Hello, I have been trying to understand better the early teachings of the Buddha.
I am from India and I wanted to know what specific meditation programs and/or teachers I can visit within the country to learn the original meditative practices that the Buddha taught via these texts. (For example, getting help in understanding meditation as taught in MN118)
Some context: I am 20 and have only recently started reading the Suttas. In trying to find answers to specific question in these texts, I have been positively blown away by the consistency of thought and teaching. This has been the first time I found myself completely in awe by a “school of thought”. A desperate search for some form of truth led me to Leh to learn to meditate and I visited 2 monasteries, but when I tried to take a deeper look into the philosophies I understood those were not what I was seeking. That led me to discover the Suttas here which I have come to accept as closer to the truth than anything else I’ve read about the Dharma and/or meditation.
I don’t have any monasteries to recommend. But I did want to make sure you know about how to find different (non-English) translations on the main site. We have quite a few Hindi and Tamil translations if that is a help. On the main site if you click on the three dot menu in the right top corner there is a language picker. If there are translations in your chosen language, they will be more prominent. You can always expand to see the English too.
The school of Buddhism practiced in Leh and Ladakh is Tibetan - it incorporates many teachings and practices which are much later in origin than the Early Buddhist Texts (EBT).
There are some scattered Mahayana temples, predominantly in Maharashtra, but they focus predominantly on devotional practices, though some also teach meditation.
There are many SN Goenka Vipassana centers which offer 10 day meditation courses, though this may not be completely EBT. The largest center in India is Dhamma Giri in Nashik.
The nearest you can get to the original EBT type meditation practice in India is likely from the new Ajahn Chah branch monastery. See Visiting Aranya Sangharama | Aranya Vihara Trust for more details.
What would the differences between S.N Goenka’s Vipasaana and the strict EBT tradition be? Are there any online resources I can follow which would explain the process, maybe via video or other ways?
TLDR, SN Goenka meditation is a derivative of Satipatthana which has its roots in the Burmese branch of the Theravada school. It takes a single technique out of the EBT (MN10 / DN 22) and focuses on it. Some love it, some hate it. See here for more discussion.
Welcome to the forum amey! I hope you find some inspiration and answers here.
About Goenka retreats. I’d say they’re perfect for a seriously intentioned beginner. They do not permit participants to practice other techniques or follow other teachings, which rules out most more experienced meditators. The teachings are basic but as you point out at least (largely) in line with the EBTs. Their courses are highly controlled: the teachings, rules and support are the same in all centers. This ensures a standard of quality but is inflexible which experienced yogis are more likely to have an issue with. So the drawbacks people talk about actually make it quite good for a beginner. The food’s usually good too!
I can recommend the Goenka center near Jaipur, calm, pleasant and atmospheric.
