After reading through the entirety of this thread I have found that there are a number of misconceptions being thrown around from people that frankly have no idea what they’re talking about nor have they bothered to dig a little deeper and find out the real reasons behind their quarrels with this program. This could have been accomplished by simple observation and a bit of reflection. Furthermore, some of these comments are rooted in flat out ignorance. Others are coming from people with a strong sense of entitlement, maybe even disappointment in lack of instant gratification they experienced while attending the course. The rest of the comments are coming from trolls that love to reread what they wrote in their posts. You know who you are. To whom it may concern I have attended and completed the 10 day course twice in a span of three years.
Misconception Number #1 Noble Silence : Someone here described the 9 total days of silence as “cultish”, especially the image of people walking around like “zombies”. I don’t know how else to picture a bunch of strangers who are silently meditating, eating, walking and living together. It is what it is. This however does not make it a cult. Silence is crucial to the successful development of the technique. A technique that requires a sort of mastering of the mind, which is hard in it of itself WITHOUT distractions. At any given course they host a diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds, some of which practice different forms of meditating, and others who may be at different levels of the same technique that is taught at the course. You have your novices, amateurs, those who think they’re pros and the pros. By having everyone respect the silence they ensure that people cannot share notes that would be misleading, or remarks that could spark doubt in one or multiple students. Surely being able to speak would motivate people to start relationships, plan a mutiny, sneak over to the opposite sex’s living quarters, etc, etc. It would be extremely difficult to keep the type of order required to develop the technique with all the potential distractions caused by communication.
Misconception #2 Students leaving secretly : Someone here mentioned something about students leaving or disappearing without anyone’s knowledge of the event when it actually happened, only to find an empty space where the person used to meditate, as if this is something cults do. I would think a cult would hold some type of ceremony to publicly shame the person for leaving, which would in turn discourage the rest from doing the same. But this is not the case. Instead,
they make sure NOT to make a scene because doing so could have a negative impact on the morale of the other meditators. Witnessing a person leaving with their backpack on, with a smile on their face because they’re so exited to get the f*** out of there, or with a look of dread from not being able to handle the course, would be extremely fruitless. Instead, by keeping it out of sight they keep it out of mind.
Misconception #3 Bootcamp or more like intensive course? :
Someone mentioned something about the course being too rigorous with all its rules and suggestions, making it at times mentally and physically painful and therefore suggesting as if this is something a cult would do. The first time I went I had no idea what I was getting myself, as far as the technique that is taught at the course. I did however read the rules and agreed to them before ever stepping foot inside the premises. Agreeing to the rules beforehand is a requirement. If you can’t and wont agree to them, then don’t go. No one is forcing you to go. If you showed up, you did so on your own account and therefore it is expected that once you are there you respect the rules until you leave. The rules are set in stone and were written by experienced people who know what it takes to get the best out of 10 days. 10 days is nothing to learn and develop a new skill. Since most people cannot afford to dedicate more than 10 days away from their jobs or families, they run a tight shift. On the fourth day when the real technique is taught, so is the principle of strong determination implemented, which SUGGESTS that for best results pick a posture and don’t move for that hour. Just like no one forced you to go, no one is forcing you to stay. And no one is telling you will be a failure if you leave. You are doing that yourself.
Misconception #4 Difficulty of leaving early :
Someone here said something about the practitioners making it hard to leave early, which in turn suggests that this is a cult. Truth be told if you went to the course you went there to be brainwashed, literally. Furthermore, you went there to develop a skill in which you can brainwash yourself, again in the most literal of terms. By focusing on your breath and then focusing on bodily sensations, you are bringing your awareness to activities your mind is processing automatically in the background. By remaining equanimous through the entire process you are also moving away from what the mind is hardwired to do at a subconscious level: categorizing things into good or bad and developing attachments or aversions. Therefore as you continue the practice you are slowly activating your subconscious mind, and the more you progress, the deeper you go. This is how the technique purifies the mind. Some have described attending the course as a symbolical brain surgery. Leaving the course before its finished would be the same as if you got up from the operating table midway through the surgery with your head still split open. But if you complete the course all the way through its entirety, you will find that they stitch you right back up again very nicely. Which brings me to my point: they make it difficult only by suggesting not to leave because leaving early would in fact be dangerous. A fellow student told me “thank god I didn’t come in my car because I would have left the same day I told the crew I wanted to leave. Instead I stayed for the entire course because I was given the opportunity to wait an extra 24 hours before making my decision, as I waited for the bus the next day”
Misconception #4 Goenka Audio/Video lesson
Someone here said something about Goenka being an egomaniac control freak for taking on the role of sole teacher and doing it via recorded content... The guy is dead. Even if he were alive today how would he be able to teach the course all around the world simultaneously? To my knowledge he was the last appointed teacher given the responsibility of spreading the technique worldwide. Whether or not he appointed a pupil before his death to be the new master is besides the point. The material recorded from the 10 day course that is used today is golden. Don’t fix what is not broken. Besides, quality control would run amock with so many teachers in so many centers.
