Goenka Vipassana (10 day course lecture notes)
1.
True Dhamma is a practical, experiential path of purification through self-observation. It is non-sectarian. True Dhamma is not about blind belief, intellectual understanding, or philosophical debate. It is about the direct experience of the mind-matter phenomenon within oneself.
True dharma is what gives us peace when we bear it. It breaks the habit pattern of blind reaction (sankhāra) and gives one freedom from misery.
Laboratory of the Body: Our own body is the laboratory for investigating the Dhamma. You don't need to believe in scriptures or a teacher. You can verify the truth for yourself by observing the interplay of sensations and your reactions to them within your own framework.
The practice of Vipassana is the direct method to realize true Dhamma. It involves:
Breathwork for concentration.
Scanning the body: Systematically observing bodily sensations with equanimity.
Developing Equanimity (Upekkhā): The most crucial aspect. The goal is not to crave pleasant sensations or avert unpleasant ones, but to remain balanced and objective, understanding that all sensations (vedanā) are impermanent (anicca).
Eradicating Mental Defilements (Sankhāras): By observing sensations without reaction, we stop creating new conditioning of craving and aversion. More importantly, we allow old, buried conditioning to surface and pass away. This is a process of purification.
The path of dhamma has three components:
Sīla (Moral Conduct): The foundation. This is abstaining from actions that harm others and oneself (e.g., killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants). Without this moral foundation, the mind is too agitated to observe itself clearly.
Samādhi (Mastery of the Mind)/ Samatha: This is developed through Anapana meditation—focusing attention on the natural breath. This calms the mind and sharpens awareness, preparing it for the main practice.
Paññā (Wisdom)/ Vipassana: This is the culmination, developed through Vipassana meditation. It is the wisdom that arises from directly experiencing the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and selfless nature of one's own body and mind.
Buddha had good morality since childhood. He had demonstrated concentration and calm in the ploughing ceremony in his childhood. He learned concentration meditation for years, but what gave him wisdom and enlightenment was when he did Vipassana on the full moon night and knew the truth of impermanence, nonsatisfactoriness, and anatta. " Oh! housebuilder, now I know you, and you can not construct it again."
Anapana:
Observe the breath. Do not intervene.
Just observe the reality as it is. Not as you like it to be.
Calm and comfort are not the goal. The goal is insight and knowing thyself. Hence, do not use images, mantras, and others. It can help with concentration-samadhi, but not wisdom-pragya.
2.
Just like a monkey grasping one branch and then the other, so is our mind. Just like a wild elephant or bull can be trained, we can train our mind. No one can harm us more than our own wild mind, and no one can help us more than our own tamed mind. It needs patience and perseverance.
Buddha's story about the road from Śrāvastī (Kausala) to Rājagṛha (Magadh) illustrates the difference between intellectual knowledge and direct experience. The map does not represent the territory.
The teaching of all Buddhas is: Abstain from unwholesome activities, perform wholesome activities, and purify your heart. It is the path of sila- morality, samadhi-concentration, and pragya- wisdom. We get punishment every time we have an unwholesome thought, speech, or action. We are the first victims of our defilement and anger.
3.
Kalapas: A Scientist in Berkley studies how many times the atom arises and passes through his bubble chamber. He concluded it does 10000000000000000000000 times ( 22 zeros after 1). A ten sextillion quantum births and deaths, a boundless ocean of fleeting, probabilistic existence.. So is the reality. But he knew it intellectually. A proton in his chamber wasn't a solid, eternal ball. It was a frantic knot of gluons and quarks, held together by a continuous storm of virtual particles exchanging forces, popping into being just long enough to mediate an interaction before being reabsorbed. In life, he was just a miserable person. In quantum field theory, particles are indeed constantly appearing and disappearing (quantum fluctuations) at an unimaginably rapid rate, which aligns with the Buddhist concept of anicca (impermanence) happening at every moment. The 10^22 transitions per second were not just happening out there in the chamber. They were happening right here. The neurons firing in his brain, the chemistry of his emotions, the very atoms of his body—all were subject to the exact same rules. His sadness was not a permanent state. It was a pattern, a conditioned arousal, and like all conditioned things, it would pass. It, too, was a quantum event in a complex system, lasting only as long as its conditions were met.
If the very nature of existence is change. So why is changing ourselves such a difficult task?
