Vipassana Meditation Seeks to Cleanse the Mind

By Mark Hoerrner

This Indian sect of Buddhism claims to have a direct link to Gotama Buddha and an unbroken line of teachers that date back more than 2,500 years. The meditation techniques are touted as tools for helping one "see things as they really are" and to promote the cleansing of "mental impurities." Dhamma.org notes that the purpose of Vipassana is to be a meditation of "healing, not merely for the curing of diseases, but the essential healing of human suffering…."

Vipassana meditation is not that different from the Transcendental technique in that it uses a similar inward journey to discover the interconnection between mind and body. When one becomes disciplined enough to sense the physical and also the emotional aspects that create a physical presence, one begins to see the true juxtaposition of mind and body. Through this voyage of self discovery, one is able to eliminate mental blocks to love, compassion and a healed heart.

"The scientific laws that operate one's thoughts, feelings, judgements and sensations become clear," says the webmaster at Dhamma.org "Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace."

Vipassana is taught in 10-day home seminars across the world. Teachers will not accept payment, not even for meals or lodging, from new students. The expenses of these mentors are paid for by current students who have been through the 10-day course and have found benefits from the meditation.

The courses are intensive sessions that require the student to follow a code of discipline that during the 10 days, the student will refrain from intoxicants, sexual activity, killing, stealing, or speaking falsely. The training begins with breathing techniques and learning to control over physical impulses. As training continues, students learn to focus inward and see their actions in a purer setting. From this, the course concludes with students learning the meditation of lovingkindness for the world.

The current head of the movement is S.N. Goenka, originally from Burma. During his time there, he learned Vipassana from Sayagyi U Ba Khin and studied with him for 14 years. Afterward, he moved to India and started teaching courses in Vipassana in 1969. By 1982, the movement was growing so fast that Goenka began appointing teachers to carry the techniques to all points on the globe. Students now number in the tens of thousands.