That's the marketing line: try and see. And that's the only reason I even went, as my woo-meter was off the chart. Except Goenka explicitly states the end goal, then goes on with a parable about how, if you don't accept it, you're like an ignorant child and will come around to his way of thinking. It 100% is about reincarnation; he makes this totally clear in his talk on day 3 (or thereabouts).
What really put me over the edge though was his chanting. "For good vibrations". What made me think it was cult like was the number of people repeating things in dead languages.
Additionally, he'd use manipulative techniques while speaking. Even though he was capable of speaking clearly, he'd intentionally lay on the accent, draw words out, repeat words over and over. This was laid even more clear I took a course in two languages. The translated version was quick and succinct.
Like you say, he denies this. At one point he says a sentence like "we have no dogma, nothing to believe, just the universal truth" - with no trace of irony.
Overall, between the woo and flat-out falsehoods, I found it very disingenuous. It certainly doesn't do meditation as a whole any benefit, just reinforces stereotypes. Which is a shame because some of the locations are superb, and the volunteers were extremely nice people.
