Offering one's availability to host group sessions of Vipassana meditation is an important Dhamma service.

In the eyes of others, those who take on this task become a representative of the teaching and may, at times, be approached not only for information, but also for advice.

Therefore, these guidelines have been prepared to ensure that S.N. Goenka's teaching is properly represented and that group sessions are beneficial to the participants.

Those who intend to host group sessions must be serious students who have been practicing the Vipassana meditation technique as taught by S.N. Goenka for some time; they must maintain daily practice and observe the five precepts, without being involved in any activity that conflicts with them.

The premises where the sessions will be held must have certain basic requirements:

no alcoholic beverages or other intoxicants (e.g.drugs) must be kept there;
Only the Vipassana technique as taught by S.N. Goenka should be practiced;
there must be no objects that can distract attention (e.g. religious images);
In the room where the group sessions are held there should never be any sexual activity.
Participants should sit as in a Vipassana class: men and women separated, and all facing the same wall of the room.

A tape of S.N. Goenka's "chanting" and meditation instructions may be played; otherwise students should remain seated in silence; the session generally lasts one hour and concludes with five minutes of metta -bhavana .

If assistants are present, they should be invited to lead the session, sit higher than the students, and face them.