My First VIPASSANA MEDITATION Experience and Why I Didn’t Like It | GOENKA Retreat In Switzerland

Namaste my friends!

This video will be different.

First of all, sorry for saying “so” and “Ok” so many times. I really need to work on that.😅

In January 2023 I did 10 days Goenka Vipassana meditation and this video is may experience, my sharing with you of good, bad and awful.

As a disclaimer, it was a very hard Vipassana for me and I had my negative experience that I want to share. I tried to be as honest as I can be. I know, many believe Goenka technique to be the best, but I had a different feeling.

Feel free to use time frames to go to the section that you are more interested in and I hope that it may be useful for someone.

Sending you love and light🙏

03:04 Goenka meditation
03:54 Positive aspects
03:58 Feeling of community. Organisation and politeness
04:36 Food
05:20 Meditation
06:05 Negative aspects
06:13 Was very cold
07:23 No opportunity of cleaning the room
08:02 Mutual energy sometimes of pain and frustration
08:38 Unacceptable things
09:11 Health issues neglected by the teacher
13:15 Categorical and imposing
15:51 “Free” Vipassana
21:42 Don’t take much money with you TIP
22:16 Mandatory 2 hour per day meditation
24:34 Conclusion
25:23 Result of mine Vipassana

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[Darksheik]

Yeah, to be honest I’m more a self practicing one. I would not consider going in a monastery and follow arbitrary rules because someone thought it is the only way.

[JohnMiller-hxce]

If you watch Ekaterinas testimony and assume your experience will be similar or the same you are doing yourself a disservice. In fact watch this video may prevent you from having the most beneficial effects experience of your life. She has greatly exaggerated the “asking for money” at the end of the course. Goenka does not tell you that your ego will become huge if you do not donate. I just did a 10 day vipassana course in north Texas a few weeks ago. I have been a Buddhist for 15 years and this course was by far my best experience in learning and experiencing meditation. She says many times in this video that she kept meditating and it “wasn’t working”. That’s because she wasn’t actually doing vipassana. And the first 3 days are only breathing meditation (focusing on the breath and sensations from the breath) and she said that she complained on day 3 that it “wasn’t working”. How can someone teach basic meditation if simply focusing on the breath “doesn’t work” for them? She may be the best yoga teacher in the world but she’s not someone you should be learning meditation from (in my opinion). She complained about dust in her room. Buddha became enlightened under a tree while getting bitten by bugs and pooped on by birds. My room was spotless when I got there but on the third day there was about 1, 000 ants living in my suitcase. No food in there- they just decided to live with me haha. I also have several herniated discs in my neck, a pinched nerve, bone spurs and arthritis all over my body. This retreat was the hardest thing I have ever done to myself physically and emotionally. BUT it was the most beneficial. I see so much clearly now. The root causes of my life long pain arised while I was meditating in vipassana and a lot of questions that I didn’t know I was asking myself were answered. You MUST focus on the technique and if you’re constantly telling yourself “I’m cold. There is too much dust. The teacher isn’t giving me advice I want. This isn’t working.” Then of course it won’t work because your sense of SELF has overtaken the effort for the technique. You shouldn’t come to a retreat (especially a free one) with so many expectations. Also, you’re a grown adult- if you feel like you’re sick you should leave. The volunteer teacher is not your doctor. My chronic pain was SOOO intense by the 3rd day and a little voice told me to give up and go home and stop torturing myself but I stuck with it. By the end of the course i had 90% less pain- almost no pain at all. The Buddha was not able to enlighten everyone. Even his cousin that sat next to him for every single teaching for over 25 years did not become enlightened until AFTER the Buddha died and by his own effort. Please do not let this woman’s personal testimony steer you away from Buddhas teachings. She tried the wrong way and she failed so she’s trying to say you’ll fail too. Do not have expectations! Do not judge! Just try the technique to the best of your ability for the ten days while you are there. Over 15 years as a Buddhist - been to countless temples- met countless monks- attended MANY meditation retreats. The Goenka vipassana was by far the most beneficial experience for me and so many others. I am in less pain, working harder and smarter for my family, see more clearly and am less likely to attach to anything. It worked for me and millions of others. Don’t let someone’s bad experience convince you to change your mind. Also some advice to Ekaterina - your experience is yours and yours alone. No one will have or has had the same experience as you. Did others have dust in their room? Yeah. Did they suffer from the dust as much as you or at all? No. The Buddha didn’t teach “feel good” meditation. He taught the TRUTH. Feeling good OR bad can be symptoms of the technique. A few of the days I cried like a baby. Why? Because the truth sucks sometimes. But also I felt bliss because sometimes the truth is blissful. No offense but you failed the technique before you even showed up because you had too many expectations. So you kept failing over and over and over and kept saying “this isn’t working”. Perhaps you should go to a warmer climate and try again someday. And in the meantime meditate next to an dirty floor.

[ulrikhagel]

Hello Ekaterina. I did my Vipassana in march in the nordic Vipassana center. I didn't feel pressured to donate, I don't believe anyone else did either.

