tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89861881641943831802024-03-17T10:21:30.018+05:30Global Vipassana PagodaGlobal Vipassana Pagoda - A Dhamma Monument of Infinite Gratitude, Inner PeaceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-81566039104484098332023-10-20T15:13:00.037+05:302023-12-25T15:32:44.309+05:30The Mind Book - Dhamma Giri to the Himalayas: A Vipassana Journey<p style="text-align: center;"><i> (scheduled to be auto-posted in October, 2023)</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNk2-i5glGVSlTE6BNdZqvfQt1KLW9kqO847Y99Ufu7BvbASUX2el0xZ64ZDJPC6LNcfuL98r8GDePWSlCQbnkMtofPkoXV6ItPvWmE1sYUcuNoDKhnfElrS9RbSUg0eUN8nokRjiECFMO9jG8xh6rhDJvfBgb-U27lwow0KXq2jOsp7NMRp9Z5RJmVQ/s600/20231215063103mind_book_cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNk2-i5glGVSlTE6BNdZqvfQt1KLW9kqO847Y99Ufu7BvbASUX2el0xZ64ZDJPC6LNcfuL98r8GDePWSlCQbnkMtofPkoXV6ItPvWmE1sYUcuNoDKhnfElrS9RbSUg0eUN8nokRjiECFMO9jG8xh6rhDJvfBgb-U27lwow0KXq2jOsp7NMRp9Z5RJmVQ/w266-h400/20231215063103mind_book_cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hmPnx2M5svyf67kF7mjY6Lv8xIV6JP9q/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hmPnx2M5svyf67kF7mjY6Lv8xIV6JP9q/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">The Mind Book</a></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">- a Vipassana book for humanity, to serve all beings.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: medium;">he Mind Book</span></i> </b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">was first published in year 2023 as an e-book through Project Gutenberg (Book ID WPLBN0100750033). Available for free from the </span><a href="http://worldlibrary.org/eBooks/WPLBN0100304820-THE-MIND-BOOK--DHAMMA-GIRI-TO-THE-HIMALAYAS-A-Vipassana-Journey-by-Putra-Himalaya.aspx?" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;" target="_blank"><b>World Library's Cloud Network</b></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> , the </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mind Book</i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> became simultaneously listed in thousands of affiliated local public libraries and college libraries around the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The printed book version sales proceeds are fully donated to the Corpus Fund of the Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>The corrected, updated version</b> of<b> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hmPnx2M5svyf67kF7mjY6Lv8xIV6JP9q/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><i>The Mind Book</i>,</a></b> available free for all, from link below:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hmPnx2M5svyf67kF7mjY6Lv8xIV6JP9q/view?usp=sharing" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><b>The Mind Book - Dhamma Giri to the Himalayas: a Vipassana Journey</b></a></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hmPnx2M5svyf67kF7mjY6Lv8xIV6JP9q/view" target="_blank">Contents:</a></b></i></span></h3><h6 style="margin-top: 4.35pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Prologue</span></h6><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 13.0pt; margin: 13pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 113.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>1 </b><b><i>This<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> </span>Moment...<span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i>Pg<span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt;"> </span>12<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.55pt; margin: 12.55pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 109.9pt dotted 235.95pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>2 </b><b><i>The<span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"> </span>Master<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>Key..... </i></b><b><i>Pg<span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;"> </span>26<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.8pt; margin: 12.8pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 113.3pt dotted 189.65pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>3 </b><b><i>Medium..... </i></b><b><i>Pg<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>42<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.85pt; margin: 12.85pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 113.3pt dotted 182.45pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>4 </b><b><i>Movie....... </i></b><b><i>Pg 66<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.8pt; margin: 12.8pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 113.75pt dotted 286.85pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>5 </b><b><i>Mountains,<span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"> </span>Tapovan........ </i></b><b><i>Pg<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>79<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.8pt; margin: 12.8pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 113.3pt dotted 210.55pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>6 </b><b><i>Mind Age........ </i></b><b><i>Pg<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>92<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 11.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.8pt; margin: 12.8pt 0in 0in 11pt; tab-stops: 113.3pt dotted 200.65pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Chapter<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>7 </b><a name="Epilogue"></a><b><i>Mettā............ </i></b><b><i>Pg<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> </span>110<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p>
</p><h6 style="margin-top: 12.05pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Epilogue</span></h6><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><i>Historical Note:<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hmPnx2M5svyf67kF7mjY6Lv8xIV6JP9q/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> 'The Mind Book - Dhamma Giri to the Himalayas: a Vipassana Journey</a> </i>was made possible with the <i>Dhamma dana </i> from a senior Vipassana meditator who worked closely with the Principal Teacher Sayagyi U Goenka in the Global Vipassana Pagoda project. </span><span>Goenkaji in July, 2009 - in the last meeting with him in this life - had instructed the author to meet that senior meditator serving the Global Pagoda. Days later, they met once for a brief conversation in Nariman Point, Mumbai - during a Global Vipassana Foundation meeting of those serving in the Global Pagoda. </span><i>The Mind Book </i>has been<span> published now 14 years later as a result.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">May all beings benefit.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" target="_blank"><i>May all beings be liberated</i></a></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-64766331045996013022022-04-21T16:57:00.026+05:302022-04-29T17:17:35.841+05:30Sampajañña – the fearless path to freedom<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" height="105" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" width="70" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">(Adapted from an article written in the Himalayas and <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2022/04/sampajanna-fearless-path-to-freedom/" target="_blank">published in Asia Times</a>, Hong Kong)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><sub><o:p> </o:p></sub></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>Beyond this shore<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>And the farther shore,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>Beyond the beyond,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>Where there is no beginning,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>No end.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>Without fear,
go. </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><i>– The Dhammapada: Sayings of the
Buddha (Thomas Byrom translation)</i> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span></b>or a Vipassana meditator to say “<i>Dhammaṃ Saranaṃ Gacchāmi</i>” (I surrender to Dhamma) and then be worried, fearful about the future becomes a contradiction. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">No fears, worries, anxieties for the meditator correctly, ardently practicing <a href="http://www.dhamma.org" target="_blank">Vipassana</a>. Dhamma (law of cause and effect) takes care.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Anxiety and fear can arise when the mind wanders to past and future. “Living in the present moment is to live without fear,” the Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka said <a href="http://www.events.dhamma.org/en/2002/tour-report/July-29-Aug-15.htm#_Toc18304925" target="_blank">in Belgium</a> in 2002.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">To live in the present moment at the deepest level of the mind is being with <i>Sampajañña</i>. It means objectively observing arising, passing bodily sensations, from moment to moment.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i>Sampajañña</i> is the most important word in the human vocabulary. Why? <i>Sampajañña</i> leads to freedom beyond fear and suffering. It purifies the mind from demons of impurities hiding in its dark dungeons. <i>Sampajañña </i>is the path to true happiness, to liberation from all suffering.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i>Sampajañña </i>is the highest exercise for the mind. We take care of the body, giving it food, exercise, bath. But the mind? And the mind too gathers dirt, gets hurt, or causes hurt.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Dangerous habit patterns of the mind hurt us and cause hurt. These habit patterns are called <i><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/1663" target="_blank">saṅkhāras</a></i>, the deep-rooted conditioning of the mind. <i>Saṅkhāras</i> get deepened when we blindly react the same way to similar situations. We get trapped in suffering.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Like a blackmailer within, <i>saṅkhāras</i> of craving demand gratification. The inner blackmailer’s threats are unpleasant sensations. So we surrender again. The blackmailer gets greedier. Never surrender to a blackmailer. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Or just as driving a car with faulty steering, the meditator loses control of the mind. And the careless meditator repeatedly does what should not be done – despite knowing it should not be done.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Sampajañña and sensations<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The aim of <i>Sampajañña </i>or Vipassana practice is to eradicate <i>saṅkhāras</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">At the World Summit on the Buddha’s Teachings in Yangon, Myanmar, in December 2004, Sayagyi U Goenka said:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“In Vipassana practice, we move from <i>olāriko</i> (gross) to <i>sukhumā</i> (subtle) realities at the level of sensations … to the subtlest reality beyond mind and matter. Therefore we start with <i>paññatti</i>, the apparent truth of mind and matter, which is gross, solidified truth. Then the meditator analyses, divides, dissects it at the experiential level based on the wisdom of impermanence.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“The meditator goes beyond the apparent truth of mind (<i>citta</i> and <i>cetasika</i>) and matter and reaches the ultimate truth of mind and matter. This is the ultimate truth of <i>nibbāna</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“Sensation (<i>vedanā</i>) has a very important role in the Buddha’s teaching,” he told a rapt, house-full audience. “The Buddha made a ground-breaking observation: whatever arises in the mind is accompanied by sensations in the body – <i>Vedanāsamosaraṇā sabbe dhammā</i>.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Then he mentioned the life-changing reality: “Every thought that arises in the mind is accompanied by a sensation in the body. Therefore, when working with sensations, we are working at the depth of mind.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Be very alert, the teacher Sayagyi U Goenka often instructed. Focus immediately on arising, passing bodily sensations (<i>sampajañña</i>) when disturbing thoughts arise. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The actual disturbance is not thoughts, but the unpleasant sensations arising with such thoughts. With equanimity to sensations, we come out of negative thoughts and emotions. We stop suffering.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Beyond delusions, illusions<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i>Sampajañña</i> is why I am in the Himalayas. I have to make all efforts to maintain <i>Sampajañña</i> every moment, without distractions.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My only purpose is to share with all beings <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/02/metta-bhavana-sharing-merits-from.html" target="_blank">merits thereby gained</a>. Those merits will help you leave the burning house.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Being with <i>Sampajañña</i> longer – without thoughts – takes the Vipassana practitioner beyond illusions, delusions.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“As you proceed from a narrow, partial view to a full understanding of truth, automatically illusions and confusions disappear,” said the Principal Teacher. “By remaining extroverted we see only one aspect of reality. Then partial truths mislead us. But through the practice of introspection, we awaken to the entire truth.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So how does the process of introspection awaken in us a comprehensive grasp of truth?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The teacher explained in the article “<i><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2485" target="_blank">Sampajañña:The Fullness of Understanding</a>"</i>:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“To understand this we must recall that every sensory phenomenon – whether a person, a thing, or an event – exists for us only when it comes into contact with our sense organs. Without this contact, the sensory object in fact is nothing to us.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“<i>If we remain extroverted, we attach importance to external objects</i>. By this we ignore the essential internal base of their existence for us, because we never examine the reality within. Thus deluded by a partial truth, we are led into folly.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i>Sampajañña</i> leads to the truth beyond misleading partial truths. This single word summarizes the practical teaching of the Buddha.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">His entire teaching was published in 146 volumes in a historic Vipassana Research Institute project. Those volumes with 7,448,248 words condenses to one word: <i>sampajañña</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i>Sampajañña</i> is like a rope to climb a difficult Himalayan peak. The climber loses his grip on the rope, he slips down. He grips the rope again. Fierce storms of cravings lash him. But he fights to hold on. Falling rocks rain on him. And he struggles, falls down the abyss. Yet he never gives up. He remembers the Most Compassionate Teacher saying: “Start again.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">He rises from the pain and climbs again. Moment by careful moment he reaches the peak of the tallest mountain. And he shares the way.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Universal laws applicable within<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/p/an-unique-article-by-sayagyi-u-goenka.html" target="_blank">The Buddha did not teach “Buddhism”</a> – the sectarian word that keeps many away from experiencing the benefits of a universal, self-dependent path. This misconception also has most of the scientific world ignore the intricate depth of his teaching.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka wrote in Glimpses of the Buddha’s Life: “2,600 years ago, this super-scientist of the spiritual world realized the truths of nature. He did so without the aid of modern scientific devices, and solely by means of his mental power.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“He found that there is no solidity in our apparently gross body and in the entire material world. This solidity is only the apparent truth, the manifest truth. It appears to be so.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“The ultimate truth is that everything in the material world is made up of innumerable tiny little subatomic particles. They cannot be seen with the naked eye. He termed them <i>kalāpas</i>. Even this <i>kalāpa</i> is not permanent, not solid. Every moment it undergoes combustion-oscillation.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I have no doubt that <i>kalāpas</i> are the “God Particles” that quantum physicists search for as their “Holy Grail” for the ultimate, indivisible building blocks of matter.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The ultimate building block of the mind the Buddha called as “mind moment.” In one mind moment, the Buddha said, <i>kalāpas</i> arise and pass away trillions of times. Such a rapidity of arising, passing away of sub-atomic particles gives an illusion of solidity to the world.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Mother Nature’s laws are universal. The same law of continual impermanence applies to stars, galaxies, and this “I.” Likewise this mind-body structure too is made of continuously changing, combusting, vibrating subatomic <i>kalāpas</i> arising and passing away.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In subatomic quantum reality, we experience a death every micro-moment. It’s a deeper reality of suffering hidden by ignorance of the reality within.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Hard work to change habit-patterns<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Only the piercing, penetrating work of <i>sampajañña</i> with <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2010/02/strong-determination-adhitthana-parami.html" target="_blank">strong determination</a> can crack the inner walls of ignorance. Then we free ourselves from addictive habit patterns.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">But words, <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/A-store-house-of-answers-by-Shri-S-N-Goenka" target="_blank">questions and answers</a> have limited effect. They give short-term solace.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">How much have inspiring words actually changed our life? So we need the actual practice. Mere words are like unused medicine in the forgotten cupboards of the mind.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Only very hard, correct work – beyond pain barriers – can change deep-rooted habit patterns of the mind.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“Be brave, be strong,” the Teacher said in the 30-day Vipassana course. “Fight out your battles. Be victorious.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Near my solitary Himalayan forest tent I saw a flock of parrots that reminded me of my favorite story. I last <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2430" target="_blank">heard it</a> in Dhamma Tapovan-2 during a 60-day Vipassana course that started in December 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">A parrot repeats the warning from a hermit: “O parrot, be careful. The hunter will come. He will throw sweet grains. You will be attracted to the grains. He will cast the net. You will be caught.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">But the parrot falls into the hunter’s trap. And it repeats the words while being carried away in his net, “O parrot, be careful. The hunter will come …”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Be careful.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Those leaving the world to serve the world need to be more careful. The hunter has cunning tricks. His lethal snare is the delusion: “I will enjoy the sensual sweet grains without getting trapped.” </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Being with <i>Sampajañña</i> protects the Vipassana meditator from the hunter’s tempting lures and net.</p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2460302043838247285" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 570px;"><div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/research/The-Practice-of-Mett%C4%81-Bh%C4%81van%C4%81-in-Vipassana-Meditation" style="color: #cc6611; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">May all be happy, peaceful, liberated</a></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* <a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" style="color: #cc5c00; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Online application for Vipassana courses</span></a></span></span></b></div></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5c00; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></span></b></div></div></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.6px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-24603020438382472852021-04-09T12:59:00.008+05:302021-09-18T17:16:24.773+05:30Be the Light of Dhamma<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>From the Closing Address of the Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka, Dhamma Service annual meeting, Dhamma Giri, 21 January 1994</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">“<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span></b>hatever Dhamma work we have accomplished so far is like a few drops in a vast ocean. A healthy beginning made, but much work remains.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So much suffering in the world... People want to come out of suffering, but don't know how. If Vipassana is offered to them, they will accept it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The path of Dhamma - <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2448" target="_blank">sīla</a>, <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2011" target="_blank">samādhi</a> and <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2381" target="_blank">paññā</a> - is complete, pure. <i>Nothing should be added to it. Nothing should be taken out. The totality and purity of Vipassana should be maintained, and passed on.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Give - without expecting anything in return. It is a one-way traffic. Keep giving, for the good of many, with a mind full of compassion.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There may be worldly happiness, but it is not the aim of Vipassana. The whole aim is the ultimate happiness: liberation from all suffering. <i>nibbānaṃ paramaṃ sukhaṃ</i>. Then the entire exercise will become purposeful, meaningful. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You are messengers of Dhamma.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6HAbLtt4YcA/YG_-Z0zeqgI/AAAAAAAABDc/BeHHFEjZ3qooX0DPd87v6ACNGgZ_H-nswCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dhamma%2BPattana.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="640" height="245" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6HAbLtt4YcA/YG_-Z0zeqgI/AAAAAAAABDc/BeHHFEjZ3qooX0DPd87v6ACNGgZ_H-nswCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h245/Dhamma%2BPattana.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India. </span></i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photo courtesy: Vipassana Newsletter, International Edition</span></i></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Throw light on the pure way of life - not merely as words, but by living the Dhamma. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Live that very life.</i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let all see: they who talk of Dhamma also live the Dhamma life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Only when they see living examples of Vipassana will they be attracted to Vipassana.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Throw light on yourself. Your behavior throws light not only on you, but also on Vipassana. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let people see the life you are living.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Everything must be open, nothing to be hidden.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is the way to share Vipassana - not to increase a following, but for more people to benefit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Theory inspires, encourages and guides, but the actual benefits are from <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2012/07/absolute-necessity-urgency-of-daily.html" target="_blank">practicing Vipassana daily</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Live the Dhamma life not only for your benefit, but also to benefit others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Live a happy life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Help more people live a happy life.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ. </span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/research/The-Practice-of-Mettā-Bhāvanā-in-Vipassana-Meditation" target="_blank">May all be happy, peaceful, liberated</a>.”</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* <a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" style="color: #cc5c00; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Online application for Vipassana courses</span></a></span></span></b></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5c00; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></span></b></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-12805347341899382372020-10-26T14:08:00.011+05:302021-01-16T11:37:39.727+05:30The sweetness of Dhamma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div><br /><p><b><i>by Sayagyi U Goenka </i></b></p><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>Vivādaṃ bhayato disvā,</i></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>avivādaṃ ca khemato.</i></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>Samaggā sakhilā hotha,</i></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>esā buddhānusāsanī.</i></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><i>- Khuddaka-nikāya, Apadāna 1.79</i></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p>Seeing danger in dispute,</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Security in concord,</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Dwell together in amity,</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">This is the teaching of the
Buddhas.</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>n Dhamma service, sweetness is important. If there is Dhamma, there is bound to be sweetness. This is the yardstick: sweetness must come in life. You exchange your views and experiences, but if you are attached to your views and argue that whatever you say is correct, you will lose all the sweetness.</p><p>The Enlightened One’s words should keep ringing in your ears: be like milk and water mixed together, inseparable, full of sweetness. The whole Vipassana field must always be full of sweetness.</p><p>By mistake you might use certain harsh words to justify your view. If you know that you have hurt somebody but think, "What else could I do? I was correct and that fellow couldn’t understand it," then your thoughts are still full of aversion. Don’t try to justify your mistakes, accept them: "I made a mistake, either from ignorance or my weakness which allowed anti-Dhamma forces to overpower me. I will be careful not to do this in future." Give the balm of mettā now.</p><p>How quickly do you realize your mistake and start generating mettā? How long do you work on mettā, and how deeply? That is the yardstick of your progress in Vipassana. Understand this and see that the atmosphere always remains full of Dhamma, full of sweetness.</p><p>By practising Vipassana one realizes: "Yes, it works! It has purified my mind, if only a little, and whatever impurities have gone, that much misery has gone. Oh, this is such a wonderful technique! Everyone, all around the world is miserable. May more and more people get this wonderful practice of Vipassana and come out of their misery!"</p><p>When you see others really enjoying happiness, peace and harmony, then sympathetic joy arises. Seeing others joyful makes you feel joyful, and this joy multiplies.</p><p>You smile seeing so many people smiling. You are serving others for this purpose, not to develop ego. There should be no status, no power, no position. You serve whether you have this or that responsibility. You are serving to make yourself happier and to make others happier. This is Dhamma.</p><p>Keep this in mind and work. Distribute this wonderful Dhamma for your good and for the good of so many suffering people around the world. </p><p>May pure Vipassana be shared worldwide. </p><p>May more people start practising Vipassana to enjoy real peace, harmony, happiness.</p><p><i>Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ.</i></p><p><i>May all beings be happy.</i></p><p><i>(From the Vipassana Research Institute newsletter article ‘The Sweetness of Dhamma’ by S.N. Goenka, Vol.10, 13 October 2000)</i></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> ***</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">" I am merely a medium. Dhamma is doing its own work."</span></b></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><i><span face="verdana, sans-serif">from the Vipassana Research Institute publication<b> '</b></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">For Benefit of Many', by S.N. Goenkaji</span></i></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">"A large number of suffering people have some unwholesome saṅkhāras accumulated in the past which have brought so much misery to them; but many also have some very good saṅkhāras, and the time has arisen now that the fruit of their wholesome saṅkhāra should come up as the Dhamma. Then who are you or I to give them Dhamma through Vipassana practice? They are receiving Vipassana meditation because of their good karmas of the past. We are just vehicles, that is all.</span><br /><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">I keep on telling the story of the puppy walking under the bullock cart. A bullock cart owner used to transport goods from one place to the other. This man had a small dog. When he traveled from one village to another, he trained the dog to walk under the bullock cart to avoid the sun’s heat. Wherever they traveled, the farmer sat on the bullock cart but the dog walked below in the shade of the cart. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">In time the small dog came to feel that he was carrying the entire burden of the cart,and he wondered why the farmer gave so much attention to the bullocks. He thought, 'I am carrying the burden of this cart! Wherever we travel, it is over my back. More importance should be given to me!' A mad puppy.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Actually, nobody is carrying the cart; the Dhamma is carrying the cart. Nobody should feel, "I am the most important person, it is only because of me that the Vipassana centre functions properly. It is only because of me that the teaching is given, that Dhamma spreads." </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">You have been given the opportunity to serve in one way or another, and this should not become a cause of inflating your ego.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><i><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span></i></span></span><span><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><i><span>Come out of this madness of the ego! Understand that you are simply a vehicle, a tool, and Dhamma is doing its job. If you had not been given this responsibility, somebody else would have taken it and the work would go on. Dhamma is bound to spread now; the clock of Vipassana has struck.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">Nobody who serves Dhamma should think like that puppy. You should feel, 'It is Dhamma that is working, and I have a wonderful shelter, I am in the shadow of Dhamma. Good!'</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">T</span>hose who are giving service should remember that Dhamma is not spreading </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">because of them, but because it is the time for Dhamma to spread<b>.</b> They are just </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">vehicles, and should feel so pleased to be a vehicle. Because of this they are gaining </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">wonderful pāramīs, wonderful paññā and developing their own meditation. This is not </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif">an ordinary gain.</span></span></div></div><div><br /></div><span face="verdana, sans-serif">May Dhamma grow. Keep on enjoying Dhamma by growing in Dhamma, under the shelter of Dhamma. May more and more suffering people round the world grow under the shelter of Dhamma, and come out of their misery through practice of Vipassana. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">May Vipassana be shared for the good of many, for the liberation of many. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><i>Don't give the smallest opening for anti-Dhamma forces to enter. And the biggest enemy, the worst weakness is one's own ego.</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">---</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><b>Sayagyi U Ba Khin:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15.4px;">“……This Vipassana centre (International Meditation Centre, Yangon) does not belong to me. U Ba Khin should not get conceited, saying this is U Ba Khin’s centre. I do not own it. It belongs to the Vipassana Association of the Accountant General’s Office. I will have to leave if they drive me out. See, how nice! I do not own it. I have to be re-elected each year. Only if they re-elect me will I be here. If they say that they have found someone better than me, and elect that person, it’s over for me. Or some members from the committee may not like me, they may say I talk too much and elect someone else. Then I would have to leave. I do not own the place.”</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15.4px;">------</span></div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif">May all in Vipassana service be protected from anti-Dhamma forces within, and be able to serve selflessly, in purity, for the benefit of many. </span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><span face="verdana, sans-serif">May there be no hindrances and disturbance caused by one's own ego and other impurities. </span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><span face="verdana, sans-serif">May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.</span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><span face="verdana, sans-serif">---</span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif">* <a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" style="color: #cc5c00; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Online application for Vipassana courses</span></a></span></b></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><b></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5c00; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2018/02/benefits-of-dana-with-right-volition.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #000099;">*</span></b><b><span style="color: #000099;"><b><span style="color: #cc5c00;">Boundless Benefits of Dana</span></b></span></b></a></span></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-7655278762938162562020-09-12T12:06:00.004+05:302020-09-12T13:52:40.353+05:30Experiencing the universe, within<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><b>by Sayagyi U Goenka</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>[from the article 'Vedanā Within This Very Body', Vipassana Research Institute newsletter, January 1993]</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he entire universe can be experienced within this fathom-long body. The truth of nature is within. Suffering is within. The cause of suffering is within. The way out of suffering is within. Happiness is within.<br />
<br />
This is why Vipassana meditators explore the entire mind-matter structure within, this continuously changing phenomenon called ‘I’.<br />
<br />
With Vipassana, we experience the subtler realities of this inner world of impermanence within. We gradually come out of ignorance, delusions.<br />
<br />
Suffering reduces. Real happiness increases. Impurities get eradicated. The chains of bondage weaken. The door to liberation opens.<br />
<br />
The doors of the six sense organs, including the mind, are within the body. These six sense doors come in contact with the world outside.<br />
<br />
The universe exists for us only when the sense doors come in contact with the world outside: a visible form in the eye, a sound in the ear, a fragrance in the nose, a taste in tongue, a touch on the body and a thought in the mind.<br />
<br />
A visible form, for example, exists for us only when it comes into contact with the eyes. Otherwise it has no existence for us. The entire universe is experienced through these six sense doors. As the Fully Enlightened Super-Scientist said, the entire universe is experienced within this fathom-long body.<br />
<br />
To explore the reality within this mind-body structure, the Vipassana meditator works objectively like a scientist.<br />
<br />
Set aside all prior beliefs, philosophies, imaginations, and dogmas. To realize the ultimate truth within, work only with the truth that you experience - not blindly accepting another's experience. Accept as truth only what you experience.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>How the mind works</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
When a sense door comes in contact with an external object, cognition arises. You experience how when eyes are in contact with a visible form, eye consciousness arises— cognition.<br />
<br />
You realize this contact produces a vibration - a sensation spreading throughout your body, like striking a bronze vessel at one spot causes the entire vessel to vibrate.<br />
<br />
After cognition, perception starts. A part of the mind gives evaluation: the visible form is seen as a male, female, beautiful, ugly.<br />
<br />
Sensations, a bio-chemical flow arising in the body, are influenced by this evaluation. If the part of the mind gives evaluation of the object as "good", the sensation is felt as pleasant. If evaluated as "bad", the sensation is unpleasant.<br />
<br />
Then the blind reaction. The mind reacts with craving to the pleasant sensations, aversion to unpleasant.<br />
<br />
Thus, the Vipassana meditator clearly understands from experience how the four parts of the mind work: consciousness, perception, sensation, and reaction.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Stopping the wheel of misery</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Craving multiplies the pleasant sensation, and the pleasant sensation intensifies craving. Aversion multiplies the unpleasant sensation, and unpleasant sensations reinforce aversion.<br />
<br />
The meditator working correctly experiences how this blind reaction to bodily sensations starts a vicious cycle which gathers momentum. This is the wheel of becoming, of misery.<br />
<br />
The same process follows with the other sense doors: ear, nose, taste in the tongue, a physical contact with the body, a thought in the mind.<br />
<br />
In this way the wheel of becoming continues rotating, gathering intensity with craving and aversion.<br />
<br />
The wheel of misery stops rotating with the Vipassana practice of awareness and equanimity to bodily sensations.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Not merely observe sensations, experience the arising, passing away</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Merely to feel sensations is not enough to purify the mind. Very necessary to experience the three characteristics of all phenomena: <i>anicca</i> (impermanence), <i>dukkha</i> (suffering), and <i>anatta </i>(substancelessness).<br />
<br />
Of these three, the Buddha gave all importance to<i> anicca</i> because the realisation of the other two easily follows when experiencing deeply the characteristic of impermanence.<br />
<br />
<i>Vipassana meditators should not merely objectively observe sensations, but make the effort to clearly experience the arising, passing nature of these sensations (anicca).</i><br />
<br />
Exploring the truth within in this correct way, all subtle truths of nature are realized.<br />
<br />
The meditator begins by experiencing gross, solidified, apparent truths. Piercing, penetrating these solidified realities at the level of bodily sensations, the meditator experiences subtler truths. From the grossest to subtler, you reach the stage of the subtlest, ultimate truth.<br />
<br />
Learn to observe with equanimity the truth of impermanence; experience the arising, passing bodily sensations. Be liberated from impurities, ignorance, delusions, suffering. Stop the wheel of becoming, of bondage, of misery. Attain real happiness.<br />
<br />
May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" style="color: #cc5c00;" target="_blank">Vipassana Centres worldwide</a></b><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-23496892260523981722020-08-12T13:06:00.002+05:302022-08-28T12:33:58.011+05:30Living life each moment, these difficult times<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>From an article in The Statesman newspaper, 12 August edition</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>hese difficult pandemic months may seem like days “dragging slowly” - a perception of time. Days pass neither slower nor faster. Time, life’s primary factor, needs better understanding for a better life.<br />
<br />
We know time’s value, it being “more precious than gold”. Our daily lives get defined by time, of deadlines and appointments to keep. We make plans for years. But what do we really know of time?<br />
<br />
Time is the mind this moment. Conventional science knows much about the physical organ called the brain, but knows little about the entity called the mind.<br />
<br />
A better quality of life depends on how well we use the mind, and how well we use time. Stress lessens when the mind is with reality of the present moment. No pining for the past, no anxieties of the future.<br />
<br />
The ancient practice of Vipassana trains the mind to be in the present moment – an extraordinary difficulty. My first 10-day Vipassana course in Dhamma Thali, Jaipur, was when I realized for the first time how much the mind wanders wildly to past or future - but rarely stays in reality of this present moment.<br />
<br />
