vipassana course what happens on the last day

by Bernard Herman DVM 10 min read

On the last day of the course, you leave in the morning, ample time to reach your next destination (they assist you with working out the best transport options on the last day). Vipassana Course At Dhamma Malaysia – Map Back to Top

You are expected to stay until the course is completed at approximately 7:00 a.m. on the last day of the course. Although the course ends at 7:00 a.m., please allow enough time to clean your room before you leave. We rely on students to prepare the center for the next course.

Full Answer

Does Vipassana still pervade Your Life?

The course is actually 12 days long. You arrive on the first day, stay 10 whole days, and leave on the morning of the 12th. If your course is starting on the 19th, you'll have to reach by mid-to-late afternoon on that day. The course will end on the 30th at …

Who conducts the courses offered at the Vipassana meditation center?

Vipassana teaches us to really feel what’s going on inside our body, and wowzers did I feel it acutely. So deeply in fact that I went to see the teacher in tears on day nine, explaining that I’d have to sit out the last day of the course as I couldn’t …

What is the Dhamma Service on long courses?

Nov 20, 2018 · The day the course began was the most stressful day of my entire road trip. A mad dash of gathering supplies, last minute decisions, and leaving Seattle with a need to make up fifteen minutes to arrive on time—in silence—as she rushed to submit multiple summer job applications by laptop via cellular data hotspot.

Is vipassana offered free from commercialism?

Sep 25, 2017 · I was accepted for a 10-day course at the Northwest Vipassana Center located in Onalaska, Washington. On my scheduled day of arrival I road-tripped down from Seattle, grabbed my suitcase (complete with clothes, toiletries, pillow, a sheet for a twin-sized bed, and blankets) — and nervously stepped into the simple, single-story building.

What happens when you do Vipassana?

Vipassana meditation is the practice of observing the subtle sensations throughout the body without reacting to them. You scan the body with your attention, noticing the sensations arise and simply watching them. If a sensation is pleasurable, you observe it and let it pass.Jun 29, 2020

How many hours a day do you meditate in Vipassana?

There are many different lengths of Vipassana retreats — from 3 days to 3 months, with 10 days being the most common — but they all involve at least 10 hours of meditation a day.

What are the stages of Vipassana?

The stages of insight outlined by the Vimuttimagga are:Comprehension (廣觀)Rise and fall (起滅)Dissolution (滅)Fear & disadvantage & disenchantment (畏 & 過患 & 厭離)Delight in deliverance & equanimity (樂解脫 & 捨)Conformity (相似)

What happens during silent retreat?

A silent retreat is basically just that. You are to remain silent throughout the event. More than just being silent, though, the retreat gives you an opportunity to reflect inwardly and process your thoughts in a calm, constructive way.Jun 23, 2020

Can we do Vipassana at night?

Yes, You can do Vipassana any time whenever you want. There is no specific time for it.

How do you do the 10 day Vipassana?

10 days, 11 hours of meditation per day. No talking or communication of any kind, not even hand gestures or eye contact. No reading or writing materials of any kind. No exercise, no entertainment, no physical contact, no leaving the grounds, no food or drink besides what was provided.Aug 2, 2014

What is dukkha Nanas?

The Dukkha Nanas The dark night first made its appearance in postmodern Buddhism with the work of American Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield.

Are silent retreats real?

Silent retreats have been attracting meditators for thousands of years, and with recent research confirming the benefits of mindfulness and meditation — reduced stress levels, lower blood pressure and improved sleep, for example — a growing number of travelers are going on them.Dec 9, 2019

What time should I meditate?

Although the hours before sunrise are considered prime for meditation, most experts say that anytime you can meditate is a good time. It makes sense, especially when you consider the list of benefits that come with carving out some time each day to restore calm and inner peace.Jan 16, 2020

What is a quiet retreat?

What Is a Silent Retreat? Silent retreats encourage participants to take a vow of silence for a given time. That means no talking during meditations as well as during meals, yoga, journaling, reading, and other activities.

How often does Vipassana run?

The 10 day Vipassana courses run throughout the year, approximately twice a month. You can check the latest schedule on the website. To guarantee a spot, sign up as early as possible as the wait lists can get long.

How long does it take to meditate Vipassana?

If you think you might sign up for a 10 day Vipassana Meditation course, my advice is to do it. It’s only 10 days, you will survive. If you’re still undecided start writing down your worries and think about them.

