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The original Pali name for mindfulness meditation is “Vipassana.” It translates to “seeing things as they really are.” Vipassana meditation training teaches you to simply observe both pleasant and unpleasant thoughts, emotions and body sensations with a calm, non-reactive mind. You feel like you’re watching a movie about yourself. You get fascinated by how all these impermanent sensations just arise and pass away one after another, in a flow of consciousness.

Since Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, taught Vipassana around 350 B.C., many versions calling themselves Vipassana have popped up in cultures around the world. If you want the most authentic and effective mindfulness training, you need to avoid the modern pop psychology knock-offs flooding the media and meditation centers.

Here are some things you should ask a prospective Vipassana teacher –

1.         What is the historical lineage of your Vipassana practice?

Sober Buddha recommends two traditions that have deep historical roots going back thousands of years. The Mahasi Sayadaw lineage as taught at Sober Buddha dates back to original Vipassana teachings in India and Burma and is taught across America by counselors trained by Shinzen Young of Vipassana Support International. It includes training in body sensations, emotions, thinking mind and states of deep silence. The Goenka method also has historical lineage.  This Vipassana technique focuses strictly on body sensations.  You can learn more about this at www.dhamma.org.

2.         What qualifies you to teach Vipassana?

You want a teacher with experiential credentials.  This means more than taking a workshop course and calling yourself a Vipassana teacher. Therapists, psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists are not necessarily Vipassana practitioners. Your teacher should have instruction from a recognized master, depth of knowledge about the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and Eight-fold Path, a history of retreat attendance and references you can contact. Read “Finding An Authentic Teacher” in the Spring 2015 issue of BUDDHADHARMA magazine.

3.         Do you conduct a Vipassana group (a sangha) I can attend?

A sangha is a group of meditators who meet regularly to practice together and help each other develop and stay with commitment to Vipassana practice.  The spiritual path is challenging and difficult to maneuver without a network.

4.         What about retreats?

Your teacher should provide you a schedule of local retreats opportunities. Retreats of three-to-ten days are advisable at least once a year. Sober Buddha recommends Shinzen Young retreats held in Palos Verdes, CA.  See www.shinzen.org for dates. Longer retreats deepen spiritual experience and often appeal to meditators with more experience.

5.         Will you provide continuing education and training?

After you have practiced Vipassana for a while, you will likely get interested in the Buddhist philosophy behind it.  Your teacher should be familiar with both traditional Buddhist texts and the newest neuroscience information on the effect of Vipassana on mind and body, such as The Clinical Handbook on Mindfulness by Fabrizio DiDonna and the American Mindfulness Research Association’s newsletter (www.amra.org).

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