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Vipassana (Pali vipassanā) is usually translated as insight. dhamma.org, the site of S. N. Goenka's tradition, explains the word as seeing things as they really are, and describes the practice as self-purification through self-observation. Several Buddhist traditions teach it, each with its own method and retreat format.
dhamma.org says that although the Buddha developed the technique, its practice is not limited to Buddhists and there is no question of conversion. A course in S. N. Goenka's tradition does open with taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and taking precepts, which Goenka explained as refuge in the universal quality of enlightenment rather than a change of religion. During the course everyone sets aside prayer, worship and religious ceremony, whatever their faith.
The 10-day course, day by day · dhamma.org: Questions and answers
Vipassana comes from the Buddha's teaching and is most closely associated with Theravada Buddhism. dhamma.org describes it as rediscovered by Gotama the Buddha in India more than 2,500 years ago, and S. N. Goenka taught it in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin of Myanmar. dhamma.org adds that people from many religious backgrounds have practised it and found no conflict with their faith.
They overlap. Mindfulness (Pali sati) is one of the qualities Vipassana practice trains, and in the West insight meditation is often called mindfulness meditation, as Spirit Rock Meditation Center notes. Researchers describe Goenka's residential courses as teaching mindfulness skills, while the courses themselves focus on observing sensations throughout the body with equanimity to understand their changing nature.
Insight meditation in the West · The four foundations of mindfulness
On courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition, students spend the first three days practising Anapana, attention to the natural breath, to calm and focus the mind. Vipassana, the observation of sensations throughout the body, is taught on Day 4, and from then on the three daily group sittings are sittings of strong determination. Mettā (loving-kindness) is taught on Day 10, the day Noble Silence ends, and the course closes on the morning of Day 11.
The 10-day course, day by day · Vipassana as taught by S. N. Goenka
On a 10-day course in S. N. Goenka's tradition the wake-up bell rings at 4:00 am and lights go out at 9:30 pm, with about ten hours of meditation in between. There are three one-hour group sittings in the hall (8:00–9:00 am, 2:30–3:30 pm and 6:00–7:00 pm), a recorded discourse from 7:00 to 8:15 pm, and breaks for breakfast at 6:30 am, lunch at 11:00 am and tea at 5:00 pm. The full timetable is published in dhamma.org's Code of Discipline.
dhamma.org calls ten days the minimum. It says Vipassana was traditionally taught in retreats of seven weeks, and that teachers found less than ten days was not enough for the mind to settle down and work deeply. With the arrival and departure days, a 10-day course spans 12 calendar days.
dhamma.org: Questions and answers · The 10-day course, day by day
dhamma.org's course glossary says 10-day courses begin after a registration period from 2 to 4 pm and an orientation. Students hand in phones and other devices, and that evening the course is formally opened with refuge and precepts; Noble Silence begins from then. At Dhamma Shringa near Kathmandu, students register at the City Office at Jyoti Bhawan, Kantipath, and travel to the centre on a chartered bus.
In S. N. Goenka's tradition, teenagers aged 18 and over may join the adults' 10-day course if they are mature enough to keep the Code of Discipline and Noble Silence. Children aged 8–12 and teenagers of about 13–18 can learn Anapana on 1- to 3-day courses, with local variations, and 7-day Vipassana courses for ages 15–19 are scheduled at Dhamma Shringa in Kathmandu. dhamma.org publishes no upper age limit; anyone unsure about their physical condition can write to the centre.
children.dhamma.org: Courses for teens · Before your first course
dhamma.org asks students to bring enough simple, modest, comfortable clothing for ten days, because there are no washing machines and only small items can be hand-washed; tight, revealing or striking clothes such as shorts, leggings and sleeveless tops are not worn. Leave at home reading and writing materials, religious objects, intoxicants, tobacco and outside food, and expect to hand in your phone. Centres publish their own packing lists, so check the one for your course.
What to bring and what to leave at home · dhamma.org: Code of Discipline
Courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition charge nothing for teaching, food or accommodation; they run only on donations. Donations are accepted only from people who have completed at least one 10-day course, and a first-time student may give at the end of the course. Other traditions differ: as of 2026, Suan Mokkh in Thailand charges a 2,000 baht fee for its 10-day retreat, and IMS and Spirit Rock in the United States charge sliding-scale fees and invite a separate gift (dāna) for the teachers.
Why the 10-day course is free · Insight meditation in the West
No amount is set. dhamma.org's Code of Discipline says a donation, large or small, is given according to your means and volition, towards a future course, with the wish that others may also benefit. These donations are the only source of funding for courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition, and neither teachers nor organisers are paid.
On courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition, Noble Silence means silence of body, speech and mind: no talking, gestures, sign language or notes to other students. It lasts from the start of the course until the morning of the last full day, Day 10. Students may speak to the teacher (privately from noon to 1 pm, or at question time from 9:00 to 9:30 pm) and to the management about practical needs. Men and women are kept completely separate, and couples, friends and family members do not contact each other during the course.
The Code of Discipline in plain words · dhamma.org: Code of Discipline
No. On courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition, phones, smartwatches and other electronic devices are deposited with the management until the course ends, and there are no messages, calls or visitors. In an emergency, a friend or relative can contact the course management.
Students in S. N. Goenka's tradition commit to staying for the whole course, and dhamma.org answers yes to the question of whether you must stay to the end. In the Day One discourse, as summarised by the Vipassana Research Institute, Goenka compares the course to an operation on the mind and says it can be harmful to leave in the middle. Apply only for dates when you can give all 12 calendar days, and take doubts to the teacher, who is available every day.
