Message from the Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013). Annual Dhamma Service meeting, Dhamma Giri, India, January 13, 1991
Dear Dhamma sons and Dhamma daughters:
We
have undertaken very serious work. It is a very serious responsibility to serve
others in Dhamma. If there is any impurity in our intentions, even a trace of
desire that, "I must get something in return for all this service that I
am giving," then our whole purpose will be lost. People who expect some
material gain for the teaching of Dhamma can never teach Vipassana; they are
totally unfit.
On the other hand,
there are those who understand they are not serving people in Dhamma for any
material gain, and yet there will be some expectation of getting respect from
others. "Well look, I am doing such a good service. I am giving such an
invaluable jewel of Vipassana, so I have every right to be respected." If
even a trace of expecting appreciation or recognition, respect from others
remains, understand that one is not yet fit to serve others. First serve
oneself - that is, first dissolve one's ego - and only then one is fit to serve
others in Dhamma.
The Enlightened One
exhorted all those he sent for Dhamma service:
Caratha bhikkhave
cārikam—Go forth, O monks
Go forth for
what?
Bahujana-hitāya—for the good of many; bahujana-sukhaya—for the
happiness of many;
lokānu-kampāya—out of compassion for all beings.
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| Beginning of Vipassana journey in this life. Meditation Hall, Dhamma Thali, (Jaipur), Rajasthan, India. |
There is suffering all around us, rich or poor, young or old. More people should come out of their suffering. That is the aim of sharing Vipassana - to serve others. Your gain is automatically involved. To reach the final stage of full enlightenment you have to develop your paramīs, and everything that you do for the good of others helps to develop your pāramīs.
If someone thinks
even for a moment, "Let more and more people start calling themselves
Buddhists, let there be a strong Buddhist sect, let people who are in the
courtyard of other sects come into my courtyard so I have a larger number of
followers," then one has not understood Buddha, has not understood
Vipassana. The Buddha's teachings are universal; he did not start a sect or a
religion in his name.
An incident in the
Buddha's life: he went to a place where he gave a discourse to large numbers of
recluses and followers of a particular sect. They were hesitant, thinking,
"This fellow may convert us away from our sect."
The Buddha explained,
"I have not come here to gather students for myself. I am not interested
in making you my disciples. Don’t become frightened of that. I am not here to
break your relationship with your teachers; may that continue. You have
received something from your teachers, and you have respect for them as you
should have. You give donations to these teachers; keep on giving to them. I am
not here to stop you from achieving your goal of coming out of suffering and
reaching full liberation. Whatever I will teach you to practice will help you
to reach that goal. Give me seven days of your life, just try
this."
This should be our
attitude in sharing the Buddha's teaching of Vipassana: "Just try this
universal, non-sectarian practice to remove impurities in the mind, to change
the habit pattern of generating negativity. We are not interested in converting
you from this or that religion. Give just ten days of your life to learn
Vipassana, and after that if you find it good, accept it. Otherwise, leave
it." Then we are not expecting anything in return. We are just on the
giving end.
My teacher Sayagyi U
Ba Khin used to say, "I am on the giving end, never on the receiving end.
If people want to take, they take. If they don’t want to take, they don’t take.
With all my compassion, I just humbly give."
This should be the
ego-less attitude of everyone who takes the most beneficial responsibility of
giving Dhamma service. We are simply giving, without any kind of expectation.
There is only only one motive—compassion, with the wish that more people benefit from practicing Vipassana in its purity. We benefited when we sat Vipassana courses through the Dhamma service of many others. May others too benefit from our Dhamma service.
There is only only one motive—compassion, with the wish that more people benefit from practicing Vipassana in its purity. We benefited when we sat Vipassana courses through the Dhamma service of many others. May others too benefit from our Dhamma service.
And if people do not
benefit, what can we do? We serve, but sometimes there may be some who do not
work correctly and do not get the benefits. Again compassion, again give Dhamma
service, that’s all.
Never become disappointed when people do not work
properly and do not get what they should. If we become irritated with students,
then it shows we have expectations, attachment to one's efforts. It shows ego arising.
