Sayagyi U Ba Khin: A Shining Star of Dhamma

 

Sayagyi U Ba Khin was one of the foremost teachers of Vipassana of our time-a source of inspiration to many, including myself. One of his unique contributions was that he gave much attention to foreigners and non-Buddhists in his teaching. Sayagyi's predecessors were Saya Thetgyi and Ledi Sayadaw. The other disciples of these teachers who were teaching Vipassana in this tradition used only the Burmese language for the most part and so had only Burmese students. Sayagyi, however, spoke fluent English and was able to explain Dhamma in English in a way that Buddhists and non-Buddhists, Burmese and non-Burmese alike could grasp and appreciate.

Sayagyi's way was not the way of scholars. Every word that he spoke came from his own experience. Therefore his teachings have the life of experience within them, and this is why every word said by him was very powerful and encouraging to his students. He wrote little, and he spoke little; but still, many students were benefited by his teaching.

He was engaged in government responsibilities until the age of sixty-seven and had very little time to spare for the teaching of Dhamma. Therefore, he took a vow: "May only ripened people with very good pāramīs (virtues) from the past come to me to take Dhamma, and may these people later take the torch of Dhamma, and spread it 'round the world.' " He could not work with the masses; he was working to serve a few individuals for whom he could spare more time.

He used to recite a Pāli gāthā (verse):

Imīna puñña-kammena
mā me bāla samāgamā;
sataṃ samāgamo hotu
yāva nibbāna pattiyo.

By virtue of this meritorious action,
may I not come into contact with the ignorant.
May I encounter only wise, saintly people
until I attain nibbāna.

One time when he came to my home, I was chanting and at the end recited this gāthā. Sayagyi smilingly admonished me, saying, "Th s gāthā is not for you! You are to give seeds of Dhamma to a ve y large number of people. If you take this vow, how will Dhamma spread? This vow is for me because I have little time, and I am just on the border of 2,500 years after Buddha when Dhamma has to start spreading. You are getting Dhamma at the time when the new era has started. So you have to work vigorously. You have to spread the seeds of Dhamma to large numbers of people. So don't recite this!" Of course I bowed to him and to his wishes.

He held important executive posts where he could have easily amassed millions clandestinely in foreign banks. But that was not the way of Dhamma. That was not the way of U Ba Khin. He felt fully satisfied to have left only a small cottage-style house for his son and daughters as the sole saving of his honest earnings.

Neither the inducement of money from dishonest traders, nor threats from political bosses could deter him from taking right decisions. There were many occasions in his life when he displeased the business magnates of the country, his colleagues in the civil service and cabinet ministers, because he would not comply with their wishes, which he found illegal and immoral. Neither fear nor favour could shake him from taking right decisions and actions in his mundane duties. Similarly, no illusion or delusion, no hair-splitting controversies of the theoreticians, nor eagerness for fame or fear of defamation could deter him from his practice and teaching of the Dhamma in its pristine purity.

Besides being an ideal government executive with outstanding ability and integrity, he was a very human teacher of the Noble Path. He taught with immeasurable love and compassion in spite of his insistence on strict discipline. He gave equally compassionate attention to the ex-president of Burma and a peasant, to a judge of the Supreme Court and a criminal.

Such was U Ba Khin, a jewel amongst men. Such was my noble teacher who taught me the art of a sane life.

He has chosen me to plant seeds of Dhamma around the world. Comparing my capacity with his, I feel very humble. And this makes me all the more confident that it is Dhamma that is working-not simply some individual. I have been chosen by my teacher as a vehicle for the Dhamma. And by helping to carry out his mission, I receive the benefits of developing my own pāramīs. With this understanding, I continue to work. And in the same way, you of the next generation have the responsibility-the wonderful opportunity-of carrying on the work.

It is his mission. It is Dhamma's work. He will keep on shining as a brilliant star in the galaxy of teachers from Buddha to the present and into the future.

Sayagyi was looking forward to the second sāsana (era of th Buddha's teaching), when the Dhamma would help people throughout the world. May his wishes be fulfilled.

May more and more suffering people around the world come into contact with Dhamma; especially now, when throughout the world there is so much misery, so much conflict, so many tensions. May more and more people come into contact with Vipassana.