The deeper the attachment, the deeper the misery. The clinging to I and my causes misery.
🌅 Half-Day Vipassanā Meditation Schedule
Preparation (Before you begin)
Set aside a quiet space, free from disturbances.
Switch off phone/internet.
Maintain noble silence: no talking, reading, or media.
Eat light, simple food.
Intention: “Today I will observe reality as it is, with patience and equanimity.”
1 hr: Anapana
Practice: Begin with ānāpāna (mindfulness of breath at the nostrils).
Philosophy: Breath is natural, universal, and always present. By observing it without control, you sharpen awareness and calm restlessness.
Tip: If distracted, gently note “thinking” and return to breath. Don’t force.
1 hr: Mindful Breakfast
Practice: Eat slowly, chew mindfully, notice textures, taste, and movements.
Philosophy: Eating with mindfulness transforms a routine act into meditation.
Tip: Put down utensils between bites; notice the arising of desire for the “next” bite.
1 hr: Vipassanā Sitting
Practice (Goenka style): Begin body scanning from head → feet → head. Observe sensations systematically.
Developing Equanimity (Upekkhā): The most crucial aspect. The goal is not to crave pleasant sensations or avert unpleasant ones, but to remain balanced and objective, understanding that all sensations (vedanā) are impermanent (anicca).
Eradicating Mental Defilements (Sankhāras): By observing sensations without reaction, we stop creating new conditioning of craving and aversion. More importantly, we allow old, buried conditioning to surface and pass away. This is a process of purification.
The path of dhamma has three components:
Sīla (Moral Conduct): The foundation. This is abstaining from actions that harm others and oneself (e.g., killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants). Without this moral foundation, the mind is too agitated to observe itself clearly.
Samādhi (Mastery of the Mind)/ Samatha: This is developed through Anapana meditation—focusing attention on the natural breath. This calms the mind and sharpens awareness, preparing it for the main practice.
Paññā (Wisdom)/ Vipassana: This is the culmination, developed through Vipassana meditation. It is the wisdom that arises from directly experiencing the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and selfless nature of one's own body and mind.
Buddha had good morality since childhood. He had demonstrated concentration and calm in the ploughing ceremony in his childhood. He learned concentration meditation for years, but what gave him wisdom and enlightenment was when he did Vipassana on the full moon night and knew the truth of impermanence, nonsatisfactoriness, and anatta. " Oh! housebuilder, now I know you, and you can not construct it again."
Anapana:
Observe the breath. Do not intervene.
Just observe the reality as it is. Not as you like it to be.
Calm and comfort are not the goal. The goal is insight and knowing thyself. Hence, do not use images, mantras, and others. It can help with concentration-samadhi, but not wisdom-pragya.
2.
Just like a monkey grasping one branch and then the other, so is our mind. Just like a wild elephant or bull can be trained, we can train our mind. No one can harm us more than our own wild mind, and no one can help us more than our own tamed mind. It needs patience and perseverance.
Buddha's story about the road from Śrāvastī (Kausala) to Rājagṛha (Magadh) illustrates the difference between intellectual knowledge and direct experience. The map does not represent the territory.
The teaching of all Buddhas is: Abstain from unwholesome activities, perform wholesome activities, and purify your heart. It is the path of sila- morality, samadhi-concentration, and pragya- wisdom. We get punishment every time we have an unwholesome thought, speech, or action. We are the first victims of our defilement and anger.
3.
There are three types of pragya:
Shruta Pragya: learnt or heard
Chintan Pragya: intellectually analyzed
Bhawana Pragya: Practically understood.
The first two are beneficial and show direction, but can be harmful if there is no progress to the real practical understanding by oneself and for oneself.
"If you know the truth and do not act upon it, it runs as poison in your blood."
"Even the best recipe is not a substitute for the worst dinner."
Everything arises and passes away. Anicca.
The flame of a candle looks the same, but it is different in every instance, consuming new wax, so is the electric bulb, so is the cinema, so is the river in the water. But we cannot recognize the underlying arising and passing.
Shruta Pragya: learnt or heard
Chintan Pragya: intellectually analyzed
Bhawana Pragya: Practically understood.
The first two are beneficial and show direction, but can be harmful if there is no progress to the real practical understanding by oneself and for oneself.
"If you know the truth and do not act upon it, it runs as poison in your blood."
"Even the best recipe is not a substitute for the worst dinner."
