This winter break I volunteered at the Southern California Vipassana Center in Joshua Tree near LA. On being free: I've done a couple of 10-day meditation retreats in the past through the Vipassana Organization and the neat thing is that it is completely free. Not even that it's a non-profit, but actually free . You don't pay for your room, the facilities, the food, heat, water, the volunteer's labor, the teachers' labor, anything . The entire organization is run purely on donations and volunteering. And on top of that, only accepts donations from people who have completed a 10-day retreat. There's no giant wealthy philanthropist, no big government institution that supporting the Vipassana Organization. Every cent is donated by people who truly want to help and support others in their meditation. If you're wondering why people are so dedicated to this, I would honestly suggest taking a 10-day course yourself. It truly is something best learned abo...