"The ultimate truth is the truth of this moment, not of moments that have passed, nor of moments that are yet to come,” explained Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 – 2013). “The moments that have passed can only be remembered; the moments that are yet to come can only be imagined or desired. Only the present moment can be experienced, not past nor moments of the future.”<br />
<br />
All that is past and future is condensed in this present moment of time. What is the present moment?<br />
<br />
Our mundane world functions with the base unit of time as a second. The International System of Units defines the second as about 9 billion oscillations of the caesium atom. In a second, the caesium-133 atom arises and passes nine billion times. So much activity at the subatomic level within a second - of time understood externally through science.<br />
<br />
Life changes at deeper level with experiential understanding – of experiencing realities of nature within, through using one’s mind-body as laboratory.<br />
<br />
These inner scientists can be Himalayan ascetics and householder meditators achieving high levels of purity of the mind, where life becomes this moment.<br />
<br />
The fully enlightened super-scientist called the Buddha declared 2,500 years ago of all matter being made of indivisible subatomic particles called ‘kalapas’. Kalapas arise and pass trillions of times within a second, he said. Life is a sum-total of such moments, of this present moment.<br />
<br />
In Rangoon of 1951, Myanmar’s incorruptible Accountant General and Vipassana teacher Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899 – 1971) gave a lecture on the Buddha’s enlightened realizations to a study group of officials from the Special Technical and Economic Division of the U.S. Government.<br />
<br />
“By introspective meditation of the realities of nature within his own self, it came vividly to him that there is no substantiality, as there seems to be, in the human body,” U Ba Khin said, “and that it is the sum total of innumerable millions of kalapas (subatomic particles), each about 1/46,656th part of a particle of dust from the wheel of a chariot in summer”.<br />
<br />
Each kalapa is in a continuous state of change. The Buddha experienced the subtler reality that quantum physicists search in their hunt for the ‘god particle’ such as the Higgs boson.<br />
<br />
This ‘I’ to which we develop so much attachment is merely mind-matter phenomenon of subatomic particles arising and passing each moment. Being with this reality of impermanence decreases the ego – the biggest hindrance to meaningful success and peace of mind.<br />
<br />
Being with the present moment improves quality of work and life. A concentrated mind suffers no distractions from task at hand. That is why successful people get immersed in the moment. Top athletes excel in “the zone”, a bubble of impenetrable concentration focussed on the present moment.<br />
<br />
Far greater benefits are reaped in the supra mundane life, when being in the present moment becomes core of successful meditation practice. By being in the present moment, we master the mind instead of being its slave.<br />
<br />
Not that the past is erased from memory and the future disappears. We access the storage of past experiences and make plans for the future from a conscious decision to do so, not from wild wanderings of the mind like a driver losing control of the car.<br />
<br />
Mastery of the mind can be gained with practice of Anapana <a href="http://www.vridhamma.org/register" target="_blank">being taught online</a> these pandemic times. Anapana, the preparatory exercise for Vipassana, focuses on awareness of the natural respiration – the in-coming, outgoing breath, as it is, this moment. No artificial regulation of the breath as in pranayama.<br />
<br />
“We have to experience the ocean of infinite waves surging within, the river of inner sensations flowing within, countless vibrations within every atom of the body,” <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2020/03/samma-samadhi-be-master-of-your-mind.html" target="_blank">wrote Sayagyi U Goenka</a>. “We have to witness our continuously changing nature - all happening at an extremely subtle level. To reach this state, we have to start observing the flow of respiration.”<br />
<br />
Being in the present moment strengthens the mind. Stronger mind leads to better life. A strong, concentrated mind never postpones. It focuses on work this moment – the essential to success.<br />
<br />
The life of the cosmos, celestial and human beings have the inescapable basis of impermanence, from moment to moment. How well we live depends on how well we use this moment.<br />
<br />
<i>(from an <a href="https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/living-moment-difficult-times-1502916196.html" target="_blank">article in The Statesman</a> published from Kolkata, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri, India.</i>)<br />
----<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" style="color: #cc5c00;" target="_blank">Vipassana Centres worldwide</a></b><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
--</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-18395900990038426232020-08-05T09:29:00.000+05:302020-08-05T09:29:50.611+05:30Be alert and vigilant <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><b>by Sayagyi U Goenka</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
(<i>excerpts from an article in the Vipassana Research Institute newsletter</i>)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span></b>ara’s sole intention is to keep beings trapped in the field of mind and matter, his domain of craving, aversion and delusion. He does not like people meditating to liberate themselves. So he uses all types of cunning and tricks – arousing impurities in one’s mind - to disturb or stop meditation. Mara wants beings to continue in his realm of the cycle of birth and death. [Mara - a very deluded celestial being / personification of impurities in one's mind].<br />
<br />
Vipassana meditators should remain constantly vigilant of Mara – that is, the arising of defilements in one’s mind. To conquer Mara, just be aware of sensations arising and passing away, from moment to moment.<br />
<br />
As soon as you become vigilant, Mara runs away. His army of impurities disappear. As soon as the owner of the house wakes up, the thief runs away.<br />
<br />
Be vigilant of any impure thought when it starts arising in the mind. Be alert. The enemy has entered.<br />
<br />
Be aware, “Oh, passion (lust) has arisen in the mind”. That puts a brake on impure thoughts gathering momentum in the mind. If your mind is overcome with intense passion, be aware of this truth of the state of the mind: "my mind is filled with passion". Just objectively be aware - and be alert to observe sensations anywhere in the body. If the disturbance is too severe, observe the breath.<br />
<br />
Observe and understand this arising and passing away for a few moments, with equanimity. Passion disappears like a thief who has been seen, “O Mara, I have seen you.” The same goes for anger, ego, jealousy and other impurities in the mind.<br />
<br />
As soon as impure thoughts arise, be alert to immediately observe the bodily sensations that arise with these thoughts. The defilement loses strength and gradually passes away.<br />
<br />
But do you do that? You are not alert. Instead, as soon as impurities arise in the mind, you start multiplying them by rolling in those defiled thoughts. There is no trace of awareness. By rolling in impure thoughts, you get overwhelmed with the impurity and repeat some unwholesome action.<br />
<br />
After some time, you become aware and repent this foolishness of again falling in the net of Mara. But how does that help? Only your awareness is instrumental in overcoming Mara if you catch him approaching with his cunning tricks. To repent afterwards is futile. Better to be alert and vigilant every moment.<br />
<br />
Be liberated from the tricks of Mara by removing impurities through Vipassana practice - through awareness and equanimity to arising, passing sensations.<br />
<br />
Reap the benefits with the practice of observing sensations with equanimity from moment to moment. This is for the welfare of all beings.<br />
<br />
Be alert and vigilant.<br />
<br />
May all beings be liberated.<br />
<div>
------</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" style="color: #cc5c00;" target="_blank">Vipassana Centres worldwide</a></b><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-71216049471185004452020-07-13T13:37:00.002+05:302020-07-13T14:05:08.456+05:30Anapana: why give so much importance to observing natural respiration?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
[ During these pandemic days, the Vipassana Research Institute is <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">conducting </span><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/register" target="_blank">Live Anapana Meditation</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/register" target="_blank"> </a>sessions - Daily at </span><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">8 am & 7.30 pm </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">Indian Standard Time (+5.30 GMT). These sessions are open to anyone over 10 years of age ]</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;"><b>Why observe the natural breath?</b></span></div>
<br />
<b style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013), </i><i style="text-align: left;">Principal Teacher</i><i style="text-align: left;">:</i></b><br />
<br />
Breath is a true fact. It is the truth that is closely associated not only with our body but also with our mind. Like a scientist, we have to diligently discover the truth about ourselves, our body and mind. Moreover, this knowledge should be based at the experiential level and not on what we are told or study in books, etc.<br />
<br />
We have started this practice of observing the natural breath, so that we can learn the truth about ourselves. This will enable us to get rid of our faults on the one hand and conserve and expand our virtues on the other. All this is possible only if we know our minds, and the mind can be known through the breath.<br />
<br />
We are observing the breath, and in the process we begin to know our mind. While learning about the mind we can also reform it. The mind and respiration are closely linked. This will become more evident as you progress on the path of meditation. While observing the breath, some angry thoughts may occur in the mind. You will notice that the normal pace of the breath gets disturbed and it becomes fast and heavy. And the moment the mind gets rid of anger, the breath becomes normal. This shows how the impurities of the mind are related to our breathing process.<br />
<br />
As you meditate further, you will understand all this better. But you will only understand this phenomenon clearly if you work with the pure, natural breath. If you add anything to the breath, or regulate the breath, then you will fail to grasp the actual reality. For these reasons, we work with the breath.<br />
<br />
We experience how respiration is related not only to the body but to the mind as well. When we breathe in, the lungs get inflated with air and when we breathe out, the lungs are deflated. This is how the respiration is related to the body. And as it was just explained, if an impurity arises in the mind, the normal pace of the breath gets disturbed. This is how respiration is related to the mind.<br />
<br />
Therefore, by observing the natural breath, we also observe the deeper part of the mind. Observing the natural breath in Anapana prepares the mind to practice <a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/index" target="_blank">Vipassana</a>.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>From Questions and Answers with Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013), </i><i>Dhamma Abha, Thailand, <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/1966" target="_blank">3 July 2001</a></i><br />
<br />
<b>Question: </b>Why do you give so much importance to the observation of normal respiration?<br />
<br />
<b>Goenkaji:</b> Because the Buddha wanted you to. He is very clear that one must observe the breath as it is- <i>yathabhuta</i>. If it is long, you are aware, "it is long"; if it is short, you are aware, "it is short". <i>Yathabhuta</i>. If you make your respiration unnatural, artificial, you will give more attention to change the respiration according to your wishes. Your attention will not be with the reality as it is, but with something that you have created.<br />
<br />
Therefore, we emphasize Anapana practice must be always natural breath - as it comes in naturally, as it goes out naturally. If it is long, just be aware that it is long. Don't try to make it short. If it is short, just be aware that it is short. Don't try to make it long. If it is going through the right nostril, then observe that it is going through the right nostril. If it is going through the left nostril, then observe it through the left nostril. When it passes through both the nostrils, observe the flow through both the nostrils.<br />
<br />
Then you are working according to the instructions of the Enlightened One. Don't try to interfere with the natural flow of the breath. And if you find that the mind is wandering too much and you cannot feel the natural breath, then you may take a few - only a few - intentional breaths, very slightly hard breaths, so that you can bring your mind back to the observation of the breath. You have to keep in mind that your aim is to feel the natural breath. However soft it is, however subtle it is, you must be able to feel it. That is the aim.<br />
<br />
<b>Question:</b> Why do you want us to keep our attention at the entrance of the nostrils and above the upper lip while practicing anapana-sati?<br />
<br />
<b>SNG</b>: Because again, it is a very clear instruction given by the Enlightened One. In <i>Paṭisambhidamagga</i>, he clearly says that you must be aware of the incoming breath, the outgoing breath, and <i>mukha</i>-this area above the mouth. He calls it <i>mukhanimitta</i>. He clearly explains it. What is <i>mukhanimitta</i>? it means <i>nasikagge</i>, the front portion of the nose at the entrance of the nostrils. Also, the Buddha says that it must be <i>Uttaroṭṭhassa majjhimappades</i>e.<i> Uttara</i> means above; <i>oṭṭha</i> is lip; and <i>majjimappadese</i> is the middle portion. And in the <i>Mahasatipaṭṭhana s</i>utta, he says, establish your awareness here, <i>parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetv</i>a. Sati means awareness; <i>parimukhaṃ </i>means the area above the lips.<br />
<br />
The Buddha is so clear in his instructions. We cannot deviate from his instructions. And as you practice, it becomes very clear why the Buddha chose this small area. This is the area over which the incoming breath and the outgoing breath must pass. The incoming and outgoing breath touches the area at the entrance of the nostrils and above the upper lip. That is why he wanted you to keep your attention here. For those with long noses, the breath is likely to touch the entrance of the nostrils. For those with short noses, it usually touches the area above the upper lip. So he chose this area-either at the entrance of the nostril, <i>nasikagge</i>, or the middle part of the upper lip.<br />
<br />
The Buddha does not want us to imagine that the breath is coming in or the breath is going out, you must actually feel it. When you are attentive, you can feel its touch somewhere in this area.<br />
<br />
For a very new student, we say even if you feel the breath inside the nostrils, it is okay. But ultimately you have to be aware of the touch of the breath in this area. Why? Because for samadhi, concentration of mind, <i>citta ekaggata</i> [one-pointedness of the mind] is very important. For a new student, a bigger triangle including the whole area of the nose is okay. But within a day or two, the student is asked to observe a smaller area. It becomes very clear, as you keep on progressing on the path given by the Buddha, that the area of concentration must be as small as possible.<br />
<br />
It also becomes clear that the object of concentration must be very subtle. That is why when the mind is wandering too much, you are allowed to take a few hard breaths, but after that, you must come back to the natural breath. And as your mind gets concentrated, the breath will become softer and softer, finer and finer, shorter and shorter. You won't have to make any effort. It happens naturally. Sometimes the breath becomes so short, so fine, like a thin thread, that it feels as if immediately after coming out it makes a U-turn and enters the nostrils again. So when the area is small, the object of concentration is very subtle, and you continue without interruption, the mind becomes very sharp.<br />
<br />
The Buddha was <i>sabbaññu</i> - he knew everything so clearly. There is an important nerve centre in this area. When your mind is sharp and you are aware of this area, your mind becomes so sensitive that you start feeling some sensation in this area. The purpose of Anapana, the purpose of samadhi, is to take the next step of Vipassana. Vipassana is not Vipassana if you don't feel sensations.<br />
<br />
Therefore, he taught us in a very systematic manner. Start on a small area with the natural breath. The breath will become subtler and subtler; the mind will become sharper and sharper. This area will become very sensitive and you will start feeling sensations.<br />
<br />
Everywhere around the world, people coming to the courses and practicing the technique given by the Enlightened One, start feeling sensations in this area on the second or third day. The Buddha taught the technique, the path, very systematically. We don't want to deviate from what he taught.<br />
<br />
Coming back to the first question of why we work with the natural breath - there are other techniques especially in India where one controls the breath, for example, the technique of Pranayama. One takes a deep breath and stops for some time; one exhales and stops for some time. We don't condemn other techniques.<br />
<br />
We understand that Pranayama is good for physical health. But the Buddha wanted us to use the awareness of the natural breath to reach the next step of feeling sensations. This controlled breathing, Pranayama, is not suitable because it is artificial breath.<br />
<br />
Buddha wanted us to observe natural breath because it takes us to the stage where we can practice Vipassana. Those who want to practice Pranayama for health reasons, let them practice it separately. Don't connect it with Anapana and Vipassana. When you practice Anapana, natural breath is important, <i>yathabhuta</i>, as it is.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Questions-on-Anapana-Meditation" target="_blank">Questions and Answers</a> on Anapana (questions from children during Anapana courses)</b><br />
<br />
<b style="text-align: center;">More information on <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/What-is-Anapana" target="_blank">Anapana</a> </b><br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b>
<b style="text-align: center;">***</b><br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" target="_blank">Vipassana Centres worldwide</a></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-89461164078459684892020-06-01T11:53:00.002+05:302020-06-01T12:30:40.414+05:30"I Came Upon an Ancient Path"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"J</span></b>ust as if, brethren, a man travelling in a forest, along a mountain height, should come upon an ancient road, an ancient path, traversed by men of former days and should proceed along it; and as he went should come upon an old-time city, a royal city of olden days, dwelt in by men of bygone ages, laid out with parks and groves and water tanks and stoutly walled about—a delightful spot.<br />
<br />
Then suppose, brethren, that this man should tell of his discovery to the king or royal minister, thus: “Pardon me, sire, but I would have you know that while travelling in a forest, along a mountain height, I came upon an ancient path that led to a royal city of olden days—a delightful spot. Sire, restore that city.”<br />
<br />
Then suppose, brethren, that king or minister were to restore that city, so that thereafter it became prosperous, fortunate and populous, crowded with inhabitants, and were to grow and increase.<br />
<br />
Even so, brethren, have I seen an ancient Path, an ancient way traversed by the Fully Enlightened Ones of former times. And what is that Path? It is this Noble Eightfold Path."<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
—<i>Sammāsambuddha Gotama</i><br />
<i>Nagara Sutta, Samyutta Nikāya, <span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">12.65</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">***</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="text-align: left;">The Noble Eightfold Path</b><span style="text-align: left;"> is divided into three divisions.</span></div>
<br />
The first, <b>sīla - </b>morality, summed up as:<br />
<br />
<i>Sabba papassa akaraṇaṃ</i><br />
Abstain from all sinful actions - that is, all unwholesome actions, physical or vocal, which hurt other beings and disturb their peace and harmony.<br />
<br />
The second part of the Path, <b>samadhi </b>- one-pointed concentration of wholesome mind, summed up as:<br />
<br />
<i>Kusalassa upasampada</i><br />
Perform wholesome actions with a concentrated, wholesome mind.<br />
<br />
The third part, <b>pañña</b>-wisdom or insight, summed up as:<br />
<br />
<i>Sacitta pariyodapanaṃ</i><br />
Purify the totality of mind by developing insight (<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/about/vipassana" target="_blank">Vipassana</a>).<br />
<br />
These three trainings are the teaching of all the Buddhas of the past and will be the teaching of all the Buddhas of the future. That is why it is said,<br />
<br />
<i>Etaṃ Buddhana sasanaṃ.</i><br />
<br />
This is the teaching of all the Buddhas.<br />
<br />
(<i>from Sayagyi U Goenka's Vipassana talk delivered at the United Nations on the occasion of Vesakha, the full moon day of May, marking the birth, the Full Enlightenment and the final passing away of Gotama the Buddha. In 2002, Goenkaji was touring North America during the month of Vesakha, teaching Vipassana and giving public addresses in 35 cities over a period of nearly four months</i>.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-25373023828817794402020-05-23T15:40:00.018+05:302022-01-14T14:25:52.364+05:30The Seven Bojjhaṅgas (Factors of Enlightenment)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<i><b>by Sayagyi U Goenka</b></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
(<i>from <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/1495790843_1._Jan_2008.pdf" target="_blank">the Vipassana Research Institute Newsletter article.</a> Adapted from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta course discourse</i>)</div>
<br /><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b><span style="font-size: 17px;">here are seven bojjhaṅgas (factors of enlightenment) that have to be developed to reach the final goal of full liberation. They are:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">1. sati (awareness);</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">2. dhamma-vicaya (investigation of Dhamma);</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">3. viriya (effort);</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">4. pīti (rapture);</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">5. passaddhi (tranquillity);</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">6. samādhi (concentration, absorption) and</span><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">7. upekkhā (equanimity).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>The first bojjhaṅga is sati, awareness</b>. Without it, further steps on the path cannot be taken. Sati, the objective observation of reality, is the most important factor because it must be continuously present from moment to moment with every other factor. For the Vipassana meditator, sati is the continuous awareness of the arising, passing bodily sensations (Sampajañña). Sampajañña becomes the sati (object of awareness).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>Dhamma-vicaya is the second bojjhaṅga</b>. The word caya or cayana means “to integrate.” Apparent, consolidated, integrated, illusionary truth creates delusion and confusion resulting in wrong decisions and actions. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Vicaya or vicayana means to divide, dissect, disintegrate, separate (at the level of bodily sensations), which is what Vipassana intends you to do. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">To become a factor of enlightenment, dhamma-vicaya must become an experiential investigation— the direct experience of the phenomenon of arising and passing away of sensations. <i>Pativedhana: piercing, penetrating Panna</i> - dividing, dissecting, disintegrating, dissolving at the level of sensations, you reach the stage of total dissolution. You witness the solidified, material structure, the body, as actually nothing but subatomic particles, kalapas, arising and passing. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Similarly, the mind and mental contents manifest as very solidified, intensified emotions - anger, fear, or passion - which overpower you. Vipassana, pativedhana, helps you. With pativedhana - the piercing, penetrating panna - you divide, dissect, disintegrate to the stage where this intense emotion is nothing but wavelets. The whole material and mental structures and the mental contents are nothing but wavelets, wavelets, anicca, anicca. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Then the reality about this "I" or "mine" or "myself" becomes clear. They are just conventional words. There is no "I" to possess this mind-matter structure, this impermanent material and mental phenomena. Mere mind and matter constantly interact, constantly influence each other, and become a cause for the arising of each other, resulting in currents, cross-currents, and under-currents going on in what you call "I". </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Anatta (no "I") becomes clear at the experiential level.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>The third bojjhaṅga is viriya (effort)</b> as in sammā-vāyāmo in the Noble Eightfold Path. Great effort is required, but the effort is not to react, to let things just happen. Even if you have been victorious in a thousand battles against a thousand warriors, this inner battle of non-reaction is more difficult because the old habit is to do something, to react. Some pressure is necessary to drill a hole in a precious gem, but too much pressure will break it. It is a middle path. Great effort or viriya is needed to keep the mind from wandering away, to be with the continuous awareness of arising, passing sensations </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">(Sampajañña) - with equanimity.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">As you keep practicing with sati, dhamma-vicaya, and viriya, the impurities go away, and you experience <b>the fourth bojjhaṅga, pīti: rapture.</b> You have to be careful. If you develop attachment to this free flow of pleasant vibrations throughout the body, if you look for it and cling to it, it is no longer a bojjhaṅga. If the understanding of anicca remains—that this is still the field of mind and matter, of arising and passing—then pīti becomes a factor of enlightenment.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">After this, the meditator experiences <b>passaddhi, the fifth </b></span><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>bojjhaṅga</b></span><b style="font-size: 17px;">:</b><span style="font-size: 17px;"> a state of deep tranquility and calmness. The mind becomes extremely peaceful, quiet, and tranquil. Again the meditator may have the false impression that this deep peace, never experienced before, is liberation. Just as pīti, can become a bondage if not used properly, in the same way, passaddhi can also become a bondage. You understand that it is only a midway rest-house: the final goal is still far away. You can check that the six sense doors are still functioning: open your eyes, or listen. You are still in the field of arising and passing. You have not transcended the field of mind and matter.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Thoroughly examine this passaddhi, this deep, tranquil, calm experience. Although difficult to grasp, a subtle oscillation remains, and this sensation is called adukkhaṃasukhaṃ (neither pleasant nor unpleasant). In pīti, the experience was pleasant; now it is just peaceful, and the danger is that anicca is not experienced. Detachment from craving towards pleasant sensation or aversion towards unpleasant sensation is much easier than detachment from this feeling of peace. You must be very attentive, with a very sharp mind, feel the subtle oscillation, check the six sense doors, and keep understanding that this experience is anicca. If you are aware of the very subtle oscillation, arising and passing, then it becomes a bojjhaṅga and gives you the strength to move further. Your experience grows.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">There is often a question about adukkhaṃasukhaṃ or neutral sensations. The Buddha did not mean the initial, surface sensations which are neither pleasant nor unpleasant. That is totally different and causes craving and aversion because people get bored with it, lose interest, and want something else. Their experience has become stale. They want something more or new, something they don’t have. This is their old habit pattern.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>The next enlightenment factor is samādhi</b>—concentration or absorption. Sammā-samādhi takes us beyond all the planes of existence and results in full liberation from the bondage of birth and death, and from every type of suffering. It is practiced with sampajañña, the awareness of the mind-matter phenomenon and the realization of its nature of arising and passing of sensations within. With the practice of sammā-samādhi (with sampajañña), one after the other, the meditator attains the fruit of sotāpanna, sakadāgāmī, anāgāmī, and arahant. Thus, samādhi becomes an enlightenment factor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>Upekkhā—equanimity is the seventh factor of enlightenment</b>. Like sati, it must be present from the beginning to the end, at every step. Whichever other factor is being developed, awareness and equanimity must always be present. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">When the bojjhaṅgas are practiced properly, they increase and become perfect; when each </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">bojjhaṅga </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">is perfect, enlightenment is perfect. This is the whole process of Vipassana.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #382f2e; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">***</span></p>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-35515939792049491542020-05-06T15:18:00.002+05:302020-06-01T12:00:17.317+05:30Correcting common misconceptions in the media about Vipassana <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A</b></span>n article that appeared in 2017 on Vipassana (<a href="https://www.espn.in/golf/story/_/id/20284690/how-ancient-practice-vipassana-meditation-breathes-life-indian-pga-tour-pro-anirban-lahiri-golf-game" target="_blank">How Vipassana meditation breathes life into Anirban Lahiri's golf game</a>), typifies the problem of non-meditators/inexperienced meditators writing Vipassana articles and books: errors and misconceptions creep in.<br />
<br />
Their volition is good, but the few articles that appear in media are often from journalists yet to take a Vipassana course. Vipassana is unique, unlike anything else in this world because its ultimate goal is to take the practitioner beyond the realms of the six sense doors of this world, beyond the field of mind and matter. So very difficult, if not quite impossible, for yet-to-be-meditators to understand what is Vipassana, leave alone accurately write about it with their understanding of the mundane world.<br />
<br />
It can be like writing an article about ice cream and taste of ice cream without ever having had an ice cream in life.<br />
<br />
Which is why it is highly recommended that reporters, journalists, editors expressing professional interest in Vipassana are asked to first take a 10-day Vipassana course. Otherwise, tell them not to write anything about Vipassana. No information is better than wrong information. And Vipassana largely is shared worldwide by word of mouth.<br />
<br />
Likewise, the above article in ESPN contained some common misconceptions:<br />
<br />
<b>1. </b><br />
<b>"2,500-year-old Buddhist practice" </b><br />
<br />
Nothing "Buddhist" about Vipassana practice.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">"During his lifetime, the Buddha did not convert a single person to Buddhism," writes the Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka. "One may be surprised hearing this because we have been hearing, speaking, reading and writing contrary to this fact for such a long time. The mind is conditioned to believing this misconception. But the historical truth is that the Buddha neither taught 'Buddhism' nor converted anyone to being a 'Buddhist'.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">"The Buddha taught Vipassana, the universal, non-sectarian practice to remove self-generated suffering - by removing deep-rooted defilements in the mind. The Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) CD contains the entire teaching of the Buddha and related literature in Pali language - 146 volumes with 52,602 pages and 7,448,248 words. Using technology to search through this vast literature, this fact is established: in the entire teaching of the Buddha, as well as in related commentaries, sub-commentaries, the word "Buddhist" has not been used with regard to his universal teachings, or to those who walked on the path he taught.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">"Instead, the word used everywhere for the Buddha's teaching is "Dhamma", not "Buddhist Dhamma". Whenever any adjective precedes the word "Dhamma", it is qualitative, not sectarian. Like saddhamma (true Dhamma), ariyo dhammo (noble Dhamma), dhammo sanātano (eternal Dhamma), and so on. Those benefiting from practicing the Buddha's teaching have not been called Buddhists anywhere in the authentic texts, but these six words were used: dhammim, dhammiko, dhammattho, dhammacarim, dhammavihari, dhammanusari."</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">- Sayagyi U Goenka, <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/p/an-unique-article-by-sayagyi-u-goenka.html" target="_blank"><b>The Buddha did not teach 'Buddhism'.</b></a></span></span><br />
<br />
<b>2.</b><br />
<b>Vipassana is not "breathing in and exhaling"</b> as given in the ESPN article.<br />
<br />
The writer meant Anapana, the preparatory exercise in a 10-day Vipassana course before Vipassana is taught on Day 4:<br />
<br />
What is Anapana?<br />
<br />
Anapana is a non-sectarian exercise to strengthen, concentrate the mind by using the natural respiration as the object of meditation.<br />
<br />
The practitioner objectively observes the natural breath, as it comes in, goes out. <i>No regulation of the breath</i>. Anapana has nothing to do with breathing exercises that regulate the respiration.<br />
<br />
More information: <b><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/What-is-Anapana" target="_blank">Anapana</a></b><br />
<br />
Register here to learn Anapana (until Vipassana courses resume worldwide, after the Covid-19 lockdown): <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/register" target="_blank"><b>a live (free) Anapana tutorial session on Webex </b></a><br />
<br />
Anapana <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/p/about-mitra-upakram-mitra-upakram-is.html" target="_blank"><b>for children</b></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>3. </b><br />
<b>"Before his death in 2013, Goenka launched 200 centers across the globe."</b><br />
<br />
No, he did not launch 200 centres (the number is 206 now, and 145 gipsy camp locations)<br />
<br />
* New Vipassana centres are established with local Vipassana students deciding it would be beneficial to have a Vipassana centre in their area. Then they get in touch with an existing Vipassana centre and are informed of guidelines for establishing a new Vipassana centre, how to form a not-for-profit registered trust etc.<br />
<br />
* Then local students search for suitable land in the area for a Vipassana centre, get it approved by the Vipassana teacher for the area, and then buy the land through voluntary donations from existing students.<br />
<br />
* They set about establishing the new centre in accordance with a template followed worldwide.<br />
<br />
* Sayagyi U Goenka's involvement in the new centres was often limited to giving it a Pali name, starting with the word 'Dhamma' - such as <a href="https://thali.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">Dhamma Thali</a> in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.<br />
<br />
* Trustees are appointed on an annual basis on voluntary work to manage the centre, under the guidance of a Vipassana teacher.<br />
<br />
* Accounts of the Vipassana centre are audited annually by a reputed chartered accountant firm.<br />
<br />
* Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013) was directly involved in establishing the main centre<br />
<a href="http://www.giri.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">Dhamma Giri</a> (in Igatpuri, 150 km from Bombay) but as far as is known he did not instruct anyone,"Okay, you better start a new centre" here or there.<br />
<br />
* He has instructed that there should never be any advertisement for Vipassana. Word of mouth is sufficient.<br />
<br />
<b>4.</b><br />
<b>"There is no set fee for the 10-day course, but students usually make donations -- anything from $10 to $10,000"</b><br />
<br />
There is no fee - set or otherwise.<br />
<br />
Nobody goes around asking any student for a donation at the end of a Vipassana course. A donation table is kept in a corner on Day 10 - when the rule of silence breaks, and whoever wants can go and give a donation according to volition and means.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/A-store-house-of-answers-by-Shri-S-N-Goenka#VipassanaCourses" target="_blank"><i>What are the charges/fee for a Vipassana course?</i></a><br />
<br />
Mr S. N. Goenka: Charges?! Dhamma is priceless! There is no fee and there can never be a fee charged for teaching Vipassana. Vipassana courses are completely free of charge. Earlier, for a short time, some small actuals were charged for boarding and lodging expenses. Fortunately, that has been removed. So one does not have to pay anything to attend a Vipassana course.<br />
<br />
<i>What are the reasons for no fees being charged for doing a Vipassana course?</i><br />
<br />
SNG: One reason, as I said, is that Dhamma is priceless. It cannot be valued in money. Another reason is that a student taking a Vipassana course practices renunciation from the householders' responsibilities, for the duration of the course. He or she lives like a monk or a nun, on the charity of others. This is to reduce the ego, a big cause of one's misery. If one even pays a small token fee, then the ego gets built up, and one may say, "Oh, I want this. This facility is not to my liking", "I can do whatever I want here", and so on. This ego becomes a big hindrance in progressing on the path of Dhamma. This is another reason why no fee is charged. This has been the Dhamma tradition for millennia. The Buddha did not charge any fee for distributing this invaluable gem of Vipassana!<br />
<br />
<i>How are expenses met for a Vipassana course, since no fee is charged from students?</i><br />
<br />
SNG: The expenses are met from voluntary donations (dana) from students who have completed at least one Vipassana course. The donation, in money and voluntary services, is given with the Dhamma volition that, "As I benefited by getting this wonderful technique due to the generous dana of others, may others also benefit ". Most important is the volition with which the dana is given. Even a handful of fertile soil given with a pure Dhamma volition, is far more beneficial than a bag of gold given with ego, or with no Dhamma volition. The dana given with a pure mind gives benefits to the giver. However, this does not mean that somebody will go around at the end of the course, asking every student if he wants to give a donation. A table is put in a quiet corner, and whoever wishes to give dana goes there and gives it, that's all.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
No fees are paid to Vipassana teachers. All teachers are required to have an independent means of livelihood, source of income to support their Vipassana service. "Never make Vipassana a business/livelihood " - Sayagyi U Goenka.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
5.<br />
<b>"Miller explained that everything a person does at the physical level is affected by the health of his mind, and everything a person does at the mental level is affected by the health of his body. Focusing energy on one point -- breathing -- neutralizes the fight between the physical and mental being. Lahiri is drawn to this, Miller said, because a golfer uses the same technique on the course." </b><br />
<br />
Not quite. Obviously what had been explained to the ESPN reporter flew over the head. Encourage reporters, journalists, editors to take a 10-day Vipassana course, if they wish to report about it. At least request them to look up the <a href="http://www.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">Vipassana website</a>. They can least copy-paste accurate information from the Vipassana website, we have no objection.<br />
<br />
Mind and body are interlinked. And the uniqueness of Vipassana is that it allows us to explore this mind-body phenomenon called 'I' as a holistic entity - at the level of mind-body interaction. This interaction happens at the level of bodily sensations that a Vipassana practitioner is trained to become aware of - with equanimity.<br />
<br />
Bodily sensations are not new. What is new is our Vipassana-enabled faculty to be aware of them.<br />
<br />
Sensations arise and pass away every moment in our life - from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Vipassana opens up this faculty of awareness of sensations - just as opening the eyes give sight.<br />
<br />
Vipassana is insight.<br />
<br />
Earlier we gave all attention to the outside world. Now for the first time, we give all attention to the inner world.<br />
<br />
The real cause of suffering is within. The way out of suffering is within. Happiness is within.<br />
