What do you think?
Rate this book
The Discourse Summaries: talks from a ten-day course in Vipassana meditation condensed by William Hart
The 11 discourses in this volume provide a broad overview of the teachings of Buddha to help meditators understand what to do and why, so they work in the proper way and achieve the proper results.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
138 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 5, 2012
Excellent companion to a 10-day Vipassana meditation course or daily practice. A helpful, insightful primer beforehand or a title to review after. An accessible read on the daily life of the mind and body and the tenets of Buddhism. A look into Vipassana, which is to see things as they really are, for wherever you are. It is an invitation to take lessons from an intellectual, guarded place to one of actual practice and work.
From "Day Four Discourse":
"Vipassana teaches the art of dying; how to die peacefully, harmoniously. And one learns the art of dying by learning the art of living: how to become master of the present moment... If the present is good, one need not worry about the future, which is merely a product of the future, and therefore bound to be good."
From "Day Four Discourse":
"Vipassana teaches the art of dying; how to die peacefully, harmoniously. And one learns the art of dying by learning the art of living: how to become master of the present moment... If the present is good, one need not worry about the future, which is merely a product of the future, and therefore bound to be good."
October 17, 2017
Recommended for those who have done the 10-day vipassana course. Each day's ending discourse is summarized here. I wouldn't want to have read it before taking the course though, because there are some pseudo-science elements to vipassana that I had to take with a grain of salt during my first course. The course instructor advised me to feel free to disregard whichever of Goenka's teachings don't work for me and to simply commit to learning the vipassana technique for the duration of the course. This advice was in fact echoed by Goenka and it was spot-on. So with that in mind, the little book gives a fine refresher summary of all 11 discourses.
April 10, 2020
2016.07.13–2016.07.23
I watched the actual evening discourses over the 11 days of a Vipassana course as taught by S.N. Goenka. The rating 4/5 reflects my enjoyment of the full video discourses in the context of practice; they are on YouTube, but watching them outside of a course and its schedule would be a very different experience and probably not worth it without the practice that's meant to be associated with them. Every evening, (video-)Goenka more often than not joked about and answered some experiences/questions/problems that I'd had/suffered/wondered about during the same day, forcing me to amusedly admit that the course is indeed based on decades of experience. And that this laughing old man is reading my mind and it's all transparent to him that I'm plotting my escape after the first few days.
(Some aspects of the course are probably identical around the world for good reasons, though I believe the Discourses to be much more optimal than the audio instructions heard during group meditation in the hall. With more resources people could make progress on their own pace without having everyone listen to every repetition of every instruction. The Discourses, OTOH, explained fairly nicely a lot of the theory and reasons for why we do and endlessly repeat what we do, with the occasional good-hearted, humorous stories and examples to illustrate the points. I'd probably read these Discourse Summaries more carefully for trying to remember which of them I'd most like to watch again, as many I would.)
Contents
Goenka SN (1987) (~12:54 in 11 parts) Discourse Summaries, The - Talks from a Ten-day Course in Vipassana Meditation
Foreword by William Hart
Note on the Text
01. (01:12) Day One Discourse
• Initial difficulties—the purpose of this meditation—why respiration is chosen as the starting point—the nature of the mind—the reason for the difficulties, and how to deal with them—dangers to be avoided
02. (01:16) Day Two Discourse
• Universal definition of sin and piety—the Noble Eightfold Path: sila and samadhi
03. (01:06) Day Three Discourse
• The Noble Eightfold Path: panna—received wisdom, intellectual wisdom, experiental wisdom—the kalapa—the four elements—the three characteristics: impermanence, the illusory nature of the ego, suffering—penetration through apparent reality
04. (01:08) Day Four Discourse
• Questions on how to practise Vipassana—the law of kamma—importance of mental actions—four aggregates of the mind: consciousness, perception, sensation, reaction—remaining aware and equanimous is the way to emerge from suffering
05. (01:05) Day Five Discourse
• The Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the eradication of suffering, the way to eradicate suffering—the chain of conditioned suffering
06. (01:05) Day Six Discourse