Sayagyi U Ba Khin

- by Vipassana Research Institute

Sayagyi U Ba Khin was born in Rangoon, the capital of Burma, on 6 March 1899. He was the younger of two children in a family of modest means living in a working-class district. Burma was ruled by Britain at the time, as it was until after the Second World War. Learning English was therefore very important; in fact, job advancement depended on having a good speaking knowledge of English.

Fortunately, an elderly man from a nearby factory assisted U Ba Khin in entering the Methodist Middle School at the age of eight. He proved a gifted student. He had the ability to commit his lessons to memory, learning his English grammar book by heart from cover to cover. He was first in every class and earned a middle school scholarship. A Burmese teacher helped him gain entrance to St. Paul's Institution, where every year he was again at the head of his high school class.

In March of 1917, he passed the final high school examination, winning a gold medal as well as a college scholarship. But family pressures forced him to discontinue his formal education to start earning money.

He began working as an accounts clerk in the office of the Accountant General of Burma. Few other Burmese were employed in this office since most of the civil servants in Burma at the time were British or Indian. In 1926 he passed the Accounts Service examination, given by the provincial government of India. In 1937, when Burma was separated from India, he was appointed the first Special Office Superintendent.

It was on 1 January 1937 that Sayagyi tried meditation for the first time. A student of Saya Thetgyi-a wealthy farmer and meditation teacher-was visiting U Ba Khin and explained Anapana meditation to him. When Sayagyi tried it, he experienced good concentration, which impressed him so much that he resolved to complete a full course. Accordingly, he applied for a ten-day leave of absence and set out for Saya Thetgyi's teaching centre.

Now, over fifty years later, when Vipassana meditation is freely available to seekers in many countries all over the world, it may seem strange to contemplate that in Burma, at that time, meditation teachers were rare. Lay teachers were even rarer. Saya Thetgyi had studied and practised for 14 years under the guidance of Ledi Sayadaw, a well-known monk, meditation teacher and renowned Pali scholar. Before coming into contact with Ledi Sayadaw, Saya Thetgyi had practised only Anapana for seven years because he was unable to find a teacher who could instruct him in Vipassana.

It is a testament to U Ba Khin's determination to learn Vipassana that he left the headquarters on short notice. His desire to meditate was so strong that only one week after trying Anapana, he was on his way to Saya Thetgyi's centre at Pyawbwegyi.

The small village of Pyawbwegyi is due south of Rangoon, across the Rangoon River and miles of rice paddies. Although it is only eight miles from the city, the muddy fields before harvest time make it seem longer; travellers must cross the equivalent of a shallow sea. When U Ba Khin crossed the Rangoon River, it was low tide, and the sampan boat he hired could only take him to Phyarsu village-about half the distance-along a tributary which connected to Pyawbwegyi. Sayagyi climbed the river-bank, sinking in mud up to his knees. He covered the remaining distance on foot across the fields, arriving with his legs caked in mud.

That same night, U Ba Khin and another Burmese student, who was a disciple of Ledi Sayadaw, received Anapana instructions from Saya Thetgyi. The two students advanced rapidly, and were given Vipassana the next day. Sayagyi progressed well during this first ten-day course, and continued his work during frequent visits to his teacher's centre and meetings with Saya Thetgyi whenever he came to Rangoon.

When he returned to his office, Sayagyi found an envelope on his desk. He feared that it might be a dismissal note but found, to his surprise, that it was a promotion letter. He had been chosen for the post of Special Office Superintendent in the new office of the Auditor General of Burma.

In 1941, a seemingly happenstance incident occurred which was to be important in Sayagyi's life. He had been promoted at the beginning of that year to the post of Chief Accounts Officer, Burma Railways Board. One of his duties was to travel on the Rangoon-Mandalay line auditing accounts for local stations. He travelled in a special carriage for the chief accountant, with full facilities for office work and sleeping overnight. His carriage would be attached to the main train, then detached at various stations.

One day in July, by error his carriage was detached at a station in the town of Kyaukse, 40 miles south of Mandalay. Although he was not scheduled to audit the accounts here, as Accounts Officer, he was permitted to check the accounts of any station, and he preceded to do so. After his work was over, he decided to visit the nearby Shwetharlyaung hill and set out with the local station master. From the top of the hill they could see a cluster of buildings in the distance. They recognised it as the monastery of Webu Sayadaw (who later on became known, and was widely respected in Burma for his attainments in meditation). They decided to go to the monastery.