Other notes:
A cult would have persistently continued to reach out to me in order to keep me coming, send them money, spread the word or at least as a reminder of their existence. This has NEVER happened to me with this course.
A cult would have told me to teach other members the technique and to share their contact information to expand their reach. In this case teaching others about the technique is frowned upon.
As far as pushing a religion or dogma on anyone, which cults are infamous for, this I did not experience. From what I understand, Buddhism is the science of the mind. Some have turned it into a religion by worshipping the man who understood the inner workings of the mind like no one else has been able to do. Goenka intellectualizes the technique so that people can understand what it is they're doing and why it is beneficial for them to do it. To add, the references to the philosophies of the gems and precepts work as simple associations to ease people’s overall understanding. It worked more than 2000 years ago among simpletons, farmers, peasants and the likes. I guess it fails to work on some us today. Some of us who think they're on to something by pointing out the obvious, but in the opposite and wrong direction...
Meditation helps take the mind to a state where it can perceive reality on a different level. As humans we tend to interpret our experiences even to the point of giving such experiences a higher meaning. I’ve never worked at a wal-mart but I bet there are rules that are put in place to keep people in order and a protocol handbook full of cheesy one liners, jokes, and a step by step guide, all of which are intended to motivate, encourage, and keep personnel from leaving. But to some here these would be considered forms of manipulation. I wouldn’t be surprised if a store manager took it upon himself to manipulate an employee by trying to force the rule book on that person with an ultimatum of follow or be vanished. That doesn’t mean its an institutional problem. It means some jerk in that institution, an individual with a power trip, which happens a lot in institutions, took matters into his own hands. If you don’t believe me, then by applying some of the comments mentioned in this thread, and by way of induction wal-mart is to be put on the list of cults as well.
Misconception Number #1 Noble Silence : Someone here described the 9 total days of silence as “cultish”, especially the image of people walking around like “zombies”. I don’t know how else to picture a bunch of strangers who are silently meditating, eating, walking and living together. It is what it is. This however does not make it a cult. Silence is crucial to the successful development of the technique. A technique that requires a sort of mastering of the mind, which is hard in it of itself WITHOUT distractions. At any given course they host a diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds, some of which practice different forms of meditating, and others who may be at different levels of the same technique that is taught at the course. You have your novices, amateurs, those who think they’re pros and the pros. By having everyone respect the silence they ensure that people cannot share notes that would be misleading, or remarks that could spark doubt in one or multiple students. Surely being able to speak would motivate people to start relationships, plan a mutiny, sneak over to the opposite sex’s living quarters, etc, etc. It would be extremely difficult to keep the type of order required to develop the technique with all the potential distractions caused by communication.
Misconception #2 Students leaving secretly : Someone here mentioned something about students leaving or disappearing without anyone’s knowledge of the event when it actually happened, only to find an empty space where the person used to meditate, as if this is something cults do. I would think a cult would hold some type of ceremony to publicly shame the person for leaving, which would in turn discourage the rest from doing the same. But this is not the case. Instead,
they make sure NOT to make a scene because doing so could have a negative impact on the morale of the other meditators. Witnessing a person leaving with their backpack on, with a smile on their face because they’re so exited to get the f*** out of there, or with a look of dread from not being able to handle the course, would be extremely fruitless. Instead, by keeping it out of sight they keep it out of mind.
