My Teacher’s Boundless Mettā

He had immense love and compassion for all creatures. All Creatures at his centre, even snakes and scorpions, were affected by his boundless mettā (loving-kindness). Every particle of the centre radiated with his love. He tended the trees and plants there with great compassion. It was because of his strong mettā that the fruits growing in that sacred piece of land came to have an exceptional sweetness and flavour. The flowers also had a distinctive hue and fragrance.

One year something unusual happened in Burma. A situation bordering on famine developed. This was a shock for a country like Burma, which had always produced an abundant harvest. Food production was diminished and the government had to introduce rice rationing. The people were deeply affected by this. At this time Sayagyi’s compassion for his afflicted countrymen knew no bounds. Not only from his lips, but from every pore of his body seemed to resound the sentiment: "May the people be prosperous, may the ruler be virtuous!"

Sometime later a famine also occurred in India, continuing for two years. Sayagyi’s compassion was enlivened once again. In one corner of his centre he had arranged to have erected a model of the lofty peaks of the Himalayas. He was very fond of this reminder. He would meditate beside it every day, sending his goodwill to India with the wishes: "I cannot recall how many times I was born in India and remained in that snow-clad region for so long, developing my meditation. Today the people of that country are in distress. May peace and tranquillity come to them. May all abide in Dhamma!"

Teacher of a Non-sectarian Path - by S. N. Goenka

One of the things which kept attracting me closer and closer to my teacher was his non-sectarian interpretation of Dhamma. The teaching of Buddha is so universal that people from different sects and communities can follow it and experience its benefits. I never found Sayagyi interested in converting people to the formal, organised Buddhist religion. Of course, he himself was Buddhist by birth, and proud to be so. But for him the essence of Buddhism was Dhamma, and a true Buddhist was one who practised Dhamma. He was interested in helping people to establish themselves in Dhamma—that is, in sīla (morality), samādhi (concentration) and paññā (wisdom); to show people how to convert themselves from misery to happiness. If someone who had undergone this conversion from impurity to purity then wished to call himself a Buddhist, Sayagyi was pleased; but the important point was the change in the person’s life, not merely the change in the name he called himself.

Sayagyi would even admonish enthusiasts who were eager to convert others to Buddhism, saying to them, "The only way to convert people is to become established oneself in Dhamma—in sīla, samādhi, paññā—and to help others similarly to get established. When you yourselves are not established in sīla, samādhi, paññā, what is the sense in your trying to convert others? You may call yourselves Buddhist but unless you practise sīla, samādhi, paññā, to me you are not Buddhists. But if someone practises sīla, samādhi, paññā, then even though he may not call himself a Buddhist, nevertheless he is a true follower of the teachings of the Buddha, whatever he may label himself."

One incident, illustrating this non-sectarian attitude, occurred when a staunch Christian came to take course under Sayagyi. While the opening formalities were being explained, this man became frightened that he was being asked to convert from Christianity to Buddhism; and out of this groundless fear, he refused to take refuge in Buddha. "I can take refuge in Jesus Christ, but not in Buddha," he said "Very well," replied Sayagyi smilingly, "take refuge in Jesus Christ—but with the understanding that you are actually taking refuge in the qualities of Christ, in order to develop these very qualities in yourself." In this way the person began to work; and by the end of the course he realized that his initial objections had been unnecessary, that his fears of conversion had been without cause.

Interview with S. N. Goenka

Conducted by Dr. Chung-An Lin - Space Scientist, Institute of Space Science, National Central University, Taiwan
(Abstracts from the Interview at Dhamma Giri, Feb. 1996)

Dr. Lin: What is the purpose of practising Vipassana?

S. N. Goenka: The purpose is to purify the mind; and generate love and compassion to help others. For this one has to realise the truth pertaining to the mind-matter phenomenon. Then only one can develop wisdom to come out of the habit of craving and aversion, and illusion and delusion of I, Mine or My soul.