• Importance of developing awareness and equanimity towards sensations—the four elements and their relation to the sensations—the four causes of the arising of matter—the five hindrances: craving, aversion, mental and physical sluggishness, agitation, doubt
07. (01:06) Day Seven Discourse
• Importance of equanimity towards subtle as well as gross sensations—continuity of awareness—five 'friends': faith, effort, awareness, concentration, wisdom
08. (01:02) Day Eight Discourse
• The law of multiplication and its reverse, the law of eradication—equanimity is the greatest welfare—equanimity enables one to live a life of real action—by remaining equanimous, one ensures a happy future for oneself
09. (01:05) Day Nine Discourse
• Application of the technique in daily life—the ten parami
10. (01:07) Day Ten Discourse
• Review of the technique
11. (01:42) Day Eleven Discourse
• How to continue practising after the end of the course
Pali Passages Quoted in the Discourses with English Translation
Glossary of Pali Terms
Centres for the Practice of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka
I watched the actual evening discourses over the 11 days of a Vipassana course as taught by S.N. Goenka. The rating 4/5 reflects my enjoyment of the full video discourses in the context of practice; they are on YouTube, but watching them outside of a course and its schedule would be a very different experience and probably not worth it without the practice that's meant to be associated with them. Every evening, (video-)Goenka more often than not joked about and answered some experiences/questions/problems that I'd had/suffered/wondered about during the same day, forcing me to amusedly admit that the course is indeed based on decades of experience. And that this laughing old man is reading my mind and it's all transparent to him that I'm plotting my escape after the first few days.
(Some aspects of the course are probably identical around the world for good reasons, though I believe the Discourses to be much more optimal than the audio instructions heard during group meditation in the hall. With more resources people could make progress on their own pace without having everyone listen to every repetition of every instruction. The Discourses, OTOH, explained fairly nicely a lot of the theory and reasons for why we do and endlessly repeat what we do, with the occasional good-hearted, humorous stories and examples to illustrate the points. I'd probably read these Discourse Summaries more carefully for trying to remember which of them I'd most like to watch again, as many I would.)
Contents
Goenka SN (1987) (~12:54 in 11 parts) Discourse Summaries, The - Talks from a Ten-day Course in Vipassana Meditation
Foreword by William Hart
Note on the Text
01. (01:12) Day One Discourse
• Initial difficulties—the purpose of this meditation—why respiration is chosen as the starting point—the nature of the mind—the reason for the difficulties, and how to deal with them—dangers to be avoided
02. (01:16) Day Two Discourse
• Universal definition of sin and piety—the Noble Eightfold Path: sila and samadhi
03. (01:06) Day Three Discourse
• The Noble Eightfold Path: panna—received wisdom, intellectual wisdom, experiental wisdom—the kalapa—the four elements—the three characteristics: impermanence, the illusory nature of the ego, suffering—penetration through apparent reality
04. (01:08) Day Four Discourse
• Questions on how to practise Vipassana—the law of kamma—importance of mental actions—four aggregates of the mind: consciousness, perception, sensation, reaction—remaining aware and equanimous is the way to emerge from suffering
05. (01:05) Day Five Discourse
• The Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the eradication of suffering, the way to eradicate suffering—the chain of conditioned suffering
06. (01:05) Day Six Discourse
• Importance of developing awareness and equanimity towards sensations—the four elements and their relation to the sensations—the four causes of the arising of matter—the five hindrances: craving, aversion, mental and physical sluggishness, agitation, doubt
07. (01:06) Day Seven Discourse
• Importance of equanimity towards subtle as well as gross sensations—continuity of awareness—five 'friends': faith, effort, awareness, concentration, wisdom
08. (01:02) Day Eight Discourse
• The law of multiplication and its reverse, the law of eradication—equanimity is the greatest welfare—equanimity enables one to live a life of real action—by remaining equanimous, one ensures a happy future for oneself
09. (01:05) Day Nine Discourse
• Application of the technique in daily life—the ten parami
10. (01:07) Day Ten Discourse
• Review of the technique
11. (01:42) Day Eleven Discourse
• How to continue practising after the end of the course
Pali Passages Quoted in the Discourses with English Translation
Glossary of Pali Terms
Centres for the Practice of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka
May 8, 2012
I got this book mainly due to the glossary and translation of the Pali chants, as I was confused by what I had undergone at my 1st Vipassana course a year ago.