Misconception #3 Bootcamp or more like intensive course? :
Someone mentioned something about the course being too rigorous with all its rules and suggestions, making it at times mentally and physically painful and therefore suggesting as if this is something a cult would do. The first time I went I had no idea what I was getting myself, as far as the technique that is taught at the course. I did however read the rules and agreed to them before ever stepping foot inside the premises. Agreeing to the rules beforehand is a requirement. If you can’t and wont agree to them, then don’t go. No one is forcing you to go. If you showed up, you did so on your own account and therefore it is expected that once you are there you respect the rules until you leave. The rules are set in stone and were written by experienced people who know what it takes to get the best out of 10 days. 10 days is nothing to learn and develop a new skill. Since most people cannot afford to dedicate more than 10 days away from their jobs or families, they run a tight shift. On the fourth day when the real technique is taught, so is the principle of strong determination implemented, which SUGGESTS that for best results pick a posture and don’t move for that hour. Just like no one forced you to go, no one is forcing you to stay. And no one is telling you will be a failure if you leave. You are doing that yourself.
Misconception #4 Difficulty of leaving early :
Someone here said something about the practitioners making it hard to leave early, which in turn suggests that this is a cult. Truth be told if you went to the course you went there to be brainwashed, literally. Furthermore, you went there to develop a skill in which you can brainwash yourself, again in the most literal of terms. By focusing on your breath and then focusing on bodily sensations, you are bringing your awareness to activities your mind is processing automatically in the background. By remaining equanimous through the entire process you are also moving away from what the mind is hardwired to do at a subconscious level: categorizing things into good or bad and developing attachments or aversions. Therefore as you continue the practice you are slowly activating your subconscious mind, and the more you progress, the deeper you go. This is how the technique purifies the mind. Some have described attending the course as a symbolical brain surgery. Leaving the course before its finished would be the same as if you got up from the operating table midway through the surgery with your head still split open. But if you complete the course all the way through its entirety, you will find that they stitch you right back up again very nicely. Which brings me to my point: they make it difficult only by suggesting not to leave because leaving early would in fact be dangerous. A fellow student told me “thank god I didn’t come in my car because I would have left the same day I told the crew I wanted to leave. Instead I stayed for the entire course because I was given the opportunity to wait an extra 24 hours before making my decision, as I waited for the bus the next day”
Misconception #4 Goenka Audio/Video lesson
Someone here said something about Goenka being an egomaniac control freak for taking on the role of sole teacher and doing it via recorded content... The guy is dead. Even if he were alive today how would he be able to teach the course all around the world simultaneously? To my knowledge he was the last appointed teacher given the responsibility of spreading the technique worldwide. Whether or not he appointed a pupil before his death to be the new master is besides the point. The material recorded from the 10 day course that is used today is golden. Don’t fix what is not broken. Besides, quality control would run amock with so many teachers in so many centers.
Other notes:
A cult would have persistently continued to reach out to me in order to keep me coming, send them money, spread the word or at least as a reminder of their existence. This has NEVER happened to me with this course.
A cult would have told me to teach other members the technique and to share their contact information to expand their reach. In this case teaching others about the technique is frowned upon.
As far as pushing a religion or dogma on anyone, which cults are infamous for, this I did not experience. From what I understand, Buddhism is the science of the mind. Some have turned it into a religion by worshipping the man who understood the inner workings of the mind like no one else has been able to do. Goenka intellectualizes the technique so that people can understand what it is they're doing and why it is beneficial for them to do it. To add, the references to the philosophies of the gems and precepts work as simple associations to ease people’s overall understanding. It worked more than 2000 years ago among simpletons, farmers, peasants and the likes. I guess it fails to work on some us today. Some of us who think they're on to something by pointing out the obvious, but in the opposite and wrong direction...
Meditation helps take the mind to a state where it can perceive reality on a different level. As humans we tend to interpret our experiences even to the point of giving such experiences a higher meaning. I’ve never worked at a wal-mart but I bet there are rules that are put in place to keep people in order and a protocol handbook full of cheesy one liners, jokes, and a step by step guide, all of which are intended to motivate, encourage, and keep personnel from leaving. But to some here these would be considered forms of manipulation. I wouldn’t be surprised if a store manager took it upon himself to manipulate an employee by trying to force the rule book on that person with an ultimatum of follow or be vanished. That doesn’t mean its an institutional problem. It means some jerk in that institution, an individual with a power trip, which happens a lot in institutions, took matters into his own hands. If you don’t believe me, then by applying some of the comments mentioned in this thread, and by way of induction wal-mart is to be put on the list of cults as well.