<br />
The deepest part of the mind is 24/7 connected to our bodily sensations (biochemical flow), not to anything in the outside world. For instance, even in deep sleep we rub a mosquito bite or get up to go to the loo. So by working at the level of sensations, we work at the deepest root-level of the mind where habit patterns are formed.<br />
<br />
Earlier we blindly reacted to these sensations with craving or aversion. Deep-rooted habit patterns are formed of reaction to particular external situations. Vipassana gradually breaks that habit pattern. How? By training the mind to observe - with equanimity - any sensations that arise with sensory experience (including thoughts) instead of blind reaction. Just observe, as a scientist objectively observes a lab phenomenon.<br />
<br />
Every sensation becomes a tool to develop equanimity.<br />
<br />
Equanimity is purity.<br />
<br />
Sensations mean any physical feeling, from gross sensations such as pain, itching to subtler sensations such as tingling, a flow of undercurrent. As the mind progressively becomes sharper and purer, it feels subtler and subtler sensations. Sensations are the biochemical flow of subatomic particles arising and passing from mind-body interaction.<br />
<br />
We observe laws of the universe, the truth of the cosmos, at the level of sensations. The basic law of nature: impermanence. Everything changes, every moment.<br />
<br />
The laws of nature are the same inside, outside. The subtlest law of nature is so subtle that it can be experienced only within - experienced, not described.<br />
<br />
Vipassana can be called Quantum Physics in practice.<br />
<br />
Since the above article was about a sports person, here is a cricket analogy: Vipassana is the entire focus on this delivery of this over, nothing else in the mind. The previous ball that got the batsman beaten or a dropped catch is left aside, no fear of the future of getting out. Just entire attention on this ball. What former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni often said "being in the present moment."<br />
<br />
Anyone being equanimous (very balanced mind) is to an extent observing equanimity at the level of sensations, knowingly or unknowingly.<br />
<br />
Likewise, Jesus Christ whom Sayagyi U Goenka called "Prince among Saints" in the <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/free-books" target="_blank">evening discourses</a> during a 10-day Vipassana course. Jesus generated compassion and forgiveness for the Roman soldiers who were even then torturing him to death. Such compassion was born of superhuman equanimity to sensations when having iron nails hammered into his hands and feet to a wooden cross.<br />
<br />
By whatever name or no name, Vipassana is <i>Awareness</i> of bodily sensations with <i>Equanimity</i> - moment to moment.<br />
<br />
Vipassana is about being with the reality of the present moment, at the level of impermanent bodily sensations passing away as they arise. Wisdom comes naturally into play.<br />
<br />
Vipassana is of infinite benefits for all, in the golf course or cricket field of life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-80994458219503789552020-04-20T12:43:00.084+05:302022-09-03T18:42:23.428+05:30Rare photographs of Sayagyi U Ba Khin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"If you have gratitude to S.N.Goenka you will have gratitude to Sayagyi U Ba Khin"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- The Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 -2013), at a gathering of Vipassana meditators during the construction of the Global Vipassana Pagoda</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Background to these photos:</b></div>
Between 2005 and 2008, <a href="http://pariyatti.org/" target="_blank">Pariyatti.org</a> (not part of the Dhamma organization of Vipassana as taught by S.N Goenkaji) was in email communication with Mr. Robert Hover, one of the seven Vipassana teachers U Ba Khin appointed along with Sayagyi U Goenka in April 1969. During his visits to Burma in the 1960s, he took photographs (35mm colour slides) of the International Meditation Centre and Sayagyi U Ba Khin. The 'Pariyatti.org' people discussed digitizing these slides but were unable to complete this project during Mr. Hover's lifetime. He passed away in December 2008.<br />
<br />
They got in touch with Mr. Hover's daughter who supported them in finishing this project in 2019, after about 14 years. The first scans from this collection were ready on the 120th birth anniversary of Sayagyi U Ba Khin on March 6, 2019.<br />
<br />
We are grateful to Mr. Hover (Feb 22, 1920 – Dec15, 2008), his daughter and 'Pariyatti.org' for this rare collection of Sayagyi U Ba Khin's photographs.<br />
<br />
All Vipassana meditators since 1952 owe a debt of gratitude and have a connection with the IMC. Sayagyi U Ba Khin taught here with Nibbana dhatu; here his Dhamma son S.N.Goenka took his Vipassana birth in this lifetime - and sacrificed his liberation to serve for the liberation of all beings.<br />
<br />
Vipassana meditators will recognize Mr. Robert Hover as the "ballistic missile scientist" mentioned in the 10-day Vipassana course discourse - the new student who experienced very intense saṅkhāras in the meditation cell during his first course.<br />
<br />
From his later accounts, Mr. Hover may have experienced the Nibbanic stage.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahxEGrJnYXjdpFwAaD7h6mJjR1XThiKvvLpOLgMBZ3AoMNAxKAD-qaslQE_YbnDinxdNRGxuun1M4rRFjczMIVzI8XIUN16fjpf63IyP3yqpt7Nzvixit40LO0WjTxZzN4njsPUinuEI/s1600/01-1961-IMC+pagoda+being+built.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1083" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahxEGrJnYXjdpFwAaD7h6mJjR1XThiKvvLpOLgMBZ3AoMNAxKAD-qaslQE_YbnDinxdNRGxuun1M4rRFjczMIVzI8XIUN16fjpf63IyP3yqpt7Nzvixit40LO0WjTxZzN4njsPUinuEI/w432-h640/01-1961-IMC+pagoda+being+built.jpg" width="432" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Circa 1961. The International Meditation Center (IMC) Pagoda being built in Rangoon, Burma.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOQBlEuBkk0/YFAeCbMgz6I/AAAAAAAABBk/DgebHTbqXy0-2RRQQ_YIfdG566vDjVy1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1363/1961-05%2BSUBK%2B4%2B-%2BEdited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="1020" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOQBlEuBkk0/YFAeCbMgz6I/AAAAAAAABBk/DgebHTbqXy0-2RRQQ_YIfdG566vDjVy1QCLcBGAsYHQ/w478-h640/1961-05%2BSUBK%2B4%2B-%2BEdited.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sayagyi U Ba Khin (March 6, 1899 - January 19, 1971) at IMC</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut9eWyYqvF8/XpvW-pvhW_I/AAAAAAAAA5s/PJsHtEjvBlAyWqyylm9ifesW6-QMM9PZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/02-1961-05%2BIMC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut9eWyYqvF8/XpvW-pvhW_I/AAAAAAAAA5s/PJsHtEjvBlAyWqyylm9ifesW6-QMM9PZACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h267/02-1961-05%2BIMC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
IMC in May 1961<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a>Male residence on the right, lower cells pagoda on left</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4FpgtKYXob4DYKBk9wgI9GZ9MKoqxJ0hcMiJVoGpBnfJ_5OepfM5NkvM6XDWEL4rlZkqxlgW1fy1BAdZhxQXVNxRFJaDQbDUy1BFC_edWAeEmkslmkL1ccrEPCPdiI87W_G5MwieZpM/s2048/Male+students+huts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="2048" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4FpgtKYXob4DYKBk9wgI9GZ9MKoqxJ0hcMiJVoGpBnfJ_5OepfM5NkvM6XDWEL4rlZkqxlgW1fy1BAdZhxQXVNxRFJaDQbDUy1BFC_edWAeEmkslmkL1ccrEPCPdiI87W_G5MwieZpM/w400-h269/Male+students+huts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Male students accommodation huts<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn6NHBKemcORwcCIz2kB7F2nvS45fD3YkjaJkszcPoUyTWfUCAXlPeeRKWMWau0xPFyT2suLKSGvmSTwfXAlFdAY0q6wG-xkbEaq-BlL-ad6B2pDeeWukXreDwDM2EJgqIGNLgsbu5ss/s1600/01-SUBK1961-05+SUBK+with+students.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn6NHBKemcORwcCIz2kB7F2nvS45fD3YkjaJkszcPoUyTWfUCAXlPeeRKWMWau0xPFyT2suLKSGvmSTwfXAlFdAY0q6wG-xkbEaq-BlL-ad6B2pDeeWukXreDwDM2EJgqIGNLgsbu5ss/w400-h271/01-SUBK1961-05+SUBK+with+students.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Ba Khin with Dhamma workers.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Goenka too did most of his Dhamma work (of writing, reading, dictating letters and Vipassana literature, meeting the Dhamma family) from a similar chair without a table at the Juhu residence in Mumbai.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBBAVWOFo3c/XpvZ1ownDxI/AAAAAAAAA6M/JbosCr8lZEYllnOhlvbzXlS8T5beLKo3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/05-1961-SUBK%2Bwith%2BRobert%2BHoover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1283" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBBAVWOFo3c/XpvZ1ownDxI/AAAAAAAAA6M/JbosCr8lZEYllnOhlvbzXlS8T5beLKo3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/05-1961-SUBK%2Bwith%2BRobert%2BHoover.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Ba Khin with Mr Robert Hover at IMC<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBZvLsXO0dc/XpvaLyHR5kI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/KFDv_YsDOjwAO_MMzhlKSA6yfuF_KQjegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09-1961-05%2BSUBK%2Bin%2BHall%2Bwhere%2Bhe%2Bmet%2Bstudents%2B-Arahant.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBZvLsXO0dc/XpvaLyHR5kI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/KFDv_YsDOjwAO_MMzhlKSA6yfuF_KQjegCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h358/09-1961-05%2BSUBK%2Bin%2BHall%2Bwhere%2Bhe%2Bmet%2Bstudents%2B-Arahant.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/p/arahant-sayagyi-u-ba-khin.html" target="_blank"><b> A bodhisatta or arahant</b></a>? <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LpSnSNyAlPY/XpvagS_uwoI/AAAAAAAAA6g/EzwtY7vxDhU7rgI2LQyiTa8Ro36d93UGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/07-1961-05%2BSUBK%2Bwith%2Bpresmumbaly%2Bgroup%2Bof%2Bmeditators.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LpSnSNyAlPY/XpvagS_uwoI/AAAAAAAAA6g/EzwtY7vxDhU7rgI2LQyiTa8Ro36d93UGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h260/07-1961-05%2BSUBK%2Bwith%2Bpresmumbaly%2Bgroup%2Bof%2Bmeditators.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Ba Khin with students circa 1961<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxhVFWp6jlA/Xpva5NwohQI/AAAAAAAAA6o/DKGIu7JVFeEXG4t25guICsfTuDuufibiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/01-1965-03%2BSayagyi%2BU%2BGoenka%2Bpossibly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxhVFWp6jlA/Xpva5NwohQI/AAAAAAAAA6o/DKGIu7JVFeEXG4t25guICsfTuDuufibiACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/01-1965-03%2BSayagyi%2BU%2BGoenka%2Bpossibly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meditators at a simple meal at IMC, 1965. Sayagyi U Goenka (left row, top) and his younger brother Radheshyam Goenka (same row, second from left) appear to be in this photo<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2384" target="_blank">Radheshyam-ji</a> was the most active and staunchest supporter of Sayagyi U Goenka's Vipassana work among family members. He successfully helped complete many very important Vipassana projects, even as he conducted Vipassana courses across India and the world. This included the Vipassana Research Institute website that he almost single-handedly built and maintained and the <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Tipitaka-Project" target="_blank">Tipitaka publication project.</a> Many Dhamma workers and assistant teachers may know him as a somewhat stern teacher, but those of us who worked closely with him know him as a kind-hearted, generous, friendly person with a hearty laugh. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrEgRubMoIQ/XpvbghdI0mI/AAAAAAAAA6w/9NdjS5xk67g28_XL0YMZTTkf3um4MDS0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/04-1961-05%2BIMC%2B7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrEgRubMoIQ/XpvbghdI0mI/AAAAAAAAA6w/9NdjS5xk67g28_XL0YMZTTkf3um4MDS0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h270/04-1961-05%2BIMC%2B7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
IMC, 1965<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4TlbPoPmrY/XpvbvLyKdeI/AAAAAAAAA60/ZZgKzV5kgVkLlrgx7IGrHmfv3DBU4STNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/06-1961-05%2BIMC%2Bgate%2Bnoticeboard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4TlbPoPmrY/XpvbvLyKdeI/AAAAAAAAA60/ZZgKzV5kgVkLlrgx7IGrHmfv3DBU4STNgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h267/06-1961-05%2BIMC%2Bgate%2Bnoticeboard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The first Vipassana centre for householder students that Saya Thetgyi's student Sayagyi U Ba Khin established. His student Sayagyi U Goenka taught the world the pure Vipassana teachings of the Sammasambuddha.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRYUgJewiXQ/XpvcXsMwFvI/AAAAAAAAA7E/yVIXFLim-To9dGEgAbX-sUfjid4QsBbyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09-1965-03%2BIMC%2Bpagoda%2Bat%2Bnight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRYUgJewiXQ/XpvcXsMwFvI/AAAAAAAAA7E/yVIXFLim-To9dGEgAbX-sUfjid4QsBbyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h268/09-1965-03%2BIMC%2Bpagoda%2Bat%2Bnight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The IMC pagoda lit on the night of a Metta day. The lighting of a Vipassana pagoda is important for the <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a>happiness, Dhamma delight of less visible (celestial) meditators, and protector beings.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T589ckIPwX8/XpvdFafe6nI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/z6-8P2MLw9AaCaWbm_5IwJRdjJWNUI0gwCEwYBhgLKskDAL1OcqxdbusCtfWd8Cm3wGucFHxxjUKnZsuAaBhi3xpIYHMF3QoqbtvYAS2LEfVelCYe4ojTYNSwwdOxARewRu1xd83xXoWi3KGP9YAjLGOEhDg6-yxIfGZltiuFphMeYLKVsani_UK42-vyRZMElgIFnWf6Z9fkKhxaW7fwrO_al0jeFNx1wVZaOYZzA6almkFJvgFvwrbvgl7LLx8pN4QjPT8hsieEyhQ7Ab_TH7wo3bXicQZdofN_UmyxrJ_HARSqe2MrMorduOQyaePdkFd9JCaMgRhDgKtUudsJqg1Q2b-zU8-zrMd8LcFKRT2GJ289VLLcmgjLCKqYMFNQVbzrqhnG30RDJbg9VfSaCqaBGcDoNYlEUWJQ7X91pUSldkcwBNmyqUDQA9sWDn4OkCd5LTCWvEl3c9rhDStmmmn409cAXENYp5Aet4bbWFjPplOhsrwzTpvVsYjAnIQxuE5KBjNp3amXw5TpMNzg_t2wHqx7MTkTXut_UKfG7icUM0haP7JWcEq4MK_CvFjr5K8qRR_8gqa_kaC8GEdkzIk39J2aW_owkJ6-uKsnaMyFy6sJzTAoc_Pa2fvzNFf2RvslgNRg7tEZtTD5vu_0BQ/s1600/12-1965-03%2BSUBK%2Bin%2Bhis%2Bfavorite%2Bchair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1600" height="419" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T589ckIPwX8/XpvdFafe6nI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/z6-8P2MLw9AaCaWbm_5IwJRdjJWNUI0gwCEwYBhgLKskDAL1OcqxdbusCtfWd8Cm3wGucFHxxjUKnZsuAaBhi3xpIYHMF3QoqbtvYAS2LEfVelCYe4ojTYNSwwdOxARewRu1xd83xXoWi3KGP9YAjLGOEhDg6-yxIfGZltiuFphMeYLKVsani_UK42-vyRZMElgIFnWf6Z9fkKhxaW7fwrO_al0jeFNx1wVZaOYZzA6almkFJvgFvwrbvgl7LLx8pN4QjPT8hsieEyhQ7Ab_TH7wo3bXicQZdofN_UmyxrJ_HARSqe2MrMorduOQyaePdkFd9JCaMgRhDgKtUudsJqg1Q2b-zU8-zrMd8LcFKRT2GJ289VLLcmgjLCKqYMFNQVbzrqhnG30RDJbg9VfSaCqaBGcDoNYlEUWJQ7X91pUSldkcwBNmyqUDQA9sWDn4OkCd5LTCWvEl3c9rhDStmmmn409cAXENYp5Aet4bbWFjPplOhsrwzTpvVsYjAnIQxuE5KBjNp3amXw5TpMNzg_t2wHqx7MTkTXut_UKfG7icUM0haP7JWcEq4MK_CvFjr5K8qRR_8gqa_kaC8GEdkzIk39J2aW_owkJ6-uKsnaMyFy6sJzTAoc_Pa2fvzNFf2RvslgNRg7tEZtTD5vu_0BQ/s640/12-1965-03%2BSUBK%2Bin%2Bhis%2Bfavorite%2Bchair.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meditators tucking in happily in the presence of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">After his usual evening walk around the Dhamma Giri campus practicing metta, Sayagyi U Goenka (circa 1998) once passed through the male dining hall at around 7.10 pm after visiting the kitchen. Everyone spontaneously and immediately stopped eating and respectfully stood up until he smilingly and quickly left the dining hall.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Goenkaji and Mataji took care to ensure good quality food was served in Dhamma Giri. When they resided in Dhamma Giri, a senior cook brought the ingredients from the Dhamma Giri (VIA) kitchen and prepared their meals in the small kitchen in the Principal Teacher's Residence. Occasionally, Narayan Dasarwar (Goenkaji's secretary) could be seen quietly filling a tiffin carrier from the main dining hall counter to take to the Teacher's Residence, so the two Principal Teachers could know first-hand of the food quality served to all.</div><div style="text-align: center;">
At the family residence in Juhu, Mumbai, at times with her sons, grandchildren, Dhamma children at mealtime, Mataji would go around the large dining table with a big smile serving us hot phulkas (chapatis) which she would herself bring from the kitchen as they were freshly made. From <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/DhammaService/status/1259088349794570240" target="_blank">His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama</a> to the Mumbai-Dhamma Giri courier Ashok, everyone was welcome for a meal at Sayagyi U Goenka's hospitable family home.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ4pU_EltH8/XpvefPRBk3I/AAAAAAAAA7g/-KMy6GIvoXw_wl7jSTgm9JwngNI7F21PwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/13-1965-03%2BSUBK%2B4%2B%2Bwith%2Bmunidraji.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ4pU_EltH8/XpvefPRBk3I/AAAAAAAAA7g/-KMy6GIvoXw_wl7jSTgm9JwngNI7F21PwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/13-1965-03%2BSUBK%2B4%2B%2Bwith%2Bmunidraji.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Ba Khin with students. Goenkaji said to be the person in the grey sweater. The person sitting on the right with the white headwear and spectacles could be Munindraji.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zoxvD6LpP0Fc5Bm7E_uYqwIGkQpby75EFJeHNVn83Q63XCWwVGSt9BMh7FHauJ1RjqC2gEJ_OB7oiWJ2o8N71RaGw-Z5w-Cf1lsvVlHWLztTn6FJuI7Bi3b3EsrarE2oeS1MA-R3bUs/s1600/15-1965-03+SUBK+outside+pagoda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zoxvD6LpP0Fc5Bm7E_uYqwIGkQpby75EFJeHNVn83Q63XCWwVGSt9BMh7FHauJ1RjqC2gEJ_OB7oiWJ2o8N71RaGw-Z5w-Cf1lsvVlHWLztTn6FJuI7Bi3b3EsrarE2oeS1MA-R3bUs/s400/15-1965-03+SUBK+outside+pagoda.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
U Ba Khin in front of the IMC Pagoda, 1965<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xEulyJzFP1s/XpviR7fghLI/AAAAAAAAA70/G5QKhAGX_60TUy_BsXqoCJ6uaDr75umTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/17-SUBK%2Bpagoda%2Bcell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xEulyJzFP1s/XpviR7fghLI/AAAAAAAAA70/G5QKhAGX_60TUy_BsXqoCJ6uaDr75umTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/17-SUBK%2Bpagoda%2Bcell.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Entrance to Sayagyi U Ba Khin's meditation cell<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cM4qWarZYCQ/XpvilMrNteI/AAAAAAAAA78/z37zNeZ9GQI8BMG14BKotoHo13lT679tACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/01-1965-03%2BIMC%2Bseems%2Blike%2Ba%2Bmetta%2Bday%2Bat%2BIMC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1600" height="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cM4qWarZYCQ/XpvilMrNteI/AAAAAAAAA78/z37zNeZ9GQI8BMG14BKotoHo13lT679tACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/01-1965-03%2BIMC%2Bseems%2Blike%2Ba%2Bmetta%2Bday%2Bat%2BIMC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Appears to be Metta Day of a Vipassana course in IMC, 1965 <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMiuLL-hAB4/XpvjDMyXAHI/AAAAAAAAA8I/gyBqupPlvpYl8RdX4GXU28QOdI_g3CqdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/04a-1965-03%2BIMC%2Bcourse%2Bending%2Bday.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMiuLL-hAB4/XpvjDMyXAHI/AAAAAAAAA8I/gyBqupPlvpYl8RdX4GXU28QOdI_g3CqdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/04a-1965-03%2BIMC%2Bcourse%2Bending%2Bday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Vipassana course-ending morning in 1965. Sayagyi U Ba Khin (beige-colour jacket, blue lungi) with hand upraised giving his farewell blessings<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-beDycKkLMF4/XpvjhABDJXI/AAAAAAAAA8U/hufP__NCVFE2Lyr9YC6BcEDazSrQiBMhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/07-IMC%2Bpagoda%2Bat%2Bnight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-beDycKkLMF4/XpvjhABDJXI/AAAAAAAAA8U/hufP__NCVFE2Lyr9YC6BcEDazSrQiBMhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/07-IMC%2Bpagoda%2Bat%2Bnight.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The beautifully lit IMC Pagoda <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTVqXAfgZlXq6d8U37jHtHBhNoqQ_qBv3N9Mn46Plev97pP-3iWoIYkqh77aNXsHo3to-Y1q4EyIM6UPmtbNRSD_pdW_pGeLvEFZ8g3KXG6J4Kn5nN1ka2rfFpQ2NaVMJCUtHerabsI0/s1600/05-1965-03+IMC+pagoda+at+night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTVqXAfgZlXq6d8U37jHtHBhNoqQ_qBv3N9Mn46Plev97pP-3iWoIYkqh77aNXsHo3to-Y1q4EyIM6UPmtbNRSD_pdW_pGeLvEFZ8g3KXG6J4Kn5nN1ka2rfFpQ2NaVMJCUtHerabsI0/s640/05-1965-03+IMC+pagoda+at+night.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a> Sayagyi with meditators</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GUlTJnkmh0/XpvkHxepDYI/AAAAAAAAA8k/Vek1Nm__aAM2dNDGmnHlXYLcPHyIiHbVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/05-1961-05%2BIMC%2Binside%2Broom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GUlTJnkmh0/XpvkHxepDYI/AAAAAAAAA8k/Vek1Nm__aAM2dNDGmnHlXYLcPHyIiHbVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/05-1961-05%2BIMC%2Binside%2Broom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mr Robert Hover's room in IMC. May, 1961<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_E6ZXOPtjBvM_PW8RkOiDLhykyHdL9v0CdD5V5b1vhgeru_FvtaP11hnBj50vO2EViLVTgL_w_YY-so5cblYn-w59idf_WccRfsBhB9Nd7vMOeOpCHAm4iSJzUau4L-TX8o_9-50974/s1600/07-1965-03+IMC+pagoda+view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1075" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_E6ZXOPtjBvM_PW8RkOiDLhykyHdL9v0CdD5V5b1vhgeru_FvtaP11hnBj50vO2EViLVTgL_w_YY-so5cblYn-w59idf_WccRfsBhB9Nd7vMOeOpCHAm4iSJzUau4L-TX8o_9-50974/s640/07-1965-03+IMC+pagoda+view.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
View of the IMC Pagoda, 1965<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCFgf0OT-rVNpHUluqYIqVRjeOSXHhN5kawC9z_y0FjOYvhFJlHgMpzBf-faBaVKNb_LjriAnQvTiuHdXS5bIZQHqqbaAa6rrrKuaUBa597R6vLKQDigNCqWpFbBnX1LN3x-3mtPUJ_g/s1600/13-1965-03+SUBK+12+-+IMC+pagoda+at+night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCFgf0OT-rVNpHUluqYIqVRjeOSXHhN5kawC9z_y0FjOYvhFJlHgMpzBf-faBaVKNb_LjriAnQvTiuHdXS5bIZQHqqbaAa6rrrKuaUBa597R6vLKQDigNCqWpFbBnX1LN3x-3mtPUJ_g/s640/13-1965-03+SUBK+12+-+IMC+pagoda+at+night.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Ba Khin in the IMC Pagoda<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqO1Zc_hJAY/XpvojHbYpMI/AAAAAAAAA9A/Z0NqTbcO12QnFWKQ21Xbb-WE83xFT6TZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/21-SUBK%2Bpagoda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1056" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqO1Zc_hJAY/XpvojHbYpMI/AAAAAAAAA9A/Z0NqTbcO12QnFWKQ21Xbb-WE83xFT6TZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/21-SUBK%2Bpagoda.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
U Ba Khin with students<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z92Aope8Q4I/Xpvo9qnCwaI/AAAAAAAAA9M/iOWc4p44RsU7DSphnfsyBmIQ89xciW4FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/18-SUBK%2Bin%2Bhall%2BIndian%2Bstudent%2Bin%2Bbackground.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z92Aope8Q4I/Xpvo9qnCwaI/AAAAAAAAA9M/iOWc4p44RsU7DSphnfsyBmIQ89xciW4FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/18-SUBK%2Bin%2Bhall%2BIndian%2Bstudent%2Bin%2Bbackground.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sayagyi U Ba Khin in the Metta Hall <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQSfXFjWcxDjp_MRTTQXWhsFA7PyCBQVrZrmRUBodzApid9EzF51RPQ4nGEs6JRgzJh5NcO_ataNVPD5kDXeoEHTiek1SYkzY_coIgxeOiYlQBUZ_YlEQsahYw-D0CZJ6Iq_U6BohKr0/s1600/14-1965-03+SUBK+5+-.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQSfXFjWcxDjp_MRTTQXWhsFA7PyCBQVrZrmRUBodzApid9EzF51RPQ4nGEs6JRgzJh5NcO_ataNVPD5kDXeoEHTiek1SYkzY_coIgxeOiYlQBUZ_YlEQsahYw-D0CZJ6Iq_U6BohKr0/s640/14-1965-03+SUBK+5+-.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
U Ba Khin had a fondness for gardening, as can be seen in the greenery around the Metta Hall of IMC.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="23" data-original-width="23" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOk2d-mfy_o/XpvZfBFxteI/AAAAAAAAA6A/upgSU6iCX00A6uCiuAzGOHSWB6dM86ofACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/up%2Barrow.png" /></a> Sayagyi U Goenka and Mataji too wished to see Dhamma Giri having pleasing greenery, soothing to the eyes of meditators. Mataji liked gardening and could be seen watering plants in the garden of the family residence in Juhu, Mumbai.<br />
<br />
*As a tribute of infinite gratitude to the Dhamma parents, Vipassana International Academy with the help of Global Vipassana Foundation (GVF) to ensure the garden in the Principal Teacher's residence in Dhamma Giri be filled with beautiful flowering plants, auspicious lotus of different colours, orchids - visually resembling a garden in a deva loka (celestial plane).<br />
*The GVF to organize the gardening expertise and weekly maintenance from Mumbai.<br />
*Appropriate garden lamps and Pagoda lighting to be installed for use on Metta Day night.<br />
*Dhamma Giri, Dhamma Tapovana-1, Dhamma Tapovana-2, Dhamma Pattana, Global Vipassana Pagoda to nurture excellent landscaping, beautiful gardens to strengthen the Vipassana atmosphere.<br />
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Mr Robert Hover's other photographs from this 'Rare photo collection' at the free <a href="https://pariyatti.org/Free-Resources/Treasures" target="_blank">Pariyatti.org Treasures</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b>Sayagyi U Ba Khin: <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2490" target="_blank">A Shining Star of Dhamma</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Sayagyi-U-Ba-Khin" target="_blank">Sayagyi U Ba Khin</a>, Vipassana Research Institute</b></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>***</b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-21483345537387597802020-03-20T23:20:00.001+05:302020-06-01T12:01:01.057+05:30Sammā Samādhi: be master of your mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<i>by Sayagyi U Goenka</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Idaṃ pure cittamacāri cārikaṃ, yenicchakaṃ yatthakāmaṃ yathāsukhaṃ. Tadajjahaṃ niggahessāmi yoniso, hatthippabhinnaṃ viya aṃkusaggaho.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>This mind that wandered as it liked, wherever it wished, wherever it saw pleasure, Today, with attentiveness, I shall train it like mahout trains a wild elephant.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>—Dhammapada 326</i></div>
<br />
<br />
"The ultimate truth is the truth of this moment, not of the moments that have passed, nor of the moments that are yet to come. The moments that have passed can only be remembered; the moments that are yet to come can only be imagined or desired. Only the present moment can be experienced, not the moments of the past nor the moments of the future.<br />
<br />
"Thus, for the realisation of the ultimate truth, we will have to attentively observe the gross experiential truth of the present moment. Only then will subtler truths be unveiled and transcending the subtlest state, the ultimate truth of this moment will be realised. For this, the straight royal road of our entire meditation is <i>the practice of being able to live in the tiniest moment of the present. </i>For the practice of living in this moment, we should learn to remain alert to the gross events occurring in the body at this moment, awareness of the incoming breath or the outgoing breath."<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>On mastering one's mind through practising Anapana - the preliminary exercise to Vipassana</b>:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>f the mind is fixed upon any object, it will become absorbed in meditation, it will become still, it will achieve one-pointed concentration, but mere concentration of mind is not sammā samādhi (right concentration). For sammā samādhi, it is necessary for the mind to be wholesome, it is necessary for the mind to be untainted. Only the one-pointedness of a wholesome mind can be called kusalacittekaggatā samādhi—samādhi free from defilements.<br />
<br />
Samādhi means that the mind is established in equanimity. A mind that is focused upon an external object cannot attain equanimity; it will only disturb the balance of the mind. That is why only the concentration of a wholesome mind should be regarded as sammāsamādhi.<br />
<br />
A mind filled with craving is not wholesome, a mind filled with aversion is not wholesome, a mind filled with ignorance is not wholesome. When the mind is concentrated with the help of an object of craving, aversion or ignorance, it will achieve concentration, but it will be neither balanced nor equanimous. Such concentration of the mind is not proper, not pure, not conducive to happiness. A concentration that is dependent upon craving, aversion or ignorance is the absorption of an unbalanced mind—how can it be beneficial?<br />
<br />
A cat with a fully concentrated mind has its full attention on a mouse-hole, it is fully engrossed in its object. A heron standing on one leg on the bank of a lake in search of fish, focusing its full attention on the water, has a completely concentrated mind. It is not aware of anything else. This is the concentration of a mind filled with craving for the mouse or fish, it is not sammāsamādhi. Such a samādhi is not proper, not pure.<br />
<br />
Similarly, a soldier lying in wait for his enemy, with his attention on the enemy’s trench, has a fully concentrated mind. As soon as the enemy raises his head, he will shoot him. In the same way, a hunter with a double-barrelled gun, lying in wait for some dangerous beast, is fully attentive. His mind is fully concentrated. As soon as he sees his prey, he will fire a bullet at it. In this way, the mind is concentrated but it is not a wholesome mind; it is polluted with aversion and violence. Therefore, the concentration of such a mind is not sammā samādhi, is not pure samādhi.<br />
<br />
A person who is in a stupor after taking an intoxicating substance becomes absorbed in intoxication and attains concentration of the mind. He is insensate like a person in a deep sleep. He is not aware of any external or internal event. Similarly, a person making use of chemicals, such as LSD, experiences hallucinations and becomes completely absorbed in them. In both these conditions, he loses the equanimity of his mind, he loses the balance of his mind. Concentration based upon an unbalanced mind, distorted by ignorance, is not meditation, is not proper samādhi, is not pure samādhi.<br />
<br />
For the attainment of pure samādhi, an object that is based upon any kind of emotional fervour is not suitable. By this, the equanimity of the mind will be lost, the balance of the mind will be disturbed, the mind will become immersed in sentimentality and attachment that is full of craving. Even though the mind will become concentrated, purity will be missing.<br />
<br />
<b>Right Concentration</b><br />
<br />
In order to concentrate the mind, the object should be neither pleasant nor unpleasant; and for which there should be neither craving nor aversion in the mind. At the same time, the object of concentration should help to keep the mind continuously alert and protect us from getting immersed in any kind of delusion; protect us from self-hypnotism and hypnotism by others; protect us from sleep-inducing meditation.<br />
<br />
We may become absorbed not only in the gross sensual pleasures of the outside world but also in the subtle sensory pleasures of the so-called spiritual field. But this absorption only causes bondage, not liberation. Any samādhi attained while pursuing supernatural experiences only results in bondage. The vision of any pleasing form, colour, shape, or light, seen even with closed eyes; the sound of any pleasing word or sound; the enjoyment of any pleasing fragrance; the enjoyable thrill of ecstasy caused by any pleasurable contact of the body, may enable one to concentrate the mind. But at the subtle level, these supra-sensory experiences only result in craving and the bondage of ignorance. They are not sammā samādhi which alone can take us to liberation.<br />
<br />
Any meditator, practising concentration of the mind on a pure object for sammā samādhi, may also experience such supra-sensual experiences. One should regard them as mere milestones, leave them behind and keep on progressing on the path. If we regard them as objects of concentration, we shall again become entangled in craving. We shall not be able to reach the ultimate stage of full liberation of the mind. Therefore, we should be alert at every stage so that we do not cling to any such object of concentration, which will become a fetter for our legs, or a wall obstructing further progress on the path.<br />
<br />
While searching for a suitable object for the development of pure samādhi, we should also bear in mind that the object of concentration does not restrict the meditator within the bounds of any particular religion; that the object is not a form, colour, or word symbolising a particular religion, which people of other religions may find difficult to accept. This path of sīla, samādhi, paññā, and nibbāna (morality, concentration, wisdom, and liberation) is absolutely universal and acceptable to all nationalities. Therefore, while walking on this path, the object that is chosen for attaining concentration of the mind should be universal, eternal, and acceptable to all nationalities. It should be easily grasped by all, acceptable to all.<br />
<br />
There are many objects of concentration that fulfil the above essential conditions. We have chosen our own incoming and outgoing breath as the object of concentration, pure incoming and outgoing breath. Pure, in the sense that no word, name, incantation, form or shape is associated with it. The practice of continuous awareness should be only on the coming in and going out of bare breath. This breath should be natural breath, normal breath. If it is long, it is long; if it is short, it is short; if it is deep, it is deep; if it is shallow, it is shallow; if it is gross, it is gross; if it is subtle, it is subtle. While taking the natural breath as our object of concentration, we should understand that we are not doing any breathing exercise. The breath is merely an object of concentration. The more natural the object, the better it is. Any interference with it will cause artificiality, which will produce an obstacle in the observation of the truth. Instead of seeing nature as it is, we will turn away from it, we will become indifferent to it.<br />
<br />
<b>Why use the natural breath to concentrate the mind</b><br />
<br />
Why do we practise concentration of the mind? We practise so that the concentrated mind will become so subtle and sharp that it can pierce and tear the veils that have concealed the ultimate truth of liberation. Therefore, the more natural the object of concentration, the better are the chances that we shall avoid wandering in blind alleys and instead, become established on the straight and high road of Dhamma - The path of Vipassana.<br />
<br />
Another reason for adopting natural incoming and outgoing breath as the object of concentration is that the rhythm of our respiration has an intimate natural connection with the negativities of the mind. When the mind is polluted and overpowered by any harmful negativity such as anger, fear, lust, envy or any other negativity, we see that the rhythm of our respiration naturally becomes rapid and gross. When these negativities stop polluting the mind, the rhythm of respiration becomes slow and subtle. After developing samādhi, the next step is to enter the field of paññā, where we learn to become free from the bondage of the negativities of our own mind. Therefore, the observation of the reality of the incoming and outgoing natural breath is of great help in the next step of meditation.<br />
<br />
As we continue to observe our gross breath, the mind becomes more and more concentrated, and the breath becomes more and more subtle. Sometimes the breath will become extremely subtle, like a fine strand of hair, and as soon as it goes out, it seems to turn back inside. Sometimes it reaches a state of kuṃbhaka—a state where the process of respiration stops completely. Thus it is clear that our chosen object of concentration takes us from gross to subtle states. The unknown and unseen regions that we are likely to witness in the future are even subtler than this state, therefore, even from this point of view, the object of respiration is proper and meaningful. We have to experience the ocean of infinite waves surging within, the river of inner sensations flowing within, the eternal dance of the countless vibrations within every atom of the body. We have to witness our continuously changing nature. All of this is happening at an extremely subtle level. To reach this state, we have to first start observing the gross but ceaseless flow of respiration.<br />
<br />
Whatever is happening within is happening effortlessly. This is the self-regulated uninterrupted flow of body and mind. To be able to observe this involuntary dynamic state of creation and destruction in the inner world, we need an object that is both a voluntary and an involuntary process, so that after observing and understanding its voluntary activity, we can start observing its involuntary activity. Respiration is the only process in the body that can be regulated, that can be made fast or slow voluntarily, but which otherwise is an involuntary, effortless process. In the journey from the voluntary to the involuntary, from the known to the unknown, from the familiar bank of the river to the unfamiliar bank, the breath can act as a bridge. For this reason, too, it is useful as the object of concentration.<br />
<br />
<b>Live in the truth of this moment</b><br />
<br />
This path of sīla, samādhi (Anapana), paññā (Vipassana) and nibbāna, on which we have started walking, takes us to those depths in the field of meditation where we can naturally realise the ultimate truth.<br />
<br />
To walk on this path, we have to start with the observation of the actual, experiential truth because the ultimate truth is the truth of this moment, not of the moments that have passed, nor of the moments that are yet to come. The moments that have passed can only be remembered; the moments that are yet to come can only be imagined or desired. Only the present moment can be experienced, not the moments of the past nor the moments of the future. Thus, for the realisation of the ultimate truth, we will have to attentively observe the gross experiential truth of the present moment. Only then will subtler truths be unveiled and transcending the subtlest state, the ultimate truth of this moment will be realised. <i>For this, the straight royal road of our entire meditation is the practice of being able to live in the tiniest moment of the present</i>. For the practice of living in this moment, we should learn to remain alert to the gross events occurring in the body at this moment, awareness of the incoming breath or the outgoing breath.<br />
<br />
During this practice, we should not allow any bitter-sweet memories of the past to cast their shadows, like clouds, upon the mind. Nor should any bitter-sweet apprehension or desire about the future be allowed to cast a shadow. We should be aware only of pure breath, aware only of the actual incoming and outgoing breath. Bitter-sweet memories of the past and apprehensions and desires about the future cause craving or aversion because they are either agreeable or disagreeable. As the mind becomes free of these memories of the past and these imaginations about the future, as it becomes more and more established in this present process of the breath coming in or going out, it gains more and more freedom from craving and aversion. The mind is also released from ignorance because it is alert. While observing the incoming and outgoing breath, there is neither any agreeable feeling produced in the mind nor any disagreeable feeling; neither attraction nor repulsion; neither craving nor aversion.<br />
<br />
We learn to observe this natural phenomenon of the body merely as a witness. Becoming free from the bondage of the past and future, gaining release from the constraints of craving and aversion, we make our first effort to live in the present moment. This effort, similar to that of an infant trying to learn to walk on unsteady feet, and its ceaseless application in this direction, will, one day, make us worthy of completing our journey with firm, strong and steadfast steps.<br />
<br />
Without strong sammā samādhi, we cannot enter the depth of this moment; we cannot set foot in the field of paññā. To strengthen samādhi in the right way, let us give the mind a natural, imagination-free, faultless object of this moment, which is the awareness of the incoming and outgoing breath. On the basis of this awareness, let us learn to live in the present moment. Let us develop the concentration of a wholesome mind free from craving, free from aversion, free from ignorance. Let us develop our ability to avoid unwholesome physical or vocal actions. By becoming strong in paññā and eradicating impure mental defilements, let us develop our ability to avoid unwholesome actions at the mental level.<br />
<br />
Pure samādhi developed in this way gives happiness. Come, let us develop samādhi by practising awareness of the incoming and outgoing breath. By strengthening samādhi, sīla will be strengthened and by strengthening samādhi and sīla, paññā will be strengthened. In the strengthening of sīla, samādhi, and paññā, lies the way to liberation: liberation from mental defilements, liberation from sorrow, liberation from delusion and ignorance.<br />
<br />
Indeed, the path of samādhi is the path of well-being, the path of good fortune, the path of peace, the path of liberation.<br />
<br />
May all beings be liberated.<br />
<br />
(<i>from the Vipassana Research Institute <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2011" target="_blank">newsletter</a></i>)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;" />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-81484442154744003412020-03-18T17:05:00.002+05:302021-05-08T12:31:49.467+05:30A Myanmar accountant’s anti-corruption legacy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></b> town near Mandalay, Myanmar, owns a special place in history: in Kyaukse, a government accountant named U Ba Khin in 1941 began his unique fight against corruption, establishing a legacy of enabling the individual to change things for the better.<br />
<br />
As chief accountant of the Burma Railways Board, 42-year-old U Ba Khin (1899-1971) was auditing railway stations on the Rangoon-Mandalay line when his personal carriage was mistakenly detached at Kyaukse. He completed an unscheduled auditing of the station, and then visited the nearby Shwetharlyaung Hill to pay his respects to a renowned monk, <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Venerable-Webu-Sayadaw" target="_blank">Webu Sayadaw</a>. That meeting had a long-term impact on India and the world.<br />
