Oct 26, 2020

The sweetness of Dhamma


by Sayagyi U Goenka 

 

Vivādaṃ bhayato disvā,

avivādaṃ ca khemato.

Samaggā sakhilā hotha,

esā buddhānusāsanī.

- Khuddaka-nikāya, Apadāna 1.79

 Seeing danger in dispute,

Security in concord,

Dwell together in amity,

This is the teaching of the Buddhas.


In 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!"

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.

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.

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. 

May pure Vipassana be shared worldwide. 

May more people start practising Vipassana to enjoy real peace, harmony, happiness.

Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ.

May all beings be happy.

(From the Vipassana Research Institute newsletter article ‘The Sweetness of Dhamma’ by S.N. Goenka, Vol.10, 13 October 2000)

 ***

 " I am merely a medium. Dhamma is doing its own work."


from the Vipassana Research Institute publication 'For Benefit of Many', by S.N. Goenkaji

"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.

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. 

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.

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." 

You have been given the opportunity to serve in one way or another, and this should not become a cause of inflating your ego.

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.

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!'

Those who are giving service should remember that Dhamma is not spreading because of them, but because it is the time for Dhamma to spread. They are just vehicles, and should feel so pleased to be a vehicle. Because of this they are gaining wonderful pāramīs, wonderful paññā and developing their own meditation. This is not an ordinary gain.

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. 

May Vipassana be shared for the good of many, for the liberation of many. 

Don't give the smallest opening for anti-Dhamma forces to enter. And the biggest enemy, the worst weakness is one's own ego.

---
Sayagyi U Ba Khin:

“……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.”

------

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. 
May there be no hindrances and disturbance caused by one's own ego and other impurities. 
May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.

---

Sep 12, 2020

Experiencing the universe, within


by Sayagyi U Goenka
[from the article 'Vedanā Within This Very Body', Vipassana Research Institute newsletter, January 1993]


The 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.

This is why Vipassana meditators explore the entire mind-matter structure within, this continuously changing phenomenon called ‘I’.

With Vipassana, we experience the subtler realities of this inner world of impermanence within. We gradually come out of ignorance, delusions.

Suffering reduces. Real happiness increases. Impurities get eradicated. The chains of bondage weaken. The door to liberation opens.

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.

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.

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.

To explore the reality within this mind-body structure, the Vipassana meditator works objectively like a scientist.

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.

How the mind works


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.

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.

After cognition, perception starts. A part of the mind gives evaluation: the visible form is seen as a male, female, beautiful, ugly.

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.

Then the blind reaction. The mind reacts with craving to the pleasant sensations, aversion to unpleasant.

Thus, the Vipassana meditator clearly understands from experience how the four parts of the mind work: consciousness, perception, sensation, and reaction.

Stopping the wheel of misery


Craving multiplies the pleasant sensation, and the pleasant sensation intensifies craving. Aversion multiplies the unpleasant sensation, and unpleasant sensations reinforce aversion.

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.

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.

In this way the wheel of becoming continues rotating, gathering intensity with craving and aversion.

The wheel of misery stops rotating with the Vipassana practice of awareness and equanimity to bodily sensations.

Not merely observe sensations, experience the arising, passing away


Merely to feel sensations is not enough to purify the mind. Very necessary to experience the three characteristics of all phenomena: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), and anatta (substancelessness).

Of these three, the Buddha gave all importance to anicca because the realisation of the other two easily follows when experiencing deeply the characteristic of impermanence.

Vipassana meditators should not merely objectively observe sensations, but make the effort to clearly experience the arising, passing nature of these sensations (anicca).

Exploring the truth within in this correct way, all subtle truths of nature are realized.

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.

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.

May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.
***

Aug 12, 2020

Living life each moment, these difficult times



From an article in The Statesman newspaper, 12 August edition
These 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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

"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.”

All that is past and future is condensed in this present moment of time. What is the present moment?

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.

Life changes at deeper level with experiential understanding – of experiencing realities of nature within, through using one’s mind-body as laboratory.