A Side Note & The Schedule

At this point in the article, it would make sense to explain what Vipassana meditation actually is, but I'm not going to. Why? Because I didn't know, and to tell you would sort of ruin the sense of discovery. The text above and the schedule below was all I knew about the practice (I'm a big fan of hurling oneself into the unknown).

A Daily Breakdown of My Vipassana Experience

After eight days on the road from Montana to Texas, I arrive on the afternoon of Day Zero (the course actually spans twelve days to allot ten full days to meditation). I haven't given this a ton of thought and over the past few days doubts have arisen.

What I Learned from Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana meditation is a 180-degree rotation of attention from the external to the internal. Before experiencing Vipassana, the idea of confining attention to my body for ten days seemed quite boring, but that’s because my senses within were so dull.

Interested?

Dhamma.org – The homepage of Vipassana Meditation, where you can find course locations, schedules, apply, and all that jazz.

A Brutally Honest Review of My 10-Day Silent Vipassana Meditation Retreat

This gong at rang at 4:00am in the morning. Every. Freaking. Morning. For 11 days straight. All photos courtesy of author unless specified.

Day 6: Tina, I Have Questions

Students are allowed a five-minute Q&A session with a teacher from noon to 1 p.m. This is the only time we are allowed to speak.

Day 9: Today Was a Good (ish) Day

My favorite part of the walking area. Note the giant ant hill in the lower left corner.

Three Main Takeaways and Final Thoughts

I found Vipassana meditation to be a tool. Like any tool, if you use it properly, it can be helpful.

How many days of Dhamma training is required for a 60 day course?

60-day course is reserved for ATs who have sat two 45-day courses and give regular Dhamma Service (i.e., those who have conducted at least 4 ten day courses in last year or are serving regularly in other capacity).

What is dhamma service?

Dhamma service on long courses is open to old students who are committed to this technique of Vipassana meditation, who have successfully completed three 10-day Vipassana courses in this tradition, who have served one 10-day course, who practice two hours a day and maintain the five precepts.

What is self course?

Self-courses are for serious old students who have completed at least three 10-Day courses - the most recent being within the last two years. There are no teachers present, no student managers, no noon interviews, and no question/answer sessions at the end of the day.

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Experience

  • If you think you might sign up for a 10 day Vipassana Meditation course, my advice is to do it. It’s only 10 days, you will survive. If you’re still undecided start writing down your worries and think about them. Are you being irrational? What’s the worst that can happen…you miss out on the internets latest cat video? My Experience It went smoother than expected for me. That’s not to s…
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Go – Getting There

  • If you’re staying in Kuala Lumpur you can make it to Dhamma Malaya from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in three hours. Buses leave from TBS frequently so as long as you’re on a bus by 12.30pm you should make it on time. Ask the bus driver to drop you of at Gambang (UMP stop). There are chartered buses organised by Dhamma Malaya too, depending on the demand. For th…
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Stay – Accommodation

  • The facilities hosting Vipassana courses vary significantly and afterwards, I was told Dhamma Malaya is one of the best in Asia. We all had a private room with a single (raised) bed with a private bathroom included and a fan. The showers aren’t hot, but you have access to hot water so you can fill up a bucket if you want a warm bucket shower. The rooms aren’t fancy but consideri…
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Eat – Restaurants

  • The food? Awesome, there was a good variety and the options cater to both Western and Asian foods. And it was all vegetarian! As a vegan, I could eat nearly everything. It was weird eating breakfast and lunch early (6.30am and 11:30 am) knowing that the 5.30pm dinner is a small serving of fruit. A few commented on how they struggled to sleep on an empty stomach which …
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Time – Seasonality & Schedules

  • The 10 day Vipassana courses run throughout the year, approximately twice a month. You can check the latest schedule on the website. To guarantee a spot, sign up as early as possible as the wait lists can get long. Back to Top
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Safety – Possible Risks

  • There should be no concern for your safety while staying at Dhamma Malaysia. Please Note:Travel inherently comes with an element of risk (just like crossing the road does). You are putting yourself in elements that are unfamiliar and foreign to your usual lifestyle and with that, become more susceptible to fall victim those who try to play off those unfamiliar to their local s…
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Pay – How Much Does It Cost?