<br />
Impressed with U Ba Khin’s progress in Vipassana meditation, Webu Sayadaw immediately exhorted him to share the ancient practice, which he had learned from a farmer teacher, Saya Thetgyi. The station master at Kyaukse became U Ba Khin’s first student. Within two decades, U Ba Khin, as independent Burma’s first accountant general, used Vipassana to reform four government departments, successfully fulfilling the anti-corruption mission prime minister U Nu had given him.<br />
<br />
U Ba Khin conducted Vipassana courses within the office premises, before he established the International Meditation Center in Yangon. He realized that laws and punishments alone could not work. The anti-corruption war had to be fought in the mind, to gain the crucial realization that corruption is assured self-destruction. Decades later, government departments across India grant paid leave for officials to attend Vipassana courses.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eczKEhgVRgw/XnIAy-hf4MI/AAAAAAAAA44/KhEDdgYJOJkSLRH36MpV4n53mWO3J-dQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Webu%2BSayadaw%2Bwith%2BSayagyi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="639" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eczKEhgVRgw/XnIAy-hf4MI/AAAAAAAAA44/KhEDdgYJOJkSLRH36MpV4n53mWO3J-dQACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Webu%2BSayadaw%2Bwith%2BSayagyi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Sayagyi U Ba Khin paying respects to Venerable Webu Sayadaw</i></div>
<br />
U Ba Khin was a remarkable individual who opened the path of Vipassana to non-Burmese-speaking people, particularly Westerners. His <a href="https://youtu.be/PztipUyyX6E" target="_blank">exposition of Vipassana</a> had a striking ring of truth, and he was the first English-speaking Vipassana teacher to explain the Buddha’s practical path in modern scientific terms.<br />
<br />
“Sayagyi’s way was not the way of scholars,” said his foremost student Satya Narayan Goenka, a Myanmar-born industrialist of Indian ethnicity. “Every word that he spoke came from his own experience. Therefore his teachings have the life of experience within them.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbeS1eRsCwAf6loIUesA1gSvCQewLt5r5llTXK9iMRp-cmVt46l8CTtt9yun4pjRAOoW0A60HbrhVN-8OHLA10aD035iID_jGS44cY0hvKQx51YFd2VKOjaapfNUaWolsHxkFvjs3Nds/s1600/Kyaukse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbeS1eRsCwAf6loIUesA1gSvCQewLt5r5llTXK9iMRp-cmVt46l8CTtt9yun4pjRAOoW0A60HbrhVN-8OHLA10aD035iID_jGS44cY0hvKQx51YFd2VKOjaapfNUaWolsHxkFvjs3Nds/s400/Kyaukse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Kyaukse Railway Station - </i><i>an unforgettable landmark in Vipassana history, from where Sayagyi U Ba Khin first began teaching</i></div>
<br />
Vipassana, taught free of cost through residential courses in 336 locations worldwide, includes practitioners from diverse backgrounds – from heads of state such as Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, corporate chieftains, nuclear scientists, psychiatrists and schoolchildren to inmates of high-security prisons – New Delhi’s Tihar Jail and Donaldson Correctional Facility (see the trailer of the award-winning <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-wINg-h2jI" target="_blank">Dhamma Brothers</a>) in Jefferson county, Alabama.<br />
<br />
I have absolutely no doubt Vipassana is the single most powerful force of change of our times. For the country and our world to change for the better, the individual has to change. Vipassana enables the inner change.<br />
<br />
The self-dependent practice breaks down the barrier of ignorance that prevents us from seeing reality within, instead of rolling in delusions, illusions. This ignorance of inner reality leads to unwholesome actions. Vipassana enables experiencing how the first victim of unwholesome thoughts, words, actions is oneself. So what’s the point of harming oneself?<br />
<br />
As fire and water cannot co-exist in the same vessel, correct Vipassana practice cannot co-exist with corruption in the same mind. Corruption monitors such as Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index paint a dismal picture, but statistics cannot tell us of honesty at work, of unnumbered times when people of unshakable integrity rejected temptations.<br />
<br />
Despite perceptions of widespread corruption in India, I have never personally encountered a bribery demand to get any governmental work done.<br />
<br />
U Ba Khin himself was a shining example of honesty. My teacher Sayagyi U Goenka recalled an inspiring incident during World War II:<br />
<br />
“In 1942, Japan attacked Myanmar, and its bombers destroyed Mandalay Railway Station, where U Ba Khin was then the accounts officer. He saw that the station’s safe had not been damaged in the bombing raid. The senior railway officers, who were British, were intent on escaping to India. If U Ba Khin had kept the government money for himself, no one would have known about it. But he unlocked the safe, took out the contents, drove two hours by car and handed over the money to the senior-most railway officer, who was on the way to the airport. U Ba Khin had need of money at that time because his daughter was ill. But he did not want to keep even a penny that belonged to others. Such a selfless person, free of craving, was Sayagyi U Ba Khin.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-gvj9FbO8k/XnH_Ym0LsRI/AAAAAAAAA4s/2zFO22diEMQQnYy4LrSk3Wrzr9h0LCDNACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BAccountant%2BGeneral%2527s%2BOffice%2Bin%2BYangon..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="413" height="341" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-gvj9FbO8k/XnH_Ym0LsRI/AAAAAAAAA4s/2zFO22diEMQQnYy4LrSk3Wrzr9h0LCDNACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/The%2BAccountant%2BGeneral%2527s%2BOffice%2Bin%2BYangon..jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Accountant General Office building in Yangon, Myanmar, where Sayagyi U Ba Khin first conducted 10-day Vipassana courses within the office premises.</i></div>
<br />
In 1969, U Ba Khin authorized his distinguished student Satya Narayan Goenka to teach Vipassana in India, the country of its origin. This timeless practice, referred to in the Rigveda, was lost for millennia in India, primarily because of vested interests corrupting the practice by adding rites and rituals.<br />
<br />
Conducting the first 10-day Vipassana course at the Pancayati Wadi rest house in South Bombay 50 years ago, Sayagyi U Goenka began teaching Vipassana in its non-sectarian, experience-based pure form. Not merely theories, intellectual debates, rites and rituals, but the actual practice to explore the truth within, to be aware with equanimity of the reality of who we actually are.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XFKOjK868Uc/X-F7dnCRiKI/AAAAAAAAA_0/R26-5dy2sF40Ok4DngOXijduoyxxwIMIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/06-1961-05%2BIMC%2Bgate%2Bnoticeboard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="640" height="429" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XFKOjK868Uc/X-F7dnCRiKI/AAAAAAAAA_0/R26-5dy2sF40Ok4DngOXijduoyxxwIMIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h429/06-1961-05%2BIMC%2Bgate%2Bnoticeboard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;"><i>The first Vipassana centre for householder students, Yangon. Burma</i></span></div>
<br />
Special courses being held this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Vipassana returning to India are a connection of links. India’s financial capital Mumbai that hosted the historic first course in 1969 has the greatest number of Vipassana practitioners in the world. Sayagyi U Goenka, instrumental in sharing Vipassana worldwide in more than 100 countries, was born in Mandalay, near Kyaukse where U Ba Khin began teaching. He lived in Mumbai, until he passed away peacefully there on September 29, 2013, aged 89.<br />
<br />
He predicted that Vipassana would bring together <a href="http://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2009/10/global-pagoda-and-worldwide-sharing-of.html" target="_blank">India and China </a>– both countries currently sharing poor Corruption Perception Index positions, ranked 78 and 87 out of 180 countries.<br />
<br />
In links connecting Vipassana, India and China, The Statesman, whose office in Mumbai is near the venue of the first Vipassana course in 1969, and Asia Times, based in Hong Kong, have by my reckoning published the most articles on Vipassana in English-language media. The merits thereby gained are immeasurable for sharing <a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search" target="_blank">this universal path</a> to true happiness – beyond glittering traps of corruption of any kind.<br />
<br />
<i>(from an article originally published in <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2019/04/a-myanmar-accountants-anti-corruption-legacy/" target="_blank"><b>Asia Times</b></a>, Hong Kong)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>***</i></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;" />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-51261490031559798342020-03-14T03:09:00.001+05:302021-03-11T09:47:05.356+05:30The individual key to real happiness <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>by Sayagyi U Goenka</i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>o live the life of morality is the quintessence of every spiritual teaching. However, the Buddha was not interested in merely giving sermons. He taught us to take the next important practical step of samādhi, meaning mastery over the mind.<br />
<br />
Developing mastery over the mind needs an object of meditation for concentration. There were many objects to concentrate the mind. The Buddha himself gave many objects, and of these, the most effective was one's respiration. He called this Ānāpāna sati: developing the faculty of awareness of inhalation and exhalation.<br />
<br />
Respiration is a common human activity. Nobody can object to the practice of awareness of respiration. The breath cannot be obviously labelled as Muslim or Hindu, Christian or Jewish, Buddhist or Jain, Sikh or Parsi, Caucasian or African or Asian, male or female,<br />
<br />
Ānāpāna requires us to remain aware of the natural breath, as it is, on the area below the nostrils and above the upper lip. It is the one-pointed concentration at the middle of the upper lip. We observe the natural breath. No regulation of the breath.<br />
<br />
As the mind gets concentrated on this small area, the mind becomes sharper, more sensitive. After three days of practice, you start feeling physical sensations on this part of the body. And then, you turn to the next stage training: paññā i.e experiential wisdom or insight.<br />
<br />
<b>From ignorance of inner reality to wisdom </b><br />
<br />
The Vipassana practitioner observes the changing sensations throughout the physical structure, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. In doing so, it can be noticed that these bodily sensations are closely related to what happens in the mind. It becomes clear that before performing an unwholesome action, some impurity is generated in one's mind: hatred before violence or killing, greed before stealing, intense passion (sexual craving) before sexual misconduct.<br />
<br />
The truth becomes clear: we cannot harm anyone without first harming oneself.<br />
<br />
Negativities such as anger, hatred, greed, ill will, jealousy, egotism and fear makes a person unhappy, miserable and violent. These impurities agitate the mind. And when the mind is agitated, this person distributes the agitation to others.<br />
<br />
First harming oneself, and then harming others. This law of nature is realized within the framework of one's own mind and body.<br />
<br />
Someone committing unwholesome actions may seem outwardly happy, but this "happiness" is like burning charcoal covered with a thick layer of ash. The burning goes on inside because of the mental negativities - yet the individual is totally ignorant of what is happening within.<br />
<br />
This is avijjā or moha - ignorance.<br />
<br />
For the Buddha, ignorance is not the lack of worldly knowledge, but the lack of awareness of what is happening within oneself - this veil of ignorance that causes so much misery.<br />
<br />
The practice of Vipassana tears apart this veil of ignorance.<br />
<br />
By objectively observing the arising, passing sensations in Vipassana practice, the realization deepens:<br />
"Look, I am generating misery for myself by generating tanhā in response to these sensations. When they are pleasant, I generate craving and when they are unpleasant, I generate aversion. Both make me miserable. And look, I have the solution now. When I understand the impermanent nature of sensations and maintain equanimity, there is no tanhā, no craving and no aversion. The old habit pattern of the mind starts changing and I start coming out of misery."<br />
<br />
This is vijjā or wisdom.<br />
<br />
This practical self-realized wisdom has nothing to do with any philosophical or sectarian belief. It is the truth about one's happiness and misery. Anyone can experience this truth within by taking steps on the path of Vipassana.<br />
<br />
<b>Vipassana Path of direct experience</b><br />
<br />
The Vipassana path is to experience the <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2380" target="_blank">Four Noble Truths</a> - at the level of bodily sensations or bodily feeling.<br />
<br />
When working with sensations, we work at the depth of the mind.<br />
<br />
Whatever arises in the mind is accompanied by sensations within the body: <i>vedanā-samosaranā sabbe dhammā</i>.<br />
<br />
Every thought that arises in the mind is accompanied by a sensation within the body:<i> vedanā-samosaranā sankappavitakkā</i>.<br />
<br />
This was the unique and great discovery of the Buddha.<br />
<br />
Another important discovery of the Buddha: we generate craving (tanhā) in response to the sensations. This was not known to the other teachers before the time of the Buddha, at the time of Buddha. The teachers before the Buddha and at the time of the Buddha kept advising people not to react to the sensory objects that come in contact with the sense doors: eyes with a visual object, nose with smell, ears with sound, and so on.<br />
<br />
They taught, "When sensory objects come in contact with your senses, do not react by judging them as good or bad; do not react with craving or aversion."<br />
<br />
This teaching was already in existence. But the Buddha went beyond. He said: you are not reacting to these objects. He gave the example of a black bull and a white bull (one representing the sense doors and the other the sense objects) tied together with a rope. Neither the black nor the white bull is the bondage; the rope is the bondage.<br />
<br />
The Buddha said that the rope of tanhā (craving) is the bondage and that the individual generates craving or aversion as blind reactions to vedanā (sensations): <i>vedanā paccayā tanhā</i>.<br />
<br />
This was the great discovery of the Enlightened One, the sammasambuddha.<br />
<br />
<b>Being with reality, not apparent reality</b><br />
<br />
As long as you are not aware of sensations, you react to outside objects, thinking, "This is beautiful", "This is ugly".<br />
<br />
You struggle with the apparent reality, the surface. The black bull or the white bull appears as the cause of the bondage. But the real bondage is the rope of craving and aversion - as a reaction to sensations.<br />
<br />
An alcoholic thinks that he is addicted to alcohol. He is actually addicted to the sensations he feels when he drinks alcohol.<br />
<br />
The attraction is not to anything outside. The reaction of attraction is to one's own pleasant sensations within.<br />
<br />
Observe sensations objectively, and start coming out of ignorance of the reality within.<br />
<br />
Experiencing the impermanent nature of sensations, one generates paññā (experiential wisdom) in response to vedanā (sensations). This is the law of nature, Dhamma. Whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, Dhamma remains eternal.<br />
<br />
The Buddha said:<br />
<br />
“<i>Uppādā vā tathāgatānam anuppādā vā tathāgatānam, thitāva sā dhātu dhammatthitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā. Tam tathāgato abhisambujjhati abhisameti. Abhisambujjhitvā abhisametvā ācikkhati deseti paññāpeti patthapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti. 'Passathā'ti cāha</i>.”<br />
<br />
"<i>I have experienced this law of nature, the Law of Dependent Origination, within myself; and having experienced and understood it I declare it, teach it, clarify it, establish it and share it to others. Only after having experienced it, I declare it.</i>"<br />
<br />
This is the bold declaration of a super scientist - one who discovers and shares the fundamental truths of nature, after realizing through direct experience.<br />
<br />
<b>The junction of sensations</b><br />
<br />
The feeling of sensation is the crucial junction, of two paths going in opposite directions: blind reaction to unpleasant or pleasant sensations - this path of misery. Or equanimity to sensations - the path of real happiness.<br />
<br />
The sensations are the root - the root from which habit patterns can be changed.<br />
<br />
As long as the root is neglected, the poisonous tree will grow again even if the trunk is cut.<br />
<br />
The Buddha said:<br />
<br /><i>
“Yathāpi mūle anupaddave dalhe, chinnopi rukkho punareva rūhati<br />
Evampi tanhānusaye anūhate, nibbattati dukkhamidam punappunam</i>”.<br />
<br />
Just as a tree with roots intact and secure, though cut down, sprouts again;<br />
-even so, while latent craving is not rooted out, misery springs up again and again.<br />
<br />
To be fully liberated from mental defilements, work at the root of the mind. Each individual must cut the roots of craving.<br />
<br />
When the entire forest is withered, each tree has to be nurtured, its roots cleared of disease, and then watered. Then, the entire forest will bloom again.<br />
<br />
Similarly, for the betterment of society, each individual has to change himself or herself for the better. For society to become peaceful, each individual has to become peaceful.<br />
<br />
The individual is the key. Vipassana gives the individual the key to purifying the mind, and change life for the better.<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>from '<a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/discourses/Buddha-The-Super-Scientist-of-Peace" target="_blank">Buddha, the Super-Scientist of Peace</a>', </b>Sayagyi U Goenka's address the United Nations in 2002, on the occasion of Vesakha, the full moon day of May - celebrated each year as the day marking the birth, the enlightenment and the passing away of Gotama the Buddha. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>In 2002, Goenkaji was <a href="http://www.events.dhamma.org/en/2002/" target="_blank">touring North America</a> during the month of Vesakha, teaching Vipassana and giving Dhamma talks - as part of <a href="http://www.events.dhamma.org/en/2002/tour-report/" target="_blank">an epic Vipassana journey of more than 24,000 miles (38,000 kms) across 35 cities in North America</a>, over a period of nearly four months.</i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i>***</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;" />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-25209120620744900852020-03-09T11:19:00.000+05:302020-06-01T12:02:32.566+05:30Sayings Of Sayagyi U Ba Khin <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"If you have gratitude to S.N.Goenka you will have gratitude to Sayagyi U Ba Khin"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
- Sayagyi U Goenka, at a gathering of Vipassana meditators during the construction of the Global Vipassana Pagoda</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Quotations from Sayagyi U Ba Khin:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
For progress in Vipassana meditation, a student must keep knowing <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2011/06/beneficial-power-of-anicca.html" target="_blank"><b>anicca</b></a> as continuously as possible. ...Continuous awareness of anicca, and so of dukkha and anattā, is the secret of success. The last words of the Buddha just before he breathed his last and passed away into mahaparinibbāna were: “Decay (or anicca) is inherent in all component things. Work out your own salvation with diligence.” This is, in fact, the essence of all his teachings during the forty-five years of his ministry. If you will keep up the awareness of the anicca that is inherent in all component things, you are sure to reach the goal in the course of time.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2489" target="_blank">Anicca </a>when properly developed will solve almost all your problems. It might not even be necessary for you to ask questions for answers. As the appreciation of anicca grows, so will the veil of ignorance fade away. When the way becomes clear for right understanding, doubts and fears will disappear automatically. You will then see things in the true perspective.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
<br />
A balanced mind is necessary to balance the unbalanced mind of others.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
The Dhamma can stand the test of those who are anxious to do so. They can know for themselves what the benefits are.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Just as the light of a candle has the power to dispel darkness in a room, so also the light developed in one man can help dispel darkness in several others.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
The world is facing serious problems. It is just the right time for everyone to take to Vipassana meditation and learn how to find a deep pool of quiet in the midst of all that is happening today.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
To imagine that good can be done by the means of evil is an illusion, a nightmare.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Dhamma eradicates suffering and gives happiness. Who gives this happiness? It is not the Buddha but the Dhamma, the knowledge of anicca within the body, which gives this happiness. That is why you must meditate and be aware of anicca continually.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
<br />
The more one is attached to self, the greater is the suffering.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Only those who take to meditation with good intentions can be assured of success. With the development of the purity and the power of the mind backed by the insight into the ultimate truth of nature, one may be able to do a lot of things in the right direction for the benefit of mankind.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Anicca is inside of everybody. It is within reach of everybody. Just a look into oneself and there it is. ...for householders, anicca is the gem of life which they will treasure to create a reservoir of calm and balanced energy for their own well-being and for the welfare of society.<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
What is happiness? For all that science has achieved in the field of materialism, are the peoples of the world happy? They may find sensual pleasures off and on, but in their hearts of hearts, they are not happy when they realise what has happened, and what may happen next. Why? This is because, while man has mastery over matter, he is still lacking in mastery over his mind.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i> From the Vipassana Research Institute <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2003" target="_blank">newsletter</a>, Vol. 21, No. 1: 19 January 2011.</i><br />
<br />
---<br />
<b>Sayagyi U Ba Khin on Vipassana (on anicca)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>A short discourse that Sayagyi U Ba Khin had recorded for his foreign students, who were unable to return to Myanmar for further practice and guidance:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9bvIB8skx_8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9bvIB8skx_8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<br />
----<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/golden-nuggets/passing-away-of-sayagyi-u-ba-khin/" target="_blank"><b>Passing away of Sayagyi U Ba Khin</b></a> </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(text and photos courtesy Dhamma Maṇḍa, <a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/golden-nuggets/passing-away-of-sayagyi-u-ba-khin/" target="_blank">Northern California Vipassana Center</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
On the 19th of January 1971, Sayagyi U Ba Khin passed away. He had been suffering for some time from diseases of old age and had been hospitalized three times. In the end he was rushed to the hospital and died of internal hemorrhaging. His physician Dr. Ohm Prakash said about him, “He could face disease bravely and well, was an intelligent and cooperative patient. He never took a pessimistic view of life, was always optimistic and took a hopeful view of life. He took suffering and disease as a result of past Karma and said it is the lot of one who is born in the world. The symptoms of disease also he would minimize and never complain(ed).”</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
<img alt="S.N. Goenka with Sayagyi U Ba Khin" src="https://manda.dhamma.org/images/s-n-goenka-with-sayagyi-u-ba-khin.jpg" /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
<i>Sayagyi U Ba Khin and Goenkaji</i></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
At that time Goenkaji was teaching a course at the Burmese Vihara in Bodhgaya. It was his 27th course after coming to India. On the third day of the course Goenkaji received a telegram from Burma that Sayagyi had passed away.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
At the 6 pm group sitting Goenkaji announced that, “A light has gone out in Burma.” That being the passing of Sayagyi. The next day at 2:30 there was a special sitting. It was simultaneous with the cremation of Sayagyi in Burma. Goenkaji spoke during the sitting and described how the body was being placed on the fire and how the body was being consumed by the fire. A student who was there described this as a very powerful sitting that is still clear in his mind 47 years later.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure style="border: 0px; color: #323243; float: right; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 25px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Sayagyi's coffin" height="316" src="https://manda.dhamma.org/images/sayagyi-coffin.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="240" /><figcaption style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">Sayagyi’s coffin</figcaption></figure><br />
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
When asked later how he knew the body was on the fire, he said that he felt the fire within himself. He knew the body had been consumed when he felt the cool breeze of Metta.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Sayagyi’s ashes were taken by a group of his oldest students by boat to the confluence of the Irrawaddy River with the sea. There they were immersed in the water by the students.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure style="border: 0px; color: #323243; float: left; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 25px 20px 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Immersing the ashes in the Irrawaddy where it meets the sea" height="320" src="https://manda.dhamma.org/images/immersing-ashes-in-irrawaddy.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><figcaption style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">Immersing the ashes<br style="border: 0px; color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />in the Irrawaddy<br style="border: 0px; color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />where it meets the sea</figcaption></figure><br />
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
This was the passing of a great man. He changed perceptions of meditation by introducing Vipassana to the world via his students. He saw that the time was ripe for Vipassana to spread around the world. Sayagyi said, “The time clock of Vipassana has struck,” meaning that the time for Vipassana to spread around the world had come. He wanted to go himself, but because the government would not give him a visa Goenkaji became the vehicle that made this huge impact.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Goenkaji never forgot Sayagyi. He always paid tribute to him, downplaying his own work and emphasizing the importance Sayagyi’s work. “My life is fulfilled. From the abundant compassion of my respected Teacher, I have received incomparable sustenance, and I continue to receive it in such abundance. The rejuvenating medicine of Dhamma gives me confidence to move firmly on. It continues to benefit me so much and uplifts so many others also. Pondering this, a spark of gratitude toward my respected Teacher rekindles in my heart.”</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #323243; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Today all his students have a great debt to this man who gave householders around the world an opportunity to learn Vipassana meditation. Each time a new student receives Dhamma for the first time, each time an old student sits down to meditate, they reap the benefit of Sayagyi’s efforts.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
---<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;" />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-67628319345021890192019-12-19T10:02:00.005+05:302021-11-08T13:33:59.229+05:30Continuity of Vipassana practice is secret of success<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>by Sayagyi U Goenka</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="font-size: xx-large;">F</b>or a Vipassana meditator, continuity of practice is the secret of success - this means being continuously aware of bodily sensations arising and passing away (anicca), with equanimity. This continuous experience of anicca (impermanence) purifies the mind.<br />
<br />
Anicca must be experienced. If not, it is merely a theory. And the Buddha was not interested in mere theories. Before and during the time of the Buddha, there were teachers who taught that the entire universe is impermanent (anicca). This was not new. What was new from the Buddha was the experience of anicca; and when you experience it within the framework of your own body, at the level of arising, passing sensations, you have started working at the deepest level of your mind.<br />
<br />
The Buddha’s teaching helps us to disintegrate the solidified apparent reality preventing us from seeing the actual truth. At the actual level, everything in the universe is mere vibrations. At the same time, there is the apparent reality of solidity. For example, this wall is solid. This is a truth but it is an apparent truth. The ultimate truth is that what you call a wall is nothing but a mass of vibrating subatomic particles. We have to integrate both the apparent and actual truths through proper understanding.<br />
<br />
Understand that the work to purify the mind is done by you alone; but you must also be prepared to work with your family, with society as a whole. The yardstick to measure whether pure love, compassion and goodwill are truly developing within you is whether these qualities are being exhibited towards the people around you.<br />
<br />
The Buddha wanted us to be liberated at the deepest level of the mind. And that is possible only when anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering) and anattā (egolessness) are experienced. This experience anicca, dukkha, anattā deconditions the mind from its negative habit patterns.<br />
<br />
By deconditioning the mind, layer after layer of the mind gets purified, until the mind is totally free from past conditioning. Purity then becomes a way of life. You will not have to consciously practice mettā (compassionate love) as you do now at the end of your one-hour sitting. Later, mettā just becomes a part of your life. All the time you remain suffused with love, compassion and goodwill. This is the aim, the goal.<br />
<br /><b>Vipassana works at the deepest level of one's mind</b></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
The path of liberation is the path of working at the deepest level of the mind. And the deepest level of the mind is constantly in contact with bodily sensations.<br />
<br />
Divide, dissect and disintegrate the entire structure to understand how mind and matter are interrelated. If you work only with the mind and forget the body, you are not practicing the Buddha’s teaching. If you work only with the body and forget the mind, again you are not understanding the Buddha properly.<br />
<br />
Anything that arises in the mind turns into matter, into a sensation in the material field. This was the Buddha’s discovery. People forgot this truth, which can only be understood through correct practice of Vipassana. The Buddha said, "Sabbe dhammā vedanā samosaraṇā:, anything that arises in the mind starts flowing as a sensation in the body.<br />
<br />
The Buddha used the word <i>asava</i>, which means flow or intoxication. For example, when you generate anger a biochemical flow of very unpleasant sensations starts. Because of these unpleasant sensations, you start reacting with more anger. With more anger, the flow becomes stronger and the intensity of anger intensifies. The habit-pattern of generating anger then becomes stronger, more deeply entrenched in the mind.<br />
<br />
In the same way, when passion arises, a particular type of biochemical substance starts flowing in the blood. A vicious circle starts which keeps repeating itself. There is a flow, an intoxication, an addiction at the depth of the mind. Out of ignorance, we become addicted to this particular biochemical flow. Although it makes us miserable, yet we become addicted: we want these sensations again and again. So we generate more passion - more misery.<br />
<br />
We become addicted to impurities we generate in the mind. Saying that someone is addicted to alcohol or drugs is not true. The real addiction is the addiction to particular sensations produced by alcohol or drugs.<br />
<br />
The Buddha teaches us to observe the inner reality of the arising, passing sensations. We overcome addiction to anything when we objectively experience sensations arising, passing, with this understanding: "Anicca, anicca. This is impermanent." Gradually we stop the habit of blind reaction.<br />
<br />
Dhamma is simple, scientific, the universal laws of nature applicable to everyone. Whether calling oneself a Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, American, Indian, Burmese, Russian or Italian makes no difference. Human nature is human nature. And Vipassana is the pure, natural science of studying mind and matter, and mind-matter interaction. Do not allow it to become a sectarian or philosophical belief. This will be of no help.<br />
<br />
The Buddha, the Fully Enlightened Super Scientist, worked to find the truth about mind and matter interaction. And discovering this truth, he found a way to go beyond mind and matter. He explored the path to the ultimate reality not to satisfy his curiosity but to find a way to be free from all suffering. There is suffering in every family, society, every nation in the world. The Enlightened One found and shared the way for everyone to come out of all suffering.<br />
<br />
Each individual must come out of misery, out of all suffering.<br />
<br />
There cannot be world peace just because we want world peace: "There should be peace in the world because I am agitating for it." This does not happen. We cannot agitate for peace. When we become agitated, we lose peace of mind. No agitation. Purify your mind. Then your actions will add to peace in the world.<br />
<br />
May you come out of misery. May you enjoy real peace, real harmony, real happiness.<br />
<br />
(from the Vipassana Research Institute article: <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2459" target="_blank">Work out your own salvation</a>)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-51777803648374428842019-12-16T10:38:00.001+05:302020-06-01T12:03:33.205+05:30The Essence of Experiential Wisdom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>by Sayagyi U S. N. Goenka</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(from a Vipassana Research Institute <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2452" target="_blank">newsletter</a>)</i></div>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span></b>hat is wisdom? Wisdom means the right understanding. Knowledge of the superficial apparent truth only is not true wisdom. In order to understand the ultimate truth we must penetrate apparent reality to its depths.<br />
<br />
<br />
A child will see precious jewels only as attractive, coloured pieces of stone. But an experienced jeweller evaluates the virtues and defects in each jewel with his expert vision in order to accurately estimate its value. In the same way, the wise do not conduct a mere superficial examination. Rather they go to the depths with penetrating wisdom and accurately perceive the underlying subtle truth in every situation. This ability to understand the complete truth accurately in every situation is wisdom.<br />
<br />
<br />
There are three kinds of wisdom. The first, <i>suta-maya panna</i>, is the wisdom gained by hearing or reading the words of others. The second, <i>cinta-maya panna,</i> is intellectual wisdom: to test with one’s reasoning and analyzing faculty whether the received wisdom is rational and logical.<br />
<br />
<br />
It cannot be said that these two types of wisdom are absolutely useless. However, because they are borrowed wisdom, usually the knowledge gained is merely intellectual and no lasting benefit is derived from it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Bhavana-maya panna</i>, the third kind of wisdom, is experiential wisdom It is wisdom manifested within ourselves, based on our own experience of our body sensations. This wisdom is based on direct experience and therefore is truly beneficial.<br />
<br />
<br />
To develop bhavana-maya panna, it is essential to practice <i>sila</i> (moral conduct) and to develop right <i>samadhi </i>(concentration). Only the mind established in right <i>samadhi</i> can understand and realise the truth as it is. (<i>Yatha-bhuta nana-dassana</i>)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Samahito yathabhutam pajanati passati.</i><br />
One who has developed right concentration, properly understands reality as it is.<br />
<br />
<br />
The ability to see things as they really are is called Vipassana, meaning "to see things in a special way". Ordinarily, we tend to observe only the superficial apparent truth, like the child who sees only the superficial, bright colouring and glitter of the jewels. To be able to properly observe inner truth, we need the penetrating expert vision of the jeweller—we need to see things in a special way. This special way of seeing is Vipassana; this is <i>bhavana-maya panna</i>, the development of wisdom by the practice of Vipassana.<br />
<br />
<br />
It is easy to understand superficial reality but introspection is necessary to understand subtle inner truths. Directing our attention inwards, we must explore, observe, and understand the truth within.<br />
<br />
<br />
To understand the truth within, we practice the four kinds of awareness described by the Buddha in the Mahasatipatthana Sutta. We practice <i>kayanupassana</i> (observation of the body) by observing the course of events within the body with full attention. Observation of the incoming and outgoing breath is part of <i>kayanupassana</i>. Observation of the respiration leads to awareness of sensations on every part of the body.<br />
<br />
<br />
Practising diligently, we gradually begin to experience gross or subtle sensations on every part of the body. The sensations may be pleasant, unpleasant or neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant. Observing these sensations with detachment, we practice <i>vedananupassana</i> (observation of sensations within the body). Observing the numerous kinds of mind (citta) that keep arising from time-to-time, we practice <i>cittanupassana</i>. Observing the different contents of the mind, we practice <i>dhammanupassana</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
We give more importance to<i> vedananupassana</i> because it is directly connected to the other three. Vedana is perceived by the the mind, but it is experienced in the body. Every defilement in the mind is intimately connected with some sensation in the body. Therefore, when we strengthen <i>vedananupassana</i>, we automatically strengthen the other three.<br />
<br />
<br />
In this way, through the practice of Vipassana based upon sensations, we can observe the true nature of the mind-body (nama-rupa) every moment. Gradually we develop the understanding that this body is merely a collection of subtle sub-atomic particles, which by nature constantly change, arising and passing away. These sub-atomic particles are made up of the four elements: earth, water, fire, and air.<br />
<br />
<br />
The flow of the everchanging body-stream and that of the mind-stream can be observed only with the help of penetrating, piercing <i>samadhi</i>. Observing the mind-body, we can experience its fundamental nature of impermanence <i>(anicca</i>) and suffering or unsatisfactoriness (<i>dukkha</i>) and in the process, its nature of egolessness (<i>anatta)</i> becomes clearer and clearer. We begin to realise that both the body-stream and mind-stream are substanceless, essenceless. There is nothing in this stream of mind and matter which is permanent, stable or constant, which can be called "I" or "mine", or which we can claim to control.<br />
<br />
<br />
In this way, we begin to learn to observe the flow of nama-rupa with detachment, with impartially. The deeper the examination of the subtle sensations, the stronger our detachment. As long as there is attachment, we cannot observe the object of meditation objectively, as it is. Through the wisdom gained by practicing Vipassana, our attachment becomes weaker and weaker, and we are able to observe the object of meditation more and more objectively.<br />
<br />
<br />
When one enters a dark house with a lantern, the darkness is dispelled; light illuminates the whole house and all objects in the house can be seen clearly. In the same way, the light of wisdom banishes the darkness of ignorance, and the eternal, noble truths are illuminated and are seen clearly.<br />
<br />
<br />
