Dhamma Vaddhana Vipassana Meditation Center, Twentynine Palms CA

This place will change your life, grateful for all the people in there, nice view of the desert. The dhamma hall is full of good vibes.

The best Vipassana center ever. I sit 3 times in different locations, and this one seems newest and very well taken care of

Serve others. Leave with happy light.
Never met a soul who left without a smile. Original. All come free of cost your time is all.

Wow. A wild ride for sure. This is not an easy 10 days but it is worth it. The analogy of this being like spiritual boot camp rang true on many levels. You will likely be challenged in ways that you have not been before. 9-10 hours of seated silence each day reveals many things about your mind. At times, when I was going to the hall for a sit, especially later in the week, I felt like I was going to watch a movie of my life in HD and was unsure whether it would be a comedy or horror. In sustained silence, the unconscious mind has a way of reawakening and sending up into view past memories that you must face and observe.

I am going to address a few things that I did not see covered in some of the other reviews. First, as others have pointed out, the grounds are spectacular, especially the walking path at night. Simply stunning landscape out there in the desert. The rooms are adequate with AC and the beds are a bit hard. The food for lunch was fantastic. Whoever is cooking back there either runs a restaurant or should be.

The schedule is demanding and I do suggest you buy in fully. Meaning, that you go the meditation hall for all of the sits. This will ensure you get the most out of the experience.

I was and still am totally impressed and inspired by the people who shared the experience with me. A few times I would open my eyes and just marvel at the courage of the people there to do such an intense and challenging experience. The world is full of convenient distractions for sure, that are intoxicating, and for people to want something beyond that stimulation is amazing. So, I'm sending my love the July 3-14 group, you rock.

I would also suggest reading up on Buddhist teaching/philosophy before hand if you not that familiar with some of the core teachings and ideas. While vast in scope and varied across many traditions and sects, the core teachings of no-self, impermanence, and suffering are staples of Buddhism. I find the section on Buddhism from Huston Smith's book on the World Religions from the early 1960's quite good and would recommend that as a good entry point.

The course is run by audio and video recordings from a 10 day course back in 1991 by the Vipassana teacher Goenka. He is quite a teacher. A great story-teller with a very sharp mind with deep insights and theological nuance. I found his talks to be compelling especially the ones from days 4-9. I would suggest keeping a bit of an open, critical mind to some of his claims though. He seeks not to convert for sure which he states quite often, but does slip into making some claims that are worthy of some deeper inquiry. For instance, he believes in reincarnation, that he has friends he is certain to have known in previous lives, and that his specific teaching of this ten day course in India was somehow prophesied 2500 years ago. Also, the discourses on morality were not very nuanced. However, as stated above, he is a very gifted story teller, has a brilliant mind, and his defense and teaching of the Dharma as being scientific, rational, and non-sectarian is deeply admirable and much needed in the world. Theological quibbles aside, he is a teacher of deep wisdom and knowledge, and his sharing of the dharma is inspiring. So, if you want a secularized meditation experience, you will not get that fully here as the whole practice is framed in Buddhist teachings, but I do not think that will be a problem for you.

I could go on and on. In total, this is a really life changing experience in many ways. You will learn that meditation is not about feeling calm and relaxed. You will learn that meditation is really about training the mind to become less prone to blindly cling onto pleasure or to have aversion to pain. You will see your habits of mind in both directions very clearly (towards cravings/away from aversion).

In conclusion, to the teachers, managers, volunteers, cooking staff, etc, thank you so much for your service. Your dedication to the well-being of others is deeply felt, appreciated, and inspiring.

What a wonderful place. I have returned many dozens of times, and always encounter wonderful, kind people. What a peaceful place. If you are reading this, still deciding whether it's worth it. If you are hesitant about using those 10-vacation days, or your mind is coming up with all the reasons you shouldn't go. This is totally normal. And there is something you should know. As the world continues to speed up, the most important thing a person can do is slow down. This 10-day course is free. It cost nothing, and yet you will gain everything. Good luck. And if you are reading this, you are on the right path. May your first 10-day course be very beneficial:)

Try one course for your own experiences. This help me a lot. I want to come here more often.