Attending Dhamma Manda, the Northern California Vipassana Center

I just came back from a 10-day course at Dhamma Manda, the Northern California Vipassana Center, in Kelseyville, CA. The meditation retreat is one that is notoriously known to be fairly difficult for new meditators, often causing many to drop out during the first few days. I can definitely see this to be true, as I witnessed a few people leaving, however those who stay all report positively on the outcome. You can read about my experiences at Dhamma Manda, the Northern California Vipassana Center, on my personal blog.

Vipassana is a meditation technique taught and promoted by the Buddha and his followers. Reaching all across Southern and Southeast Asia, it has branched out to form different varieties. The method taught at Dhamma Manda by Satya Narayan (S.N.) Goenka is supposedly the purest and most unadulterated form of vipassana meditation from the days of the Enlightened One. Other forms, even those found in India, Goenka argues, had been bastardized by Western influences seeking to produce something more to the liking of their interests. The Burmese methodology, he states, is true to the original teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.

Have you tried a vipassana meditation course? Let me know what you thought about it with a comment below!