Everything arises and passes away. Anicca.
The flame of a candle looks the same, but it is different in every instance, consuming new wax, so is the electric bulb, so is the cinema, so is the river in the water. But we cannot recognize the underlying arising and passing.
Kalapas: A Scientist in Berkley studies how many times the atom arises and passes through his bubble chamber. He concluded it does 10000000000000000000000 times ( 22 zeros after 1). A ten sextillion quantum births and deaths, a boundless ocean of fleeting, probabilistic existence.. So is the reality. But he knew it intellectually. A proton in his chamber wasn't a solid, eternal ball. It was a frantic knot of gluons and quarks, held together by a continuous storm of virtual particles exchanging forces, popping into being just long enough to mediate an interaction before being reabsorbed. In life, he was just a miserable person. In quantum field theory, particles are indeed constantly appearing and disappearing (quantum fluctuations) at an unimaginably rapid rate, which aligns with the Buddhist concept of anicca (impermanence) happening at every moment. The 10^22 transitions per second were not just happening out there in the chamber. They were happening right here. The neurons firing in his brain, the chemistry of his emotions, the very atoms of his body—all were subject to the exact same rules. His sadness was not a permanent state. It was a pattern, a conditioned arousal, and like all conditioned things, it would pass. It, too, was a quantum event in a complex system, lasting only as long as its conditions were met.
If the very nature of existence is change. So why is changing ourselves such a difficult task?
Vipassana is disintegration, dissection, and deconstruction.
Everything makes sense when integrated. You praise the silky hair of your wife. Once it falls/disintegrates and comes in your meal. You distaste it and throw it away. You used to appreciate it so much; why don't you eat it? The same wife has beautiful teeth like a string of pearls. Once it fell off, why do you throw it away instead of keeping it as a treasure? The same wife clips her beautiful nails, and the nail gets into your meal. Why don't you eat it? Beauty is just skin deep. If the skin is peeled, no beauty. If what we have inside is outside, life would be measurable, fighting against insects, vultures, and eagles.
4.
During the body-scanning, awareness of body parts should be made in a sequence, and no body part should be missed. We cannot jump to the area of gross sensation or linger more in one area of gross sensation. Every body part will have some sensation, although it can be subtle, and we should try to be aware of it. Being aware of the subtle and subtler sensations is the mature Vipassana practice. A modest time for one body scan can be around 10 minutes. Fast scans can miss the subtle sensations. First, start with the superficial sensations and then go for the deeper inner sensations.
5.
Vipassana does not have verbalization, labelling, visualization, imagination, or contemplation. Just observe respiration and body sensations.The conscious and intellectual mind reacts to the outer world, but the subconscious/unconscious mind reacts to the subtle body sensations. The way to train the unconscious mind is to train it not to react to even subtler body sensations. This will do the cleansing of the anusaya klesa (deep-rooted defilements).
First noble truth of dukkha: Initially, 1 hour sitting in meditation can be miserable. Observing the pain with equanimity relieves the mental part of the pain and hence the suffering. At any time, life can corner and cause pain. Vipassana is training for resilience in the face of misery.
Second noble truth of causation:
Craving and aversion !!
jate, byada, jara, maran: Birth, disease, old age, and death are misery.
Kalapas are the subatomic particles of the size of 1/46656 part of a dust particle. It has five aggregates -one material aggregate ( made of four aggregates of rupa: earth-solidity; water-cohesion/fluidity; fire-heat; air-motion and vibration) and four mental aggregates ( nama: bigyana- cognition part of the mind; sangya - recognizing part of the mind; vedana- feeling part of the mind; sankhara- reacting part of the mind).
The deeper the attachment, the deeper the misery. The clinging to I and my causes misery.
The twelve links in the causation: Ignorance (agyana)--mental volitional actions (sankhara)--consciousness (bigyana)--nama-rupa (mind-matter) --six sense doors--contact (spirsa)--sensation (bedana)--craving (tanha)--clinging/aversion(upadana)--reaction (bhaba) --birth--disease--old age--death.
First words after the enlightenment of Buddha:
The House-Builder:
"Seeking but not finding the house-builder, I traveled through the round of countless births; O painful is birth ever and again. House-builder, you have now been seen; You shall not build the house again. Your rafters have been broken down; Your ridge pole is demolished, too. My mind has now attained the unformed nirvana, and reached the end of every kind of craving".
