user5533: I have recently participated in a 10 days S.N. Goenka Vipassna course, which had incredible positive results. I feel like I shed 20 tons off my heart, and most importantly I am able to practice daily and to be aware of Sankaras before they 'stick'. My life has improved significantly in each and every aspect, and I was even able to bring positive awareness to the lives of my beloved ones. 
Naturally I want everyone to participate in a course immediately, especially people I am close to, and especially those who are in great suffering. But while trying to understand whether the course is safe for everyone or not, I've developed some doubt. Some experiences sound really unhealthy, like these:

The 10 Day (Goenka) Vipassana Retreat – A Warning
TERRIBLE and TRAUMATIC experience at Goenka retreat
Vipassana : Diary of a Bipolar episode following meditation
Mental breakdown triggered by Goenka retreat meditation

(TL;DR - People are describing long periods of suffering, depression and even a bipolar episode).
To be fair, it's not that easy to find many negative reports about the course, but seems like some people were significantly hurt, and the Vipassana course organizers / teachers weren't able to screen them beforehand or to guide them to the safe, healing zone of the technique.
Another issue is the big amount of people leaving the course in the middle. This doesn't necessarily indicate they had an overall bad experience, but surely for many people leaving in the middle comes with some negative effects. I assume going on a course at a bad time, and leaving in the middle, might cause the participant to lose the chance of acquiring the technique for life (which is, IMHO, quite terrible).
I have the option of remaining totally neutral towards whether a friend goes on a course or not, but I believe this is not necessarily the right, responsible approach. If I have the power to influence someone to acquire this amazing tool in a healthy manner, I think I also have the responsibility to do so. Similarly, if the course might be dangerous for someone, I must at least warn her / him. 
What approach should be taken while deciding whether to go on a course or not, or whether to encourage someone to go on a course?

user8157: I have recently participated in a 10 days S.N. Goenka Vipassna course, which had incredible positive results... My life has improved
significantly in each and every aspect, and I was even able to bring
positive awareness to the lives of my beloved ones.
Obviously, the retreat & practise was suitable for your individual disposition but this does not apply to everyone.

Naturally I want everyone to participate in a course immediately, especially people I am close to, and especially those who are in great
suffering.
This is wrong understanding because meditation does not benefit everyone. The Buddhist scriptures refer to those that benefit from Buddhism as relatively "few".


Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.

Dhammapada


If I have the power to influence someone to acquire this amazing tool in a healthy manner
My personal experience of Buddhism followed established Buddhist principles, namely, I myself was searching for something when I found Buddhism. Similarly, others are expected to take their own first steps when searching for solutions.
Buddhist principles do not support proselytization. The suttas state:

This is the best of gifts: the gift of Dhamma. And this is the best of friendly speech: to teach again and again Dhamma to those who wish
for it and who listen attentively.
AN 9.5


user8044: I can see that you are feeling a bit evangelical after the Goenka Retreat, and you have a great desire to tell others about it. What you are trying to give is a  “Dhamma Dana” is Pali for “The Gift of Dhamma.” It is the best gift you can give, this gift of Dhamma. So to your question:
What approach should be taken to encourage someone to go on a course? 
The short answer is…  there is a right time and a place for it, and you will have ‘to let go’ of this desire to tell others about it. When we feel enthusiastic we begin to impose our enthusiasms on other people. But when it come to this Ten Day Goenka Meditation, you may have to let go of your desire to influence others UNTIL the right time comes. Then it happens naturally rather than as an aggressive action. There is a level of readiness that comes in stages. There is the Pre-contemplation stage, then the Contemplation stage. Then in the Preparation stage, one has to read about Goenka and the Program & get to know of it beforehand. Then only would come the Action – “The time is Now” moment. 