Through continued practice, we experience the truth of dukkha at the deepest level—how this constantly dissatisfied and discontented mind is incessantly afflicted with the thirst of craving; how this thirst is never-ending—like a bottomless pit, it consumes all our efforts to fill it. We understand the misery of our attachment and clinging to our belief in an individual ego—how our attachment to this concept of self, to our cravings and opinions, keep us incessantly preoccupied and miserable. When we understand dukkha and the root cause of dukkha, we also understand the Noble Path, which destroys all the cravings that cause dukkha, thereby leading to liberation from dukkha. As we progress on this path, we attain liberation from all suffering, nibbana.<br />
<br />
<br />
As our panna grows stronger and stronger through the practice of Vipassana, this wisdom eradicates all delusions, illusions, false impressions, and ignorance. Reality becomes clear because false impressions are unable to stick in the mind. When panna becomes strong, sila becomes pure; the mind is purified of all defilements. And progressing on this beneficial path, we achieve the pure state of the ariyas (noble ones). We experience the joy of nibbana.<br />
<br />
<br />
The happiness gained through Vipassana is superior to any other happiness. Neither the enjoyment of gross sensual pleasures, nor that of subtle extra-sensual pleasures, leads to lasting happiness. When pleasures of any kind comes to an end, the result is sorrow. And because every situation is impermanent, it is bound to change, to come to an end. When a pleasurable experience comes to an end, the mind struggles to regain it. This craving brings misery. True happiness comes only from that which remains stable.<br />
<br />
<br />
When we become used to observing with complete detachment, our faculty of observation can remain stable even if the objects of our observation keep changing. We do not become elated when we experience sensual or supra-mundane pleasures, nor do we cry when they pass away. In both situations, we watch objectively, like a scientist observing a scientific phenomenon in a laboratory.<br />
<br />
At the depths of the mind, as we observe the changing nature of even the most subtle sensations, right understanding arises about the profound truth of impermanence. We observe every changing situation with the same objective and impartial view. To see that which is apparent, that which is before our eyes, without any defilement in the mind—this is true happiness. This state has been called <i>ditta dhamma sukha vihara</i> (the happy state of knowledge of truth).<br />
<br />
<br />
Let us strengthen our <i>bhavana-maya panna</i> through the practice of Vipassana. Leaving behind the continuous struggle with cravings that cause such restlessness and discontentment, let us gain liberation from the bondage of craving. Becoming established in wisdom, let us gain liberation and attain real contentment, real happiness.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
<b>Questions And Answers</b><br />
<br />
<i>Question</i>: It seems to me that it would take forever to eliminate the sankharas one by one.<br />
<br />
<i>Sayagyi U S. N. Goenka</i>: That would be so if one moment of equanimity meant exactly one less sankhara of the past. But in fact, awareness of sensation takes you to the deepest level of the mind and allows you to cut the roots of past conditioning. In this way, in a relatively short time, you can eliminate entire complexes of sankharas, if your awareness and equanimity are strong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Question</i>: Then how long should the process take?<br />
<br />
<i>SNG</i>: That depends on how great a stock of sankharas you have to eliminate, and how strong your meditation is. You cannot measure the past stock but you can be sure that the more seriously you meditate, the more quickly you are approaching liberation. Keep working steadfastly towards that goal. The time is bound to come—sooner rather than later—when you will reach it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Question:</i> Would you say that Vipassana is the only way to reach enlightenment?<br />
<br />
<i>SNG</i>: Enlightenment is achieved by examining oneself and eliminating conditioning. And doing this is Vipassana, no matter what name you may call it. Some people have never even heard of Vipassana, and yet the process has started to work spontaneously in them. This seems to have happened in the case of a number of saintly people in India, judging from their own words. But because they did not learn the process step by step, they were unable to explain it clearly to others. Here you have the opportunity to learn a step-by-step method that will lead you to enlightenment.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-64395539411253585502019-12-13T23:55:00.002+05:302021-05-09T08:30:24.861+05:30S.N. Goenka – a Vipassana life extraordinary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">The 50th-anniversary celebrations of Vipassana returning to India in 1969 also celebrates the life of Principal Teacher of Vipassana Satya Narayan Goenka </span></i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>(1924 - 2013)</i></span><i><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">. </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
(<i>from the article published in The Statesman, Festival Issue, October 2019</i>)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica;"><i>----</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">In June 1969, a Burmese-born industrialist with ancestors from Rajasthan arrived at Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta. Hours earlier, he told a startled customs official in Rangoon airport that he was carrying out of the country a priceless jewel –the ‘gem’ of Vipassana, the ancient truth-realization practice that was lost to India for 2,500 years.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Now transforming lives worldwide, residential Vipassana courses are taught free of cost to people from all walks of life, cultural, religious backgrounds, in over 100 countries.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 12pt 0in 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The 50th-anniversary celebration this year of Vipassana returning to India also celebrates the unique life of Satya Narayan Goenka (1924 – 2013), Principal Teacher of Vipassana. </span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">***</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">I am not here to convert people from one organized religion to another organized religion—no. I am here to serve towards conversion from misery to happiness, conversion from cruelty to compassion, conversion from bondage to liberation. This is the conversion needed today.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">- Sayagyi U Goenka</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-size: 11pt;">he pattern, look for the pattern - the pattern of the bigger picture, the threads of life that connect people, places and events woven in the changing tapestry of our impermanent abode on earth.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">So too with the extraordinary life of Satya Narayan Goenka, Vipassana teacher to the world and to the previous and current President of India, to nuclear scientists and students, billionaires and business management students, princesses and inmates of prisons. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka was the true Father of Independent India. He revived in this ancient civilization the Vipassana practise that Gotama the Buddha re-discovered and shared - not as an organized religion, but as the universal path to purifying the mind and experiencing real happiness. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">I have no doubt that developing India - to be the world's largest economy by the year 2050 - is fruit of Vipassana being practised in the country since 1969. When more people increasingly live a wholesome life, prosperity increases with a purer mind able to more successfully accomplish work.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka's exceptional work, his sacrifices, enabled Vipassana to be shared free of cost in more than 100 countries, in 336 locations worldwide, with 105 Vipassana centres in India (31 in Maharashtra and Mumbai). He shared Vipassana its pure form - fully non-sectarian and universal, practical and result-oriented, with benefits here and now. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">He taught using scientific terms like his teacher U Ba Khin, the first Account General of independent Burma. But Sayagyi U Goenka was the first and foremost Vipassana teacher to avoid using the word 'Buddhism', the unfortunate term that has turned a Fully Enlightened Super Scientist's practical path to experience truths of nature into just another sectarian 'religion'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">A pattern linked Satya Narayan Goenka of Burma (Myanmar) to India, to his ancestors from Churu in Rajasthan, the land of kings, to the royal city of Mandalay in Myanmar where he was born. The pattern brought him to Madras (Chennai) where he lived during World War 2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The pattern of destiny brought him to Calcutta in 1969, arriving in India from Myanmar to the city of joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">From Bengal, he went to Bombay (Mumbai) where he <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2019/10/early-years-of-first-50-years-vipassana.html" target="_blank">re-started the wheel of Vipassana</a> again in the country of its origin. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">With Mumbai as home, the Rajasthan-origin Sayagyi U Goenka selflessly served humanity until he passed away peacefully, aged 89, on the night of September 29, 2013.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Vipassana dawn, the path</b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">
<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">"Awake O people of the world...the dark night is over. The light of Dhamma is glowing... The dawn of happiness," words in Pali, Hindi, Rajasthani inspire Vipassana students as dawn breaks in another day of a Vipassana course, in course venues worldwide - another day of determined battles to drive out demons of negative habit patterns entrenched deep in dungeons of the mind. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The Vipassana teacher is only a guide in the self-dependent battle that has to be courageously fought alone - whether in a meditation cell of a Vipassana centre, a forest, cave, in heavenly solitude of the Himalayas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">In Pali language, Vipassana means 'to see reality as it is'. It enables experiencing the true nature of this changing mind-matter phenomenon called 'I' - this 'I', 'my' to which we give so much importance. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The aim of Vipassana is to purify the mind. The practice of Vipassana is being aware, with equanimity, the impermanence of bodily sensations, their arising and passing every moment, from moment to moment.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Physical sensations - any tangible feeling in the body such as pressure, pain, heat, tingling, itching, subtler sensations like a pleasant flow - arise, pass away as manifestation of mind-matter interaction, the bio-chemical flow of change every moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The deepest part of one’s mind, where conditioning takes root, is never in contact with the outside world but always in contact with this bio-chemical of sensations within, every moment, from birth to death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">At the apparent reality we react to the outside world, but in actual reality we blindly react to sensations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">As eyes give sight, Vipassana gives insight – insight of life-changing realities within.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Sensations are not new; but new is the Vipassana-developed faculty to be objectively aware of this inner reality, from the grossest sensation of immense pain to the subtlest sensations of infinite bliss.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Blissful or painful, whatever the cause of a sensation arising - from a physical ailment, food intake, sitting for long, atmospheric conditions, past conditioning of the mind (sankaras) - every sensation becomes a Vipassana tool to develop awareness and equanimity to changing phenomena.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Everything changes, is subject to impermanence. Nothing lasts forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Equanimity to changing sensations, instead of blind reactions, changes the habit pattern of the mind of generating negativity. Life changes for the better.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The Sayagyi</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The Principal Teacher of Vipassana being called 'Sayagyi' (in Burmese meaning "respected householder teacher") fits the rational, non-dogmatic practise of Vipassana. No "gurudom", the curse of personality worship, exploitative cults.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The true teacher practices what he teaches, so did Sayagyi U Goenka.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He shunned personal recognition of any kind. He said he was only the medium, and that if not him someone else would have done the work of revival of Vipassana in India and the world. The time had ripened.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A self-made millionaire by age 25 in Burma, Sayagyi U Goenka was a master of people management. He ensured a network of highly decentralized and yet closely connected Vipassana centres worldwide, the islands of Dhamma to teach Vipassana in purity for centuries, free of cost. Expenses are met only through voluntary services and donations of those who already completed a Vipassana course.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He insisted that there should no advertising of Vipassana courses, to avoid commercialization. Only word of mouth. Those experiencing the benefits cannot resist telling others about Vipassana.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Trained teachers and assistant teachers conduct residential 10-day to 60-day Vipassana courses as volunteers, without receiving any fees. They take time off from their various professions, occupations, business and industries. They follow a strict code of conduct, are required to avoid all unwholesome actions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He allocated work and responsibilities without intrusive interference. His way of respectful dealings with others enables harmony at work. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">"If you look for virtue, look for it in others", he advised, "If you look for faults, look within".</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He discouraged backbiting and said a problem should be first directly discussed with the concerned person. Only if that person refuses to recognize the mistake should a complaint be made to a senior - but after informing the person a complaint is being made.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka had addressed the United Nation General Assembly, was a keynote speaker at the millennium</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Economic Summit in Davos<span class="apple-converted-space"><u><span style="color: blue;"> </span></u></span><span style="color: #222222;">(Switzerland) in 2000, gave talks at Harvard Business Club in New York and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and yet functioned with minimal facilities and manpower while guiding a rapidly expanding global Vipassana organization.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">He personified compassion and humility. He discouraged blind beliefs and welcomed suggestions and questions to clarify doubts. If someone with whom he was talking interrupted him, he immediately stopped mid-sentence and listened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He took great care not to hurt any being, anyone. Even a strongly worded letter to a stubborn student was kept waiting for a day or two before he signed it, to make sure the strong language was really needed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He could have earned himself worldwide fame had he publicly exhibited his special powers of the mind. Apart from Mataji (his wife and Principal Teacher of Vipassana Ilaichidevi Goenka), very few people who closely interacted with Sayagyi U Goenka may have been aware he had such powers. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">These powers of the mind get naturally opened up in a person highly advanced in meditation, tangible faculties little known to conventional science. Most inspiringly, Sayagyi U Goenka followed the teaching of the</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> Buddha</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> where no importance is given to such faculties, these mere way stations on the path to total purification of the mind. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Epilogue</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka was a unique phenomenon in history. He was the first Vipassana teacher after the Buddha to share the Vipassana path of liberation with so many in the world, with such accuracy and detail. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">His service to humanity will be more significantly recognized when coming generations of children grow to adulthood after having practised early in life Anapana (</span><a href="http://www.children.dhamma.org/" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">www.children.dhamma.org</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">), the preliminary to Vipassana. The Maharashtra government's Mitra Upakram project enables millions of school children to daily practice Anapana; with their strong base to avoid unwholesome actions early in life, they will grow as evolved adults making a beneficial impact in the world. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The self-dependent practice of Vipassana repairs and enhances the way of life, interactions with people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">We discover our real work in life. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Vipassana is the single most powerful force of transformation. For the world to change, the individual must change. Vipassana empowers the individual to change for better – and experience real happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Ehi passiko – come and see.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> Give Vipassana a fair open-minded trial.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">(For more information on residential Vipassana courses taught free of cost worldwide: </span><b style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt;">www.dhamma.org</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">)</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><b>-----</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">
</span>
<br />
</span><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-18887585163030982542019-11-26T12:38:00.001+05:302020-06-01T12:04:57.770+05:30How to be free from anger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>The following is the general text of Sayagyi U Goenka's remarks </i><i><i>on the subject of anger, </i>at one of the panels of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 2000:</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>W</b></span>hat happens when someone is angry? The law of nature is such that one who generates anger is its first victim. One is bound to become miserable as one generates anger - even though most of the time people do not realize that they are harming themselves by generating anger. Even if someone realizes this, the truth is that one is unable to keep oneself away from anger; to keep oneself free from anger. Now let us see why one becomes angry.<br />
<br />
It is quite obvious that anger arises when something undesirable has happened when someone has created an obstacle in the fulfilment of your desires, when someone has insulted you or when someone has expressed derogatory remarks about you while backbiting. All such reasons make one flare-up in anger and are the apparent reasons for one to become angry.<br />
<br />
Now is it possible that someone can attain so much power that no one should say or do anything against him? This is certainly impossible. Even to the most powerful person in the world, undesirable things keep on happening and he or she is helpless to prevent it. Even if we can stop one person from insulting us or saying something against us there is no guarantee that another person will not start doing the same thing. While we cannot change the whole world according to our wishes, we can certainly change ourselves to get rid of the misery that one suffers because of generating anger. For this one has to seek a deeper reason for the anger within oneself rather than outside.<br />
<br />
Let us understand within ourselves the real reason for generating anger. For example, let us understand from the standpoint of Vipassana the real reason which causes us to experience anger within ourselves. If you learn the art of observing the reality within yourself it will become so clear at the experiential level that the real reason for anger lies within and not outside.<br />
<br />
As soon as one comes across some undesirable thing outside there is a sensation in the body. And because the object was undesirable the sensation is very unpleasant. It is only after feeling this unpleasant sensation that one reacts with anger. If one learns how to observe bodily sensations equanimously without reacting to them one starts coming out of the old habit of flaring up in anger and harming oneself.<br />
<br />
The practice of Vipassana helps one to develop the faculty of observing all the different kinds of sensations which one experiences on different parts of the body from time to time and remain equanimous by not reacting to them. The old habit had been that when you feel pleasant sensations you react with craving and clinging and when you feel unpleasant ones you react with anger and hatred. Vipassana teaches you to observe every sensation, both pleasant and unpleasant, objectively and remain equanimous with the understanding that every sensation has the quality of arising and passing away. No sensation remains eternally.<br />
<br />
By practising the observation of sensation equinamously again and again one changes the habit pattern of instant blind reaction to these sensations. Thus, in daily life whenever one comes in contact with something undesirable one notices that an unpleasant sensation has arisen in the body and one starts observing it without flaring up in anger as before. Of course, it takes time to reach a stage where one is fully liberated from anger. But as one practices Vipassana more and more one notices that the period of rolling in anger is becoming shorter and shorter. Even if one is not able to feel the sensation immediately as it arises, maybe after a few minutes one starts realizing that by the blind reaction of anger one is making the unpleasant sensations even more intense, thereby making oneself even more miserable. As soon as one realizes this fact one starts coming out of anger. With the practice of Vipassana, this period of realization of misery pertaining to unpleasant sensation becomes shorter and shorter and a time comes when one realizes instantly the truth of the harm that one is causing to oneself by generating anger. This is the only way to liberate oneself from this mad habit of reacting with anger.<br />
<br />
Of course, there is also a way that as soon as one realizes that one has generated anger one may divert one's attention to some other object and by this technique, one may feel that one is coming out of anger. However, it is actually only the surface part of the mind that has come out of anger. Deep inside one keeps on boiling in anger because you have not eradicated the anger but merely suppressed it. Vipassana teaches you not to run away from the reality but, rather, to face the reality and start objectively observing the anger in the mind and the unpleasant sensation in the body. By observing the reality of the unpleasant sensations in the body you are not diverting your attention somewhere else nor are you suppressing your anger to the deeper level of the mind. As you keep on observing the sensations equinamously you will notice that the anger that has arisen naturally become weaker and weaker and ultimately passes away.<br />
<br />
The fact is that there is a barrier between the smaller part of the mind, that is the surface of the mind, and the larger part of the mind, the so-called subconscious or half-conscious mind. This larger part of the mind at the deepest level is constantly in touch with the bodily sensations and has become a slave of the habit pattern of blind reaction to these sensations. Due to one reason or the other, there are different kinds of sensations throughout the body at every moment. If the sensation is pleasant then the habit pattern is to react with clinging and craving and if it is unpleasant the habit pattern is to react with aversion and hatred. Because of the barrier between the small surface part of the mind and the rest of the mind the surface part is totally unaware of the fact that this constant reaction is taking place at the deeper level.<br />
<br />
Vipassana helps to break this barrier and the entire mental structure becomes very conscious. It feels the sensations from moment to moment and, with the understanding of the law of impermanence, remains equanimous. It is easy to train the surface level of the mind to remain equinamous at the level of intellectual understanding but this message of intellectual understanding does not reach the deeper level of the mind because of this barrier. When the barrier is broken by Vipassana the entire mind keeps on understanding the law of impermanence and the habit pattern of blind reaction at the deeper level starts changing. This is the best way to liberate yourself from the misery of anger.<br />
<br />
From: <a href="http://www.executive.dhamma.org/en/anger.shtml" target="_blank">On the Subject of Anger,</a> <a href="http://www.executive.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">Vipassana for Business Executives</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Interview with Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka, during the Millennium Davos Summit, January 2000: </b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CrDEJ9jPcv8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CrDEJ9jPcv8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-62835673453685884472019-10-24T16:44:00.003+05:302021-05-22T10:58:25.454+05:30 A tribute of gratitude to aviation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>oday October 24 sixteen years ago, the Concorde flew its last passenger flight, British Airways Flight 002, from New York's JFK airport to London's Heathrow (earlier, BA 001 had taken off on its last flight from London to NY). It marked the end of a special era of aviation, the end of passenger service of the most remarkable aircraft ever made.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H9Mn8Q3Dvng/XbGEd5UxyxI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/TkkeXc29qJksMtYiVYgM8Qkb0fqIcHDeACEwYBhgL/s1600/Concorde%2Bwikimedia%2Bcommons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H9Mn8Q3Dvng/XbGEd5UxyxI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/TkkeXc29qJksMtYiVYgM8Qkb0fqIcHDeACEwYBhgL/s400/Concorde%2Bwikimedia%2Bcommons.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Concorde (courtesy, Wikimedia Commons)</i></div>
<br />
The Concorde was the fastest, most special of magnificent flying machines in the quick and safe service of aviation in the history of transport. Without civil aviation, life would have been very different - with months of voyaging to travel across continents.<br />
<br />
Every section and every human endeavor benefited much from civil aviation, including the sharing of Vipassana. Vipassana meditators, Dhamma workers and teachers fly from city to city, country to country, fly across continents to practice, teach and share Vipassana worldwide much faster than would have been possible 100 years ago.<br />
<br />In the old days of steam ships, the Principal teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka would have taken a minimum of 70 days to travel from Bombay to Paris to conduct the first 10-day Vipassana course in France in July 1979.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Thousands of Vipassana courses have since been conducted worldwide thanks to civil aviation, a remembrance of gratitude to everyone involved in passenger air transport, in the past, present and future.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ-N4G7QaQA/XbF6StJSImI/AAAAAAAAA3A/izTUt4Z6OJwtgHzSwiCccPVyOKMGGAmkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/first%2Bflight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ-N4G7QaQA/XbF6StJSImI/AAAAAAAAA3A/izTUt4Z6OJwtgHzSwiCccPVyOKMGGAmkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/first%2Bflight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Pioneers of flying, the two brothers Wilbur Wright and Oliver Wright during their first flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk. Orville's brother Wilbur piloted the record flight lasting 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet. One hundred years later in 2003, the supersonic Concorde flew at over twice the speed of sound, at 2,469 kms per hr – faster than Earth’s rotation, so fast it was actually time-travel: depart 6 pm in London and arrive in New York at 4.30 pm the same day.</i></div>
<br />
How much time of life has civil aviation saved. Concorde - meaning 'agreement', 'harmony' - saved time like no other passenger aircraft in history. Time that passenger planes saved - the time that allowed many hundreds of thousands of people across the world to benefit from Vipassana, within this time of 50 years after the "time-clock of Vipassana striking".<br />
<br />
The Concorde first flew in 1969, the same historic year of Vipassana returning to India from Burma (Myanmar) where it was preserved in purity for millennia.<br />
<br />
The Concorde was a story of epic struggle, of discord and disharmony before two long-term rivals, Britain and France, worked together in 'concorde' to produce <a href="https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/the-concorde-mystery-1502814462.html" target="_blank">this masterpiece of invention and innovation </a>unsurpassed in aviation history:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v9bVFkDhGPE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v9bVFkDhGPE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> " The Concorde brought cities together, brought people closer, and reminded us all that we can do extraordinary things."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One world. One family. <a href="http://www.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">One path to freedom</a>, to fly free from all suffering.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>*<a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2019/10/early-years-of-first-50-years-vipassana.html" target="_blank">Vipassana returns to India. 1969 - 2019. Early years of the first 50 years</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #14171a;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-35409247731575881482019-10-14T11:46:00.179+05:302023-02-15T00:45:18.099+05:30Early years, of the first 50 years. Vipassana returns to India (1969 - 2019)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><h2><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">A chronicle of the 50th anniversary of Vipassana returning to India, and the world</i></span></span></h2><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I</b></span>ndia quickly welcomed Vipassana returning after 2,000 years, returning to the land of its origin, to the land of the Sammāsambuddha who re-discovered Vipassana</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Those early years from 1969 were crucial, and purity in the transmission of Dhamma ensured success.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Vipassana had taken root again in India, even before Vipassana centers were established after millennia.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The record of early courses (below) shows the diversity of venues: rest houses (dharamshalas), schools, colleges, temples, churches, mosques, monasteries, private bungalows, hotels, ashrams, prisons, a police academy.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In those early years, Sayagyi U Goenka conducted every Vipassana course. Assistant teachers were appointed in 1981. From 1969, for more than 200 Vipassana courses, no assistant teachers, no audio-video recordings. He was in the Dhamma Hall from 5.30 am for the morning meditation, then from 8.00 am group sitting onwards, 12.00-noon meetings with students, afternoon and night - sometimes past 10.00 pm answering questions. He gave instructions, checked students, gave the discourse (additional discourse in English since October 4, 1970)</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> day after day, course after course. And he had to attend to problems during courses, at venues that never before hosted anything like a residential Vipassana course.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This chronicle is part of the 50th anniversary of Vipassana returning to India and then shared worldwide - a reminder of the debt of infinite gratitude that Vipassana meditators - now and generations to come - owe to Sayagyi U Goenka and his teacher Sayagyi U Ba Khin; gratitude to all who gave dana (voluntary donation), helped organize, served and meditated in courses of those early years. They ensured innumerable beings, in many world systems, benefiting directly or indirectly from Vipassana.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Statistical details of courses in the early years are from the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Journal, Vipassana Research Institute, VIA, Igatpuri, Maharashtra, India.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course </span></b><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No. Location Course Date Students Old New</span></b><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 3-7-1969 - 13-7-1969 0 14</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">2. Agarwal Bhavan,Madras 24-7-69 - 3-8-69 1 14</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">3. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 14-8-69 - 24-8-69 7 11</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">4. Birla Dharamshala, Saranath 11-9-69 - 21-9-69 0 20</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">5. Birla Mandir, New Delhi 25-9-69 - 5-10-69 0 11</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">6. Tibdevala Dharamshala, Calcutta 9-10-69 -19-10-69 2 30</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">7. Primary School, Tadepalligudam, AP 23-10-69 -2-11-69 6 14</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">8. Maha Bodhi Society, Egmore, Madras 4-12-69 -14-12-69 7 8</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">9. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 27-12-69 - 6-1-1970 7 12</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">10. Geeta Bhuvan Dharamshala, Delhi 15-1-70 - 25-1-70 </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">----------</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAoQPMHz8gzZdSQ2KoWb6UFvtVN3gYuaOmUNrceQ63v580pk8ELvnmQxr3WNoZ80XOc06IkmnVlNxmfURZLo6KLwMylCM4Ugu_4Ij32uzPGap8Yv-NPibYRzRFECNCSTGt1CkCxuiWMw/s1600/U+Goenka+passport+photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="185" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAoQPMHz8gzZdSQ2KoWb6UFvtVN3gYuaOmUNrceQ63v580pk8ELvnmQxr3WNoZ80XOc06IkmnVlNxmfURZLo6KLwMylCM4Ugu_4Ij32uzPGap8Yv-NPibYRzRFECNCSTGt1CkCxuiWMw/s200/U+Goenka+passport+photo.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Photograph of Sayagyi U Goenka from his Burmese passport, </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>in his younger days as a globe-trotting millionaire-businessman</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Years later, when he arrived in India in 1969 as Vipassana Teacher, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">he introduced himself as "U S.N. Goenka" ("U" means "Mr" in Burmese). </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">-----------</b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No. Location Course Date Students Old New</span></b><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 3-7-1969 - 13-7-1969 0 14</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Before the first Day Zero, July 3, 1969</span></b></h3>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size: large;">S</span>ayagyi U Goenka recalls days before the first Vipassana course in India (in Bombay) after 2,000 years:</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"A</span></b>fter coming to India, I faced difficulties, self-doubts. Where should a Vipassana course be held? Who would organize it? Who would sit the course?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Many of my family members had become followers of another path, Ananda Marg. They would not listen to anything about Vipassana. I could not expect their help.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I could neither expect help from family members from Myanmar who are Vipassana meditators. They were dispirited because they lost everything due to governmental changes in Myanmar. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">...days passed, despondency increased. One evening I meditated in this frame of mind. The meditation was strong, with equanimity. I resolved: "If I am a worthy vehicle of Dhamma, with pāramis, the darkness will go. If not, I will accept my unworthiness and return to Myanmar."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As soon as I made this resolve, I felt strong mettā towards my brothers involved in Anand Marg: May they be happy. May they be successful. The darkness dissolved. Joy and enthusiasm arose.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After finishing this meditation sitting, I saw a young man waiting to meet me: Vijay Adukia, grandson of Mangalchand Adukia. Mangalchandji was the father-in-law of my younger brother and my associate in social service in Myanmar, where he had done a Vipassana course. Vijay said, "If you wish to conduct a ten-day course, I shall arrange a place. A portion of the Pancayatiwadi Dharmashala can be made available. I have spoken to the management. If you wish, please come and inspect it."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I happily went but found the course site unsuitable for meditation: the noise of the city around, and filthy. But to find a vacant place for ten days in a large city like Bombay was not easy. And so, expressing gratitude to the management of the dharmashala, I immediately gave my acceptance."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- <i>from <b><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2457" target="_blank">The First Vipassana Course in India</a>, </b>VRI newsletter, June 10, 1998</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><i>--------</i></i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><i><br /></i></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Rampratap Yadav, one among the 14 participating students in the first Vipassana course in India after more than 2,000 years, remembers those historic 10 days in July, 1969:</span></b></i></span></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>(Yadavji served as personal secretary to Sayagyi U Goenka from the time he arrived in India, in June 1969, until Sayagyi's passing away, Sept 29, 2013) </i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"I got the rare opportunity to serve Goenkaji immediately upon his arrival in India in June 1969. The day after his arrival in Bombay (Mumbai), he came to the offices of his younger brother Shyamsunder, in Kalbadevi Road. I was summoned for correspondence work in Hindi - [the work that Yadavji was to do for the next 44 years serving The Principal Teacher].</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji had with him about 100 names and addresses. These people were to be informed that his Vipassana teacher, the revered Sayagyi U Ba Khin, had appointed him to teach Vipassana and that a 10-day retreat would be held in Bombay. All those who wanted to participate or wanted to organize such retreats should reply immediately. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The correspondence started. Apart from Bombay, requests came from Madras (now called Chennai), Sarnath, Calcutta (now </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Kolkata)</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, Delhi, Tadepalligudam (Andhra Pradesh state), Madhoganj (in Uttar Pradesh), and Ajmer (in Rajasthan) among many others.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The first 10-day course was organized in a dharamshala (a public rest house) named Panchayat Wadi, in Bombay, from the 3rd-13th of July. The meditation hall was large and the number of participating students was 14.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There was no appropriate accommodation for Goenkaji. Female accommodation was on the first floor above the hall and although a room was available for him on the first floor, he would have to go through the female area. So he had the teacher's residence for the course created with a cloth partition at one end of the long meditation hall. The Dhamma seat was set up on the opposite side of the curtain, while he shared with students the common entrance to the meditation hall. He also had to share the few toilets with students.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The course was running smoothly. But on the fifth day, I and a few other students became ill. Goenkaji first wondered if food might be the cause. A doctor examined and treated us. I felt a bit better the next day. Later, Goenkaji asked me if I was practicing any other form of meditation. I confided I had indeed been practicing a different technique (Ananda Marg mantra) for half an hour, two times a day. “Oh,” he said, “no wonder you took ill along with the other students.” He explained, “You have been practicing a Beej Mantra (repetition of a word with strong vibration) based technique, but I teach a different path based on the laws of nature - and both cannot co-exist under the same roof. Either you have to stop practicing the mantra or else you will have to leave."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I told him that from now on I would only practice the Ananda Marg mantra at home but I could not possibly give it up. With much compassion, he began explaining to me the differences between the two techniques. He assured me that if I quit the mantra and practiced only pure Anapana / Vipassana, it would cause me no harm.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He smiled. 'In the future, so many courses are going to be organized, so better build a strong foundation straight away.' "</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(R.P Yadav also sat the second Vipassana course in India, in Madras (Chennai), from August 24, 1969 - Sept 3, 1969. He was the only old student among 15 participating in the course, and became the first old student to take his second Vipassana course, in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin as taught by S.N.Goenka - the accurate teachings of </span></i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Sammāsambuddhas</i></span><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">).</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">------------</span></i></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> No Location Course Date Students Old New</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">11. Buddha Temple, Madhoganj, U.P. 29-1-70 - 8-2-70 5 20</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">12. Yadav Dharamshala, Pushkar, Ajmer 19-2-70 -29-2-70 2 2</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">13. Sugarmill Bungalow, Barachakia 12-3-70 -22-3-70 8 40</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">14. Samanvaya Ashram, Bodh Gaya 9-4-70 -19-4-70 2 23</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">15. Shivner Building, Bombay 14-5-70 - 24-5-70 11 28</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">16. Private Bungalow, Baroda 4-6-70 - 14-6-70 8 13</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">17. Rama’s Temple, Sadra, Ahmedabad 23-7-70 - 2-8-70 0 28</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">18. Dalmia Building, Varanasi 13-8-70 - 23-8-70 8 11</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">19. Hindu Dharamshala, Barachakia 31-8-70 - 10-9-70 21 16</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-------------</span></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
