Don't be fooled though ... no one ever leaves their ego at the door when they go on any kind of course - be it a Goenka course, a Tibetan course, a Zen course or a race course. 
Hehe.. ok, maybe you are right there
But I guess what I'm trying to get at is how important it is to approach a 10-day course with a completely open mind. Follow the instructions, stick to the time-table, go with the flow, and give it a "fair trial" as Goenka often says. After that, if you still feel it's not for you, then that's fair enough. But if you go to the courses and get caught up in conflicts and comparisons with your own technique, or in what you have already read or learnt from someone else, then you won't get the true benefit of the course. Or if you try and mix it up with some other tecnhiques, you won't be able to get right down to the deeper truth, to the really subtle, peaceful states that can be found on the 10-day course. You're asked to leave yourself completely behind and - for the 10-days - dedicate yourself completely to this technique - and this isn't always easy, and it may be even more difficult if you have many years of experience in some other technique. There is no doubt in my mind that you can get great results from this technique, I have countless friends who have found it to be deeply beneficial... often people who have tried many other techniques and got no results. This one works, but it isn't easy and I suspect that's why the old-student figures are a good bit lower than the new-student numbers. But even then, I feel that new students who only ever do one 10-day course have found amazing benefits that will last them for their entire lives. I even know some people who don't intend to go back again, but feel that it was something that changed their lives in a very positive way and gave them a deeper appreciation or meaning in life, and perhaps healed some deeper wounds. A lot of them still practise meditation but a lot more rarely than the typical old student.
I am happy for you Lokuttara, that you have come back from your 6th retreat feeling so good, and so devoted to your beloved guru-ji Goenka-ji.
I'm not devoted to anyone. There is no guru in this form of Vipassana, no blind faith, no ritual, no dogma.
However, you know when you are in a cult, when there is only one teacher, and everyone else is just a tape librarian;
If you've been on a few courses, the reason for having "tape librarians" becomes quite obvious. This technique is very, very simple, yet it works magically and is, IMHO, 100% effective. It has not let me down yet! Whenever I face trouble in my life, I do Vipassana and immediately go within... observe the sensations.. and I miraculously come out of the misery. Unhappiness is not generated anymore.
But in order for it to work, the teaching process needs to be kept as basic as possible. It is extremely minimalistic. If there were no tapes, videos and it was left up to the teachers to relay this very simple method, then it's possible that over the decades and also depending on the teacher, the method may get changed slightly from teacher to teacher. Perhaps a student in California in 1980 may have received a slightly different technique than a person in Ireland in 2010? I think that would be really unfortunate - if something works, then it needs to be kept pure, simple and consistent.
So I am really happy that our teachers are, effectively, passing on Goenka's teaching *exactly* as he would teach it. There is no personal prejudice involved, and it also ensures that the teachers don't develop ego, or go off on tangents. Also, if somebody has a more individual problem, the teachers will attempt to tackle it for each person, but will always go back to the reality of anicca as taught by the Buddha, instead of getting caught up/sidetracked in a philosophical debate (often something that we students may like to indulge in, but it never helps). Always stay with the reality... as it is! Always at the level of the sensations, not with mental objects or thought forms, or imagination. I'm so thankful that our teachers don't complicate the simple truths of the Buddha, and that we always go back to the sensation and the anicca.
There is no need for individualism in the teaching, as there really are no teachers - they are almost transparent, egoless entities, yet they are filled with metta and their main job for the 10-days is to simply keep sending metta to help and protect all the students.
You are your own master! The teachers are just there to help on the way, like simple sign posts.
and I am sure Goenka-ji is still claiming the Buddha invented a meditation technique that he called "vipassana." Of course there is no canonical support for such a claim, and not only that, but why would the Buddha invent a method and call it by a Sanskrit term? Vipassana is a Sanskrit term that was in use a long time before Siddhartha Gotama arrived in the scene. But, I can understand that it is kind of hard to back-peddle on 50 years of lies.
You could be right, but all of this is another philosophical distraction, these are arguments and discussions that pale in comparison with the direct experience of anicca - of arising and passing away. With the experience of arising and passing away of sensations, there can be no question - this is the reality, we are observing it equanimously, as it is... and you come out of misery. If you see the results for yourself then the questions disappear and understanding arises. I'm sure you have seen this yourself with your own practise.
I honestly don't think the technique I practise is the "right way", I really don't. I know for a fact that it works for me, and I'm sure what you do is working for you and helping you come out of misery - otherwise you wouldn't continue practising it!
So let us all just celebrate and be happy and peaceful that we've found the dhamma, found a way that leads us out of suffering. It doesn't matter how, or what name it goes under, because each person must walk on the path himself and find out if it works for him by testing it.