Dr. Lin: While practising Vipassana, why does the meditator observe his mind-matter phenomenon inwardly? Why not observe outwardly to find the truth about the universe?

S. N. Goenka: While trying to observe the truth outside there is a danger of one’s getting involved in merely intellectual games. But when one works within one experiences the truth directly. Direct experience of the truth is easier inside than outside. The truth inside is the same as the truth outside. In Rohita Sutta of Saṃyutta Nikāya, the Buddha has clearly said that within the framework of the fathom-length body, there lies the entire Universe.

Dr. Lin: You emphasize that the most important discovery of Buddha is the Vipassana technique of observing the body sensations. Is there any evidence from the Suttas?

S. N. Goenka: Yes, the Satipaṭṭāna sutta, Pratitya (Paṭicca) Samutpāda, Vedanā Saṃyutta are important suttas which embody the essence of Vipassana technique. All the religious teachers of India before Buddha and even after Buddha have been teaching that people should come out of the attraction of sense-desires. Everyone had accepted the fact that the attachment to the sense-object is the real bondage. Buddha went further in investigating the truth about the arising of misery. He discovered that the actual attachment is not to the sense objects but the reality is that when the sense object comes into contact with the sense doors there is a feeling of sensation in the body and the actual reaction of craving or aversion depends on this feeling of sensation. Therefore, one has to work not merely on the sense doors and their respective object but the resultant feeling of sensation that comes because of the contact of the two. There itself one is to be alert not to react with craving and aversion (tṛśṇā). His announcement of Pratitya (Paṭicca) Samutpāda is quite clear that the missing link of Vedanā between the contact of the sense doors with the respective objects and reaction of tṛśṇā was the unique discovery of the Buddha. Before him no one had even thought of vedanā the nearest cause of tṛśṇā. This was Buddha’s realisation. That is why he declared that his eyes of wisdom got opened with the light when he realised the entire truth about vedanā (Ñāṇa sutta). Buddhas principal teaching is the eight-fold noble path and refering to this he explains to us very clearly that this noble path is for realizing the truth pertaining to the entire field of vedanā (Vedanā Pañha sutta). Similarly, the four satipaṭṭhānas are the main teaching of the Buddha for meditation and for this he exhorts us to practise the four satipaṭṭhānas, to realise the truth pertainig to the entire field of vedanā (Vedanā sutta) For practising all the four satipaṭṭhānas, he wants us to remain "ātāpi sampajāno satimā;" and giving the explanation of sampajañña (samprajñāna) he clearly states that one should be constantly aware of the arising and passing away of the Vedanā along with other realities being experienced.

All the above quotations are sufficient to prove that the awareness of vedanā plays such an important role for a meditator and is in consonance with the teaching of the Enlightened One.

Dr. Lin: By observing our bodily sensations how can we eradicate our defilements and change our habit pattern? Isn’t it easier to practise by observing our mind directly and not let unwholesome thoughts arise?

S. N. Goenka: Purifying the mind by changing the thoughts from unwholesome to wholesome is certainly a good practise. This was taught by many other teachers before Buddha and after Buddha. But this is not the depth of Buddha’s teaching. It is difficult to observe the mind but easy to observe the sensation which is nothing but the manifestation of the mental state at any given moment. When you miss the feelings of bodily sensations and you don’t give it any importance you are missing the important teaching of Pratitya (Paṭicca) Samutpāda. The truth is that at the deeper level, it is the feeling of the body sensation, which produces craving and aversion. This was the realisation of the Buddha. Because he discovered that anything that arises in the mind starts flowing with the feeling of sensation in the body. "Vedanā samosaraṇā sabbe dhammā" (Dasakanipāta, A.N.). His teaching is to feel the sensation and yet not to relish it but remain equanimous and detached from it, and thus come out of the old habit of creating bondages and misery for oneself.

Changing the thoughts of the mind from unwholesome to wholesome will purify the intellect, but the anuśaya kleśa the deep rooted impurities of the mind and the habit pattern of the mind at that level will remain untouched. Therefore so much importance is given to bodily sensations, by the Buddha.

