I sat a total of 6 or 7, 10 day courses at the various Goenka centers around the country, and served roughly as many. The whole experience ended very badly. Part of me took the bad experiences as just one more lesson in not being attached to the bad behavior of others, while the other part feels it's important to let people know about my experience so they can make their own informed decision on whether to visit these places or not. Let's begin with the most glaring and egregious lie that one is presented with on day one. The claim that this place is completely secular/non religious and does not conflict with anyone's religious beliefs. This is a lie wrapped in a smoke screen. On the fist day everyone is told to take an oath. WHY? We are informed that we need to proclaim to do the best we can to follow the instructions to the best of our ability. The instructions are very simple. There is no need to make a big deal out of them. We are played an audio recording of Goenka chanting in the ancient dead language called Pali. We are then instructed to bow down three times, saying sa doo, (which we're told means well said, I agree) after each bow (this is done VERY CREEPILY) with a long droning saaaaaaaaaa doooooooo by everyone attending. However we are not told what the chant actually says. That information can be found in the book titled "The gem set in gold", by SN GOENKA, on page 4, "The Surrender". This can be downloaded for free from the internet. Please double check this fact for youself. It begins; "Sir, I surrender my life completely to the buddha [for proper guidance and protection]. Sir, I surrender my life completely to my present teacher [for proper guidance and protection]." This is horribly deceptive, and of course NOT AT ALL secular or non religious. To be clear, this statement says one voluntarily gives his or her life completely to the buddha and the teacher, NOT TO GOD. Of course people can use their free will to do this intentionally if they choose to do so, but at these facilities they are tricked into it. I feel very strongly that this horrible manipulation should be rectified at once. I did not see the book, a gem set in gold, until one of my last visits to the center. I never again bowed and said sa doo after that. Which of course upset those in charge of this deception. Every single course is the exact same all around the world because it is all presented on video tape. Which in itself is weird and feels more disturbing with each visit. The "assistant teachers" are useless figureheads that do no more than press the play buttons for the audio and visual. Yet they are treated with veneration. If you disagree, think about your own personal q&a with them. You'll quickly realize that all they do is repeat the simple instructions that have been presented by Goenka via the recording. All of the centers in the USA, and some central and South American countries, are owned and operated by just a few couples. All of whom are Jewish. Which I just find peculiar. Why aren't theyBuddhist? These places are also very sexist. Against men. It almost has a mild BDSM Dominant/submissive feel to it. This becomes apparent when serving. Men are expected to do the majority of the work while strictly following the rules. While women direct the work and don't have to follow the rules. Why the giant ornate pagodas? The most ornate one is in MA and for some reason has a giant crystal at its apex. Why spend so much money on such a gaudy symbolic structure to just sit in with your eyes closed and meditate? I can't remember the name of the book, but I read it while serving a course, that vipassana will eventually become a new world religeon. Remember, Buddhism already exists. Why didn't Goenka chose a successor? I'm left feeling ashamed. Both for not realizing their deceptions sooner, and for allowing these people to disrespect me over the years as I began seeing their lies. When we sincerely seek the truth, we must open ourselves fully to receive it. This leaves us vulnerable to the manipulation of others. read more

The reason the Goenka centers are deceitful in their claims to be secular. The following quote comes from the book "the gem set in gold" by SN Goenka, page 4 titled "the surrender". It is chanted the first night of the 10 day beginner course by Goenka in the ancient dead language called Pali. It begins; "Sir, I surrender my life completely to the buddha for proper guidance and protection. Sir, I surrender my life completely to my present teacher for proper guidance and protection." After hearing this chant in Pali, everyone is instructed to bow their heads to the floor and say sadu; meaning well said I agree, three times. No one is told what the words in the chant actually say and are tricked into this ritual. This is horribly deceptive and of course not at all secular or non-religious. To be clear, this statement says that one voluntarily gives his or her life completely to the buddha and the teacher, NOT to GOD. Of course, people can use their free will to do this if they choose to do so. But at this facility they are tricked into it. I feel very strongly that this egregious manipulation should be rectified at once. I'm ashamed that I partook in this deception for years before becoming aware of it. In addition to this heinous deception, the Goenka centers are also horribly sexist towards men. Men are expected to follow all of the rules strictly, while women get away with breaking them regularly. As an example, I was serving at one center where a man showed up with only shirts without sleeves, he was going to be told to leave until I offered to give him shirts to wear, at the same center at least half of the women were wearing very tight spandex clothing showing lots of cleavage, clearly stated in the rules to not be allowed, yet no woman was ever corrected. All of the facilities are run by women and treat the women serving much better than the men, while appearing to take pleasure in ordering the men around. If you are a man that identifies as being submissive, this may be okay and possibly even appealing. But, if you are a man that believes in equality, it is very upsetting. These facilities are unique in the meditation boot camp style that they offer. My suggestion, for men anyway, would be to attend one course only to establish a meditation practice, and then never go again. I strongly suggest that men do not serve courses due to the poor treatment you can expect to receive. This comes from someone who has sat and served at most of the centers in the USA. After which I have decided to no longer associate with these centers. read more