Anapana and Vipassana: What They Are

A note before anything else

In the Goenka tradition, the meditation technique is transmitted in person, inside a complete 10-day course, by authorized teachers using Goenka's recorded instructions. That structure is intentional, and it has been kept that way for decades because students receive the instructions in a specific order, with the necessary context, code of discipline, and support around them.

This article does not reproduce the instructions. It explains, at a high level, what the two techniques are, where their names come from, and where to go to learn them properly.

The two techniques of the 10-day course

A 10-day Vipassana course as taught by S.N. Goenka introduces two distinct meditation practices over the course of ten days: first Anapana, and then Vipassana. They are presented by the teacher in a set sequence, accompanied by evening discourses that place each step in context.

Students sometimes describe them as "two meditations," but in this tradition they are better understood as two stages of a single course of training. The complete arc is only given inside the course itself.

What Anapana is, in one sentence

Anapana (from the Pali ānāpāna, roughly "in-breath and out-breath") is awareness of the natural breath. In the Goenka course, it is the first technique introduced, during the opening days. That is as much as we will say about the instructions here.

The course explains what to attend to, how to hold attention, and how to work with a wandering mind. Those specifics are not reproduced online in this tradition.

What Vipassana is, in one sentence

Vipassana (Pali vipassanā, commonly translated as "insight" or "seeing things as they really are") is introduced later in the course and is the practice the tradition and the course are named after. Goenka presents it as a technique rediscovered and taught by the historical Buddha, preserved in Burma for centuries, and reintroduced globally by Goenka starting in 1969.

The specific form the practice takes, and how it is meant to be carried out, are taught by the teacher during the course.

Historical and linguistic framing

Both Anapana and Vipassana are Pali terms drawn from the textual tradition the course references. Pali is the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism, and much of Goenka's teaching, including the chanting you hear during a course, is in Pali.

The lineage the course belongs to traces back, in the tradition's own account, through Sayagyi U Ba Khin in Burma, Saya Thetgyi, Ledi Sayadaw, and earlier teachers, to the historical Buddha. S.N. Goenka was authorized by U Ba Khin in 1969 to teach Vipassana outside Burma, and spent the rest of his life establishing the global network of centers that exists today.

Why the tradition keeps instruction inside the course

A 10-day course provides the full context the technique is meant to be learned in: the Five Precepts, the code of discipline, noble silence, a full daily schedule, evening discourses that frame each stage, and direct access to an assistant teacher for individual questions. The instructions are given in a specific order, with the prerequisites already in place.

Written summaries online cannot reproduce this, and attempts to do so can lead students away from, rather than toward, correct practice. For that reason, the network of centers asks students and old students alike not to share technique instructions outside the course environment.

How to actually learn the technique

The only way to learn Anapana and Vipassana in this tradition is to sit a 10-day course. Courses run year-round at centers around the world, and all courses are offered entirely on donations: no fees for teaching, food, or accommodation. First-time students are welcomed, and prior meditation experience is not required.

Applications and schedules are at dhamma.org. If you are considering one, our finding a retreat and course application tips pages cover what to expect logistically.

Frequently asked questions