Assignments

Teachers
1. Dr. Om Prakash
    1. Dhamma Sota, Delhi

2-3. Ram Singh & Jagdish Kumari
    1. Central Co-ordination
    2. Research Council

4-5. John &Gail Beary
    1. Dhamma Bhanu, Japan
    2. Japan, America, Canada, China, and South East Asia

6-7 Patrick & Ginnie Given-Wilson
    1. Dhamma Bhumi, Australia
    2. Australia region

8-9. Dr Bhogilal & Kamala Gandhi
    1. Dhamma Dipa, UK
    2. UK, Europe, Russia, Israel regions

10-11. John & Joanna Luxford
    1. Dhamma Medini, NZ
    2. New Zealand Region

12. Dr (Mrs) Kay Wain
    1. Dhamma Joti
    2. Myanmar region

Deputy Teachers
1. L. N. Rathi
    1. Dhamma Bodhi, Bodh Gaya
    2. Dhamma Cakka, Sarnath, Bihar
    3. Dhamma Licchavi, Muzaffarpur
    4. Dhamma Kanana, Balagat
    5. Dhamma Ketu, Durg-Bhilai
    6. Dhamma Suvatthi, Sravasti
    7. Dhamma Vimutti, Kushinagar
    8. Dhamma Upavana, Baracakia
    9. Dhamma Tarai, Birganj
    10. Dhamma Janini, Lumbini
    11. Dhamma Ganga, Calcutta, W. B.
    12. Dhamma Pala, Bhopal
    13. Dharma Shringa, Kathmandu, Nepal
    14. Bihar, UP, MP, Orissa, West Bengal, and Nepal areas.

2-3. Natvarlal & Kaushalya Parikh
    1. Dhamma Kota, Rajkot
    2. Dhamma Pitha, Ahmedabad

4-5. S. N. & Laj Tandon
    1.Training
    2. Dhamma Salila, Deharadun
    3. Dhamma Sikhara, Dharmsala
    4. Delhi area

6. S. Adaviyappa
    1. Dhamma Sumana, Bangalore
    2. Childrens courses
    3. South India courses

7. Miss Shanti Shah
    1. Female Jail Courses

8. Usha Modak
    1. Training Female Dhamma Workers
    2. Pune area

9-10. Dr B. G. & Pushpa Savala
    1. Dhamma Sindhu, Bada
    2. Kutch area

11. Bachubhai Shah
    1. South Gujarat

12. Dr R. M. Chokhani
    1. Research

13-14. Kashyap & Kamala Dharmadarshi
    1. Gujarat (except South Gujarat & Kutch)

15. R. S. Goenka
    1. Pali Tipitaka
    2. Publication
    3. Mumbai & Adjacent Area

16-17. Premji & Madhu Savla
    1. Dhamma Giri centre construction & planning
    2. Dhamma Giri centre management (in the absence of Mr & Mrs             Khandhar)

18-19. Arun & Kamala Toshniwal
    1. Tape room equipment including its import
    2. AT Kit
    3. Production, distribution & Policy Formation for tapes

20. B. K. Goenka
    1. Dhamma Khetta (Hydrabad)
    2. Dhamma Setu (Madras)

21. Vimalchand Surana
    1. Dhamma Thali, Jaipur
    2. Jaipur & Rajasthan area

22-23. Mahasukh & Manju Khandhar
    1. Dhamma Giri centre management

24-25. Narayana & Rama Patil
    1. Dhamma Sarovara, Dhule
    2. Maharashtra (except Mumbai, Pune, & Vidarbha areas)

26-27. Prof P. L. & Susheela Dhar
    1. Dhamma Tihar, Tihar Jail
    2. Courses at IIT, Delhi