Vipassana is breaking the chain between the sensation and reaction. Every sensation should lead to wisdom, not craving and clinging/aversion.
The House-Builder:
"Seeking but not finding the house-builder, I traveled through the round of countless births; O painful is birth ever and again. House-builder, you have now been seen; You shall not build the house again. Your rafters have been broken down; Your ridge pole is demolished, too. My mind has now attained the unformed nirvana, and reached the end of every kind of craving".
I have destroyed all the sankharas, and now there is no craving, so no new sankharas will be built.
(Another version about The Profound Dharma: "Profound, peaceful, stainless, lucid, and unconditioned— Such is the nectar-like truth I have realized. Were I to teach it, no one would understand, so I will silently remain in the forest." Yet another version: I Am Awake: Another source states Buddha's first utterance was "I am Awake" after being asked how he was by a lady on his way down from a hill.)
(Another version about The Profound Dharma: "Profound, peaceful, stainless, lucid, and unconditioned— Such is the nectar-like truth I have realized. Were I to teach it, no one would understand, so I will silently remain in the forest." Yet another version: I Am Awake: Another source states Buddha's first utterance was "I am Awake" after being asked how he was by a lady on his way down from a hill.)
6.
Craving is a bottomless bucket. It never gets filled.
Kalapas can be predominant in solid/hard, liquid/cohesive, gas/movement, or temperature. They are fed by what we eat spicy? and what our mind dwells on during screentime?
Five defilements (nivaranas) during meditation:
Craving for free flow and pleasant sensations.
Aversion to the pain during sitting in adhisthana.
Drowsiness: You can meditate standing or go for a 5-minute mindful walk
Restlessless
Doubt: Will this meditation technique be good enough?
The story of the Burmese President addicted to alcohol cured after Vippasana.
7.
Bhagwan means bhagga-raga, bhagga dwesha, and bhagga moha.
Arhat means killer of the enemies ( the desire, hatred, and ignorance)
Samma sambuddha ( One who became fully enlightened on his own effort). Everyone has to work for their enlightenment. There is no supernatural blessing.
Esa dhamma sanatano: The dharma is universal and not sectarian
On the 8th and 9th day, try to be mindful in the recesses and while going to sleep.
5 antidotes to defilements (pancham indriya)
1. Saddhā (Faith / Confidence)
2. Vīriya (Energy / Effort)
3. Sati (Mindfulness)
4. Samādhi (Concentration)
5. Paññā (Wisdom)
( Story of inheritance of diamond ring and silver ring with engraved ...This shall change... Everything shall changes
8.
Awareness and equanimity are the keys.
Once new sanskaras are destroyed, the older sanskaras arise and can be cleansed. Hence, deep cleansing is possible. Vipassana is a surgical operation on the mind.
The top quality among the 32 qualities of a householder was having equanimity in the vicissitudes:
Four vicissitudes:
Gain (lābha) and Loss (alābha)
Fame (yasa) and Disgrace (ayasa)
Praise (pasamsā) and Blame (nindā)
Pleasure (sukha) and Pain (dukkha)
Gain (lābha) and Loss (alābha)
Fame (yasa) and Disgrace (ayasa)
Praise (pasamsā) and Blame (nindā)
Pleasure (sukha) and Pain (dukkha)
9.
All mental things arise with a sensation in our body. This is the law of nature. Realize this Body-Mind relation.
Every emotion comes with a change in respiration, and some change in body sensation is noted. When there is anger, you are aware of only the object of anger. The person and situation. Anger has no shape or form. The best way to observe this anger is to be aware of the change in respiration and the change in sensation within our bodies.
During your daily life, realize when the craving and aversion arise. If you get angry, see how fast you recognize it. The earlier you recognize and observe, the faster you recover from the anger.
Vigyana (observes)--sangya (judges)---vedana(feelings)--sankhara (mental formation)
Qualities that help you to cross the river of misery and reach the other shore free from suffering.
Vipassana fills the 10 buckets of paramitas drop by drop.
Paramitas:
- Renunciation (Nekkhamma): Letting go of worldly attachments and desires.
- Morality (Sila): Ethical conduct, virtue, and proper behavior.
- Generosity (Dana): Giving of oneself, possessions, or teachings
- Wisdom (Panna): Understanding the nature of reality and developing insight.
- Energy (Viriya): Diligence, effort, and perseverance in practice.
