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Glad to see this article explore the darker side of meditation. A few years back, I had a sobering experience at a Vipassana meditation retreat and left after a

Glad to see this article explore the darker side of meditation. A few years back, I had a sobering experience at a Vipassana meditation retreat and left after a few days. I had feelings of anxiety and despair, which I expected (at least intellectually), but when I started to have suicidal thoughts, I decided it was time to get out. While the Goenka retreats profess to be secular and for everyone, I got serious cult vibes from the minute that I arrived. Technically, the in-person instructors are only assistant teachers. There is only one true teacher: Goenka himself. During his nightly instruction via VHS tape - the only human interaction you're allowed all day - Goenka teaches Buddhist metaphysics (I recall something about vibrations of the universe). The retreat creates the perfect environment to break you down psychologically: sleep deprivation, food restriction, lack of human interaction, prohibitions on reading, writing, and exercising. Throughout the retreat, there is ingroup/outgroup pressure: only the strong can make it through; people who leave or aren't able to handle the meditation are weak. If you have a concern about your experience, the standard solution is more meditation. If you question this, you didn't give the retreat a chance, you weren't meditating hard enough. Then, at the end of the retreat you're hit with a love bomb on the way out the door. [1] Interpreted charitably, I thought this retreat was similar to military training or fraternity hazing. Less so, it was more like solitary confinement or torture. I'm glad I went - I gained some insights and it was an incredibly valuable experience. I'm also glad I left early. If you're thinking of going on one of these retreats, know what the assistant teacher told me on mine: "This is a Buddhist purification ritual." [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_bombing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_bombing

davmar 6y ago
i've completed 2 goenka retreats and i would describe the experience very differently experience from how you did. first, the nightly videos. not cultish and not metaphysics. don't believe me? view them all here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7QHNvNFfA&list=PLPJVlVRVmhc4Z01fD57jbzycm9I6W054x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7QHNvNFfA&list=PLPJVlVRVmh... second, plenty of delicious food. if it's your first time, dinner is fruits. if it's not your first retreat you aren't offered dinner, but you really don't need the calories because you've mostly been sitting. all the food is vegetarian. third, the assistant teachers are well trained. finally, you left after a few days so you cannot speak to what happens at the end. it's called "loving-kindness" meditation and it's at the end because yes, the retreat can be intense, and it's like a balm to treat any difficulties you encountered along the way. here's a link to what it actually is: https://www.mettainstitute.org/mettameditation.html https://www.mettainstitute.org/mettameditation.html
galaxyLogic 6y ago
It sounds to me like gurus want followers, teachers want students. It gives them power over their disciples. If you can get people to believe you, you can control them. I think that is the scary part. Hallucinations and peace of mind and stuff are fine, but once you start believing your teacher "knows the Truth", you're on tilted ground. I assume all religions are more or less like that. But with meditation you can actually experience "higher powers" which gives you more reason to believe.
h0l0cube 6y ago
Valid concerns about meditation induced psychosis aside, I think you're mischaracterising many aspects of the retreat. > Technically, the in-person instructors are only assistant teachers. There is only one true teacher: Goenka himself. There are some actual teachers that tour the globe. But mostly it's ATs. I think there's a lot of hoops to jump through to become a teacher. And I believe the ATs also must be able to jump in and teach if equipment fails. > During his nightly instruction via VHS tape - the only human interaction you're allowed all day You can meet with the AT one-on-one to discuss anything in the middle of the day. You can sit before the AT after the last meditation and ask questions. > Goenka teaches Buddhist metaphysics (I recall something about vibrations of the universe). Much of what he says is based on teachings 2500+ years old when philosophers didn't know what atoms were, but were thinking about what the most sub-divisible thing was. I heard it put this way, 'The course should be taken seriously, but not literally.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomism > Then, at the end of the retreat you're hit with a love bomb on the way out the door. They teach 'metta' at the end. Which is not so much being love-bombed, but you meditating on loving-kindness to others. I'm glad you got out when you did. Edit: Fixed a quote + clarification Edit: Why the downvote, did I say something that wasn't factual?

davmar 6y ago

i've completed 2 goenka retreats and i would describe the experience very differently experience from how you did. first, the nightly videos. not cultish and not metaphysics. don't believe me? view them all here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7QHNvNFfA&list=PLPJVlVRVmhc4Z01fD57jbzycm9I6W054x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7QHNvNFfA&list=PLPJVlVRVmh... second, plenty of delicious food. if it's your first time, dinner is fruits. if it's not your first retreat you aren't offered dinner, but you really don't need the calories because you've mostly been sitting. all the food is vegetarian. third, the assistant teachers are well trained. finally, you left after a few days so you cannot speak to what happens at the end. it's called "loving-kindness" meditation and it's at the end because yes, the retreat can be intense, and it's like a balm to treat any difficulties you encountered along the way. here's a link to what it actually is: https://www.mettainstitute.org/mettameditation.html https://www.mettainstitute.org/mettameditation.html

galaxyLogic 6y ago

It sounds to me like gurus want followers, teachers want students. It gives them power over their disciples. If you can get people to believe you, you can control them. I think that is the scary part. Hallucinations and peace of mind and stuff are fine, but once you start believing your teacher "knows the Truth", you're on tilted ground. I assume all religions are more or less like that. But with meditation you can actually experience "higher powers" which gives you more reason to believe.

h0l0cube 6y ago

Valid concerns about meditation induced psychosis aside, I think you're mischaracterising many aspects of the retreat. > Technically, the in-person instructors are only assistant teachers. There is only one true teacher: Goenka himself. There are some actual teachers that tour the globe. But mostly it's ATs. I think there's a lot of hoops to jump through to become a teacher. And I believe the ATs also must be able to jump in and teach if equipment fails. > During his nightly instruction via VHS tape - the only human interaction you're allowed all day You can meet with the AT one-on-one to discuss anything in the middle of the day. You can sit before the AT after the last meditation and ask questions. > Goenka teaches Buddhist metaphysics (I recall something about vibrations of the universe). Much of what he says is based on teachings 2500+ years old when philosophers didn't know what atoms were, but were thinking about what the most sub-divisible thing was. I heard it put this way, 'The course should be taken seriously, but not literally.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomism > Then, at the end of the retreat you're hit with a love bomb on the way out the door. They teach 'metta' at the end. Which is not so much being love-bombed, but you meditating on loving-kindness to others. I'm glad you got out when you did. Edit: Fixed a quote + clarification Edit: Why the downvote, did I say something that wasn't factual?