Hi BathroomCoffee bro,

Thanks for your comment and, I respect your idea and opinion coz everyone is different and ironically we all think we r right. Well, before I write something please be advised Im not a Vipassanna expert, neither a mahaguru Yogi who spends whole day in meditation but Spirituality is my side of life. I try to make my life more colorful and easier to live with spiritual touch. So far, Ive been benefited, it may not be the same case with you. The article I presented above is totally based on my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and everything what I mentioned is that I really meant.

I may not be able to justify your queries but Ive answered what I know. I always try to avoid ARGUMENT especially here in SAJHA coz it leads nowhere. Finally we all end up blaming each other  coz no concrete answer is explored.  Therefore, please do not argue with me, if you have been to Vipasanna we will talk more otherwise I may not be able to give your right answer.....

Live and Let live

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Vipasanaa is a cult. Always asking for money.

Always asking for money?? who asks for it? Were you asked money to be there? or you paid for the food you had over there? or You paid for sleeping like in hotel bill?

They live like hippies in a commune. Their meditation center looks like Rajnish Ashram.

I think Rajnish Ashram is better than Vipasanaa, if we compare luxuries and  facilities. But I would surely say people live better than hippies in Vipasanna.

Did Buddha pay for his meditation experience ?

He paid the biggest price for it, left whole family, wonderful wife, royal and luxurious life and even the most precious thing the newly born baby, what could u ask more than that. Can u pay even your own 10 days for it?

Its one thing to learn to meditate its another thing having to pay for it.

Paying for it? where did u have to pay for it? I  learned all in free.

Goenka would not have been able to run such a large organization if it didn't have a few cash cows westerners who are dumb enough to pay for it.

Do u know Goenka was one of the most successful business tycoons of Myanmar? He left all his business just for it, thats not the point of discussion here. But let me remind you again, noone is forced to pay for it..if you donate your hard earned 1 cent, they will not accept that. I think you have known the fact. Only the people who have been benefited from there can donate something and thats all voluntary.

Did Buddha pay for his Nirvana ? he he

The price does not always come in economic tag. haha

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i_nepali bro, how u doin?, well if you are really interested in mediataion, I would suggest to go through some basic books, or some clips of J Krishnamurthy, (Easily available in YouTube), and ' The Power of Now' by Ekhart Tole (German Writer) is the one which might be really helpful for you. Otherwise, read one interesting novel  that is spiritual but written in very Romantic style 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' by Joshua Harris, or 'Ageless Body, Timeless Mind' by Deepak Chopra. These books are donot talk about meditation but certainly they will open first layer of your mind that gradually leads to MEDITATION.

Good Luck and hope you will find time to read the loooooooooong article