Both courses are excellent, and we are very happy to recommend Vipassana courses (please keep in mind that the following points only apply to Vipassana courses as taught by Goenka, not other forms of Vipassana courses, for example like those you can find in Thailand). The Tushita ‘Introduction to Buddhism’ course and Goenka Vipassana courses are both residential, 10 days in duration, held in silence, and are open to anyone of any religion. However, they are very different from each other in other regards and each may be more suitable to different people at different times. Here are some points to consider:

Emphasis: On the Vipassana course you can expect to learn a meditation technique and have the opportunity to practice it over 10 days of strict silence. Apart from a 90 minute video each evening, there is almost no teaching of the philosophy involved, while the emphasis of Tushita's course is on explaining Buddhist philosophy, using a few different meditation techniques to help you to absorb and apply this knowledge to your own experiences.

Schedule: Students will find the Tushita schedule lighter than a Vipassana course. In a Vipassana centre, the wake-up time is 4am, and sessions of sitting meditation run pretty much continuously throughout the day from 4:30am up to around 9pm (see their website for the exact schedule). This means that you are sitting for approximately 12 hours a day. At Tushita, the wake-up time is 6am, sessions run from 6:45 to around 9pm and there is a mixture of meditation, teaching, stretching (simple yoga), discussion groups, and a break after lunch for reading, resting or contemplation.

Silence: Vipassana courses are held in ‘Noble Silence’, which as well as not speaking, means avoiding eye contact, not writing and not reading anything other than Vipassana literature. Silence is also observed on Tushita courses, however, you need not avoid eye contact, and there is one discussion group session a day (except in the last 2 days of meditation retreat), where students are divided into groups of 6 - 10 people to discuss what they have learned in the previous day, resuming silence after the session. Also, since our courses involve a lot of information, we actually encourage people to take notes, and we have a well-stocked library from which you are welcome to read any Dharma material.

Availability: Goenka Vipassana centres follow the same schedule and use the same teaching videos in all of their centres all over the world. This continuity is a strength of the Vipassana system, but in this respect it makes no difference whether you take the course in India, your home country or anywhere in between. Although Tushita is part of a wider organisation, few places offer courses like Tushita’s and studying in this environment is a near-unique opportunity.

In short…! If you're looking for a deep meditation retreat, you may prefer Vipassana; if you're interested in gaining knowledge about Buddhist philosophy and using your time in India to learn a few techniques to increase balance and harmony in your life, then Tushita may be for you!