At about 3:00 p.m. they arrived at the compound. An old nun sat pounding chillies and beans, and they asked her if they could pay respects to the Sayadaw.

"This is not the time to see the reverend Sayadaw," she said. "He is meditating and will not come out of his hut until about six o'clock. This monk does not entertain people. He only comes out of his hut for about half an hour in the evening. If there are people here at this time he may give a discourse and then return to his hut. He will not meet people at times they may wish to meet him."

U Ba Khin explained that he was a visitor from Rangoon and that he did not have much time. He would like very much to meet Webu Sayadaw. Would it not be possible to pay respects outside?

The nun pointed out the hut, a small bamboo structure, and the visitors went there together. Sayagyi knelt on the ground and said, "Venerable Sir, I have come all the way from Lower Burma, Rangoon, and wish to pay respects to you."

To everyone's astonishment, the door to the hut opened and the Sayadaw emerged, preceded by a cloud of mosquitoes. Sayagyi paid respects, keeping his attention in the body with awareness of anicca.

"What is your aspiration, layman?" Webu Sayadaw asked Sayagyi.
"My aspiration is to attain nibbāna, sir," U Ba Khi replied.
"Nibbāna? How are you going to attai nibbāna?"
"Through meditation and by knowing anicca, sir," said Sayagyi.
"Where did you learn to be aware of this anicca?"

Sayagyi explained how he had studied Vipassana meditation under Saya Thetgyi.

"You have been practising Vipassana?"
"Yes, sir, I am practising Vipassana."
"What sort of Vipassana?"

Webu Sayadaw questioned him closely and Sayagyi gave the details. The Sayadaw was very pleased.

He said, "I have been meditating in this jungle alone for years in order to experience such stages of Vipassana as you describe." He seemed astonished to encounter a householder who had reached advanced proficiency in the practice without being a monk.

Webu Sayadaw meditated with Sayagyi, and after some time said, "You must start teaching now. You have acquired good pāramī, and y u must teach the Dhamma to others. Do not let people who meet you miss the benefits of receiving this teaching. You must not wait. You must teach-teach now!"

With a Dhamma injunction of such strength from this saintly person, U Ba Khin felt he had no choice but to teach. Back at the railway station, the station master became his first student. Sayagyi instructed him in Anapana meditation in his railway carriage, using the two tables of the dining compartment as their seats.

U Ba Khin did not begin teaching in a formal way until about a decade later, but his encounter with Webu Sayadaw initiated a long career in teaching meditation.

Sayagyi's government service continued for another twenty-six years. He became Accountant General on 4 January 1948, the day Burma gained independence. For the next two decades, he was employed in various capacities in the government, most of the time holding two or more posts, each equivalent to the head of a department. At one time he served as head of three separate departments simultaneously for three years and, on another occasion, head of four departments for about one year. Only the last four years of Sayagyi's life were devoted exclusively to teaching meditation. The rest of the time he combined his skill in meditation with his devotion to government service.

In 1950 he founded the Vipassana Association of the Accountant General's Office where lay people, mainly employees of that office, could learn Vipassana. In 1952, the International Meditation Centre (I.M.C.) was opened in Rangoon, two miles north of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda. Here many Burmese and foreign students had the good fortune to receive instruction in the Dhamma from Sayagyi.

In 1953, Webu Sayadaw accepted an invitation to come to I.M.C. for a week with his entourage of monks to meditate and give mettā. Until tha time, he had confined his travels to only three places: the meditation compounds in Kyaukse and Shwebo, and the village he was born in, Ingyinpin. This visit demonstrated Webu Sayadaw's high regard for Sayagyi, since it was unusual for a monk to stay at the meditation centre of a lay teacher.

At one time, Sayagyi decided to fulfil the Burmese tradition of becoming a monk at least once in one's lifetime. Without notifying anyone in advance, he and a Burmese student of his went to Webu Sayadaw's centre at Shwebo and, under Webu's guidance, took robes for a period of ten days.

Between the years of 1954 and his death in 1977, Webu Sayadaw made regular annual visits to towns in southern Burma to teach Dhamma. During Sayagyi's lifetime, he periodically visited I.M.C. as well. The Sayadaw was held to be an arahant (fully enlightened being), and it was a high honour for I.M.C. to receive him.