- Patience (Khanti): Tolerance, forbearance, and acceptance.
- Truthfulness (Sacca): Honesty and integrity in speech and action.
- Determination (Adhitthana): Resolution, unwavering commitment, and resolve. Buddha had the adhitthana to not change his position till enlightenment, and that was adhitthana.
- Loving-kindness (Metta): Cultivating benevolence and compassion towards all beings.
- Equanimity (Upekkha): Cultivating balance and evenness of mind, especially in the face of adversity.
Bhabatu Sabba Mangalam!!
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
10.
Two qualities of someone truly abiding in dharma:
1. Serving without expectation of return
2. Feeling of gratitude.
Next is the abidement to sila/morality.
Before breaking any sila, there is impurity in the mind, and sila should be maintained to cleanse the impurities.
Bhabaty sabba mangalam !!!
Sadhu! Sadhu!! Sadhu!!!
🌅 Half-Day Vipassanā Meditation Schedule
Preparation (Before you begin)
Set aside a quiet space, free from disturbances.
Switch off phone/internet.
Maintain noble silence: no talking, reading, or media.
Eat light, simple food.
Intention: “Today I will observe reality as it is, with patience and equanimity.”
1 hr: Anapana
Practice: Begin with ānāpāna (mindfulness of breath at the nostrils).
Philosophy: Breath is natural, universal, and always present. By observing it without control, you sharpen awareness and calm restlessness.
Tip: If distracted, gently note “thinking” and return to breath. Don’t force.
1 hr: Mindful Breakfast
Practice: Eat slowly, chew mindfully, notice textures, taste, and movements.
Philosophy: Eating with mindfulness transforms a routine act into meditation.
Tip: Put down utensils between bites; notice the arising of desire for the “next” bite.
1 hr: Vipassanā Sitting
Practice (Goenka style): Begin body scanning from head → feet → head. Observe sensations systematically.
Philosophy: All sensations arise and pass away. Don’t cling to pleasure or resist pain — this is the essence of anicca (impermanence).
Tip: If pain arises, observe it patiently. Only adjust posture if absolutely necessary, and do so mindfully.
30 minutes: Walking Meditation
Practice: Walk slowly, attending to each step: “lifting, moving, placing.”
Philosophy: Walking meditation balances stillness with movement. Mindfulness is not limited to sitting — it pervades daily actions.
Tip: Keep hands still, gaze lowered. If the mind wanders, return to the feet.
30 minutes: Mindful Tea/coffee break
1 hr 30 minutes: Deep Vipassanā Sitting
Practice: Continue scanning/noting with deeper focus.
Philosophy: Watching restlessness is part of practice: craving and aversion are uncovered. By now, subtler impermanence is clearer — sensations flicker, thoughts dissolve. This deepens the wisdom of anicca, dukkha, and anattā.
Tip: Stay equanimous — don’t chase bliss, don’t resist discomfort.
15 minutes: Metta Bhāvanā (Loving-Kindness)
Practice: Radiate goodwill: “May I be peaceful. May all beings be peaceful. May all be free from suffering.”
Philosophy: Vipassanā clears defilements; Metta fills the heart with compassion. Together, they balance wisdom and love.
Tip: If pain arises, observe it patiently. Only adjust posture if absolutely necessary, and do so mindfully.
30 minutes: Walking Meditation
Practice: Walk slowly, attending to each step: “lifting, moving, placing.”
Philosophy: Walking meditation balances stillness with movement. Mindfulness is not limited to sitting — it pervades daily actions.
Tip: Keep hands still, gaze lowered. If the mind wanders, return to the feet.
30 minutes: Mindful Tea/coffee break
1 hr 30 minutes: Deep Vipassanā Sitting
Practice: Continue scanning/noting with deeper focus.
Philosophy: Watching restlessness is part of practice: craving and aversion are uncovered. By now, subtler impermanence is clearer — sensations flicker, thoughts dissolve. This deepens the wisdom of anicca, dukkha, and anattā.
Tip: Stay equanimous — don’t chase bliss, don’t resist discomfort.
15 minutes: Metta Bhāvanā (Loving-Kindness)
Practice: Radiate goodwill: “May I be peaceful. May all beings be peaceful. May all be free from suffering.”
Philosophy: Vipassanā clears defilements; Metta fills the heart with compassion. Together, they balance wisdom and love.
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