These inner scientists can be Himalayan ascetics and householder meditators achieving high levels of purity of the mind, where life becomes this moment.

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.

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.

“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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mastery of the mind can be gained with practice of Anapana being taught online 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.

“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,” wrote Sayagyi U Goenka. “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.”

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.

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.

(from an article in The Statesman published from Kolkata, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri, India.)
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Vipassana Centres worldwide

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Aug 5, 2020

Be alert and vigilant



by Sayagyi U Goenka

(excerpts from an article in the Vipassana Research Institute newsletter)

Mara’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].

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.

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.

Be vigilant of any impure thought when it starts arising in the mind. Be alert. The enemy has entered.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Be liberated from the tricks of Mara by removing impurities through Vipassana practice - through awareness and equanimity to arising, passing sensations.

Reap the benefits with the practice of observing sensations with equanimity from moment to moment. This is for the welfare of all beings.

Be alert and vigilant.

May all beings be liberated.
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Jul 13, 2020

Anapana: why give so much importance to observing natural respiration?


[ During these pandemic days, the Vipassana Research Institute is conducting Live Anapana Meditation sessions - Daily at 8 am & 7.30 pm Indian Standard Time (+5.30 GMT).  These sessions are open to anyone over 10 years of age ]
Why observe the natural breath?

Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013), Principal Teacher:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Vipassana.

 From Questions and Answers with Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013), Dhamma Abha, Thailand, 3 July 2001

Question: Why do you give so much importance to the observation of normal respiration?

Goenkaji: Because the Buddha wanted you to. He is very clear that one must observe the breath as it is- yathabhuta. If it is long, you are aware, "it is long"; if it is short, you are aware, "it is short". Yathabhuta. 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.

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.

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.

Question: Why do you want us to keep our attention at the entrance of the nostrils and above the upper lip while practicing anapana-sati?

SNG: Because again, it is a very clear instruction given by the Enlightened One. In Paṭisambhidamagga, he clearly says that you must be aware of the incoming breath, the outgoing breath, and mukha-this area above the mouth. He calls it mukhanimitta. He clearly explains it. What is mukhanimitta? it means nasikagge, the front portion of the nose at the entrance of the nostrils. Also, the Buddha says that it must be Uttaroṭṭhassa majjhimappadese. Uttara means above; oṭṭha is lip; and majjimappadese is the middle portion. And in the Mahasatipaṭṭhana sutta, he says, establish your awareness here, parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetva. Sati means awareness; parimukhaṃ means the area above the lips.

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, nasikagge, or the middle part of the upper lip.

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.

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, citta ekaggata [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.

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.

The Buddha was sabbaññu - 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, yathabhuta, as it is.

***
Questions and Answers on Anapana (questions from children during Anapana courses)

More information on Anapana  

 ***
Vipassana Centres worldwide

Jun 1, 2020

"I Came Upon an Ancient Path"



"Just 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.

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.”

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.

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."

—Sammāsambuddha Gotama
Nagara Sutta, Samyutta Nikāya, 12.65

***
The Noble Eightfold Path is divided into three divisions.

The first, sīla - morality, summed up as:

Sabba papassa akaraṇaṃ
Abstain from all sinful actions - that is, all unwholesome actions, physical or vocal, which hurt other beings and disturb their peace and harmony.

The second part of the Path, samadhi - one-pointed concentration of wholesome mind, summed up as:

Kusalassa upasampada
Perform wholesome actions with a concentrated, wholesome mind.

The third part, pañña-wisdom or insight, summed up as:

Sacitta pariyodapanaṃ
Purify the totality of mind by developing insight (Vipassana).

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,

Etaṃ Buddhana sasanaṃ.

This is the teaching of all the Buddhas.

(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.)

***


May 23, 2020

The Seven Bojjhaṅgas (Factors of Enlightenment)



by Sayagyi U Goenka

(from the Vipassana Research Institute Newsletter article. Adapted from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta course discourse)

There are seven bojjhaṅgas (factors of enlightenment) that have to be developed to reach the final goal of full liberation. They are:
1. sati (awareness);
2. dhamma-vicaya (investigation of Dhamma);
3. viriya (effort);
4. pīti (rapture);
5. passaddhi (tranquillity);
6. samādhi (concentration, absorption) and
7. upekkhā (equanimity).