When Webu Sayadaw visited Sayagyi's centre, he usually gave a short Dhamma talk every day. He once mentioned, "When we first visited this place it was like a jungle, but now what progress has been made in these years. It resembles the time of the Buddha when many benefited! Can one imagine how many enjoyed the fruits of Dhamma in a single moment? Can one count the number? Innumerable!"

Because of his highly demanding government duties, Sayagyi was only able to teach a small number of students. Many of his Burmese students were connected with his government work. Many Indian students were introduced by Goenkaji. Sayagyi's students from abroad were small in number but diverse, including leading Western Buddhists, academicians, and members of the diplomatic community in Rangoon.

From time to time, Sayagyi was invited to address foreign audiences in Burma on the subject of Dhamma. On one occasion, for example, he was asked to deliver a lecture to a group of press representatives from Israel, who were in Burma on the occasion of the visit of Israel's prime minister, David Ben Gurion.

Sayagyi finally retired from his outstanding career in government service in 1967. From that time, until his death in 1971, he stayed at I.M.C., teaching Vipassana. Shortly before his death he thought back to all those who had helped him-the old man who had helped him start school, the Burmese teacher who helped him join St. Paul's and, among many others, one friend whom he had lost sight of over forty years earlier and now found mentioned in the local newspaper. He dictated letters addressed to this old friend and to some foreign students and disciples, including Goenkaji. On the 18th of January, Sayagyi suddenly became ill. When his newly rediscovered friend received Sayagyi's letter on the 20th, he was shocked to read Sayagyi's death announcement in the same post.

After Sayagyi's death, Webu Sawadaw visited Rangoon and gave a private interview to about 25 students from Sayagyi's centre. When it was reported to the Sayadaw that Sayagyi had died, he said, "Your Sayagyi never died. A person like your Sayagyi will not die. You may not see him now, but his teaching lives on. Not like some persons who, even though they are alive, are as if dead-who serve no purpose and who benefit none."

Goenkaji was in India conducting a course when news of his teacher's death reached him. He sent a telegram back to I.M.C., which contained the famous Pali verse:

Aniccā vata saṇkhārā,
Uppādavaya-dhammino.
Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti,
tesaṃ vūpasamo sukho.

Impermanent truly are compounded things,
by nature arising and passing away.
If they arise and are extinguished,
their eradication brings happiness.

One year later, in a tribute to his teacher, Goenkaji wrote: "Even after his passing away one year ago, observing the continued success of the courses, I get more and more convinced that it is his mettā (loving-kindness) force which is giving me all the inspiration and strength to serve so many people. Obviously the force of Dhamma is immeasurable."

Sayagyi's aspirations are being accomplished. The Buddha's teachings, carefully preserved all these centuries, are still being practised, and are still bringing results here and now.

As Sayagyi said, "The time-clock of Vipassana has now struck-that is, for the revival of . . . Vipassana in practice. We have no doubt whatsoever that definite results would accrue to those who would, with an open mind, sincerely undergo a course of training under a competent teacher-I mean results which will be accepted as good, concrete, vivid, personal, here-and-now; results which will keep in good stead and in a state of well-being and happiness for the rest of their lives."

Remembering Sayagyi

(The following comments are condensed from recollections of students of U Ba Khin.)

His understanding of Dhamma, as taught by the Buddha, was profound and penetrating; his approach to it modern and scientific. His was not mere conventional acceptance of the teaching of the Buddha; his was a whole-hearted embrace of Dhamma with firm conviction and faith as a result of personal realisation through actual practice.

He learned Vipassana meditation at the feet of Saya Thetgyi. When he reached a certain stage of proficiency, Saya Thetgyi felt certain that Guruji U Ba Khin was destined to play the role of the torch-bearer after he had passed away.

But it was only after he had met and paid homage to Webu Sayadaw, believed by many to be an arahant, in 1941 that he finally decided to help people find the Path laid down by the Buddha.

