The role of silence in the production of social order in meditation (on the example of vipassana)
RUDN Journal of Sociology June 30, 2023 A. K. Spirkina
Silence is the most important component of vipassana meditation as taught in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. Although meditative silence might seem to prevent social interaction, vipassana courses are a collective practice. After courses end, participants' desire to meet and meditate together shows a need not for solitary silence but for a group that produces a special collective silence. The author examines silent co-presence in a meditation center as a unique interactive situation and a social feature of the practice, showing how subjective success depends on technical and spatial conditions. Based on participant observation, the author describes key mechanisms of sociality during forced silence—from collective meditation to silent organization of joint activities. By partially reproducing silence and support at home, meditators integrate practice into daily life.