The first bojjhaṅga is sati, awareness. 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).

Dhamma-vicaya is the second bojjhaṅga. The word caya or cayana means “to integrate.” Apparent, consolidated, integrated, illusionary truth creates delusion and confusion resulting in wrong decisions and actions. 

Vicaya or vicayana means to divide, dissect, disintegrate, separate (at the level of bodily sensations), which is what Vipassana intends you to do. 

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. Pativedhana: piercing, penetrating Panna - 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. 

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. 

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". 

Anatta (no "I") becomes clear at the experiential level.

The third bojjhaṅga is viriya (effort) 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 (Sampajañña) - with equanimity.

As you keep practicing with sati, dhamma-vicaya, and viriya, the impurities go away, and you experience the fourth bojjhaṅga, pīti: rapture. 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.

After this, the meditator experiences passaddhi, the fifth bojjhaṅga: 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.

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.

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.

The next enlightenment factor is samādhi—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.

Upekkhā—equanimity is the seventh factor of enlightenment. 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. 

When the bojjhaṅgas are practiced properly, they increase and become perfect; when each bojjhaṅga is perfect, enlightenment is perfect. This is the whole process of  Vipassana.

                                                                            ***


May 6, 2020

Correcting common misconceptions in the media about Vipassana


An article that appeared in 2017 on Vipassana (How Vipassana meditation breathes life into Anirban Lahiri's golf game), typifies the problem of non-meditators/inexperienced meditators writing Vipassana articles and books: errors and misconceptions creep in.

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.

It can be like writing an article about ice cream and taste of ice cream without ever having had an ice cream in life.

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.

Likewise, the above article in ESPN contained some common misconceptions:

1. 
"2,500-year-old Buddhist practice" 

Nothing "Buddhist" about Vipassana practice.

 "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'.

"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.

"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."

- Sayagyi U Goenka, The Buddha did not teach 'Buddhism'.

2.
Vipassana is not "breathing in and exhaling" as given in the ESPN article.

The writer meant Anapana, the preparatory exercise in a 10-day Vipassana course before Vipassana is taught on Day 4:

What is Anapana?

Anapana is a non-sectarian exercise to strengthen, concentrate the mind by using the natural respiration as the object of meditation.

The practitioner objectively observes the natural breath, as it comes in, goes out. No regulation of the breath. Anapana has nothing to do with breathing exercises that regulate the respiration.

More information: Anapana

Register here to learn Anapana (until Vipassana courses resume worldwide, after the Covid-19 lockdown): a live (free) Anapana tutorial session on Webex 

Anapana for children


3. 
"Before his death in 2013, Goenka launched 200 centers across the globe."

No, he did not launch 200 centres (the number is 206 now, and 145 gipsy camp locations)

* 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.

* 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.

 * They set about establishing the new centre in accordance with a template followed worldwide.

* 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 Dhamma Thali in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

* Trustees are appointed on an annual basis on voluntary work to manage the centre, under the guidance of a Vipassana teacher.

* Accounts of the Vipassana centre are audited annually by a reputed chartered accountant firm.

* Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 - 2013) was directly involved in establishing the main centre
Dhamma Giri (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.

* He has instructed that there should never be any advertisement for Vipassana.  Word of mouth is sufficient.

4.
"There is no set fee for the 10-day course, but students usually make donations -- anything from $10 to $10,000"

There is no fee - set or otherwise.

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.

What are the charges/fee for a Vipassana course?

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.

What are the reasons for no fees being charged for doing a Vipassana course?

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!

How are expenses met for a Vipassana course, since no fee is charged from students?

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.

---

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.

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5.
"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."  

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 Vipassana website. They can least copy-paste accurate information from the Vipassana website, we have no objection.

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.

Bodily sensations are not new. What is new is our Vipassana-enabled faculty to be aware of them.