Half-burnt offerings for the Teacher's lunch</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">R.P Yadav recalls how Sayagyi U Goenka faced difficulties in those early years:</span></i></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Goenkaji faced many difficulties during Vipassana courses in those early days, particularly those in rest houses (dharamshalas) and remote areas. But I never saw him frown. He would say, “Since we have come prepared for difficulties, nothing to complain; the students too are facing similar difficulties.” </span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One such course (course #17 from 23-7-1970 to 2-8-1970) was in a Ram Temple in a small village called Sādrā near Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The students volunteered to manage the course. This included cooking meals in an open fire outdoors. After checking (meditating with the teacher), students cooked lunch. </span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji had instructed me beforehand that I </span>should not ask the course organizers for anything. I was to accept whatever was given, and never to question it. </div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When I went to get his lunch on the first day, I brought back one cooked vegetable, lentil soup (dal), dry half-burnt rotis, half an onion for salad, and buttermilk. Before eating, Goenkaji asked me again, “You did not ask for anything, did you?” I assured him that I had not. </span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Later the students approached Goenkaji, lamenting, “Sir, we are so sorry. We know our food is not good, but this is all we have. This place is far away from the city, so please forgive us.” </span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji laughed, “Oh, but the food was delicious! It had your metta in it. You should all focus on your practice, don’t worry about me, as I am very comfortable here.” </span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Today some people from that course are Vipassana Teachers and have served many others in Dhamma. One of the students who organized this course was Mr Kashyap Dharmadarshi, who years later began serving as a Vipassana acharya (teacher) conducting 10-day and long courses."</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">------</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<b style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Sayagyi U Ba Khin's letter to Sayagyi U Goenka, October 11, 1969</span></b><br />
<b style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8aqXskGouU/XZ8FCVmvdlI/AAAAAAAAA04/OabflzChi-o7J0VIalkJqjX1UrDK_4MFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sayagyi%2BU%2BBa%2BKhin%2Bletter%2BOct%2B11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="464" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8aqXskGouU/XZ8FCVmvdlI/AAAAAAAAA04/OabflzChi-o7J0VIalkJqjX1UrDK_4MFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sayagyi%2BU%2BBa%2BKhin%2Bletter%2BOct%2B11.jpg" width="494" /></span></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(Text):</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">11th October 1969</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My dear Goenka,</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I came back to Centre from R.G.H. last month on 30-9-69 and am getting on well. You are doing a very great and unprecedented service to Buddha Sasana in India. You are under our cover always. As you represent me for this great work in India, it is my duty to see at all costs that you succeed in your endeavours to give True Buddha Dhamma to those who are in need of it. Your success means my success and I shall see to it that you get reinforcement of Nibbana Dhatu from us and all the great powers who guide us in this most noble work.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">With sincerest and kindest regards,</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Ba Khin</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">11/10/69</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course </span></b><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No Course date Students Old New</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">20. Shanti Kutir, Dalhousie 4-10-1970 -14-10-1970 0 11</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Vipassana in English:</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">D</span>alhousie, Himachal Pradesh, North India. October 4, 1970 - October 14, 1970.</b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">ith the first Vipassana course in India for English-speaking students, the liberating door of Vipassana had opened to large numbers of non-Hindi speaking students worldwide and in India. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span><span>Eleven students, all new, participated in the course held in a private bungalow. For the first time, Sayagyi U Goenka gave instructions and long discourses in English.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Sayagyi U Ba Khin had assured his hesitant student U S.N Goenka who knew very little English that he would have his (U Ba Khin's ) support for the English language course. </span></span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Those of us who served closely with Sayagyi U Goenka knew he was not very fluent in English, even decades later. Yet his instructions and discourses in English are fluent masterpieces of clear, accurate, inspiring exposition of Vipassana. </span><span>Dhamma worked</span><span>.</span><span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kwSCWMGIchQ/XaC9JbXi4jI/AAAAAAAAA2E/yQfMCNVqvds-MOHTJ5OUx0CZDdXBhr-OACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/first-foreign-students-dalhousie-india-1970-10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="802" height="520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kwSCWMGIchQ/XaC9JbXi4jI/AAAAAAAAA2E/yQfMCNVqvds-MOHTJ5OUx0CZDdXBhr-OACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/first-foreign-students-dalhousie-india-1970-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">The eleven students and Dhamma worker from the first Vipassana course in English, October 1970, Dalhousie</i><br />
<i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(Rare photo courtesy, </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Dhamma Maṇḍa, Northern California Vipassana Center)</i></span></span></i></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">First Vipassana Course in English Language</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>by Sayagyi U Goenka</i></span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">ayagyi U Ba Khin, my revered teacher, believed that 2500 years after the Buddha, the second Buddha-sasana (cycle of teaching) will start again in the land of its origin, India, and from there spread throughout the world to benefit humankind.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Dhamma will again arise with the practice of Vipassana. For millennia, Vipassana was lost to India. But it was preserved in its pristine purity in Myanmar (Burma).</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Close to the end of this 2500-year period, the historical Sixth Council was held from 1954 to 1956 in Yangon (Rangoon). It was during this time - from 1st to 11th September 1955 - that I got my Dhamma birth. I sat my first Vipassana course.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>After benefiting me immeasurably for 14 years, Vipassana returned to India on 22 June 1969, with the blessings of my teacher, after over 2,000 years. Despite self-doubts about my ability, Dhamma started to take root in India.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>I am merely a medium. Dhamma is doing its own work. "The clock of Vipassana has struck," Sayagyi often said. "At this time, many people with very good paramis have been born in India and in the other countries of the world. They will be attracted to Vipassana".</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>So it happened. Innumerable people from different countries, religions, beliefs started participating in courses. So too did leaders of various religions. All of them accepted this technique as their own; none of them felt that it was alien.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>These initial Vipassana courses were taught only in Hindi since the majority of courses were held in North India. After a few months, a few westerners also started participating in these courses.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>After giving the Dhamma talk in Hindi, I used to give them a five or ten-minute discourse summary and instructions. These students were very hard working and this brief guidance was enough for them to achieve surprisingly good results.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Gradually, words of praise of Vipassana spread among western travelers. A year later, a group of tourists staying at Dalhousie requested me to come there and conduct a course exclusively for them.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>It was difficult for me. The entire course would have to be conducted in English. To talk a few English sentences of guidance and to clear their doubts would have been simple. But to give an hour-long discourse fluently in English, or to give long, inspirational instructions throughout the day, as I did in Hindi, was impossible for me.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>In Rangoon, I used to read out a written speech whenever I had to give a talk in English as President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or at any important public function. I neither had the experience nor the ability to give a talk in English without reading from a text.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>And a talk on meditation, in which I have to give English equivalents of technical terms of Indian spiritual traditions, was even more difficult for me.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>So I expressed my inability to conduct a course in English and advised them to keep joining courses conducted in Hindi in small numbers. They argued that whereas Hindi-speaking students benefited greatly from the inspiring discourses and instructions, foreign students were deprived of this benefit. Besides, they were convinced I knew enough English to conduct the course.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>When I still refused, they contacted Sayagyi U Ba Khin and complained to him about me. "Sir, outside Burma, only one of your representatives is teaching this technique and he is not accepting our request", they told him. "Where can we go to learn this technique?"</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Besides, in those days, one could not get a visa to Burma for more than three days. So they pleaded with Sayagyi that he should order me to conduct courses in English.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>I was in Bombay, then. My revered teacher telephoned me and ordered that I should go to Dalhousie to conduct that course. He told me with loving firmness: "You must go. Whatever English you know will be enough. You will be successful. Dhamma will help. All my mettā is with you." After getting such a powerful reassurance I went to Dalhousie.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>I had nothing against going to Dalhousie. In fact, I had reasons to look forward to the trip. This would be my first course in the lap of the Himalayas. Sayagyi used to say: "Who knows how long in how many lives we have meditated in the serene caves of the Himalayas." So after reaching Dalhousie, I felt very happy. Self-doubts reduced.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>The course started. For the first two days, while on the Dhamma seat I felt suffocated. I was unable to speak for more than 15 minutes the first evening.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>On the second evening, I struggled to speak for about 25 minutes. I felt suffocated again. Although I found no cause for it in the surface layers of my mind, I felt that maybe the inferiority complex of having trouble speaking English was creating obstacles at the deepest level.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>But the actual cause turned out to be something else. This was a small course with eleven students. It was conducted in a little bungalow called Shanti Kutir. The group sittings and discourses were held in a small room. The student who had invited me for the course lived in the adjacent room.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>On the third day, I felt strong, impure, anti-Dhamma vibrations flowing from that room and polluting the adjacent meditation room.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>With the pure vibrations of the Himalayas on the one hand and the powerful mettā of my revered teacher, on the other hand, I could not understand what could cause these anti-Dhamma vibrations.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>That afternoon, when I went to that room to check the student, I was startled to see a human skull on his table. Nearby was a blood-stained kukri [curved knife].</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>The student explained he was the disciple of some local tantric [member of a mystical cult]. Only three nights ago he had gone to the cremation ground and had made an animal sacrifice with this kukri as part of a tantric ritual. His guru had told him that his meditation would be very successful if he kept the skull and kukri close to him.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Now I understood the cause of the suffocating, negative vibrations pervading the meditation room. After much persuasion, he threw away the kukri and skull in a cavern faraway. And only then the anti-Dhamma force was eliminated from Shanti Kutir.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>That afternoon, I meditated on the Dhamma seat for a long time. The time for the evening discourse approached. I saw that the entire atmosphere, washed by the purifying waves of the breeze from the Himalayas, had become even purer with the mettā-filled Dhamma vibrations from my revered teacher.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Just a few moments before the start of the discourse, Dhamma vibrations flooded my being through the top of the head. I began the discourse and I found I spoke English as fluently as I speak Hindi. I spoke for an entire hour.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>After the five-minute break, I gave long instructions with the same fluency. I could see that all meditators - male and female - were absorbed in deep meditation. At 9:00 p. m. when the day ended, their faces were radiant. I was wonder-struck.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>It was Sayagyi's mettā that gave me the Dhamma strength to turn what seemed impossible to possible. The first-ever Vipassana course in English became successful. What Dhamma wished happened.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>After this, all courses were bilingual. Daily, I gave Hindi discourses in the morning and English discourses in the evening. Instructions too were bilingual.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>More courses were conducted, more students participated. The number of foreign students increased. Courses in places like Bodhgaya, Kushinagar, Varanasi and Rajagir had almost only foreign students. Word spread to many Western countries. Groups of foreigners came to learn Vipassana. With courses often running full, many had to wait for the next course.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>In a few years, thousands from about 80 countries came for Vipassana courses. Students came from neighbouring Sri Lanka and Thailand. The time had come for the prophecy and Dhamma wish of Sayagyi to come true.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>Vipassana will spread throughout the world. Perhaps that is why it became possible to conduct courses in English. Without this, Vipassana would not have spread among the people of foreign countries.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span>
<span>I felt contented. The Vipassana flood gates had opened and the infinitely beneficial Ganges of Dhamma flowed also to students outside India, to the world.</span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-----------</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xbj87s-yQ9c/XZ7ACTB8KAI/AAAAAAAAAz8/wPj7xfYkgE0bgmDgPMXxUkBFrIvIQknFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/goenka-teaching-in-bodhgaya.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="351" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xbj87s-yQ9c/XZ7ACTB8KAI/AAAAAAAAAz8/wPj7xfYkgE0bgmDgPMXxUkBFrIvIQknFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/goenka-teaching-in-bodhgaya.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Teaching in the Burmese Vihara, Bodhgaya, in early 1970s. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Many Vipassana courses were held here, including the first 20-day and 30-day Vipassana course.</span></i></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
From the hippie trail to the Vipassana trail</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(Text and photos courtesy Dhamma Maṇḍa, <a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">Northern California Vipassana Center</a>)</span></i></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he first Vipassana course for English-speaking students in Dalhousie in 1970 caused a huge demand and many courses were held for foreign students.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRlBpUPrXBk/XaC9w2Rt-FI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/GNPsGjn4Q_MhF6fzBi539cSVohg_o2QEgCEwYBhgL/s1600/goenka-having-meal-with-students-dalhousie-india-1970-10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="239" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRlBpUPrXBk/XaC9w2Rt-FI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/GNPsGjn4Q_MhF6fzBi539cSVohg_o2QEgCEwYBhgL/s400/goenka-having-meal-with-students-dalhousie-india-1970-10.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sayagyi U Goenka with hosts Balbir Singh Jutla and his wife Susan (who has since passed away), Dalhousie, India, 1970, the couple who owned 'Shanti Kutir', venue of the first Vipassana course in English.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Along the hippie trail in the early 1970’s one of the first questions people would ask: “Have you done a course with Goenka?”</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Usually, a discussion followed and fellow travellers would write down the Bombay address to get information on course dates. Dates and locations of courses were exchanged from Kathmandu to Calcutta, from Bali to Tokyo. All over the East, travellers were sharing their experiences with others from his courses.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In those early days of the 1970s, there was a good chance Goenkaji might be in Bodhgaya. In 1971, Bodhgaya was just a small town....On the road from Gaya, the first building was the Burmese Buddhist Vihara. The Burmese government built it for pilgrims visiting Bodhgaya from Burma. With the change of government, Burmese were not permitted to travel abroad after 1962, and so there were very few pilgrims. This made the place available for holding Vipassana courses.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ruEXBYKkvCw/XZ7Cq8yJF7I/AAAAAAAAA0I/Q8pccvQmaW87RBZFgoMtkue6v8SAkOjHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/western-vipassana-students-in-bodhgaya.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="820" height="416" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ruEXBYKkvCw/XZ7Cq8yJF7I/AAAAAAAAA0I/Q8pccvQmaW87RBZFgoMtkue6v8SAkOjHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/western-vipassana-students-in-bodhgaya.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Vipassana meditators from western countries in Bodhgaya, in the early years. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Many on the "hippie trail" after walking the "Vipassana trail" progressed on the Dhamma path. Some of them years later served as assistant teachers. </span></i><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A monk ran the Vihara. He was an older man and was affectionately called 'Buddha-Baba'. He was very welcoming to the Vipassana courses, happy that the Buddha’s teachings would be practiced right there where the Buddha attained his enlightenment. With this welcome, Goenkaji held many courses here over the years until Dhamma Giri became a reality.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A student of Goenkaji’s from Nepal donated a pagoda to the Burmese Vihara that was built behind the main building. There was a room inside that served as Goenkaji’s accommodation and where he meditated.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tTKcjvqIzaA/XaFytAO13iI/AAAAAAAAA2o/JnZQvf4m0u8YQdGa1RejktOJlVDqH9IOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/early%2Bwestern%2Bstudents.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="667" height="379" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tTKcjvqIzaA/XaFytAO13iI/AAAAAAAAA2o/JnZQvf4m0u8YQdGa1RejktOJlVDqH9IOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h379/early%2Bwestern%2Bstudents.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Group sitting in the library, second floor, Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya, Dec 1969 /1970</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>"Courses were so crowded, students here are even sitting behind Goenkaji. During those early years, courses had limited facilities. Often four or five students were accommodated in a single room" - RP Yadav</i></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">During the first courses, the sittings were held inside the rooms on the second floor. Soon there was so much demand for Vipassana courses that a tent was erected on the roof to hold all the students....'</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- From <b><a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/golden-nuggets/early-courses-in-bodhgaya/" target="_blank">Early Courses in Bodhgaya</a> </b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">--------</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Course </b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No </b> <b> Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">21. Ladakh Buddhist Vihara, Delhi 18-10-70 -28-10-70 11 9</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">22. Shivner Building, Bombay 5-11-70 -15-11-70 19 37</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">23. Samanvaya Vidyapith, Bagha (for children) 2-12-70 -12-12-70 1 37</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">24. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 13-12-70 -23-12-70 16 43</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">25. Samanvaya Ashram, Bodh Gaya 24-12-70 -3-1-1971 8 23</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">26. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 4-1-1971 -14-1-1971 56 41</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> -----------</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">27. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 17-1-1971 to 27-1-1971 70 22</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">"A Light (of Dhamma) has gone out in Burma"</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObZ3JBYifEM/XaCxOcyZPYI/AAAAAAAAA1U/UzzNjkAZZAELK-ECJqnkzt-Yh9dtXQtTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/s-n-goenka-with-sayagyi-u-ba-khin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="446" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObZ3JBYifEM/XaCxOcyZPYI/AAAAAAAAA1U/UzzNjkAZZAELK-ECJqnkzt-Yh9dtXQtTACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/s-n-goenka-with-sayagyi-u-ba-khin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span></b>n January 19, 1971, Sayagyi U Ba Khin passed away in Rangoon, in Burma, aged 71. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It was Day 2 of a 10-day Vipassana course that Sayaygi U Goenka was conducting in Bodh Gaya. Day 2 is considered as one of the most difficult days of a Vipassana course.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"On the third day of the course, Goenkaji received a telegram from Burma that Sayagyi had passed away.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At the 6.00 pm group sitting Goenkaji announced that “A light has gone out in Burma.” That being the passing of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. The next day at 2.30 pm there was a special group sitting. It was simultaneous with the cremation of Sayagyi in Burma. Goenkaji spoke during the sitting and described how the body was being placed on the fire and how the body was being consumed by the fire. A student who was there described this as a very powerful sitting that is still clear in his mind 47 years later.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When asked later how he knew the body was on the fire, Goenkaji said that he felt the fire within himself. He knew the body had been consumed when he felt the cool breeze of Metta.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- <a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/golden-nuggets/passing-away-of-sayagyi-u-ba-khin/" target="_blank">Passing away of Sayagyi U Ba Khin</a>, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(courtesy </span><i style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Dhamma Maṇḍa, <a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/" target="_blank">Northern California Vipassana Center</a>)</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">----------</span></i></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <b>No</b> <b> Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">28. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 1-3-71 - 11-3-71 24 35</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">29. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 14-3-71 - 24-3-71 36 42</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">30. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 31-3-71 - 10-4-71 36 46</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">31. Narayanwadi, Bombay 11-4-1971 - 21-4-1971 38 28</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">32. Diksha Bhumi Vihara,Nagpur 25-4-71 - 5-5-71 3 34</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">33. Shreyas School, Ahmedabad 23-5-71 - 2-6-71 22 20</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">34. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 8-7-71 - 18-7-71 20 40</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">35. Samanvaya Ashram, Bodh Gaya 29-7-71 - 8-8-71 21 36</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">36. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 12-8-71 - 22-8-71 24 33</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">37. Bamanwada, Jain Temple, Sirohi 26-8-71 - 5-9-71 20 29</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">38. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 9-9-71 - 19-9-71 28 27</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">39. Burmese Buddhist Temple, Kushinagar 22-9-71 - 2-10-71 17 55</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">40. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 6-10-71 - 16-10-71 42 75</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VATX5I9-LGQ/XZ7JCs1Pg-I/AAAAAAAAA0U/KOlgLhm2DfUhghI1DgLSWy-xCMoYnVI_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/grand%2Bview%2Bhotel%2BDalhousie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="930" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VATX5I9-LGQ/XZ7JCs1Pg-I/AAAAAAAAA0U/KOlgLhm2DfUhghI1DgLSWy-xCMoYnVI_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/grand%2Bview%2Bhotel%2BDalhousie.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, Northern India. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The venue of many Vipassana courses in the early years, some with more than 100 students. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Oct 1 -11,1973 course had a record 243 students (85 old, 158 new)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></i></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">For the Good of Many</h2><div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span></b>rom village to town and town to city, from one Vipassana course venue to another venue, this former millionaire from Myanmar traveled across India sharing the light of Dhamma. He served with humility, often undergoing discomfort. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He traveled mostly in trains, 3-tier sleeper class, or even unreserved in third class. Unreserved compartments of long-distance trains had barely room to stand, leave alone sit or sleep. The </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> 3-tier sleeper class in those days had wooden planks for (sleeping) berths. </span>He carried with him a hold-all with his clothes, which at night he spread on the wooden berth as his bed. He would mostly read or meditate during those long train journeys across India - from bustling Bombay through the grey-brown Deccan Plateau, across the green Gangetic plains to the scorching summer heat of Rajasthan and cold winter of northern India, from dusty towns of Bihar to the snowy purity of the Himalayas.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Goenkaji would be mostly immersed in Dhamma work during those train journeys," said R.P. Yadav who accompanied him as student-secretary. "But if a fellow passenger wanted to talk to him, and know more about Vipassana, he would willingly explain." </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fifty years later, many assistant teachers often travel by air or in air-conditioned train coaches when traveling to conduct courses - as The Principal Teacher Goenkaji recommended. Teachers usually have reasonably comfortable accommodation and facilities, with most courses conducted in established Vipassana centers - which is good for all, and since variable facilities available are only from voluntary donations from grateful students.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Not so in the early years, when funds were very limited and all Vipassana courses were in makeshift venues. At one venue, the course conducting Vipassana teacher Sayagyi U Goenka was taken to his accommodation: a 'room' with no roof, and three walls missing.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"The situation was horrible", he recalled later. "But if I had complained, they (course organizers) might have said, 'okay, you go home." So he said nothing and conducted the course. He set the living example for now and future generations, for those </span>coming to participate in Vipassana courses (particularly Vipassana teachers) - whether to sit or serve - to humbly accept whatever facility is offered. We go to a Vipassana course like a monk or a nun.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Many of the course venues in those early years were held in remote locations with barely any facilities. With strong determination, pure strength of mind, and Dhamma volition, Sayagyi U Goenka faced all the difficulties. A weak-minded person could have easily given up and returned to his life as a successful businessman and physical comforts.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At another such remote venue was Vipassana course # 37, at Bamanwada, Jain Temple, Sirohi, Rajasthan, from 26 Aug - Sept 5, 1971. It had among its 49 participants the old lady mentioned in the 10-day discourse: the old lady who wailed loudly after a monkey had bolted away with her valuables - a sweet, a silver locket, and Rs 20.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-------</span></div>
</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No </b> <b> Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">41. Mohatta House, Bikaner 22-10-71 - 2-11-71 41 43</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">42. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 5-11-71 - 15-11-71 32 28</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">43. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 2-12-71 - 12-12-71 28 79</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">44. Loya Temple,Alandi, Poona 23-12-71 - 2-1- 1972 59 90</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">45. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 19-1-72 - 29-1-72 74 116</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">46. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 30-1-72 9-2-72 118 43</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">47. Hindu Dharamshala, Barachakia 11-2-72 - 21-2-72 32 20</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">48. Buddhist Vihara, Pratapgarh 23-2-72 - 4-3-72 11 29</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">49. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 12-3-72 - 22-3-72 28 58</span><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">50. Mahatma Gandhi Ashram, Sevagram 27-3-72 - 6-4-72 13 25</span><br /></b>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">--------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The course where Goenkaji became teacher and student</span></b></h3>
<div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b>ome Vipassana courses in those early years had over 100 students, some barely 10. Course #12 in Pushkar, Rajasthan, had a grand total of four students (2 old, 2 new). No student had actually arrived specifically for this course. Yet Sayagyi U Goenka conducted the 10-day course. He did not cancel it and return home - a crucial point to note for Vipassana course organizers who hastily cancel a course. Not a single course was canceled in those early years because there were too few students.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Again, right in the mix was our friendly Mr. Rampratap Yadav - he was one of the 4 students in this course at a place called Yadav Dharamshala.... </span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The two old students for this course conducted by S.N. Goenka:</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1) S.N. Goenka</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">2) R.P. Yadav</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yadavji on this extraordinary course:</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In those days, Goenkaji traveled by train in the ordinary three-tiered coach, or what we know today as ‘sleeper class’. Both Goenkaji and I would travel together. During our journey to Ajmer, a sadhu (mendicant) sat across from us. He had no specific destination, and so was prepared to get off the train as and when he wanted. While discussing meditation techniques, he expressed interest in sitting a Vipassana course. Goenkaji mentioned to him that there was a course that began the very next day and that he could accompany us to Pushkar.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The course organizer greeted us when we arrived at the station, and together we set off for Pushkar, to the public guesthouse Yadav Dharamashala. There was not even a single toilet or shower stall on the premises. Just outside the building ran a dry canal. The organizer showed us a toilet enclosure that had been erected, made of straw and clay on the concrete ridge of this canal. It was only about four feet tall, just tall enough for privacy. We were also shown an area of the courtyard where a small corner had been enclosed to serve as a shower stall. As no one occupied the upper floors, this would provide sufficient privacy. The watchman drew water for our needs from a nearby well, and he was also our cook and cleaner. In order not to cause him more trouble, Goenkaji decided he would bathe at the plinth by the well, thereby saving the watchman from having to carry water across the yard.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At this point, it was clear that no student had arrived for this course. But Goenkaji said nothing about canceling the course and returning home. Only two people would sit this course in Pushkar - the sadhu we met on the train and our course organizer himself. But Goenkaji was not disheartened at all and instead suggested that both he (Goenkaji) and I also sit the course along with them! So the course doubled in size from two to four.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The postal service was slow, and phone facilities were non-existent in that little village [even while sitting a course, Yadavji often continued with secretarial work for the Teacher], resulting in our course being very quiet, very peaceful.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji meditated with us as one of the course participants, but he also gave instructions and discourses in the same way he did at other ten-day retreats.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The course organizer, who had never attended a ten-day Vipassana course before, informed Goenkaji that he could only stay for seven days, as he needed to attend an important meeting in Sri Lanka. And he vanished after Day 7. From then, it was just the three of us on the course.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The watchman continued to serve us food – this was simply whatever he had also cooked for himself that day. Our course ended well. The sadhu was overcome with gratitude. He felt that the past twelve years of his austere life in the Himalayas had been futile and that only now could he rightly claim to be an ascetic.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-----</span><br />