[Avangers]

I did vipassana meditation before 9 years ago. I didn't feel like they forced to donate. If they want money, they could charge some amount for 10 days. In our city in India, a man wanting to donate his land to vipassana meditation center. But the vipassana teacher's refuse to accept the land because the doner never did any vipassana retreat. Their purpose behind this is that, they want the feeling come out from our heart after doing vipassana. They first want us to connect to dhamma vibrations.

[bhuvanpathak]

Been practicing Vipasanna for last 3 years and let me tell you it really works.

[raindrops]

I have done vipassana many times and not a single time I was forced to donate !!

I have compassion for this lady’s ignorance. May you find your path.

[Walking_With_Nature]

Done 2 times in India. Not expericing anything like this.
Found very useful like improvement in sleep & my overthinking has almost gone.

[aanujsaud]

Ekaterina, kindly refrain yourself from spreading wrong information:
- you can only attend long course after at least 5, 10 days course, 1 satipathan, 1 serving and continuous practices of 2 hour a day for atleast 1 year.

- you can clean, infact you are encouraged to clean your room.

- vipassana is not replacement for medical treatment, you are informed upfront to continue with your medication and visit the doctor if needed.

- you are advised not to practice other techniques only during course. Once you leave center, you are your own master.

- you are only able to teach vipassana to other once you are appointed teacher, that to only in center when you serving as teacher. Being a teacher is long way to go.

- forcing for donation is just out of imagination, goenka never said more you donate bigger are the gate to paradise. If that centre in particular does so, it's absolutely wrong. I am skeptical that they might have done so, they have more than 300 centres, i am hearing this for the first time.

- you don't have to agree with goenka or buddha or the teacher, it's about practice, the one who practice and practice right way gets reward

- the technique is not about sensation, it's about remaining equonimous through sensation.

[ingaspg]

Please consider that it is not the course that put you off meditation, but all the uncomfortble thoughts, sensations and inner frustration, that surface when you sit to meditate, and that presented to you clearly during your 10 day course.

[wilsonwin]

To me, it is creating the drama with own aspects. We all should not waste our times in such discussion. Once you gain enough wisdom, you will see things clearly.

[francoiscote]

I've been in Dhamma Sutama in Quebec, Canada several times. First time I was broke and didn't give any money. Nobody told me or asked me anything. It's a very transparent and honest organization. I gave what I could the others times. Around 200$ and 300$ each time. Nothing for what I was receiving.

[sylvietpham]

Goenka retreat absolutely changed my life. It is for me greatest gift. I did 3 courses and a sattipathana course. I cant wait to go on a longer course!

[benedikt]

Did my first Goenka retreat last year and am looking forward to the next one in a few weeks😁

[vipinsekhar]

seems like the experience was specific to that particular center and individual experience. All the 3 Vipassana practice were very positive. No where anyone forced me to donate. The experience from meditation made me donate, but there was absolutely no compulsion to donate, not even once anyone spoke of it.

[Mylagomlife]

Just came home a week a go from the Nordic Vipassana center in Sweden. It was very cold but I had really great experiences in my meditaiton. The teachers, a german married couple were really good and explained everything very good and had very good specific advises to my problems. It was tough, but I am happy I went. They never forced to donate or insisted, they just said the donation table is in the dining room if you want to make a donation. They never approached to ask if we had donated or not.

[Bhupinder.]

am sorry to hear that you didn't like it, anywayys it's not for everyone it requires a different state of mind to practice Vipassana. and for your kind info no you can't attend long course just after one course, one need to complete at least five, 10 days courses ane satipathana Course and ane one dhamma servive alogn with area teacher and one more teacher's recommendation. for 20 days course.
may all beings be happy and peaceful🙏

[sharadkumargarg]

Hi Ekaterina, I am very sorry to say that you have not understood Vipassana of Goenka ji. Your negative views on Vipassana are nothing but your misunderstanding of technique.
It's 100 % scientific and 100 % free, if you are willing to donate you donate otherwise not.
No one asks you personally to donate after completing the course.
There could be some management differences in center to center but the whole idea is same and free.
It runs only on donations.
I have done many courses of Vipassana and found it very useful.

[adrianturner]

Very strongly disagree with this. Done it for 27 years and longer courses too. Met Thousands of people who got so much benefit and just a few who didn’t like it.

[nnerAwareness]

What the teacher Said is true, just observe, if stay observing with equanimity, you will start to observe every cell closely with awareness, once reaching that state you will realize by yourself that every cell is indeed in a constant flux, once realizing that this change is taking place, you start to accept that their is a process going on within the cells of your body, something is just changing. With this understanding you stop having a personal bias towards the feeling, which also neutralizes the pain or sickness which your mind is holding on to. From listening your video it seems that you wasn’t able to let go of your mind throughout the course, which is very necessary to reach to the point of the practice

[worasak]

Done few times in Thailand. Totally different from this video.