Vipassana in CA

Hi guys,

I have an active interest in meditation and during an upcoming extended break from work I am hoping to undertake a 10 day Vipassana course. Does anyone have any recommendations to make with regards to where to do this course? Ideally I would like to undertake the 10 days in Southern Mexico or Central America, but early research suggests courses in this region are fairly irregular. I am flexible in my travel plans, and taking some time out to visit somewhere like India, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc with the specific purpose of attending a course would not be an issue.

In terms of what I am looking for, quality of the teaching and guidance would be my primary concern, although recommendations based on other factors such as quality of the centre/location are also very welcome. Additionally, I only speak English so courses in other languages would not work for me unfortunately.

I would greatly appreciate any input anyone experienced with Vipassana may have! Please note, I have also posted this in the spiritual traveller forum.

I've read good things about this organization:

http://www.dhamma.org

They have courses all over the world. You'll need to verify that the course is in English as some are, some aren't and some are in multiple languages.

Overall I don't think you'll find much in CA as the locals really aren't into meditation. Costa Rica might be the one option. Lots of yoga retreats take place there so there might be some Vipassana too.

This strikes me as akin to going to Vietnam for a tour of Mexican restaurants.

Costa Rica will be your best bet for an English-only Vipassana retreat. I'd guess Guanacaste would be the most likely spot to offer this, as it does have some more unconventional tourist attractions and retreats. I'd imagine anything you find will cost you a small fortune. I've seen retreats like this advertised in Mexico, but they cater to middle- and upper-class Mexicans, and are likely in Spanish only.

Thanks for the input guys. Dhamma link looks good EMH, seems to be a likely source for finding a course somewhere.

Felix - I knew CA would be a stretch, but thought it worth asking as I know Vipassana to be increasingly global in nature (as EMH's links shows). Will check out Guanacast as you suggest, but think I will stay away from courses that cost a lot as my understanding was that Vipassana is free and relies on donations and the time of volunteers who have previously benefited from the courses themselves!

Anyway, should I not find anything suitable in CA I'm quite happy to head off to Asia or to a course nearer home in Europe, but just thought I'd investigate CA as an option as I'll be there for a fairly extended period of time in the near future.

Thanks again.