<br /></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No</b> <b> Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">51. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 13-4-1972 - 23-4-1972 34 41</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">52. Hindi Vidya Bhavan Hostel, Bombay 28-4-72 - 8-5-72 55 60</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">53. City Hotel, Poona 20-5-72 - 30-5-72 26 46</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">54. Jain Boarding, Ahmedabad 3-6-72 - 13-6-72 22 66</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">55. Green View Hotel, Nasik 2-7-72 - 12-7-72 47 97</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OSC-1 Green View Hotel, Nasik 13-7-72 - 17-7-72 36 —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">56. Hindu Dharamshala, Jalna 3-8-72 - 13-8-72 23 121</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">57. Prince Hotel, Raxaul 2-9-72 -12-9-72 18 44</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">58. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 29-9-72 - 9-10-72 50 55</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">59. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 10-10-72 -20-10-72 92 45</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">60. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 21-10-72 -31-10-72 108 36</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">61. Nemaniwadi, Bombay 9-11-1972 - 19-11-1972 27 43</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">62. Burmese Vihara, Varanasi 1-12-72 - 11-12-72 80 103</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> No Location Course Date Students Old New</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>OLC-1 Burmese Vihara (20-day)</b> 1-12-72 - 21-12-72 12 —</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>OLC-2 Burmese Vihara (30-day)</b> 1-12-72 - 1-1-1973 9 —</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<b><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b>The annual Teacher's Self-Course</b></h2><div><b><br /></b></div></b>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></span>he first long course - 20-day and 30-day Vipassana course - was held at the Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya, from December 1, 1972, to January 1, 1973. Twelve old students sat for 20-days, and nine for 30-days.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The first Teacher's Self-Course (TSC) was also at the Burmese Vihara in Bodh Gaya from 3rd December to 17th December 1973, a 15-day course. During TSC the Principal Teacher Sayagyi U Goenka became a student and listened to recorded discourses of his teacher Sayagyi U Ba Khin.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the following years, the TSC duration varied from 10-days, 20-days, 30-days to a 45-day course.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fifty years later, the TSC has returned to its original format of 15-days. </span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the next fifty years, the TSC will return yet again to being 30-days and will be held annually in December in Dhamma Giri - the duration, location, and the time of most of the annual TSCs when Sayagyi U Goenka and Mataji meditated in Dhamma Hall-1 of Dhamma Giri. The effect can be felt even today in Dhamma Hall-1. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The TSC in Dhamma Giri was a special, unique experience - an unforgettable highlight of life. It was a rare chance to serve Sayagyi U Goenka and Mataji when they were meditating - a rare chance to repay a little of the infinite gratitude for receiving Vipassana in purity. Even the respectful town people of Igatpuri served in the TSC by deciding not to play their loudspeakers during Goenkaji's self-course.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sayagyi U Goenka personally went through the list of those sitting and serving the TSC to give his final permission. Those whom he did not permit to serve the TSC were asked to sit the course. Preparations for the TSC took a few days and meditators began arriving from all over the world. Many were teachers and long stay Dhamma workers. It was an annual joyous Dhamma family reunion in Dhamma Giri.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During the 30-day Teacher's Self Course in Dhamma Giri, Goenkaji personally gave students the brief Anapana instructions on Zero Day evening in Dhamma Hall-1. Then he too started meditating in silence with the students. Students included many senior teachers </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">who served closely with Goenkaji</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. At the end of this meditation session at 9.00 pm, all students carried their meditation cushions to Dhamma Hall-2 - the Dhamma Hall where they meditated for the 6.00-7.00 pm group sitting, Hindi/English discourse (and in their Pagoda cell) until Metta Day on Day 30. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dhamma Hall-1 was closed from Zero Day night to Day 30 morning, as was the upper Pagoda (from the marble staircase). Sayagyi U Goenka and Mataji were the only two human beings who meditated here. After the Anapana evening, TSC students next saw Goenkaji and Mataji on Metta Day morning of Day 30.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During the TSC, Sayagyi U Goenka meditated to his teacher Sayagyi U Ba Khin's recorded instructions and discourses in Burmese. All students meditated to Sayagyi U Ba Khin's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6eU6xVJfno" style="color: #cc6611; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Tikapattana chanting</a> every morning in the pre-6.30 a.m sitting. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dhamma Giri was closed to visitors during the TSC. The meditation campus (from the small gate near the dining halls) was also closed to the other non-course residents in Dhamma Giri. A makeshift dining facility was arranged outside the meditation campus. Only TSC students and Dhamma workers resided within the meditation campus to which no one else was permitted to enter.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> A well-trained cook (in later years Deepal Maharaj or Bimal Singh) came from the Dhamma Giri kitchen to prepare </span>Sayagyi U Goenka and Mataji's meals <span style="font-family: inherit;">in the small kitchen of </span>the Principal Teachers' residence.</div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBbk1qZ0PTk/YIUV_OI7f4I/AAAAAAAABEM/SsvMEOdW2qcWr6MjMa4Kj5XlPKfyDZa6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s592/Dhamma%2BGiri%2B-%2BTeacher%2527s%2BResidence.jpg" style="color: #cc6611; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="592" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBbk1qZ0PTk/YIUV_OI7f4I/AAAAAAAABEM/SsvMEOdW2qcWr6MjMa4Kj5XlPKfyDZa6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h261/Dhamma%2BGiri%2B-%2BTeacher%2527s%2BResidence.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Principal Teachers (Sayagyi U Goenka, Mataji) residential premises, Metta Hall, etc. Dhamma Giri, Vipassana International Academy, Igatpuri, India</i></span></div></span><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The hard-working VIA kitchen staff of about 25 workers wake up at 3.30 am every day to prepare meals for more than 1,200 people daily during regular courses. From the central Dhamma Giri kitchen, they efficiently transport and serve food simultaneously in seven dining halls (male, female dining halls of Dhamma Giri, Assistant Teachers' Dining Room, Dhamma Tapovana-1, Dhamma Tapovana-2) and nine serving counters. During TSC they put in extra effort to prepare special food and treats.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Either R.P Yadav or Narayan Dasarwar (the two personal secretaries who took turns serving the Principal Teacher with dedication throughout the year, residing with him and away from their own families)</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> served in the Teachers Residence during TSC. Shanta Bai did the washing and laundry. A TSC Dhamma worker watered the garden in the Teacher's Residence and other Dhamma workers attended to plants in the male and female areas. The VIA gardening staff did not enter the meditation campus during TSC.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sayagyi and Mataji could not be seen during the course. They took their daily walking exercise in the terrace of the Dhamma Giri pagoda. They meditated in the Upper Pagoda central cell, in Dhamma Hall-1, and in the Teacher's residence.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div dir="ltr" style="color: black;" trbidi="on">On Metta Day morning of Day 30, students returned to Dhamma Hall-1 for the Noble Silence-ending Metta session. Sayagyi and Mataji were busy the rest of the happy day meeting students in the Metta Hall of the Teacher's Residence.</div><div dir="ltr" style="color: black;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: black;" trbidi="on">The TSC ended the next morning with the course-concluding Metta in the Pagoda terrace. On a usually chilly winter morning, students climbed the marble staircase to the open terrace of the Pagoda and meditated under the pre-dawn sky from 4.30 am. Sayagyi and Mataji meditated for some time in the central Principal Teacher's cell of the Pagoda and then Sayagyi conducted the Metta session - Metta for all beings. </div></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaA62f268JA/YI0O0UZKPuI/AAAAAAAABEU/_KpBMiUumhwpzwAcDabRgQOZe2AiM5b1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Pagoda%2Bterrace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaA62f268JA/YI0O0UZKPuI/AAAAAAAABEU/_KpBMiUumhwpzwAcDabRgQOZe2AiM5b1QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/Pagoda%2Bterrace.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Dhamma Giri Pagoda terrace (on the upper right) where the concluding Metta session of the Teacher's Self-Course was held in the early morning light of Day 31, under the open sky.</i></div></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As Sayagyi U Goenka began meditating into his self course, the entire atmosphere within Dhamma Giri (already strong) became stronger, increasing in indescribable serenity, silence, and deep peace. After the sun had set and the 6.00 pm group sitting was in progress, a Dhamma worker on duty in the Shanti Pathar (Peace Plateau), adjacent to Dhamma Hall-1, wondered in the incredibly tranquil evening light: "can the deva lokas (the celestial planes) be better than this?"</span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" trbidi="on"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The one-month TSC in December should be returned to Dhamma Giri - with the same arrangements made as during the lifetime of Sayagyi U Goenka. This will benefit future generations of senior meditators worldwide, particularly assistant teachers. They will benefit from meditating in a 30-day course at the Vipassana center where Sayagyi U Goenka conducted and meditated in the most number of Vipassana courses. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Importantly, 10-day course new students in Dhamma Giri will benefit the rest of the year from the strengthened Dhamma atmosphere. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="margin: 0px; position: relative; text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The early Teacher's Self-Courses (TSC)</span></span></h3><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TSC-1 </b>Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 3-1-73 - 17-1-73 </span></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: center;">(based on text, courtesy </span><i>Dhamma Maṇḍa, <a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmanda" style="color: #cc6611; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Northern California Vipassana Center</a>) </i><br /><i><br /></i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After Goenkaji moved to India in 1969 he was no longer able to do courses with U Ba Khin his teacher. He could not go back to Burma at that time. He needed to keep doing annual courses just as he advised his students to do. To replace this loss he began doing an annual self-course each year. He did it the same way he recommends in the ten-day discourses: practicing Anapana meditation one-third of the time, two-thirds of the time doing Vipassana, concluding with practicing Metta Bhavana.</span><br /><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the early days, Goenkaji liked to do his self course at the Burmese Vihara in Bodhgaya. As Bodhgaya is the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment it is a very powerful place to meditate for those on the path of Dhamma. A small pagoda had been built onto the Vihara building on the second floor by one of his students and he would sit and live there during his course and he would take his daily walk on the roof. He would never leave the building during the 10 days.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He invited old students to join him in the self-course. They meditated separately; they sat downstairs. He did this every year at the Burmese Vihara until the construction of Dhamma Giri was completed and he moved his annual self course there for many years. Then it became much more formalized and students would sign up for the course and register as we do today. Things changed and old students would fly in from their home countries to join him. Every year many old students gathered at Dhamma Giri for the winter months sitting and serving courses. This was also the time when </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji presided over </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">the annual meeting for assistant teachers and Dhamma workers worldwide.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Teacher's Self Course (TSC) was a very special time for Goenkaji because this was when he rejuvenated his practice and worked to make his practice deeper just as all of us students do. Anyone who experiences this annual boost knows what a great asset it is to our practice and our daily lives.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To honour Sayagyi U Ba Khin, the first Teacher's Self Course was set to end on January 19th, the day that Sayagyi U Ba Khin passed away. </span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The most special part of this annual self course was on the last night. Goenkaji and the students gathered in the darkness at night, after Bodhgaya had gone to sleep. They walked in a group through the streets of Bodhgaya to the Bodhi Temple in silence and with an awareness of sensations. Not only was the town quiet and calm, but there was also no one about. In a window here or there, a candle might be burning or there might be a few fireflies. Everything was still except for the sounds of a dog barking from time to time as they passed.</i></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It had been arranged with the Temple manager that the gates would be open and everyone would sit together in three places. The first sitting was held in the upstairs temple shrine room, then the downstairs shrine room, and finally everyone would go outside and sit under the Bodhi tree just as the Buddha had 2,500 years before. To those that got to experience this, it is something they will always remember.</i></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This tradition of an annual self-course continued throughout Goenkaji’s life. Even today, each year around the world, there are Teacher self courses held that old students may join.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit;">from <a href="https://manda.dhamma.org/golden-nuggets/" style="color: #cc6611; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Golden Nuggets</a></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit;">--------</span></span></div></div></span></div>
</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>
Course</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <b>No Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">63. Burmese Vihara, Varanasi 11-12-1972 -21-12-1972 110 61</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">64. Burmese Vihara, Varanasi 22-12-72 - 1-1-1973 87 40</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>TSC-1 </b>Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 3-1-73 - 17-1-73 * —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">65. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 20-1-73 - 30-1-73 83 117</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">66. Sundari Bhavani Temple, Morvi 13-2-73 - 23-2-73 16 42</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">67. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 1-3-73 - 11-3-73 84 112</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>OLC-3 Panchayatiwadi, Bombay (20-day</b>) 1-3-73 - 21-3-73 5 —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>OLC-4 Panchayatiwadi, Bombay (30-day)</b> 1-3-73 - 31-3-73 7 —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">68. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 11-3-73 - 21-3-73 108 27</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">69. Panchayatiwadi, Bombay 21-3-73 - 31-3-73 120 15</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">70. Shri Rama Kalyan Mandapam, Madras 12-4-73 - 22-4-73 45 85</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">------------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_cUaVk9Nqw/XZ3DrhZQbhI/AAAAAAAAAzo/rWJzYjj2jggy5K_CVtYBYf7dNvIYmo8dACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1973.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="582" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_cUaVk9Nqw/XZ3DrhZQbhI/AAAAAAAAAzo/rWJzYjj2jggy5K_CVtYBYf7dNvIYmo8dACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1973.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In
pic: Narayan Dasarwar (left), long-term personal assistant to the
Principal Teacher, meditates at the site of Dhamma Giri with Graham
Gambie, later among the first assistant teachers appointed. Graham
Gambie passed away in 1986 at age of 49.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>December 1973</b> - While driving back to Mumbai from a course near Nasik, Sayagyi U Goenka visited the site of the future Dhamma Giri and approved it </span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"We were not looking for this land", he said, "this land was looking for us". </span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Soon, the Vipassana trust in Mumbai began the process of buying the site.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No</b> <b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">71. Seva Kendra, Baroda 28-4-1973 - 18-5-1973 28 57</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">72. Nisargopachar Ashram, Urlikanchan 20-5-73 -30-5-73 8 36</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">73. Maheshwari School Hostel, Poona 30-5-73 - 9-6-73 39 49</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">74. I.I.T., Bombay 1-7-73 - 11-7-73 51 64</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">75. Kusum Industries, Hyderabad 13-7-73 - 23-7-73 15 59</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">76. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 1-8-73 - 11-8-73 85 158</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">77. L.J. Sanatorium, Darjeeling 16-8-73 - 26-8-73 28 12</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">78. L.J. Sanatorium, Darjeeling 26-8-73 - 5-9-73 32 58</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">79. Navnalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda 20-9-73 - 30-9-73 7 25</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">80. Shri Rama Kalyan Mandapam, Madras 13-10-73 - 23-10-73 67 73</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykrK0bhwWCY/XZ7b3EZv1sI/AAAAAAAAA0g/3kXAaXjnaG4t6WMEkP6_cXE794Y2wED8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IIT%2BBombay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1600" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykrK0bhwWCY/XZ7b3EZv1sI/AAAAAAAAA0g/3kXAaXjnaG4t6WMEkP6_cXE794Y2wED8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IIT%2BBombay.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, one of the renowned IIT institutions across India, became a venue for Vipassana courses since 1973.</span></i><br />
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">_______</span></i><br />
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></i></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <b> Location Course Date Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OLC-5 Rama Kalyan Mandapam, Madras <b>(25-day)</b> 13-10-73 7-11-73 38 —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">81. Shri Rama Kalyan Mandapam, Madras 28-10-73 - 7-11-73 35 17</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">82. Jain Mandir, Bhadreshwar (Bhuj) 21-11-73 - 31-11-73 28 86</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">83. Bhatia Sanatorium, Devlali 6-12-73 - 16-12-73 25 63</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">84. Burmese Vihara, Varanasi 22-12-73 - 1-1-1974 33 62</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">85. Burmese Vihara, Rajgiri 3-1-74 - 13-1-74 65 62</span><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">TSC-2 Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 14-1-74 - 25-1-74 * —</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">86. Balvidya Ranjitpura, Pratapgarh 25-1-74 - 4-2-74 <b> </b> 59 100</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">87. Saint Mary’s Church, Khandala 3-3-74 - 13-3-74 26 96</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">88. Jain Adhyatma Sadhna Kendra, N.Delhi 28-4-74 - 8-5-74 1 54</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">89. K.J. Somaiya College, Bombay 11-5-74 - 21-5-74 65 90</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">90. K.J. Somaiya College, Bombay 21-5-74 - 31-5-74 69 89</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">--------------</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><h3><b>The Ganges of Dhamma flows again</b></h3></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">S</span>ayagyi U Goenka's compassion and Dhamma strength are remarkable. From that untiring compassionate strength flowed the Ganges of Vipassana, all across India, course following course, with barely days between.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A 10-day Vipassana course (#83) ended at Devlali, a town near Igatpuri, on December 16, 1973. Five days later, he conducted the next 10-day course in the ancient city of Varanasi 1,444 km away - from Dec 22, 1973, to January 1, 1974. Barely 48 hours later, he conducted another 10-day course in Rajgiri 316 km away (Jan 3 -13, 1974).</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The next day, he was at the Burmese Vihara in Bodh Gaya 70 km away to sit a 10-day self-course, the second-ever Teacher's Self Course. His annual self-course ended the morning of January 25, 1974. The same day he began conducting a 10-day course in Pratapgarh 350 km away, with 159 students participating - and remember, he had to personally give instructions and discourses, day after day, and daily check new and old students - all by himself.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The schedule was difficult, but Dhamma forces helped. Before traveling to a course in Bodh Gaya in 1973, Sayagyi U Goenka's luggage with clothing was with his secretary R.P Yadav who was arriving on another train. They were to meet at </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Mughal Sarai station and together </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">take the train to Bodh Gaya. Yadavji's train was delayed and the Bodh Gaya train was ready to leave. But the station master at Mughal Sarai delayed the departure of the Bodh Gaya train until Yadavji's train arrived with the Principal Teacher's necessities.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Note the date of courses ending and starting, below (marked in bold):</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No</b> <b> Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">91. Kacchi Bhavan Dharamshala, Hyderabad 13-7-1974 - 23-7-1974 27 53</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">92. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 1-8-74 - <b>11-8-74 </b> 55 120</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">93. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie <b>11-8-74 </b> - <b>21-8-74 </b> 110 44</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">94. Tibetan Library, Dharamshala <b>22-8-74 </b> - 1-9-74 10 73</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">95. Mahatma Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati 9-9-74 - <b>19-9-74</b> 25 39</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">96. Dadawadi Jain Temple, Ajmer <b>20-9-74</b> - <b>30-9-74 </b> 26 46</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">97. Jain A. Sadhana Kendra, New Delhi <b>1-10-74 </b> - <b>11-10-74</b> 52 55</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">98. Udyan Karyalaya, Poona <b>13-10-74</b> - 23-10-74 42 44</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">99. Hindi Vidyabhavan Hostel, Bombay 28-10-74 - 7-11-74 65 76</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">100. Shri Rama Krishna Dharamshala, Indore 20-11-74 - 30-11-74 25 27</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>T</b></span>he entire mind should be full of only one volition: the liberation of all beings"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- Sayagyi U Goenka, in 'Transmission of Dhamma', the training manual for assistant teachers</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">------</span></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No</b> <b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">101. Burmese Vihara, Varanasi 3-12-1974 -13-12-1974 63 95</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">102. Burmese Vihara, Varanasi 13-12-74 - 23-12-74 55 83</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">103. Nirayatan, Rajgiri 24-12-74 - 4-1-1975 82 42</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">104. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 4-1-75 - 14-1-75 148 72</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>TSC-3 B</b>urmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 19-1-75 - 30-1-75 * —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">105. Muslim Dargah Mosque, Ningal (Bhuj) 15-2-75 - 25-2-75 35 104</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">106. Muslim Dargah Mosque, Ningal (Bhuj) 25-2-75 - 7-3-75 42 68</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">107. Jain-Vishwa Bharati, Ladnu 9-3-75 - 19-3-75 36 126</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">108. Jain-Vishnu Bharati, Ladnu 19-3-75 - 29-3-75 22 34</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">109. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur 30-3-75 - 9-4-75 137 105</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">110. Nav-sarjan High School, Nargol 1-5-75 - 11-5-75 53 65</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-----------</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm5VegAOV00/XZ7j-2Znh7I/AAAAAAAAA0s/d1MHD7WOwX80FK7hYoXsN4-UPchFvZEtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/goenkaji%2Bearly%2Bstudents.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm5VegAOV00/XZ7j-2Znh7I/AAAAAAAAA0s/d1MHD7WOwX80FK7hYoXsN4-UPchFvZEtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/goenkaji%2Bearly%2Bstudents.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">With students during a Vipassana course in the early years</span></i><br />
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span></i><br />
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No Location Course Date Students Old New</span></b></div>
</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OLC-6 Nav-sarjan High School, Nargol (20-day) 1-5-1975 -21-5-1975 6 —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OLC-7 Nav-sarjan High School, Nargol (30-day) 1-5-75 -31-5-75 <b> 28 —</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">111. Nav-sarjan High School, Nargol 11-5-75 - 21-5-75 <b> </b> 33 43</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">112. Nav-sarjan High School, Nargol 21-5-75 - 31-5-75 32 25</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">113. Kusum Industries, Hyderabad 3-7-75 - 13-7-75 38 53</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">114. New Amdar Nivas, Nagpur 9-8-75 - 19-8-75 36 125</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">115. Shri Rama Kalyan Mandapam, Madras 21-8-75 - 31-8-75 45 43</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">116. Grand View Hotel, Dalhousie 14-9-75 - 24-9-75 40 69</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">117. <b>Central Jail, Jaipur, Rajasthan 27-9-75 - 7-10-75 </b> 0 120</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">118. Kasturba University Hostel, Jaipur 7-10-75 - 17-10-75 55 80</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">119. Bharati Seva Sadan, Raxaul 18-11-75 - 28-11-75 26 29</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">120. Vandana Apts., Calcutta 29-11-75 - 9-12-75 30 111</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">121. Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 10-12-1975 - 20-12-1975 73 80</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">122. Navnalanda Maha Vihara, Nalanda 20-12-75 - 30-12-75 52 37</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>TSC-4</b> Burmese Vihara, Bodh Gaya 9-1-1976 -19-1-1976 * —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">123. Rajasthan Police Academy, Jaipur 27-1-76 - 6-2-76 0 93</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">------------</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
Goenkaji to Ram Singh-ji: "Sentence me (to prison)!"</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Ram Singhji, one of the earliest appointed Vipassana acharyas (teachers), recalls the first-ever Vipassana course in a jail in India, a historic course he helped organize as senior government administrator of Rajasthan:</span></i><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"The first course of Vipassana conducted by Goenkaji in a prison was in 1975 at the Central Jail in Jaipur, Rajasthan. When I was the Home Secretary of that state, I had myself undertaken a Vipassana course, and experienced a profound change in myself. On the fourth day of my course, I felt that Vipassana was a technique that could solve not only individual problems but also problems of society, and could bring reform in government as well.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On the evening of the fourth day, I met Goenkaji and shared my reflections with him. I asked him whether this technique could be a tool to change the system in government. He agreed, and I immediately asked whether we could arrange to hold a course in jail. He was very positive and told me he would come if I arranged it. This was a big challenge!</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I set about talking to the authorities concerned-the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary, the jail officials. Initially, everybody was very skeptical, but finally, a decision was taken to make an experiment!</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The real difficulty came when Goenkaji arrived in Jaipur for the course. I had to tell him that it would not be possible for him to stay in the jail; he was to stay in a beautiful bungalow outside the jail instead. He said he had to stay inside the jail twenty-four hours a day, because Vipassana is a deep operation, and he is like the surgeon. The difficulty was the jail manual. Only those who had been sentenced to imprisonment or those under trial or members of the jail staff could stay in the jail. I posed the problem to Goenkaji and he said, "Sentence me!" I was aghast, shocked; how could my Teacher be sentenced to imprisonment? The legal department was consulted and it seemed there was no solution. We issued administrative instructions and resolved the problem.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji was allowed to stay in the jail, in a makeshift room in the jail dispensary. Another problem came when the course was just about to start. At that time ankle locks and handcuffs were used for hardened criminals. Four such prisoners were brought into the meditation hall bound in these iron handcuffs and ankle locks. Goenkaji was walking nearby and when he saw this, he was amazed. He asked me what was going on. I told him these were hardened criminals. He exclaimed, "How can people in chains be put before me? This cannot happen. Remove the chains!"</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But the Inspector General of Prisons (IG) said that the security in the jail was his responsibility, and he could not remove the ankle chains or the handcuffs. However, Goenkaji was firm. He said he could not give Dhamma with people sitting before him in chains-he had come to remove the chains. The IG told him he could remove the chains from within, but not the outside chains! Goenkaji insisted that those who were meditating must not be in chains. This was a big dilemma, a big problem!</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The IG was a very experienced officer. He asked me not to force him to relax security requirements for those prisoners. He said any one of them might try to be a hero, and strangle me or Goenkaji to death in a split second. We discussed the problem and finally came to an agreement to remove the chains and fetters. An armed guard would be kept ready at a strategic point to shoot the criminal if he started to advance menacingly. I told the IG to ensure that any mishap or panic shooting did not take place.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The chains and locks were removed. Goenkaji was pleased. The course started. I sat close by. The IG stayed out of the hall but remained very close. My eyes were fixed on the "Four", heart throbbing and deep anxiety within! But every passing moment was a relief unbounded. As Goenkaji started chanting, his mettā [loving kindness] was flowing profusely. The red-hot eyes of the criminals who were the cause of so much turmoil changed and their faces beamed; tears streamed down their cheeks. Tears rolled down my face also; it was a rare moment filled with joy after such high tension. The efficacy of Vipassana was established! Goenkaji's narration of Aṅgulimāla's story flashed in my mind.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There was another event that was deeply moving. There were two condemned prisoners awaiting execution of the death sentence. They couldn't be accepted in the course. During his morning round, Goenkaji passed through their cells and decided that they could be given Anapana and Vipassana in the cells by loudspeaker from the hall and we agreed. They started meditation, made great progress, and felt happy. They listened to the discourses in the cells, as did many others. We had arranged the relay of the discourses throughout the entire jail campus.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After the course was over, one of the condemned prisoners sent me a message that he had decided to withdraw his mercy petition to the President of India. He was ready to die. He now had Dhamma and felt totally fearless of his impending death! In the meantime, his petition had been rejected, and the day of execution by hanging had been fixed. I was invited to witness the sad event. The prisoner came out of the cell smiling and in high spirits. He thanked the jail staff and went to the gallows with a cheerfulness never witnessed before."</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- from <b><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/research/Vipassana-in-Jails-An-Historical-Review" target="_blank">Vipassana in Jails, an Historical Review</a>,</b> by Ram Singhji, VRI </span><br />
------------</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">124. Dhammakhetta, Hyderabad 4-9-76 - 14-9-76 51 71</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">125. Dhamma Khetta, Hyderabad 16-9-76 - 27-9-76 49 45</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Dhamma Giri, Early Days</span></b></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b> first came to Dhammagiri in early 1974. After a course near Bombay, I had asked Goenkaji for permission to visit the newly-purchased land. He told me to go ahead. At that time the site consisted of three or four old bungalows and the surrounding land. There was a family of farmers still living in the little bungalow nearest the mountain. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I stayed about a week in one of the bungalows and then left. When I came back a few weeks later, Graham Gambie had arrived. Together we set up housekeeping and started meditating on the site. We wrote to Goenkaji and asked him what work we should do to start improving the place—cleaning, planting gardens, or whatever.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji wrote back, “Dear Graham and Geo: Be happy! Meditate, meditate, meditate. Clean yourselves and clean the meditation center. Don’t do anything else, just meditate.” And that is what we did."</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> - Dr. Geo Poland, <b><a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2010/02/dhamma-giri-early-days.html" target="_blank">Dhamma Giri: Early Days</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>No </b> <b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>126. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri </b>27-10-76 - 7-11-76 38 51</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">127. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 6-11-76 - 17-11-76 25 42</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">128. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 20-11-76 - 1-12-76 33 5</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">129. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 2-12-76 - 13-12-76 22 55</span><br />
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OLC-8 Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri (30-day) 2-12-76 - 1-1-1977 35 —</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">130. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 20-12-76 - 31-12-76 47 42</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">----------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
Dhamma Giri in the First Year, After its Opening</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">by Bill Hart</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I</b></span> arrived at Dhamma Giri in October 1976, a few days after its official opening. I was asked to help out until the next course began. My first jobs were scraping whitewash off the tiles in the new bathroom and clearing a walking path around the Plateau of Peace. I was surprised by the place. I had thought I was coming to a center that was fully if newly, built. Instead, it seemed to me a raw, unfinished building site. Some structures were incomplete; all were surrounded by rubble and debris. Only a few trees and gardens had yet been planted.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Still, the center had a stark beauty. In the evening, while Goenkaji was giving the Hindi discourse in the meditation hall (then located beside the dining room), I would sit outside and watch the shadows deepen on the surrounding hills. This was the first course at Dhamma Giri, and many people from the town wanted to come at least to hear the discourses. There was no room for them in the hall, so a loudspeaker was set up outside and carpets were put down near the mango tree in front of the gate. Each evening fifty to a hundred people would come and sit there. They were simple people of all ages, in traditional Indian dress. They listened intently to Goenkaji’s words as their ancestors had listened to the Buddha speak. Then they gathered up their sleeping children and in the darkness, they hurried home.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Serving at the V.I.A. (Vipassana International Academy) was a little different then from today. There were no Indians and no hired workers involved in day-to-day management. There were also very few organized office procedures. At one time I was responsible for manning the office, answering the telephone, dealing with students, supervising workers and watchmen, handling the petty cash, replying to letters, keeping accounts—all simultaneously. To do all that, and do it smilingly with equanimity was quite a test, and my failures taught me as much as my rare successes. I quickly realized that I had much to learn about Dhamma, and decided to extend my stay at V.I.A. indefinitely.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As the hot season came on, Dhamma Giri’s perennial water problem became severe <i>(* see note below)</i>. The line connecting us to the municipal system seemed to be obstructed, and there were endless delays in having it cleaned out. Goenkaji asked me to write a letter on the subject to the Igatpuri Municipality. I wrote that if the problem was not solved soon, we might be forced to close the meditation center. Before sending the letter I showed it to Goenkaji for his approval. He told me to change it. “Our job is to open meditation centers,” he said. “It is the job of Mara [the forces opposed to Dhamma] to close them.”</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">June brought the onset of monsoon. Courses stopped and only a handful of people remained at Dhamma Giri. Within a few days, the land was carpeted in fresh green, and on every side, the Hill of Dhamma was surrounded by flowing streams. At that time it seemed to me a true island of peace, wrapped in mist and cut off from the world. Those of us who stayed took turns serving and doing self-courses. With Goenkaji’s encouragement, Shanti Shah began teaching us Pāli. It was inspiring at last to understand the meaning of the chants that we had heard so often during courses. Every weekend Goenkaji would come to visit Dhamma Giri and attend our class. He seemed as delighted with our progress as we were. For hours he would explain Dhamma to us or tell us stories of his experiences in Burma.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Those early days at Dhamma Giri<b> </b>remain unforgettable to me.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- from <b><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Dhamma-Giri-The-Hill-of-Dhamma#FirstYear" target="_blank">Dhamma Giri - the first year</a>,</b> Vipassana Research Institute</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">--------------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <b>No </b> <b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">152. <b>Dhamma Thali, Jaipur </b> <b>20-9-1978 - 1-10-1978 </b> 56 86</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">153. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 18-10-78 - 29-10-78 57 95</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">154. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 18-11-78 - 29-11-78 55 115</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">155. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 14-12-78 - 25-12-78 107 61</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">156. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 4-1-1979 -15-1-1979 113 92</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>TSC-7 </b>Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 19-1-79 - 31-1-79 * —</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">157. Dhamma Khetta, Hyderabad 8-2-79 - 19-2-79 91 63</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">158. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 12-3-79 - 23-3-79 115 94</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">159. Dhamma Thali, Jaipur 31-3-79 - 10-4-79 42 40</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">160. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 12-4-79 - 23-4-79 50 87</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">161. Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri 10-5-79 - 21-5-79 81 104</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(*)</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">T</b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">he water problems of Dhamma Giri continued until the mid-1990s. Ironic and inexplicable because Igatpuri during the monsoon each year receives among the world's highest annual rainfall! Most rainy seasons have near-continuous rain with the Sun not visible for many weeks. The rainfall is so intensive (much more than the famed Mumbai monsoon) that dehumidifiers are used in Dhamma Giri during the rainy season months to protect electronic equipment. And the dehumidifiers are filled with water absorbed from the air by morning!</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yet despite having a world record rainfall year after year, Sayagyi U Goenka had to intervene and hold crisis meetings in Dhamma Giri to solve the summer water shortage. Tap water completely ran out one morning during a 10-day course in Dhamma Giri circa 1996, with over 400 students. I was the course manager then. Drums of dirty brown oily water were trucked in from somewhere and placed outside common bathrooms. The course continued to a happy conclusion.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Two decades of water problems - and crisis meetings - finally ended in Dhamma Giri after Sayagyi U Goenka appointed Mr. M.M.Khandhar and Mr. P.G.Savla as teachers (acharyas) serving Dhamma Giri. They immediately took measures to improve water distribution efficiency, increase storage and supply. Thanks to them, a lake (a long-term wish of Goenkaji) has been created now near the car park to harvest rainwater and further ensure water supply throughout the year.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Present and future generations of meditators at the Vipassana International Academy (Dhamma Giri, Dhamma Tapovana -1, Dhamma Tapovana -2) owe an immense debt of gratitude to Khandharji and Savlaji, for at long last ensuring sufficient water in the Hill of Dhamma.</span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">--------</span></div>