When ego
arises, the Dhamma service becomes impure. Nobody benefits from Dhamma service
given with ego or wrong volition.
Of course we wish
that all benefit from practicing Vipassana, this universal path taught by the
Buddha, and so we do our best. We keep practicing Vipassana, give Dhamma
service - without expecting anything. Certainly this gives its own good
result.
Initial difficulties
are bound to occur [remember the difficulties, confusion in one's own first
Vipassana course!], because beginners have their own mental conditioning. So a
new student may see things through coloured lenses. I too was initially
hesitant in taking my first Vipassana course in Burma, thinking, "I am a
staunch Hindu, a leader of the Hindu community here, and these people might
convert me to Buddhism." However, all such fears vanished when I actually
took my first Vipassana course.
Later, when Sayagyi U Ba Khin instructed me to take the priceless jewel of Vipassana to the Dhamma land of its origin, I faced a lot of suspicion when I first started teaching Vipassana in India. Some thought, "Look, this person’s motive certainly is to convert people." If one has a sectarian mind one will always see everything as sectarian. There are people in this country who come and establish hospitals, schools and different social institutes, and then after a few years of service they start to convert the people who come there to their religion.
Since such things have happened, people started feeling, "Look! This fellow has come from Burma and says he is here to serve people. Yes, people get peace and happiness, they come out of drugs or alcohol or other problems. This is wonderful. But his ultimate aim is to convert everybody to Buddhism."
Well, one smiles. If
this was really the intention, one would become agitated, thinking, "Look,
my clever scheme has been discovered. Now how will I be successful?" But
if the mind is pure one feels, "Let people talk. If not today, they will
understand tomorrow." The pure teaching of Vipassana spreads only in this
way.
Similarly in Western
countries, there is some initial hesitation about accepting Vipassana. Some
think, "Look, a foreign religion is coming to our country." The
initial doubt is there. But our intentions are purely to serve, to share with
people an universal practice to purify the mind, and be happy. And if this aim
is not polluted, success will eventually come.
A time is bound to
come for the wider sharing of Vipassana - despite initial difficulties,
provided the practice of Vipassana is kept pure, and the intention of those
giving Dhamma service is pure. The volition is very important. We are merely
vehicles of Dhamma, and if the volition of the vehicle is good more people will
benefit. But if somebody plays an ego game in the name of Dhamma service,
naturally Dhamma will drive this person away.
Pure Vipassana is
bound to benefit millions around the world. The time has ripened. There is so
much suffering all around. In the name of religion and sects, people are
fighting with each other, killing each other. People keep getting agitated
about "my religion, my religion," without understanding at the actual
level what their religion is. A universal, practical remedy such as Vipassana
is the need of the day. Anger and hatred can be conquered only with metta, not by reacting with anger.
Animosity, violence and suffering increase when people do not experience the actual benefits of living a wholesome life - just as every religion teaches. People correctly practicing Vipassana experience the actual benefits of their own religion. This inner peace makes this a much better world. In spite of all the darkness, there is this light of Dhamma, this small, growing light of Vipassana. This pure light of Vipassana is bound to glow brighter in oneself, and around the world.
Just as it is
essential to have schools, colleges, hospitals, gymnasiums etc, similarly a
time is bound to come when there will be a Vipassana centre in every village in
the world. More people worldwide will start understanding the necessity of
Vipassana practice, to keep the mind healthy and free from impurities. As we
learn physical exercise by going to a gymnasium, we learn this mental exercise
of Vipassana at a meditation centre. This has nothing to do with any cult, or
any sect. Vipassana is an exercise to keep the mind healthy, wholesome and pure
so that we live a good life - and share the benefits of Vipassana with others.
This is the purpose of Dhamma service.
If the aim of serving
others without expectation remains clear, and the practice of Vipassana is kept
very pure, the suffering within and all around is bound to be dispelled,
eradicated. Real peace will come, real harmony, happiness - within oneself, and
in one's world.
May all enjoy real peace, real harmony, real happiness.
May all beings be
happy. May you be happy.
May all beings be happy, be liberated from all suffering.
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