Not on a course in S. N. Goenka's tradition. Prayer, worship, religious ceremonies, other meditation techniques, healing practices and exercise programmes are all suspended, though walking in the designated areas is allowed during breaks. dhamma.org says this is not to condemn other practices but to give Vipassana a fair trial in its pure form, and the application form asks about any techniques you practise or teach.
dhamma.org: Code of Discipline · Vipassana as taught by S. N. Goenka
Intensive meditation can bring difficult experiences as well as helpful ones. A 2017 study of Western Buddhist meditators (Lindahl and colleagues, PLoS One) described 59 kinds of meditation-related experience, and the distress and impairment linked to them ranged from minimal and short-lived to severe and lasting. dhamma.org warns that past mental-health conditions can return during or after a course, which is why its application asks detailed health questions.
Difficult experiences on meditation retreats · Lindahl et al. (2017) on PubMed
Tell the organisers before you apply. dhamma.org does not recommend courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition for people with significant mental-health issues, warns that old symptoms may resurface even when someone is stable, and says that if depression, anxiety, panic or PTSD is overwhelming, working with a health professional may be best. IMS gives similar advice about silent retreats after recent trauma or with significant depression, anxiety or strong PTSD. Speak to your doctor, and answer the health questions on the application in full.
The health questions on the application · Difficult experiences on meditation retreats
No. dhamma.org says Vipassana is not a cure for illness, though it can help reduce the mental suffering that may come with it, and that curing disease is not its purpose. Teachers and volunteers on courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition are not medical, psychological or counselling practitioners, and a course is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric treatment.
What research says about Vipassana · dhamma.org: Questions and answers
Yes, but declare it. On courses in S. N. Goenka's tradition, anyone taking medicines or drugs, prescribed or not, gives the details on the application form, which asks about prescribed medication taken in the past two years. Bring enough for the whole course, and talk to your doctor before changing anything.
Yes. dhamma.org says pregnant women may attend a course in S. N. Goenka's tradition, and asks them to be confident that the pregnancy is stable before applying. They are given the extra food they need and asked to work in a relaxed way, and the application form asks women whether they are pregnant.
dhamma.org: Questions and answers · Before your first course
You can still attend. dhamma.org says chairs are provided for people who cannot sit comfortably on the floor because of age or a physical problem, and centres provide cushions. Its guidance on sittings of strong determination says not to attempt them if they might worsen a physical weakness or injury. dhamma.org's main pages do not mention meditation benches, so ask the centre if you want to use one.
Cushions, chairs and benches · dhamma.org: Questions and answers
S. N. Goenka's tradition teaches the technique only on a residential course; the Vipassana Research Institute's Discourse Summaries warn that they are not a do-it-yourself manual or a substitute for a ten-day course. Other traditions publish short introductions to breath awareness, such as Spirit Rock's, which describes sitting on a cushion or chair for 20 or 30 minutes. People who have completed a 10-day course may sit a self-course at home using dhamma.org's guidance.
In S. N. Goenka's tradition the published minimum is one hour of meditation in the morning and one in the evening, five minutes in bed before sleep and after waking, a weekly one-hour group sitting where possible, and a ten-day course or self-course once a year. In his closing discourse Goenka called two hours a day and a yearly ten-day retreat the minimum needed to maintain the practice.
In S. N. Goenka's tradition, anyone who has completed a 10-day course can join 1- to 3-day short courses, sit further 10-day courses and join weekly group sittings. Longer courses have entry rules: a Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta course needs at least three 10-day courses and a year of practice, and 20-, 30-, 45- and 60-day courses need more courses, Dhamma service and years of practice. Local centres may add their own requirements.
Keeping up the practice at home · dhamma.org: Course glossary
Yes, once you are an old student. dhamma.org says anyone who has completed at least one 10-day course as taught by S. N. Goenka, and has not practised another meditation technique since their last course, may serve. Old students see a Serve option when they apply, and all service, the teachers' included, is given without payment.
Pick a centre on np.dhamma.org, open its dhamma.org schedule, read the Code of Discipline and click Apply for your course, filling in every section of the form. Replies come by email and can take up to two weeks, so check your spam folder, and confirm your place once you are accepted. At Dhamma Shringa, short courses and children's and teenagers' courses are booked through the City Office at Jyoti Bhawan, Kantipath, in Kathmandu.
How to join a Vipassana course in Nepal · Vipassana centres in Nepal
Nothing. The centres listed on np.dhamma.org follow S. N. Goenka's tradition, where teaching, food and accommodation are free and courses run on donations from people who have already completed a course; a first-time student may give at the end. Panditarama Lumbini, which teaches in the Mahasi tradition, also runs on donations and has no set daily fees.
np.dhamma.org lists 18 centres in S. N. Goenka's tradition from the east to the west of Nepal, while dhamma.org's directory counts 20 (as of September 2026). They include Dhamma Shringa in Budhanilkantha, north of Kathmandu, founded in 1981, Dhamma Kitti in Kirtipur, Dhamma Janani in Lumbini, Dhamma Pokhara, Dhamma Birata in Itahari and Dhamma Chitawan in Chitwan. Panditarama Lumbini offers individual retreats in the Mahasi tradition from September to March.
Vipassana centres in Nepal · np.dhamma.org: Vipassana centres in Nepal
Goenka courses use his recorded instructions in English or Hindi, with translations into many languages. As of 2026, the dhamma.org schedules list Hindi, English and Nepali at Dhamma Pokhara and Dhamma Kitti, add Mandarin at Dhamma Janani in Lumbini (which also runs some courses in English and Chinese only), and Dhamma Shringa asks for conversational Nepali or English. Speakers of other languages may apply, but acceptance depends on course materials, translators and the teacher's permission.
Vipassana centres in Nepal · How to join a Vipassana course in Nepal