28-29. Sudhir & Madhuri Shah
    1. Dhamma Naga, Nagpur
    2. Vidarbha area

30. John Burchall
    1. Dhamma Niketana, Melbourne, Australia

31. Anne Doneman
    1. Dhamma Rasmi, Queensland, Australia

1996: New Appointments

India and Nepal

Senior Assistant Teachers
1. Vimala Mahajan, Dhule
2-3. Prakash & Shubhangi Borse, Dhule
4. K. B. Chikkanarayanappa, Banglore
5. Thakorbhai Parekh, Navasari
6-7. Ratilal & Chanchal Savla, Bombay

Assistant Teachers
1-2. Dr Chandrakant & Sarala Chouhan, Pune
3. Dinesh Meshram, Bilaspur
4. Dr Ishwarchandra Sinha, Muzaffarpur
5. Dr Prem Narain Somani, Varanasi
6. Nathuji Bambarde, Nagpur
7. Prahlad Raghute, Nagpur
8-9. Rameshwarlal & Anandi Sharma, Jaipur
10. Pushpa Makharia, Bombay
11. Vanita Mehta, Bombay
12. Jaya Modi, Bombay
13-14. L. N. & Pushpa Todi, Calcutta
15. Dr Kishore Chandiramani, New Delhi
16. Suresh Khanna, Jaipur
17. Sajjandevi Dhariwal, Jaipur
18. Vimala Kumari Jain, Jaipur
19-20. Ishwarlal & Hiraben Shah, Mandvi, Kutch
21-22. Roop & Beena Jyoti, Kathmandu, Nepal
23. Col. Purna Prasad Dhakal, Kathmandu
24. Suman Dhakhwa, Kathmandu
25. Prof. Keshav Lal Shrestha, Kathmandu
26. Mahendra Muni Bajracharya, Kathmandu
27. Gyanu Raja Bajracharya, Kathmandu
28. Miss Roshni Shakya, Kathmandu
29. Narayan Prasad Tiwari, Kathmandu
30. Om Prakash Mor, Kathmandu
31. Radhadevi Dalmia, Madras
32. Jaya Sangoi, Bangalore
33. Mohinidevi Saraogi, Madras
34. Dr Dhananjay Chavan, Dhamma Giri
35. Anil Dharmadarshi, Gandhinagar
36. Prakash Mahajan, Dhule
37. Ashalata Thorat, Rahuri
38. Dr Sunita Jain, Kota

Junior Assistant Teachers
1. Damini Bhatia, Gurgaon, Haryana
2. Suresh Gaikwad, Bombay
3. Ravi Belpathak, Dhule
4. Vijay Dhande, Akola
5. Machindra Kolpe, Ahmednagar
6. Renuka Manandhar, Kathmandu, Nepal
7. Mona Dhakhwa, Kathmandu
8. Ashta Ratna Shakya, Kathmandu
9. Amrit Man Tamrakar, Kathmandu
10. Kumar Bhattarai, Kathmandu
11. Sharada Pant, Kathmandu

Outside India

Senior Assistant Teachers
1. Torben & Tiske Rosgaard-Bosserez, Belgium
2. Jugen & Ella-Mae Stowassaer, France
3. Stephen & Hazel Strange, UK

Assistant Teachers
1-2. Stephen Whitfield & Sarah Bennet, Australia
3-4. David & Amanda Crutcher, USA
5. Dr. Danial Mayer, USA
6-7. Philix Lee & Yu Yen, USA
8. Ian McCrorie, Canada
9-10. Nomand Williams & Francine Gigras, Canada
11-12. Mario Desharnais & Martine Gariepy, Canada
13. U Tun Hla, Myanmar
14. U Tin Maung Shwe, Myanmar
15. Dr Boonchey Sathaphatayavongs, Thailand
16. Ms Jittinun Jewcharoensakul, Thailand
17. Larry Jack & Ruth Senturia, Dhamma Giri

Junior Assistant Teachers
1-2. Lise & Pierre Rodien, France
3. Ms Ladachat Saingam, Thailand
4. Ms Juechan Limchitti, Thailand