user10762: I don't think they are safe for anyone. It's a very ascetic style of retreat and in my opinion not healthy for body or mind. I know someone who was dragged from the room kicking and screaming. Its not good for the lay person to sit there for ten hours at a time. The body does not cope. Combine that with sleep deprivation because of crowded dorm style accommodation and also having to listen to the grating voice of goenka ad nauseam on the videos they use. It's enough to drive anyone over the edge. There are many more much gentler, less strict forms of meditation and retreats so I'm unsure why anyone would put themselves through that torture. Doesn't seem very kind or compassionate to me.   You could suggest to your friend to look into doing an insight retreat in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw. The sitting is combined with walking. It's much better and they have actual teachers guiding and not just a video like at Goenka so you can communicate and ask questions about your practice. I love them.

user10505: I would suggest that you trust yourself to make that decision for each individual you are contemplating the recommendation.
You have personally taken the course so you have firsthand knowledge of its contents and rigors. The people you are going to be talking with are 'close' by your description so you already know a lot about who they are and should understand (or be able to learn through discussion) approximately where each one is on their personal journey on the path toward Enlightenment - and what help they might need.
With those pieces of knowledge, and the additional understanding of the issues others have had with the course (references you provided in your question), you are in a good position to analyze the issues for each and make that decision.
For those you decide to approach, I would make sure to spend the time informing them not only about the benefits you obtained but also some about the potential negatives that others have had. In this way, they will have all of the information they will need to look within themselves and decide if this is right for them.
In my opinion, withholding knowledge of training which you feel could help another would be as bad as blithely recommending it without providing the understanding of the possible difficulties they might encounter.
Through using your judgement and taking the middle path, I believe you will have done your best to assist all of them on their journey.

user295: All these episodes are you past Karma or Fabrications in many cases. Sometimes meditation might coincide with the time they were supposed to manifest themselves. With 100k+ or more people doing a retreat every year in 200+ centres there can be such cases. So there is always a chance some independent events happening and someone inferring a correlation between the two.
Some time it might be the meditation which triggers the past Karma or fabrication coming up.
Let me change the argument for a little. Say you went to a beautiful park. You enjoyed it. You want a friend to enjoy the scene and tranquility. Now you learn that someone visiting the park was knocked down on the way. Should this stop you from recommending the part to someone else. Also investigating more you read someone playing with fireworks at the park was hurt. Should you be more worried. They are either coincidental, or negligence, in many cases.
When you do recommend the course of course you should warn the friend that this involved working at a deep level of the mind and you should be cautious. You should stick to the instructions meticulously. Think ong it as you are operating on yourself. If you are doing this you have to be careful.
Key point to remember is:

whatever experience, be equanimous knowing it's impermanence, if you are not, then you are creating unwholesome roots which can have undesirable results
whatever the experience, do not try to give more meaning to it that what is experienced, since your mind has Vipallasa (see: Vipallasa Sutta), it will most likely give a wrong identification and / or wrong view
when you go do not go with expectations, as this will result in disappointment and disturb the balance of your mind. Excessive craving for results. My headache is still not gone after meditation for x days.

If you look at the instruction, something can go wrong if the instructions create unwholesome states. Being equanimous and seeing impermanence you abandon unwholesome states. (See: Pahāna Sutta for further information.) Also you do not use any visualisation, verbalisation, imagination which abandones verbal fabrications which are not in touch with the ultimate reality hence unwholesome (there will be at least dilution present). Also abandoning verbal fabrications reinforces concentration as your mind becomes less scattered. Also you practice Samadhi which is mastery over the mind which is wholesome as well as morality which is wholesome. 

5533: <p>I have recently participated in a 10 days S.N. Goenka Vipassna course, which had incredible positive results. I feel like I shed 20 tons off my heart, and most importantly I am able to practice daily and to be aware of Sankaras before they 'stick'. My life has improved significantly in each and every aspect, and I was even able to bring positive awareness to the lives of my beloved ones. </p>

