you get used to the position be aware of your normal body sensations can even warning you to a disease.
But then I continue with the course and when I listen the explanation of the subatomic particles I was shocked, I did not expect an explanation based on neutrons, protons, electrons or quarks but the explanation of the sensations was complete product of the imagination and nothing to do with science.
I realize that they play that game of use scientific words or scientific reasoning to justify something has nothing to do with science, and that is very very dangerous because there are two facts, people associate science with something good because science has improved the human life (that is not completely true) and on the other hand most of the people do not understand science, so is very easy to get confused. But I still don’t panic, I just believe it is has to be a reasonable explanation for all the feelings I have, so I break the rules and I started to think, what is happening with my body, are all this sensations are real or just created from my brain.
My answer is it could be both part created part real, I don’t have Internet to do research, so I start using my body and I start focusing to feel what I wanted to feel, and you can do it. In fact when the professor asks to you what you are feeling, I realize must of my partners were being victims of their brains. So next question why your brain is able to produce some sensations, the answer is easy because you are able to produce substances like neurotransmitter, than could make you have some sensation (just like drugs, in fact some drugs have a really close chemical structure to neurotransmitters). Maybe your traumas could be stored in neurotransmitters, I don’t really now the brain is really complex and it is not my speciality, also I didn’t do experimenters to prove what I say, there were just my reflections during the camp. The point is it could be dangerous for people with a little disorder in the brain, such a strong experience could detonate different types of mental disease like psychosis.
I did not have trouble with the meditation, but I start had trouble with the Goenka discourse, because it was religious and with a manipulative trend, so I started to feel really uncomfortable, and I decided to leave.
When you decide to leave is the point when you can see the whole structure of power behind the smiling and loving face of the curse. There you are exposed to a psychological pressure, in a place you don’t know, with people you don’t know, not excercise, not talk, not read, not write, and better not think so in that point of vulnerability the only voice you hear is the voice of the teacher Goenka, in that point your brain are very receptive.
I suggested to stay in the course without listening the discourses, and that is not an option.
So everything you here there is a Dogma, so yes it is a religion. You can not question Goenka, well you can do it just if you want to see how the teachers lose their equanimity, and I perfectly understand that in the end they are just persons like me, so why you have to treat them like superiors, or do everything they say without questions, well it is because is a Buddhist religion with a strong cult to Goenka.
I still believe that Vipassana experience could be really helpful for some people, but the people should be warning it is a religion. For the rest of my experience, the people were very nice, they led me to take the bus safe and then ask me please call when you arrive home, they are really good people, with good intentions.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2017 05:06AM by corboy.