And while they have been beyond valuable to me over the year since, the condensed discourses are really what this book is all about. They have helped me stay on the meditation path and with just finishing my second retreat, it has gone back into my bag I carry around everyday so that I can refer to it whenever any questions arise.
Highly recommended to fellow vipassana folk.
And while they have been beyond valuable to me over the year since, the condensed discourses are really what this book is all about. They have helped me stay on the meditation path and with just finishing my second retreat, it has gone back into my bag I carry around everyday so that I can refer to it whenever any questions arise.
Highly recommended to fellow vipassana folk.
January 12, 2022
This is a good book to recap the theory taught in the 10 day course. It's ideal for those who have attended their first course and wish to refresh their memories as well as use it as a manual for their daily practice.
December 6, 2016
I began reading the summaries before I attended the Vipassana meditation 10-day course. While most of one’s days are spent in meditation, each evening they play video-taped discourses by S.N. Goenka, with each running for an hour to an hour-and-a-half. As the title suggests, this book consists of edited transcripts of those talks. As the course is known for being challenging (approximately 10 hours/day in meditation, noble silence [no talking--or even acknowledging--anyone but the teacher and staff], and no distractions [no phones, no books, no journals, no i-Pods, etc.]), reading the discourses was a way to mentally prepare for the course. (Though I’d already read a book call “Equanimous Mind” by an individual who’d completed the course.)
Let me provide background for those unfamiliar with Vipassana meditation. It’s nominally a Theravadan Buddhist practice, but its religiosity is stripped to a minimum and it’s presented in a largely secular manner. That doesn’t mean that a scientifically-minded skeptic such as myself isn’t occasionally left scratching his head and thinking “that’s not right.” However, it’s repeatedly emphasized that one should take what is of value to oneself and leave the rest behind, and so while there are a few notions mentioned during the discourses that aren’t supported by evidence, one needn’t believe anything controversial to benefit from the practice. (e.g. Karma and reincarnation are mentioned, but if one doesn’t believe those are likely realities, it doesn’t change the effectiveness of the meditation.)
Moving on, Theravadan Buddhism is the branch that is most commonly practiced in Southeast Asia. (It’s sometimes called Hinayana, but—as I learned during a discourse—that’s considered a derogatory term by many Theravadans. “Hinayana” means “lesser vehicle” in contrast to Mahayana’s “greater vehicle,” and the implication is that it’s a path by which only a more select group can achieve enlightenment. One can readily see why this would be objectionable to Vipassana practitioners as they emphasize that the practice is available to everybody [one need not even identify as Buddhist] and that the practice is the heart of the path to enlightenment.) Vipassana meditation involves systematically scanning one’s body for sensations and acknowledging them without attaching positive or negative thoughts and labels to them. The idea is to train oneself to not mindlessly react to sensations, nor to mindlessly attach values to them.
There are eleven discourses, corresponding to the days over which one is at meditation center. However, the new information is mostly in the discourses from days one through nine. The last two discourses consist of a review and a discussion of to how to keep one’s practice going—should one choose to do so.
The discourses present two types of information. On one hand, they provide a primer on Buddhist philosophy regarding the path to enlightenment. For example, Goenka explains the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. The Four Noble Truths describe human suffering, its causes, and the path to moving beyond this suffering. That path brings one to the Eight-fold Path which describes eight areas in which one must properly align one’s approach in order to eliminate said suffering.
On the other hand, the discourses provide information about the meditational practices and the logic that informs them. During the first few days of the course, one focuses on respiration and related sensations over a progressively smaller area around and on the nose. Then, on the fourth day, one gets into the Vipassana practice as mentioned above (scanning the body for sensation), but one practices several variations of this over the last few days of the course. It seems that one practices these different ways both because one becomes capable of more challenging approaches and because not everybody experiences the same types of sensations, and so some methods work better for some types of sensations than others. To give an example, on day one might scan one arm at a time, but then one shifts to scanning both arms simultaneously.