<p>Naturally I want <em>everyone</em> to participate in a course immediately, especially people I am close to, and especially those who are in great suffering. But while trying to understand whether the course is safe for everyone or not, I've developed some doubt. Some experiences sound really unhealthy, like these:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://morespiritualmatters.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/the-10-day-vipassana-retreat-a-warning/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The 10 Day (Goenka) Vipassana Retreat – A Warning</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vipassanaforum.net/forum/index.php?topic=672.0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">TERRIBLE and TRAUMATIC experience at Goenka retreat</a></li>
<li><a href="http://livingvipassana.blogspot.co.il/2010/02/bipolar-chronicles.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Vipassana : Diary of a Bipolar episode following meditation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vipassanaforum.net/forum/index.php?topic=3157.0;topicseen" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mental breakdown triggered by Goenka retreat meditation</a></li>
</ul>

<p>(TL;DR - People are describing long periods of suffering, depression and even a bipolar episode).</p>

<p>To be fair, it's not that easy to find many negative reports about the course, but seems like some people were significantly hurt, and the Vipassana course organizers / teachers weren't able to screen them beforehand or to guide them to the safe, healing zone of the technique.</p>

<p>Another issue is the big amount of people leaving the course in the middle. This doesn't necessarily indicate they had an overall bad experience, but surely for many people leaving in the middle comes with some negative effects. I assume going on a course at a bad time, and leaving in the middle, might cause the participant to lose the chance of acquiring the technique for life (which is, IMHO, quite terrible).</p>

<p>I have the option of remaining totally neutral towards whether a friend goes on a course or not, but I believe this is not necessarily the right, responsible approach. If I have the power to influence someone to acquire this amazing tool in a healthy manner, I think I also have the responsibility to do so. Similarly, if the course might be dangerous for someone, I must at least warn her / him. </p>

<p>What approach should be taken while deciding whether to go on a course or not, or whether to encourage someone to go on a course?</p>
 8157: <p><strong>I have recently participated in a 10 days S.N. Goenka Vipassna course, which had incredible positive results... My life has improved
significantly in each and every aspect, and I was even able to bring
positive awareness to the lives of my beloved ones.</strong></p>
<p>Obviously, the retreat &amp; practise was suitable for your individual disposition but this does not apply to everyone.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Naturally I want everyone to participate in a course immediately, especially people I am close to, and especially those who are in great
suffering.</strong></p>
<p>This is wrong understanding because meditation does not benefit everyone. The Buddhist scriptures refer to those that benefit from Buddhism as relatively &quot;few&quot;.</p>
<blockquote>
<ol start="174">
<li>Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.13.budd.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Dhammapada</em></a></p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p><strong>If I have the power to influence someone to acquire this amazing tool in a healthy manner</strong></p>
<p>My personal experience of Buddhism followed established Buddhist principles, namely, I myself was searching for something when I found Buddhism. Similarly, others are expected to take their own first steps when searching for solutions.</p>
<p>Buddhist principles do not support proselytization. The suttas state:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is the best of gifts: the gift of Dhamma. And this is the best of friendly speech: to teach again and again Dhamma <strong>to those who wish
for it</strong> and who listen attentively.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel238.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>AN 9.5</em></a></p>
</blockquote>
 8044: <p>I can see that you are feeling a bit evangelical after the Goenka Retreat, and you have a great desire to tell others about it. What you are trying to give is a  “Dhamma Dana” is Pali for “The Gift of Dhamma.” It is the best gift you can give, this gift of Dhamma. So to your question:<br>
 <strong>What approach should be taken to encourage someone to go on a course?</strong>     </p>