He felt the need of a course of instructions particularly for householders, rather than strictly for bhikkhus (monks) and recluses who had given up worldly life. A discipline for bhikkhus could not ideally be suitable for laymen. The Vipassana Research Association, initiated by Sayagyi while he was the Accountant General of Burma, undertook research and experiments in Vipassana meditation. Results and findings from these studies carried out in a special shrine room at the A.G.'s office enabled Sayagyi to present the Buddha's Dhamma to laymen in a systematic, scientific manner, thus appealing to the modern mind. His regimen of Vipassana exercises encompasses completely the three requisites laid down by the Buddha (namely sīla, samādhi and paññā, but is so streamlined nd disciplined that satisfactory results could be expected within a short period of endeavour.

Foreign intellectuals and organisations first became acquainted with Sayagyi when he gave a series of lectures to a religious study group composed of members of a special technical and economic mission from America, in 1952. The lectures, rendered in booklet form, soon found their way to various Burmese embassies abroad and Buddhist organisations the world over.

Sayagyi made a few more expositions of the life and teachings of the Buddha, but mere interpretation of the Dhamma had never been his main object. He applied himself solely to the task of helping sincere workers to experience a state of purity of mind and realise the truth of suffering resulting in "the peace within" through practising Vipassana meditation. He achieved astounding results with the presentation he developed to explain the technique. To his last breath Guruji remained a preceptor rather than a preacher of Vipassana meditation.

-U Ko Lay, former Vice Chancellor of Mandalay University

I once considered Sayagyi U Ba Khin an old, dry and uninteresting person who taught something which was fit only for aged people who had little interest and activity in the things the outside world offered. I regarded him with awe and fear, for I had heard much about his outbursts of anger. I visited him at the centre with the elders of my family very seldom, and only when I had to.

All these feelings evaporated, one by one, when I stayed with him for ten days and learned meditation under his guidance.

I found Sayagyi to be a very affectionate person. He was like a father to me. I could freely discuss with him any problem that faced me, and be sure not only of a sympathetic ear but also of good advice. All his anger, which was talked about, was only surface-deep; the core was filled with unbounded love. It was as though a hard crust had formed upon a liquid material. The hard crust was necessary-rather, very important for the work he was doing.

It was this hardness, which enabled him to maintain strict discipline at the centre. Sometimes people took undue advantage of his loving nature and neglected the purpose for which they were there. They would walk around the place and talk with other students, thus wasting not only their own time, but disturbing others as well. Sayagyi's hard nature was required to set them on the right track. Even when he got angry, it was loving anger. He wanted his students to learn as much as possible in the short time available. He felt such negligent students were wasting a precious opportunity, which might never come again, an opportunity of which every second was so precious.

The beauty and peace he created at the centre will always linger in my heart. He taught a rare thing, which is of great value to old, and young alike. He was a great teacher and a very affectionate man indeed.

-Mrs. Vimala Goenka, senior assistant teacher to S. N. Goenka

Ever since I read a booklet containing lectures on Buddhism delivered in 1952, I had admired Sayagyi U Ba Khin. In 1956 or thereabouts I was able to visit the annual meeting of the Vipassana Association of the A.G.'s office held at I.M.C., to present a magazine published by the Rangoon University Pāli Association and to speak with Sayagyi for awhile.

Sayagyi seemed to notice my interest in his lectures on Buddhism. He said, "You are a writer and a theoretician and I am a practical man. So it is very difficult for me to explain the practice of meditation. Come and practise it yourself and you will get a better understanding than my explanation."

Sayagyi served concurrently as officer on special duty, trade development minister, chairman of the state agricultural marketing board, and member of the advisory board of the national planning commission. Foreigners hearing of these splendid achievements often raise the question: "Where do you get such energy from?" The following was Sayagyi's reply: "Because I practise Buddhist meditation, I can handle many important tasks simultaneously. If you want to purify your mind and be happy, healthy and energetic like me, why don't you make an attempt to take a course in Buddhist meditation?"

-Maung Ye Lwin, excerpted from an article appearing in the Burmese magazine "Thint Bawa", December 1960

I doubt whether an ordinary being can point to so many periods in his lifetime that further his inner development as much as these ten brief days under your guidance. No doubt due to my insufficient pāramīs (virtues from the past), my achievements here may have fallen somewhat short of what they could have been. By perseverance I hope, however, to improve. And I already take back with me considerable added strength and composure.

You yourself are the finest example of what you set out to obtain in your pupils. Your wisdom, your tolerance and patience, and your deep, loving devotion leave a profound impact on the personalities of those who come and sit at your feet. To yourself and to your dedicated helpers goes my true gratefulness.

