Are you planning to attend a 10 day Vipassana meditation retreat at one of their dhamma meditation center in USA, Europe, Canada, Australia or any other part of the world? Since, this is your first time; you have several doubts in your mind like:

• What to expect from the vipassana meditation 10 day course?
• What to pack for vipassana course?
• Would I be able to follow strict vipassana meditation course schedule?
• Would I be able to cope up with staying in such a remotely located open area for 10 days?

Well! It is very natural to have these doubts and I was encountered with the same when I was planning to attend my first 10 day vipassana meditation retreat, in the august 2015. Since then, I have attended eighteen similar meditation retreats at one of the best vipassana meditation centers in India. The last SN Goenka vipassana meditation retreat I attended was in September 2023, although these were (apart from the two of them) short retreats lasting up to four days, I have learned something new, in each of them.

Here I will share some important things to bring for Vipassana silent meditation retreat based on my vipassana meditation experience. Make sure that you pack below items especially if you are a new student:

• Overview of Contents

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  Torch (must)

This is one of the most important items; one should carry along while attending a vipassana retreat. Torch becomes indispensable while walking from your room to dhamma hall during evening meditation sessions held after 7 pm and early morning ones which starts at 4:30 am. The path from residential quarters to meditation hall and dining area can get very dark during these times; thus, you need a torch’s light to get a clear view of the path and to ensure that you are not stepping on any harmless insect crawling on the path. Yes almost all insects present at vipassana meditation centers are harmless in nature.

Cinlinso Flashlights High Lumens Rechargeable, 900,000 Lumens Super Bright Led Flashlight, Flash Light with 5 Modes, IPX6 Waterproof, Handheld Powerful Flashlight for hu∩ting, Camping, Emergencies

Power supply of residential quarters usually remains switched off during the day as all students meditate, inside dhamma hall. This is done, to ensure that power is not wasted, just in case some student forgets to switch off light or fan of his room. As soon as it becomes dark, power is switched on for all residential quarters and it is only in rare cases when power is off, for some duration, during night time.

• Alarm Clock (must)

If you are planning to attend goenka vipassana retreat, by now, you must be well aware of the fact that mobile phone, laptop, tablet and other gadgets are not allowed during the retreat. You will be required to submit them to the administration staff who will keep them safely, in a locker allotted to you.How would you manage to wake up before 4:30 am in the absence of mobile phone based alarm? This makes it absolutely necessary to pack an alarm clock along.

Reynoe 4 Inch Wooden Analog Alarm Clock Battery Operated Non-Ticking with Snooze Button, Night Light, Gentle Wake

Not just in the morning, there will be times when you will feel sleepy during the long breaks that happen, after lunch and evening meal. In such a scenario, alarm clock makes it feasible for you to take good 30 to 45 minutes nap and wake up precisely before your next meditation session.

Although, in every 10 day silent meditation retreat there is one or two attends or servers, who carries an old school kind of bell in their hands and ring it exactly outside every student’s room’s door, as a secondary alarm, signaling it’s time to reach dhamma meditation hall for your next group meditation session.

• Body Lotion (must)

As these meditation centers are located in open areas which are quite similar to woods. If you are coming from metropolitan cities like New York, Atlanta, California or Washington having climatic conditions, which are in complete contrast to what you will have at vipassana centre, you are very likely to suffer from skin related allergies like itching and acne.

A tried and tested Lotion will be blessing in disguise to alleviate your skin problems. Trust me, skin problems are major distractions when it comes to staying focused and control your mind, which vipassana is all about.

Vaseline Essential Moisture Aloe Fresh 200 ml

Lotion helped to an extent beside I also choose to wear long trouser made up of a soft cotton material instead of shorts, while sleeping. This further relieved my problem. By the end of third day, these sensations were completely gone or may be my body became accustomed to that environment.

After subsequent SN Goenka vipassana meditation retreats and regular practice at home, I gradually realized that these sensations are triggered by the energies that are prevalent at that place owing to efforts of previous students to observe sensations throughout their bodies, for majority of the time during the retreat. Yes, every student is supposed to meditate from 4:30 am to 9 pm with few breaks in between. Students are even advised to continue to observe these sensations at night in their residential quarters, just in case they are unable to  sleep.

• Cobat Roach killing Gel (must)

Well this is a bit controversial one since one of the precepts that everyone is supposed to follow states that “You are not allowed to kill any living being during the retreat”. Having said that, I was provided with an insect killing gel to help me deal with insects crawling inside my room during my first vipassana meditation 10 day course.

If you have problem with insects crawling on the floor of your room then I’ll highly recommend you to add an insect killing gel  to your packing list. As all dhamma meditation centers are located in very open area with a lot of greenery, it is natural to come across many carpenter ants that often enter your room from below the door especially when it’s dark outside and light inside your room is switched on.

Combat Roach Killing Gel Boxed 2.1 Oz

Add some roach killer gel along the door of your room right from the first day. You should do the same along the door of washroom as well.  After a few days, you may add the gel again, to ensure that it continues to prevent insects from entering your room both from outside and from washroom.

I must mention that after completing a few Vipassana retreats I have realized that most of the insects at Vipassana center are harmless. Just that I prefer the floor of my room to be free from insects so that I don’t have to look down every time I take a step to walk lest I stopover on some insect.

• Face Moisturizer (optional)

As said in previous point, environment at goenka meditation center is quite dynamic as compared what we experience in cities. A day that starts with clouds and drizzle can get very hot during the afternoon with unbearable sunshine. The same day can end with cold winds in the evening, forcing you to wear full sleeves. By the way I recently wrote an article covering guidelines for what to bring for vipassana retreat during winter season. You may like to go though it by click at this link just in case you planning to attend silent retreat at a center which witnesses severely cold, wet weather accompanied with snow.

Awake Human Natural Face Moisturizer with Aloe and Green Tea, Facial Moisturizer for Dry Skin, Face Cream for Sensitive Skin, No Added Fragrance

However, this is not every day phenomenon; out of ten you may experience such climate on a couple of days.  So, it is always handy to pack one tried and tested Face Moisturizer to protect your face against the sun especially if you have a sensitive skin, like that of mine. But make sure that the Moisturizer that you are packing is fragrance free (as shown in image on the right) otherwise its pleasant odour will impact the focus of other meditators who are practicing vipassana along with you in the dhamma hall