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.

Vipassana is insight.

Earlier we gave all attention to the outside world. Now for the first time, we give all attention to the inner world.

The real cause of suffering is within. The way out of suffering is within. Happiness is within.

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.

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.

Every sensation becomes a tool to develop equanimity.

Equanimity is purity.

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.

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.

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.

 Vipassana can be called Quantum Physics in practice.

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."

Anyone being equanimous (very balanced mind) is to an extent observing equanimity at the level of sensations, knowingly or unknowingly.

Likewise, Jesus Christ whom Sayagyi U Goenka called "Prince among Saints" in the evening discourses 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.

By whatever name or no name, Vipassana is Awareness of bodily sensations with Equanimity - moment to moment.

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.

Vipassana is of infinite benefits for all, in the golf course or cricket field of life.




Apr 20, 2020

Rare photographs of Sayagyi U Ba Khin


"If you have gratitude to S.N.Goenka you will have gratitude to Sayagyi U Ba Khin"
- The Principal Teacher of Vipassana Sayagyi U Goenka (1924 -2013), at a gathering of Vipassana meditators during the construction of the Global Vipassana Pagoda


Background to these photos:
Between 2005 and 2008, Pariyatti.org (not part of the Dhamma organization of Vipassana as taught by S.N Goenkaji) was in email communication with 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  Hover's lifetime. He passed away in December 2008.

They got in touch with 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.

We are grateful to  Hover (Feb 22, 1920 – Dec15, 2008), his daughter and 'Pariyatti.org'  for this rare collection of Sayagyi U Ba Khin's photographs.

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.

Vipassana meditators will recognize 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.


Circa 1961. The International Meditation Center (IMC) Pagoda being built in Rangoon, Burma.

Sayagyi U Ba Khin (March 6, 1899 - January 19, 1971) at IMC


IMC in May 1961Male residence on the right, lower cells pagoda on left


Male students accommodation huts


Sayagyi U Ba Khin with Dhamma workers.
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.


Sayagyi U Ba Khin with Robert Hover at IMC


            A bodhisatta or arahant?      


Sayagyi U Ba Khin with students circa 1961


Meditators at a simple meal at IMC, 1965. 
 Radheshyam Goenka (same row, second from left) appears to be in this photo  Radheshyam-ji 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 Tipitaka publication project. 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. 


IMC, 1965


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.


The IMC pagoda lit on the night of a Metta day. The lighting of a Vipassana pagoda is important for the happiness, Dhamma delight of less visible (celestial) meditators, and protector beings.


Meditators tucking in happily in the presence of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.
The Dhamma Hall was also the dining hall during the early years of IMC.
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.
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.
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 His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to the Mumbai-Dhamma Giri courier Ashok, everyone was welcome for a meal at Sayagyi U Goenka's hospitable family home.

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.


U Ba Khin in front of the IMC Pagoda, 1965


Entrance to Sayagyi U Ba Khin's meditation cell


 Metta Day of a Vipassana course in IMC, 1965 


A Vipassana course-ending morning in 1965. Sayagyi U Ba Khin (beige-colour jacket, blue lungi) with hand upraised giving his farewell blessings


The beautifully lit IMC Pagoda 


 Sayagyi with meditators



View of the IMC Pagoda, 1965


Sayagyi U Ba Khin in the IMC Pagoda


U Ba Khin with students


Sayagyi U Ba Khin in the Metta Hall 



U Ba Khin had a fondness for gardening, as can be seen in the greenery around the Metta Hall of IMC. 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.

*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).
*The GVF to organize the gardening expertise and weekly maintenance from Mumbai.
*Appropriate garden lamps and Pagoda lighting to be installed for use on Metta Day night.
*Dhamma Giri, Dhamma Tapovana-1, Dhamma Tapovana-2, Dhamma Pattana, Global Vipassana Pagoda to nurture excellent landscaping, beautiful gardens to strengthen the Vipassana atmosphere.
***
 Robert Hover's other photographs from this 'Rare photo collection' at the free Pariyatti.org Treasures

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