<p>The short answer is…  there is a right time and a place for it, and you will have ‘to let go’ of this desire to tell others about it. When we feel enthusiastic we begin to impose our enthusiasms on other people. But when it come to this Ten Day Goenka Meditation, you may have to let go of your desire to influence others UNTIL the right time comes. Then it happens naturally rather than as an aggressive action. There is a level of readiness that comes in stages. There is the Pre-contemplation stage, then the Contemplation stage. Then in the Preparation stage, one has to read about Goenka and the Program &amp; get to know of it beforehand. Then only would come the Action – “The time is Now” moment. </p>
 10762: <p>I don't think they are safe for anyone. It's a very ascetic style of retreat and in my opinion not healthy for body or mind. I know someone who was dragged from the room kicking and screaming. Its not good for the lay person to sit there for ten hours at a time. The body does not cope. Combine that with sleep deprivation because of crowded dorm style accommodation and also having to listen to the grating voice of goenka ad nauseam on the videos they use. It's enough to drive anyone over the edge. There are many more much gentler, less strict forms of meditation and retreats so I'm unsure why anyone would put themselves through that torture. Doesn't seem very kind or compassionate to me.   You could suggest to your friend to look into doing an insight retreat in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw. The sitting is combined with walking. It's much better and they have actual teachers guiding and not just a video like at Goenka so you can communicate and ask questions about your practice. I love them.</p>
 10505: <p>I would suggest that you trust yourself to make that decision for each individual you are contemplating the recommendation.</p>

<p>You have personally taken the course so you have firsthand knowledge of its contents and rigors. The people you are going to be talking with are 'close' by your description so you already know a lot about who they are and should understand (or be able to learn through discussion) approximately where each one is on their personal journey on the path toward Enlightenment - and what help they might need.</p>

<p>With those pieces of knowledge, and the additional understanding of the issues others have had with the course (references you provided in your question), you are in a good position to analyze the issues for each and make that decision.</p>

<p>For those you decide to approach, I would make sure to spend the time informing them not only about the benefits you obtained but also some about the potential negatives that others have had. In this way, they will have all of the information they will need to look within themselves and decide if this is right for them.</p>

<p>In my opinion, withholding knowledge of training which you feel could help another would be as bad as blithely recommending it without providing the understanding of the possible difficulties they might encounter.</p>

<p>Through using your judgement and taking the middle path, I believe you will have done your best to assist all of them on their journey.</p>
 295: <p>All these episodes are you past Karma or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%85kh%C4%81ra" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fabrications</a> in many cases. Sometimes meditation might coincide with the time they were supposed to manifest themselves. With 100k+ or more people doing a retreat every year in 200+ centres there can be such cases. So there is always a chance some independent events happening and someone inferring a correlation between the two.</p>

<p>Some time it might be the meditation which triggers the past Karma or fabrication coming up.</p>

<p>Let me change the argument for a little. Say you went to a beautiful park. You enjoyed it. You want a friend to enjoy the scene and tranquility. Now you learn that someone visiting the park was knocked down on the way. Should this stop you from recommending the part to someone else. Also investigating more you read someone playing with fireworks at the park was hurt. Should you be more worried. They are either coincidental, or negligence, in many cases.</p>

<p>When you do recommend the course of course you should warn the friend that this involved working at a deep level of the mind and you should be cautious. You should stick to the instructions meticulously. Think ong it as you are operating on yourself. If you are doing this you have to be careful.</p>

<p>Key point to remember is:</p>

<ul>
<li>whatever experience, be equanimous knowing it's impermanence, if you are not, then you are creating unwholesome roots which can have undesirable results</li>
<li>whatever the experience, do not try to give more meaning to it that what is experienced, since your mind has Vipallasa (see: <a href="http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/16.11-Vipallasa-S-a4.49-piya.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Vipallasa Sutta</a>), it will most likely give a wrong identification and / or wrong view</li>
<li>when you go do not go with expectations, as this will result in disappointment and disturb the balance of your mind. Excessive craving for results. My headache is still not gone after meditation for x days.</li>
</ul>

<p>If you look at the instruction, something can go wrong if the instructions create unwholesome states. Being equanimous and seeing impermanence you abandon unwholesome states. (See: <a href="http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/31.1-Pahana-S-s36.3-piya.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Pahāna Sutta</a> for further information.) Also you do not use any visualisation, verbalisation, imagination which abandones verbal fabrications which are not in touch with the ultimate reality hence unwholesome (there will be at least dilution present). Also abandoning verbal fabrications reinforces concentration as your mind becomes less scattered. Also you practice Samadhi which is mastery over the mind which is wholesome as well as morality which is wholesome. </p>