  • You won’t be getting any amounts out of me. All of the Vipassana courses are run by volunteers and costs are covered by donations. This pays for food, maintenance, volunteer accommodation, stationery, and towards the construction of new properties. I was nervous about payment, but my method was to work out what my average daily spend was and donated 10x that amount. There’…
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Responsible Travel – Best Practices

  • Respect The Other Students If you’re not going to take this seriously and do your best don’t bother going. The meaning of taking a Vipassana course differs from person to person. From what I could tell there were some students you could tell were focused to another level. Everyone is on their own journey, as long as you abide by the precepts and noble silence you’ll be a model stude…
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Reality Check – Be Aware

  • When you arrive on site, you’re required to hand over all your technology, books, pens, paper etc. (to be put away for safekeeping). No exceptions. Oh, how I wish I could have finished the last chapter of my book before the course started! While you’re committing to the full 10 days of the course, I have heard people do leave early for a host of reasons (mostly a weak mind). No one le…
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Join Us! WSE Travel Packages

  • This sounds like quite the adventure, right? We thought so too! Though we realize it can be pretty intimidating to get out there into the world on your own, especially when travelling to some of these off the beaten path locations. We love it when our readers give it a shot and try it for themselves! In fact, please leave us feedback if you do!! If trying something ‘this’ adventurous o…
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Day 1

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The first day began. Everyone had arrived the day before, settled in, and been briefed on the rules and timetable. We were to be woken up at 4 am every day, to begin meditation at 4.30am. With the exception of meal times at 6.30am – 8 am, 11.00 – 1 pm, and 5 – 6 pm, the entire day from 4.30am until 9 pm was to be spe…
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Day 2

  • The 4 am wake up call came, and so did my first, agonized thought of the day: “Omg, I’ve got 9 more days of this!” Oh how quickly my thoughts had shifted! Put it this way, I’m not a morning person! In what little time we had been there, I had already become highly present to the voice in my head. Actually, the multiple voices in my head! There was the automatic, judgemental voice, t…
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Day 3

  • With my newly discovered insights, I noticed my thoughts had shifted completely. I was no longer obsessively thinking about the guy. Wonderful! Finally, I am detached from him! Later I was enjoying the midday Moroccan sun, which was so incredibly warm I could hardly believe it was January. I thought about going back to Madrid, where despite being sunny, is still a single-digit t…
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Day 4

  • This was when things really got interesting. I was still obsessed with my plan to move to the Canary Islands. And, I was having crystal clear visions about what I wanted for myself, clearer than I’ve EVER seen them. What’s more is that all of it felt SO easy to create. I felt like there was absolutely NOTHING in my way. I asked myself how long it would take me to fulfill these visions…
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Day 5

  • Boy, if there was anything that was going to test my “strong determination” to not react to sensations, it was waking up with menstrual cramps. I didn’t have any painkillers with me, so for an entire hour, I simply observed, objectively, any cramping sensation I felt, without judging it or reacting to it. By the time I walked out of the hall, my cramps had gone. I’d used strong determin…
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Day 6

  • Another hump day and I struggled to concentrate. In the evening discourse, the teacher explained that sooner or later we’d realize that we are not attached to people or objects but to the sensations we associate with them. Amazing, I had had that insight on day 3! It was starting to make sense now. I understood that the purpose of vipassana is two-fold: to increase our level o…
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Day 7 & 8

  • I continued to practice becoming aware of my body and sensations and remaining objective towards them. On a couple of occasions, I felt the rushing tingling sensation in my nose of a sneeze coming on. But instead of bracing myself for it to come, I simply observed it and didn’t even flinch. The desire to sneeze evaporated. Imagine if every time you felt the rushing sensatio…
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Day 9

  • Although I’d lost a little faith in the process, I kept going with the technique. After all, there wasn’t much else I could do! Once again I started to feel quite happy and that ’spiritual energy’ of inspiration, creativity, and wisdom started flowing again. After the morning meditation session, I left the hall to take a quick break, at which point a thought popped up in my mind, completely ou…
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I Don’T Care If You Love Me Or Not, I Am Going to Love Me Anyway!

  • I had found the ultimate freedom at last. Regardless of whether a man, a friend or anyone chose to love me or not, I would not make it mean anything about me. I no longer needed someone else’s approval in order to approve of myself. I reminded myself not to get too attached to the sensation of that peace and freedom, after all, like everything else, it was impermanent. And it was really q…
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Day 10

  • The final day had arrived, and I was pleased to discover I was still enjoying my new found self-love. There is the saying that a mind once expanded cannot return to its former dimensions, and I felt that having had this insight, I would forever be a different person to the one I was before the retreat. Even if there may be days when I perhaps didn’t experience that self-love, I knew it woul…
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