"attachment to the technique, or blind acceptance" is more or less necessary to remain in the tradition and do longer courses and service unless you keep to yourself with other even therevada practices and perspectives.
In my experience, non-attachment to the technique is required in order to progress. I've seen this question answered by Goenka and some of the assistant teachers numerous times. Blind acceptance is also highly discouraged by any assistant teachers I've encountered, and by Goenka. You are asked to try the technique seriously, test it, examine it and see if it gives results. The results should be obvious and easy to see. Goenka also says the results should come quickly, and I've found he's right - they certainly do. Goenka asks people NOT to accept it if it doesn't give results. That's pretty fair and rational I think
I understand the concern about not doing other practices, but this is well explained on the 10-day course. Basically, again they are trying to keep the technique as simple as possible so confusion dosn't arise for a student. If I do a different form of Vipassana and then serve a Goenka course, I may end up talking about different techniques in the kitchen, or may end up giving another student meditation advise that actually doesn't work well with the Vipassana method being taught. Keeping the technique clear, simple, understandable is paramount on these courses. And why? Because in order to get serious results, you need to work with the simple truth of anicca and sampajana without any distractions or complications.
The example is given of a man digging a well to find water. If you start digging a well, you need to keep going until you find water. If you dig a little bit here, then try digging another little bit somewhere else, then try digging another place, you will end up wasting your time and not getting to the water. So decide on a technique that
works for you and stick with it. IMO this is good advise. I initially experimented with different teachings, including different breathing stuff and holotropic breathwork, but in the end the most results came from Vipassana so... I've decided to stick with it.
if you find that you want to practise something else, or that Vipassana isn't for you, the teachers will have no problem letting you go and try that. Again, you are your own master, you can do what you like. But don't expect to be given a place serving or on a 20-day course. Why? Well... a friend of mine actually went a did some other techniques (including some breathwork), didn't tell them in the Vipassana application forms, and got accepted to sit a 20-day course. He ended up getting mentally disturbed and had to be taken off the course. They let him work in the garden for a while and made sure he was doing ok before he came home. He had to take some time out from meditation, and he was really freaked out. But now he's back doing 10-day courses again, and has resolved to stick with Vipassana, as it was his main technique. I think this is a good example of why they ask you to stick with Goenka's teaching if you are a serious old student. It's a
very powerful technique, it goes right to the very roots of your misery, deep into the sankaras, and you need to keep it simple and stick with the advise given, or else it may become quite dangerous and do you damage.
that one technique is all that is taught, and it is taught that it is sufficient unto itself. the buddha taught a lot more than this one tradition of anapana in the sitting position only i.e. vipassana_ stemming from U Bah Khin and maybe his lay farmer teacher with vague acceptance by ledi sayadaw, but not taught by ledi in any of his writings. not even technical teachings within the lineage like ledi sayadaw (including many contemplations, etc) or webu sayadaw (plain anapana) are allowable for continued practice on the center. its less of a cult given where its coming from. burmese traditions are often based on the commentaries or sub-commentaries and sayadaws often insist that you practice specific to their teachings. its understandable, but if your not 100% on just this technique alone then you can't do longer courses, etc. another big problem is the assistant teachers aren't always knowledgeable and usually can't or won't help you outside the Vipassana technique context, and theory presented by Goenka.
I've already addressed the questions about why assistant teachers don't go outside this particular method - we need consistency across courses all over the world, so somebody in India doesn't get a different teaching than someone in the UK for instance - it's universal truth, so it should be taught in a universal, consistent manner. This makes sense to me and allows it to work more effectively, without any watering down or teacher prejudice. I've also answered the question about 100% dedication. It's up to you to dedicate yourself, nobody will try to make you do anything. But if you want to become a serious student of this technique, and if you are getting the results that should come, why keep tinkering around with other stuff?
As for Webu Sayadaw and Ledi Sayadaw, in my experience meditators are encouraged to read all of those texts, as well as U Ba Khin and Thetgyi. Most of them are also available through the VRI to servers on courses to read in their spare time. You are encouraged to constantly explore the truth for yourself, with the importance placed on awareness of anicca, moment to moment. Always with the vedana in walking, sleeping, waking up, sitting down, eating, looking, and, of course, in meditation. Always with the reality of Sampajanna, vedana, arising and passing away. Always in the present moment. Anything else is a distraction, a thought form, and a form of ego.
So why is there a need for a teacher? All that is needed is gentle guidance away from the thought forms and the ego, and back to the reality of anicca - that's what the ATs are there for. That, and to give metta. Nothing more.
