After making further inquiries, we learned that courses in this particular technique were available in the U.S. from S.N. Goenka, a Burmese lay teacher who has established a series of non-profit Vipassana centers around the world. Our interest was further aroused by Mr. Goenka's warm good humor. With refreshing modesty, he frankly admits that he is not fully enlightened and rejects any guru-like labels or mystique. New students are encouraged to maintain a healthy scepticism until they've taken instruction and actually experienced the benefits of Vipassana for themselves. Nor will Mr. Goenka allow anyone within his association to profit from the teaching.
All instruction is free, including meals and lodging.
As Lorena and I soon learned in our first course, the technique taught by S.N. Goenka and his assistant teachers redefines our Western concept of 'meditation' as simply a means of achieving relaxation or stress reduction. Now, after ten years of regular practice and further study, our experience confirms that this powerful technique produces positive, life-changing results far in excess of anything we ever dared hope for. Vipassana is a simple and practical method of mental purification which makes it possible to face the tensions and problems of daily life in a calm and balanced way. This path of self-awareness is extraordinary in its simplicity, its lack of dogma, and above all its results. It is a systematic way of developing insight and can be practiced by anyone.