There are no graphics and the only ancillary matter consists of a list of Pali quotations as well as a Pali term glossary. (Pali is the language in which the Buddhist scriptures were originally written.) However, there was really no need for either graphics or notations.
I found these summaries were worth reading even having gone through the course and heard the discourses at the center. For one thing, there’s a good amount of information packed into the lectures. While it’s not hard to understand, there’s a high density of information content. For another, Goenka was a charming and humorous individual, so it’s not boring to watch the taped discourses even if one has previously read them.
I would definitely recommend reading the Discourse Summaries if one is considering taking the Vipassana course.
Let me provide background for those unfamiliar with Vipassana meditation. It’s nominally a Theravadan Buddhist practice, but its religiosity is stripped to a minimum and it’s presented in a largely secular manner. That doesn’t mean that a scientifically-minded skeptic such as myself isn’t occasionally left scratching his head and thinking “that’s not right.” However, it’s repeatedly emphasized that one should take what is of value to oneself and leave the rest behind, and so while there are a few notions mentioned during the discourses that aren’t supported by evidence, one needn’t believe anything controversial to benefit from the practice. (e.g. Karma and reincarnation are mentioned, but if one doesn’t believe those are likely realities, it doesn’t change the effectiveness of the meditation.)
Moving on, Theravadan Buddhism is the branch that is most commonly practiced in Southeast Asia. (It’s sometimes called Hinayana, but—as I learned during a discourse—that’s considered a derogatory term by many Theravadans. “Hinayana” means “lesser vehicle” in contrast to Mahayana’s “greater vehicle,” and the implication is that it’s a path by which only a more select group can achieve enlightenment. One can readily see why this would be objectionable to Vipassana practitioners as they emphasize that the practice is available to everybody [one need not even identify as Buddhist] and that the practice is the heart of the path to enlightenment.) Vipassana meditation involves systematically scanning one’s body for sensations and acknowledging them without attaching positive or negative thoughts and labels to them. The idea is to train oneself to not mindlessly react to sensations, nor to mindlessly attach values to them.
There are eleven discourses, corresponding to the days over which one is at meditation center. However, the new information is mostly in the discourses from days one through nine. The last two discourses consist of a review and a discussion of to how to keep one’s practice going—should one choose to do so.
The discourses present two types of information. On one hand, they provide a primer on Buddhist philosophy regarding the path to enlightenment. For example, Goenka explains the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. The Four Noble Truths describe human suffering, its causes, and the path to moving beyond this suffering. That path brings one to the Eight-fold Path which describes eight areas in which one must properly align one’s approach in order to eliminate said suffering.
On the other hand, the discourses provide information about the meditational practices and the logic that informs them. During the first few days of the course, one focuses on respiration and related sensations over a progressively smaller area around and on the nose. Then, on the fourth day, one gets into the Vipassana practice as mentioned above (scanning the body for sensation), but one practices several variations of this over the last few days of the course. It seems that one practices these different ways both because one becomes capable of more challenging approaches and because not everybody experiences the same types of sensations, and so some methods work better for some types of sensations than others. To give an example, on day one might scan one arm at a time, but then one shifts to scanning both arms simultaneously.
There are no graphics and the only ancillary matter consists of a list of Pali quotations as well as a Pali term glossary. (Pali is the language in which the Buddhist scriptures were originally written.) However, there was really no need for either graphics or notations.
I found these summaries were worth reading even having gone through the course and heard the discourses at the center. For one thing, there’s a good amount of information packed into the lectures. While it’s not hard to understand, there’s a high density of information content. For another, Goenka was a charming and humorous individual, so it’s not boring to watch the taped discourses even if one has previously read them.
I would definitely recommend reading the Discourse Summaries if one is considering taking the Vipassana course.
November 4, 2024
Just finished my 10-day vipassana meditation course and these discourses were the foundational teaching part of that time, but the real learning was experiential. By far the most intense, powerful, painful, and wonderful 10 days of my life.
Text me if you want to know more :)
Text me if you want to know more :)
January 27, 2019
It's a good reminder about those insights learnt in the 10-day course. I wish they include more interesting stories from the course. The videos were recorded in 1991 while this book was written based on 1984 discourse.