</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>162. Youth Hostel, Gaillon, France 1-7-1979 - 11-7-1979 12 60</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">163. Buddhist Temple, Plaige, France 14-7-79 - 24-7-79 14 62</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">164. College Français, Montreal,<b> Canada </b> 26-7-79 - 6-8-79 62 124</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Pp2l0Y8E22Yxut5sNXjBElY_ntkJlF92keSFPhRyszmC4wl67CVbYmF9_GY-CxGicu42QwFYrMIeMvqVxJ_ed4B2thJWit5JpB5jVkwxS6q5Rrvq5Bbb4ZSJU2vgiPtSeqJRMtPWcUA/s1600/405px-Gaillon-vu-du-chateau.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="405" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Pp2l0Y8E22Yxut5sNXjBElY_ntkJlF92keSFPhRyszmC4wl67CVbYmF9_GY-CxGicu42QwFYrMIeMvqVxJ_ed4B2thJWit5JpB5jVkwxS6q5Rrvq5Bbb4ZSJU2vgiPtSeqJRMtPWcUA/s400/405px-Gaillon-vu-du-chateau.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Gaillon<b>, </b>the small town/commune in France that hosted the first Vipassana course outside India (course #162, July 1, 1979 - July 11, 1979, with 62 students). </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The River of Vipassana had started flowing to benefit the whole world.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7M8JiSOUyrI/XaNXP7UHSNI/AAAAAAAAA20/6dcF1h9kq4oHl1eWv_NBEBK-hLmBHgmZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/priors%2Bfield%2Bschool.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7M8JiSOUyrI/XaNXP7UHSNI/AAAAAAAAA20/6dcF1h9kq4oHl1eWv_NBEBK-hLmBHgmZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/priors%2Bfield%2Bschool.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The venue of the first Vipassana course Sayagyi U Goenka conducted in England: </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Priors Field School, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">Godalming, Surrey. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">A picturesque</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> market town from Saxon days, </span>Godalming </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">that switched on the light of Vipassana in England is reputed to be the first in the world to have electric street lighting.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">165. Priors Field School, Godalming, Surrey, <b>England </b>9-8-79-20-8-79 68(old students) 77 (new)</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">166. Priors Field School, Godalming, Surrey, England 21-8-79 - 1-9-79 101 (O) - 63 (new)</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-----</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May the merits I have acquired be shared by one and all.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May this munificent Dhamma benefit one and all.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">— Sayagyi U Goenka</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">---------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><br /></i></b>
<b>Location Course Date Students Old New</b></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">180. Hoch-Ybrig, <b>Switzerland</b> 18-7-1980 - 28-7-1980 40 81</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">181. College Francais, Montreal, Canada 31-7-80 - 10-8-80 70 5</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">182. Christian Church, Chicago, IL, <b>U.S.A</b>. 13-8-1980 - 23-8-1980 34 33</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">183. Philo (Mendocino), CA, U.S.A. 26-8-80 - 5-9-80 92 128</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">184. Boy Scout Camp, Sydney, <b>Australia</b> 14-9-80 - 26-9-80 48 71</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">185. Youth Hostel, Perth, Australia 28-9-80 - 9-10-80 17 59</span><br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
Recording the Teaching</span></h3>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- <i>and enabling thousands to benefit in simultaneous Vipassana courses worldwide</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>n late May of 1982, when students entered the meditation tent for the start of Goenkaji’s course in Mendocino, California, they saw an unusual sight: Goenkaji sitting on the Dhamma seat, with Thomas Crisman close beside him on the floor, wearing earphones and surrounded by recording equipment.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Over the next four years, that sight was to become very familiar. Through 1986, Thomas made audio and video recordings at the English-language courses taught by Goenkaji every summer in the United States. And every winter he traveled to India to record Hindi-English courses...</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">...And the recording was only half of the work. After weeks of taping in America or India, Thomas would return home with reels of raw sound recordings. Now came weeks of work editing and indexing the recordings, and then transferring them to 90-minute audio cassettes.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- <b>from '<a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Recording-the-Teaching" target="_blank">Recording the Teaching'</a>, VRI</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">------</b></div>
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Course</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No Students Old New</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">235. <b>Dhamma Dhara, </b>Shelburne Falls, MA, U.S.A.12-8-1983-23-8-83 65 75</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">----</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
Be the light of Dhamma</span></h2>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">by Sayagyi U Goenka</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">from his Closing Address, Annual Conference, Dhamma Giri, January 21, 1994.</span></i><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span></b>hatever Dhamma work we have accomplished so far is a few drops in the vast ocean.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A healthy beginning made, but much work remains.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So much suffering in the world. People want to come out of suffering, but don't know how.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If Vipassana is offered to them, they will accept it.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The path of Dhamma - sīla, samādhi, and paññā - is complete, pure.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Nothing should be added to it.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Nothing should be taken out.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The totality and purity of Vipassana should be maintained, and passed on.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Give without expecting anything in return.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It is one-way traffic.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Keep giving, for the good of many, with a mind full of compassion.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There may be worldly happiness, but it is not the aim of Vipassana.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The whole aim is ultimate happiness: liberation from all suffering.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> nibbānaṃ paramaṃ sukhaṃ.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then the entire exercise will become purposeful, meaningful.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">You are messengers of Dhamma.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Throw light on the pure way of life - not merely as words, but by living the Dhamma.</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Live that very life.</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Let all see: they who talk of Dhamma also live the Dhamma life.</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Only when they see living examples will they be attracted to Vipassana.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Throw light on yourself.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Your behavior throws light not only on you but also on Vipassana.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Let people see the life you are living.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Everything must be open, nothing to be hidden.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is the way to share Vipassana - not to increase a following, but for more people to benefit.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Theory inspires, encourages, and guides, but the actual benefit is from practicing Vipassana.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Live the Dhamma life not only for your benefit, but also to benefit others.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Live a happy life.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Help more people live a happy life.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ.</i></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May all be happy, peaceful, liberated.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-----</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-23204768110543767582019-10-07T11:04:00.000+05:302020-06-01T12:06:20.200+05:30"Pariyatti (theory) very important to keep purity of Paṭipatti (practice)"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">( <i>Excerpts from the question-answer session following Sayagyi U Goenka's discourse on </i><i>16 May 2006,</i><i> at the Bandaranayake Memorial International Convention Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka had invited him to be part of the celebrations of the 2550th year of Buddha’s Mahāparinibbāna</i>)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Question: Are Satipaṭṭhāna and Vipassana the same? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goenkaji: Exactly the same. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it possible to attain nibbāna in this lifetime? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goenkaji: Yes, it is possible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is the role of Sri Lanka in preserving Buddha Dhamma? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goenkaji: A wonderful role. Sri Lanka held the fourth Saṅgāyana and became an important link in preserving the words of the Buddha. It was all the more important because the teaching was committed to writing here. Pariyatti is very important to keep the purity of Paṭipatti. Now is the time for the Buddha Dhamma to arise again with the help of Vipassana. The bhikkhus have to play an important role in this along with lay people. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can a householder attain the path and fruit of nibbāna without getting ordained? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goenkaji: One can if one walks on the path of Dhamma. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can the practice of mettā alone lead you to nibbāna? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Mettā is good but to reach nibbāna one has to eradicate the anusaya kilesa, which is possible only with the practice of Vipassana. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nibbāna is freedom from all craving, aversion and ignorance. To attain it, one has to eradicate these defilements. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why start with Anapana and not Buddhānussati? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For those who already have devotion to Buddha, it may be a beginning but just a beginning. One has to go further and practice Anapana to walk on the path of Dhamma. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is the importance of sampajañña? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To remain continuously aware of arising, passing of sensations - with equanimity - is very important for the purification of mind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some people criticize that Vipassana is only a meditation technique and not the essence of Buddha Dhamma. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What else is the essence of the teaching of the Buddha! The practice of sīla, samādhi and paññā is the complete teaching of the Buddha. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why are non-Buddhists in the West accepting Vipassana? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because the nature of the Buddha’s teaching is such that its practice, Vipassana meditation, benefits one and all. There is no conversion involved. One becomes a better human being. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is believed that Vipassana is very serious and suitable only for monks. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Certainly it is very suitable for monks but it is also essential for householders! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even at the time of the Buddha, so many householders attained high stages. Of course, it is very easy for monks as they have dedicated their lives to the teaching. They have a great responsibility to progress on the path of Dhamma and to help others on the path of Dhamma. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is the best way to do Buddha puja? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goenkaji: The Buddha himself explained on many occasions what is proper Buddha puja (worship of Buddha). <b>Just before his mahāparinibbāna (passing away) when flowers were being showered on him, he said that this is not a proper veneration of the Buddha. He pointed out to two bhikkhus who were meditating seriously at a distance at that time and said that they were venerating the Buddha in the right way. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I practice dāna and sīla to secure a better afterlife. Why meditate? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dāna and sīla will give you birth in some heavenly realm but it is temporary and you may be born in lower realms again in the future. It is important to eradicate mental impurities to come out of all misery. That is the true teaching of the Buddha. Samādhi and Paññā are essential. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Out of the four satipaṭṭhānas, why do you not give importance to dhammānupassanā and cittānupassanā? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you become perfect in vedanānupassanā, you automatically become perfect in kāyānupassanā because vedanā (sensations)is part of kāya (body). Even when one is practicing cittānupassanā or dhammānupassanā, vedanā (sensation) plays a very important role. Anything that arises in the citta (mind), which is called dhammā, is bound to manifest as vedanā in the body. The importance of vedanā is the great discovery of the Buddha. So when you become perfect in vedanānupassanā, the other three automatically get strengthened. Vedanā is the essence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you met any sotāpannas or arahants in this lifetime? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, I was very fortunate to be close to an arahant and I met a number of sotāpannas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How do you convince so many students to take the Triple Gem? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I explain to them that they are taking refuge in the qualities. There is no Buddha now who will liberate them. Even at the time of the Buddha, he only showed the path. One takes refuge in the qualities of the Buddha to get inspiration. The Buddha is the personification of Dhamma—the universal path of total liberation. Refuge in the Sangha is not a refuge in any individual. One takes refuge in the qualities of the saintly Sangha. I don’t aim to convert anyone. Let a Hindu remain a Hindu but let him become a Dhammic Hindu, a Dharmika Hindu, a good Hindu. Similarly, Muslims should become good Muslims, Christians should become good Christians, Sikhs should become good Sikhs, and Buddhists should become good Buddhists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>( from Vipassana Research Institute newsletter Vol 16, No. 7. July 11, 2006)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22px;"><i>--</i></span></span><br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">On Sayagyi U Goenka's visit to Sri Lanka in 2006:</span></span></h4>
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">On the evening of 15 May, 2006, Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha, the 150-year old congregation of most respected senior bhikkhus from various monasteries in Sri Lanka, felicitated Acharya Goenkaji and conferred on him the honorary title of Pariyatti Visarada (Master of Doctrine).</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><b>Text of the honorary citation:</b></span></span><br />
<i style="color: #382f2e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagridharma Maha Sangha Sabha</i><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">"Hereby it is very solemnly declared that in deep appreciation of the immense and invaluable contribution made to disseminate the Dhamma through very lucid and clear exposition of the original teaching of the Buddha and to bring solace and peace to thousands through the practice of Vipassana meditation by establishing the Vipassana International Academy and over thirty Vipassana Centres in India and around the world. The Supreme Council of Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagridharma Maha Sangha Sabha at a specially convened meeting unanimously decided to confer on</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Vipassana Acharya S. N. Goenka</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">THE HONORARY TITLE</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><i>Pariyatti Visarada</i> (Master of Doctrine) and this Honorary Title was conferred at a Special Convocation Ceremony held on Fifteenth day of the month of May Two-Thousand and six at the Siri Mangala Uposatha The Most Venerable Bellana Sri Gnanawimala Maha Thera Sri Kalyani Samagridharma Maha Sangha Sabha</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Sd</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Venerable Professor Bellanwila Wimalaratana Maha Thera"</span></span><br />
<i style="color: #382f2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22px;">***</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso_M1JMhuSI16zy_OxWOKq03EiwkK_LxAZ0ihxKpDanQkrySEcWHW9FT1heGj-BSFpJHfx_shzeuepy8d8xmr5DXbYQ133KzuByQj7vDXZvAFsqvi8RCIjNUSOmLmn0I96e5wle20Lck/s1600/SriLankaGoenkaji3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="216" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso_M1JMhuSI16zy_OxWOKq03EiwkK_LxAZ0ihxKpDanQkrySEcWHW9FT1heGj-BSFpJHfx_shzeuepy8d8xmr5DXbYQ133KzuByQj7vDXZvAFsqvi8RCIjNUSOmLmn0I96e5wle20Lck/s320/SriLankaGoenkaji3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On 17 May, 2006, The President of Sri Lanka felicitated Goenkaji and conferred the title of <i>'Jina Sasana Sobhana Patipatti Dhaja'</i> (literally the banner of the practice of Dhamma that adorns the sasana of Buddha), on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Heads of the Sanghas of various countries and their representatives were present. Goenkaji was requested to give a Dhamma talk. He said that for peace to prevail in a country, the leaders of the country have to walk on the path of sila, samadhi and panna. He expressed his confidence that peace will come soon to this country that has such a long history of Dhamma. Vipassana will help very much in this regard. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">(from </span><a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/Goenkaji-in-Sri-Lanka" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;" target="_blank">Vipassana Research Institute note </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">on the 2006 visit)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">--</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #382f2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">In this way, Sri Lanka - the Island of Dhamma - honoured Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka for his exemplary Dhamma service in both theory and practice of Dhamma.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #382f2e; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">----</span></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-85207371395361314262019-09-29T06:00:00.000+05:302019-12-13T23:50:52.327+05:30S.N. Goenka – a Vipassana life extraordinary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The
50th-anniversary celebrations of Vipassana returning to
India in 1969 also celebrates the life of Principal Teacher of Vipassana Satya Narayan Goenka </span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>(1924 - 2013)</i></span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
(<i>from the article published in The Statesman, Festival Issue, October 2019</i>)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>----</i></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">In June 1969, a Burmese-born industrialist with ancestors from
Rajasthan arrived at Dum Dum Airport, Calcutta. Hours earlier, he told a
startled customs official in Rangoon airport that he was carrying out of the
country a priceless jewel –the ‘gem’ of Vipassana, the ancient
truth-realization practice that was lost to India for 2,500 years. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Now transforming lives worldwide, residential Vipassana courses
are taught free of cost to people from all walks of life, cultural, religious
backgrounds, in over 100 countries.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
50th-anniversary celebration this year of Vipassana returning to India also celebrates
the unique life of Satya Narayan Goenka (1924 – 2013), Principal Teacher of Vipassana. </span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">***</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">I am not here to convert people from one
organized religion to another organized religion—no. I am here to serve towards
conversion from misery to happiness, conversion from cruelty to compassion, conversion
from bondage to liberation. This is the conversion needed today.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">- Sayagyi U Goenka</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 11pt;">he pattern, look for the pattern - the
pattern of the bigger picture, the threads of life that connect people,
places and events woven in the changing tapestry of our impermanent abode on
earth.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">So too with the extraordinary life of Satya
Narayan Goenka, Vipassana teacher to the world and to the previous and current
President of India, to nuclear scientists and students, billionaires and
business management students, princesses and inmates of prisons.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka was the Father of Independent
India. He revived in this ancient civilization the Vipassana practise that
Gotama the Buddha re-discovered and shared - not as an organized religion, but
as the universal path to purifying the mind and experiencing real
happiness. </span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">I have no doubt that developing India - to be the world's
largest economy by the year 2050 - is fruit of Vipassana being practised in the country since 1969. When more people increasingly live a wholesome life,
prosperity increases with a purer mind able to more successfully accomplish
work.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka's exceptional work, his sacrifices, enabled Vipassana to be
shared free of cost in more than 100 countries, in 336 locations worldwide,
with 105 Vipassana centres in India (31 in Maharashtra and Mumbai). He shared
Vipassana its pure form - fully non-sectarian and universal, practical and
result-oriented, with benefits here and now. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">He taught using scientific terms like his teacher U Ba Khin, the
first Account General of independent Burma. But Sayagyi U Goenka was the first
and foremost Vipassana teacher to avoid using the word 'Buddhism', the unfortunate term that has turned a Fully Enlightened Super Scientist's
practical path to experience truths of nature into just another sectarian
'religion'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">A pattern linked Satya Narayan Goenka of Burma (Myanmar) to
India, to his ancestors from Churu in Rajasthan, the land of kings, to the
royal city of Mandalay in Myanmar where he was born. The pattern brought him to
Madras (Chennai) where he lived during World War 2, the same city that gave me
school and college education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">The pattern brought him to Calcutta in 1969, arriving in India
from Myanmar to the city of joy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">From Bengal, he went to Bombay (Mumbai) where he re-started the
wheel of Vipassana again in the country of its origin. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">With Mumbai as home, the Rajasthan-origin Sayagyi U Goenka selflessly served humanity
until he passed away peacefully, aged 89, on the night of September 29, 2013.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Vipassana dawn, the path</b></span></div>
<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">"Awake O people of the world...the dark night is over. The
light of Dhamma is glowing... The dawn of happiness," words in Pali,
Hindi, Rajasthani inspire Vipassana students as dawn breaks in another day of a
Vipassana course, in course venues worldwide - another day of determined
battles to drive out demons of negative habit patterns entrenched deep in
dungeons of the mind. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Vipassana teacher is only a guide in the self-dependent
battle that has to be courageously fought alone - whether in a meditation cell
of a Vipassana centre, a forest, cave, in heavenly solitude of the Himalayas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">In Pali language, Vipassana means 'to see reality as it
is'. It enables experiencing the true nature of this changing mind-matter
phenomenon called 'I' - this 'I', 'my' to which we give so much
importance. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The aim of Vipassana is to purify the mind. The practise of Vipassana is being aware
with equanimity the impermanence of bodily sensations, their arising and passing every moment, from moment to moment.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Physical sensations - any tangible feeling in the body such as
pressure, pain, heat, tingling, itching, subtler sensations like a pleasant flow
- arise, pass away manifestation of mind-matter interaction, the bio-chemical flow of change every moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">The deepest part of one’s mind, where conditioning takes root, is
never in contact with the outside world but always in contact with this bio-chemical of sensations within, every moment, from birth to death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">At the apparent reality we react to the outside world, but in
actual reality we blindly react to sensations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">As eyes give sight, Vipassana gives insight – insight of
life-changing realities within.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sensations are not new; but new is the Vipassana-developed
faculty to be objectively aware of this inner reality, from the grossest
sensation of immense pain to the subtlest sensations of infinite bliss.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Blissful or painful, whatever the cause of a sensation arising - from a
physical ailment, food intake, sitting for long, atmospheric conditions, past
conditioning of the mind (sankaras) - every sensation becomes a Vipassana tool
to develop awareness and equanimity to changing phenomena.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Everything changes, is subject to impermanence. Nothing lasts
forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Equanimity to changing sensations, instead of blind reactions, changes the
habit pattern of the mind of generating negativity. Life changes for the
better.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Sayagyi</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The Principal Teacher of Vipassana being called 'Sayagyi' (in
Burmese meaning "respected householder teacher") fits the rational,
non-dogmatic practise of Vipassana. No "gurudom",
the curse of personality worship, exploitative cults.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">The true teacher practices what he teaches, so did Sayagyi U Goenka.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He shunned personal recognition of any kind. He said he was
only the medium, and that if not him someone else would have done the work of
revival of Vipassana in India and the world. The time had ripened.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">A self-made millionaire by age 25 in Burma, Sayagyi U Goenka was a master of people
management. He ensured a network of highly decentralized and yet closely
connected Vipassana centres worldwide, the islands of Dhamma to teach Vipassana
in purity for centuries, free of cost. Expenses are met only through voluntary
services and donations of those who already completed a Vipassana course.</span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">He insisted that there should no advertising of
Vipassana courses, to avoid commercialization. Only word of mouth. Those experiencing the benefits cannot resist
telling others about Vipassana.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Trained teachers and assistant teachers conduct residential 10-day
to 60-day Vipassana courses as volunteers, without receiving any fees. They
take time off from their various professions, occupations, business and
industries. They follow a strict code of conduct, are required to avoid all
unwholesome actions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He allocated work and responsibilities without intrusive
interference. His way of respectful dealings with others enables harmony
at work. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">"If you look for virtue, look for it in others", he advised, "If
you look for faults, look within".</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He discouraged backbiting and said a problem should be
first directly discussed with the concerned person. Only if that person refuses
to recognize the mistake should a complaint be made to a senior - but after
informing the person a complaint is being made.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka had addressed the United Nation General Assembly, was a
keynote speaker at the millennium</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Economic Summit in Davos<span class="apple-converted-space"><u><span style="color: blue;"> </span></u></span><span style="color: #222222;">(Switzerland) in 2000, gave talks at Harvard Business
Club in New York and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and yet
functioned with minimal facilities and manpower while guiding a rapidly
expanding global Vipassana organization.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">He personified compassion and humility. He discouraged blind
beliefs and welcomed suggestions and questions to clarify doubts. If someone
with whom he was talking interrupted him, he immediately stopped mid-sentence
and listened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">He took great care not to hurt any being, anyone. Even a strongly worded letter
to a stubborn student was kept waiting for a day or two before he signed it, to
make sure the strong language was really needed.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He could have earned himself worldwide fame had he publicly exhibited his
special powers of the mind. Apart from
Mataji (his wife and Principal Teacher of Vipassana Ilaichidevi Goenka), very
few people who closely interacted with Sayagyi U Goenka may have
been aware he had such powers. </span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">These powers of the mind get naturally opened up in a person highly advanced in
meditation, tangible faculties little known to conventional science. Most
inspiringly, Sayagyi U Goenka followed the teaching of the</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> Buddha</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> where no importance is given to
such faculties, these mere way stations on the path to total purification of
the mind. </span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Epilogue</b></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sayagyi U Goenka was a unique phenomenon in history. He was the
first Vipassana teacher after the Buddha to share the Vipassana path of
liberation with so many in the world, with such accuracy and detail. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">His service to humanity will be more significantly recognized when coming generations
of children grow to adulthood after having practised early in life Anapana (</span><a href="http://www.children.dhamma.org/" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">www.children.dhamma.org</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">), the preliminary to Vipassana. The
Maharashtra government's Mitra Upakram project enables millions of school
children to daily practice Anapana; with their strong base to avoid unwholesome
actions early in life, they will grow as evolved adults making a beneficial
impact in the world. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">The self-dependent practice of Vipassana repairs and enhances the
way of life, interactions with people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">We discover our real work in life. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Vipassana is the single most powerful force of
transformation. For the world to change, the individual must change. Vipassana
empowers the individual to change for better – and experience real happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">Ehi passiko – come and see.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Give Vipassana a fair open-minded trial.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">(For more information on residential Vipassana courses taught free of cost
worldwide: </span><b style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11.0pt;">www.dhamma.org</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">)</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">-----</span></b></div>
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="http://globalpagoda.blogspot.in/2013/10/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8986188164194383180.post-79149053399116596352019-09-26T17:26:00.003+05:302021-09-22T12:10:06.065+05:30Building the pure dwelling of Vipassana<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="70" src="https://www.dhamma.org/assets/aniwheel-a87352d07ff79e922e5afbc8775f603b.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Yathā naro āpagamotaritvā,Mahodakaṃ salilaṃ sīghasotaṃ,so vuyhamāno anusotagāmī -</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>kiṃ so pare sakkhati tārayetuṃ?</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>If one going down into a river,swollen and swiftly flowing,is carried away by the current --</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>how can one help others across?</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>—Sutta Nipāta 2.321 </i></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(from a Vipassana Research Institute newsletter article 'Building the Dwelling of Dhamma' )</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">by Sayagyi U Goenka</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>T</b></span>he hour of Vipassana has struck at many places throughout the world. For many years, devoted students from many countries have worked diligently to make Vipassana available to others. Now, with the establishing of many centres throughout the world, their efforts are coming to fruition.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The development of centres marks a new stage in the spread of Vipassana. It is important to understand its significance.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* Centres of Vipassana meditation are not clubs designed for the enjoyment of their members. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* They are not temples in which to perform religious ceremonies. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* They are not places for socializing. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">* They are not communes where members of a sect can live in isolation from the outside world, according to their own peculiar rules.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Vipassana centres are instead schools that teach one subject: Vipassana, the art of living. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All who come to these Vipassana centres, whether to meditate or to serve, come to receive this teaching. They must therefore be receptive in their attitude, trying not to impose their ideas, but rather to understand and apply the Dhamma that is offered.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To ensure that Vipassana is offered in its strength and purity, strong discipline is observed at the centres. The more carefully this is maintained, the stronger Vipassana centres will be. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Many ordinary activities are forbidden by this discipline, not because there is anything wrong with them, but because they are inappropriate at a centre for Vipassana meditation. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Remember, these are the only places where one can learn this type of Vipassana. The discipline is a way of preserving the unique purpose of these centres; it should be guarded carefully.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The foundation of the edifice of Dhamma that is being constructed at these centres is <a href="https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2448" target="_blank">sīla (moral conduct)</a>. Undertaking sīla is the essential first step in a Vipassana course, since without it meditation will be weak. It is equally essential that all who serve at the centres keep the five precepts as carefully as possible.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The rule of Dhamma has been established at these centres: </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">there should be no killing on the Dhamma land, no stealing, no sexual activity, no wrong speech, no use of intoxicants. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The careful upholding of the five precepts will create a calm and peaceful atmosphere conducive to the work of self-purification.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">With the firm base of sīla, the practice of self-purification can proceed. Keep in mind that this is the most important task at the centres—first, last and always. All who come to serve at them, even for a few hours, must not neglect their duty to meditate there as well. By doing so, the Dhamma atmosphere is strengthened and support is given to the other meditators.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">These centres are not, of course, the only places at which meditation and the teachings of the Buddha are practiced; but they are the only places devoted to this particular transmission of the teachings, to this particular form of Vipassana. They must be kept specifically for this purpose at all times.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The final essential part of the technique is mettā, and this must be practiced by all who come to the centres, whether to attend a course or to serve. For meditation and service to be beneficial, it must be performed joyfully, selflessly and lovingly. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All tasks that are undertaken should be done with the volition: “May all beings be happy.” </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The centres must always radiate love and goodwill so that all who enter feel that they have entered a sanctuary of peace.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May each and every centre become a true dwelling of Dhamma, in the shelter of which, many may find the way out of suffering. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May Vipassana be shared in every land around the world. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May all beings everywhere be happy. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">May all beings be liberated.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">****</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When dealing with students from different countries and speaking different languages, communication is difficult since you don't know the language - but I keep saying, "Dhamma language is understood by everyone, you need not say a word". For instance, in India, if a student is breaking a rule just go and smile and place your hands together in traditional Indian gesture of greeting. This will be enough for the student to understand; you need not say anything. If you say a hundred words with a frown, it does not help anybody.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- Sayagyi U Goenka, in '<a href="https://store.pariyatti.org/global-pagoda-vipassana" target="_blank">Global Pagoda - Monument of Gratitude' souvenir</a> (October 2006) </span>pg 124.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">----</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goenkaji emphasized that Dhamma servers should treat students with gentleness and respect. "Whatever the problem, speak to them with hands folded (in 'namaste')," he would say.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">- from 'Serving in Dhamma Giri, the Early Days', article in '<a href="https://store.pariyatti.org/global-pagoda-vipassana" target="_blank">Global Pagoda - Monument of Gratitude' souvenir</a> (October 2006), pg 129</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">****</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">* <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Online application for Vipassana courses</a></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="color: #000099;">* <a href="https://globalpagoda.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-reach-global-vipassana-pagoda.html" style="color: #cc5511; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">How to Reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India</a></span></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com