Theravāda Buddhism · Pali Canon · ~5th c. BCE
Vipassana Meditation Part 1 — Anapanasati Essentials
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Hear how the course begins
The first three tracks of every course are open to anyone.
- Tradition
- Theravāda Buddhism
- Practice
- Ānāpānasati and Sīla — mindful breathing on an ethical footing
- Path
- The Vipassana Path
- Level
- Beginner
- Format
- Guided meditation + teaching (27 introductions and talks)
- Length
- 10 guided sittings · 5 h 26 min in all
- Teacher
- Ocean DYNN
- Compare
- Every course side by side — tradition, length, price, what is free
- Unlocks
- Each guided sitting opens after the one before it has been sat; the first three tracks are open to anyone
This is Part 1 of a 4-part Vipassana Meditation Technique mini-course—a 5-day introductory program for beginners. It covers the fundamental aspects of Vipassana: ethical grounding (Sīla) and mindful breathing (Anapanasati).
Participants in this 5-day training must commit to twice-daily meditation sessions and strictly adhere to the Five Moral Precepts. These precepts prohibit:
Without this commitment, the course cannot be started.
This requirement mirrors the discipline of a traditional Vipassana retreat, offering an authentic retreat-like experience at home. The commitment to these precepts forms the foundation for cultivating mental clarity, ethical living, and deeper meditation practice.
• Self-Commitment and Responsibility: Commit daily to meditation and ethical guidelines to develop mindfulness, clarity, and discipline.
• Mandatory Ethical Self-Discipline: Commit to following the Five Moral Precepts (Sīla) to live with integrity and deepen your practice.
• Daily Practices: Two 15-minute guided sessions, morning and evening, following the "Kaizen" method for gradual progress. Session lengths increase after day 5, continuing through the 25-day course if chosen.
• Journaling: Daily reflection prompts to enhance self-awareness and track concentration progress.
• The Challenge Section: Daily challenges to build resilience by breaking unhealthy habits and strengthening self-discipline.
This course is ideal for busy individuals, those lacking determination for a 10-day retreat, or alumni wanting to deepen their practice. Experience Vipassana at home, boosting self-awareness, ethical growth, and meditation.
The course was created by the author, who began practicing Vipassana in 2012, trained under teachers S. N. Goenka and Pa Auk Sayadaw in the Theravada tradition.
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What you practise
- Day 0 · Introduction
- Day 0 · Commitment
- Day 0 · Purpose
- Day 0 · What is meditation?
- Day 0 · Settling
- Day 0 · Discipline
- Day 1 · Morning meditation
- Day 1 · Lesson
- Day 1 · Evening meditation
- Day 1 · Motivation
- Day 1 · Questionnaire
- Day 1 · Discipline
- Day 1 · The challenge
- Day 2 · Morning meditation
- Day 2 · Lesson
- Day 2 · Evening meditation
- Day 2 · Motivation
- Day 2 · Discipline
- Day 2 · The challenge
- Day 3 · Morning meditation
- Day 3 · Lesson
- Day 3 · Evening meditation
- Day 3 · Motivation
- Day 3 · Discipline
- Day 3 · The challenge
- Day 4 · Morning meditation
- Day 4 · Lesson
- Day 4 · What is anapanasati?
- Day 4 · Evening meditation
- Day 4 · Discipline
- Day 4 · The challenge
- Day 5 · Morning meditation
- Day 5 · Benefits of anapanasati
- Day 5 · Evening meditation
- Day 5 · Discipline
- Day 5 · The challenge
- Day 5 · The End
Essays about this course
Vipassana · 6 min readWhy the course gives the breath thirty days before anything else
Vipassana · 6 min readTen days on retreat, or the same technique at home
Vipassana · 4 min readWhy the guided sittings mostly stay quiet
Vipassana · 5 min readThree days at Wat Chomthong, and why I left
Vipassana · 5 min readWhy my home course is built like a game
Vipassana · 4 min readWhy serving a course went deeper than sitting one