December 22, 2008
Good for reviewing Dhamma discourses from Vipassana courses.
December 1, 2014
I'm giving it a four star because I'm wishing/craving ;) technique reminders too. Otherwise it's such a great review of the discourses offered in a ten day program. May all beings be happy!
June 30, 2018
Essential for a good life. No words good enough to describe
October 28, 2023
I found it very helpful to recap the teaching in the weeks after my first Vipassana retreat to strengthen my determination to keep on meditating every day.
Also something I couldn’t fully understand what was said through the speakers in the meditation hall, so reading the texts again deepened my understanding.
If you haven’t done a Vipassana course yet, I’m not sure if the book will be so helpful, maybe at least you will want to attend a course and read the book again afterwards.
May you be happy.
Also something I couldn’t fully understand what was said through the speakers in the meditation hall, so reading the texts again deepened my understanding.
If you haven’t done a Vipassana course yet, I’m not sure if the book will be so helpful, maybe at least you will want to attend a course and read the book again afterwards.
May you be happy.
March 22, 2020
"The Discourse Summaries" provides and overview of the teachings of the Buddha and the evening summaries of the 10 day Vipassana Meditation Retreat. The author emphasizes that these summaries should not be treated as a do it yourself manual for learning Vipassana or a substitute for the 10 Day Course but is an excellent explanation of the training process and offers an excellent follow up program for those wishing to continue the practice. I would highly recommend this book.
November 11, 2017
Read in advance of completing a Vipassana in the new year. Interesting, but will obviously make more sense in context
April 11, 2020
I will be re reading this often to remind myself the actions and attitude i need to take in daily life
May 5, 2020
Good stuff
November 28, 2021
The discourse that are played each night at the end of the ten days of Vipassana meditation are presented in this short book. A useful resource this for Vipassana meditators to refer back to.
October 26, 2022
succinct teachings meant for the absolute beginner. Clear, great metaphors, highly inspiring towards action. Wish it went a bit deeper, but those are for other books
February 24, 2023
Useful short summaries of each of the ten day course discourses to reference. They don't include a lot of his amusing stories and anecdotes, just the concepts covered
October 24, 2023
The single best summary and explanation of Buddhism and the power of meditation that I have ever read
November 27, 2023
overview of the discourses.
July 25, 2024
Got this book after attending a Vipassana course. It’s an easy and quick read. Helpful in that it reminds me of what was shared in the course and more.
September 15, 2021
Very helpful to remind yourself of the vipassana days after the course.
February 26, 2018
Strongly recommended
Attend the 10 day course. It’s a great investment of time. Then, read the book to review what you learnt.
Attend the 10 day course. It’s a great investment of time. Then, read the book to review what you learnt.
November 5, 2015
Purchased it from the vipassana center. new book is just 90 pages in which the summary is of just 62 pages rest being the pali passages quoted in the discourses.
Read it after a year and a half of doing the first 10 day course and almost no meditation in between and once again realised how important it is to review the process and most importantly to start practicing. Helped me reconnect with vipassana and once again give it a fresh start with the simple procedure of observing my breath.
No point going for another 10 day course unless one has overcome the challenge to practice bit by bit regularly everyday in their busy lives.
Read it after a year and a half of doing the first 10 day course and almost no meditation in between and once again realised how important it is to review the process and most importantly to start practicing. Helped me reconnect with vipassana and once again give it a fresh start with the simple procedure of observing my breath.
No point going for another 10 day course unless one has overcome the challenge to practice bit by bit regularly everyday in their busy lives.
January 19, 2016
I wish it also had stories from 10 days discourse.
March 18, 2025
Exactly what it says - the 11 Goenka discourses from the 10-day vipassana course. Worth re-reading often after attending the course to be reminded of all the things one has forgotten.
January 3, 2016
An essential read for anyone interested in Vipassana meditation. Also look up his 10-day retreat discourses on youtube.
February 1, 2016
Missing some of Goenkaji's funny stories but otherwise very good summary of key points in the 11 day discourse.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews