My first ten-day Vipassana retreat
I did a Vipassana retreat a few years ago. Definitely an incredible experience, and I could see directly measurable positive effects on my thinking, on how I made decisions, etc. afterwards (although the effect does wear off after a while if you don&#x27;t keep meditating regularly). However, I feel I must mention some negatives as well. First, the course emphasizes many times that it is purely secular, but towards the end it slides into the more religious aspects of Buddhism (reincarnation and even some explicitly anti-scientific ideas). I feel that this can turn off a lot of the more analytically-minded&#x2F;secular&#x2F;atheist people, which is a real shame because Vipassana still makes a lot of sense without these religious aspects. Secondly, towards the end of the course there&#x27;s real pressure in the lectures to accept Vipassana as the &quot;one true way&quot; to meditate, and I got a little bit of a cult-ish vibe from some of the returning students and especially from the volunteers. Not to the degree that it&#x27;s going to be a problem for most people, but I can see how a small minority of &quot;brainwash-susceptible&quot; individuals, especially in a vulnerable stage in life, may throw themselves 100% into Vipassana after a retreat, instead of critically thinking about this powerful experience afterwards. So my advice: definitely do it if you can, take it seriously and give it your 100%, but don&#x27;t turn off your critical thinking skills during the lectures or after the retreat. If you can do it, there&#x27;s lots to gain.