-from a letter to Sayagyi from Mr. Eliashiv Ben-Horin, former Israeli ambassador to Burma

His was a fine personality: majestic, sober, noble and impressive. He always bore a faint smile and the look of a calm, satisfied mind. When with him, you felt as if he cared for you and loved you more than anybody else. His attention, love, mettā was the same for all, big or small, rich o poor.

He never asserted anything, never forced any idea on you. He followed what he preached or taught and left it to you to think over and accept his view in part or in full as you wished.

He had a great aesthetic and artistic sense, loved flowers very much, and took special care about getting rare varieties. He knew all his plants well and would talk about them at length with the centre's visitors.

He had a good sense of humour. He was fond of making little jokes, and laughing, laughing very loudly. Just as he would shout loudly, he would laugh loudly!

He kept himself well informed about world politics and the modern advances in science and technology, and was a regular listener to radio and a reader of foreign periodicals. He was especially fond of Life and Time magazines.

He bore disease and illness bravely and well, and was a very intelligent and co-operative patient. He never took a pessimistic view of life; he was always optimistic and took a hopeful view. He took suffering and disease as a result of past karma and said it is the lot of one born into the world. Even his last illness, which came and took him away from us suddenly, he treated very lightly.

He was a very pious and great soul; pure of mind and body, and loveable to everyone.

-Dr. Om Prakash, former consulting physician, United Nations Organisation, Burma; senior assistant to S. N. Goenka.

My wife and I first met U Ba Khin in 1959. In all his Buddhist devotion there was none of that searing intensity or dry, brittle hardness that sometimes accompanies strong religious conviction. For U Ba Khin was genuinely and delightfully human. He loved the roses about the centre and watched the growth of a special tree with pride and joy. It was a wonderful experience to hear him tell various of the Buddhist stories. He told them with hearty and humorous enjoyment, but there was no mistaking the depth of his feeling for them and his devotion to their truth. His experience was profound enough that it could afford the reverent joke without fear of offence. And his genuine authority as a meditation master came from this same depth of experience. There was no need for a superficial "cracking of the whip."

Thus when I think of him now, it is as a man who was eminently sane and finely human in a universal sense; who could be completely Burmese, thoroughly Buddhist, and intensely human all at once, without confusion, pretension or strain.

-Dr. Winston King, former professor of history and philosophy of religion, Grinnell College and Vanderbilt University, USA

Before the ten-day course was over, I knew that my most deep-lying fear was that my own body would perish and rot away, forever gone. I could not face death with equanimity. Sayagyi's help was essential in this crisis. Then, instead of being through with the whole thing and regarding it as an "interesting Burmese experience," I found myself coming back for another course while my husband had to be away on business, and then later for still another before we left Burma to return to the U.S. I did not decide that Sayagyi should be my teacher. Rather, I discovered that he was my teacher.

Since that time I have not ever been out of touch with him. He has never failed to help me. And even with his death I cannot feel out of touch when I remember so well what he taught and was. His healing generosity and compassionate interest in all human beings, he learned only from the Enlightened One. He embodied that which he constantly taught to others-the calm centre in the midst of anicca.

-Jocelyn B. King, USA

A Report On Health Seminar

An International Seminar on Vipassana Meditation & Health was held from November 27 to December 9, 1990 under the sponsorship of the Vipassana Research Institute at Dhamma Giri.

The objectives of the seminar were to study the scientific basis of Vipassana and how it enables one to live a healthy and happy life and to explore its relevance to the various healing disciplines, both traditional and alternative, in their task of promoting health and preventing disease.

The seminar programme was divided into two parts. The first was patipatti-personal experience of the technique. More than 300 participants joined the Vipassana course from 27th November to 8th December to see the effects of Vipassana meditation for themselves, within themselves. A unique feature of this seminar was that about 200 participants belonged to the various healing and helping professions, of whom about 100 participants had come for the first time. The rest comprised of distinguished scholars, government officers and members of the legal and other professions. From the morning of 8th December, the seminar moved into its second phase devoted to pariyatti-the gaining of intellectual understanding of the technique. This phase was inaugurated by Kalyānmitra S N. Goenka, who in his keynote address, explained how through Vipassana one explores the reality pertaining to this "I"-the mind-body phenomenon and understanding the cause of one's suffering to be tanhā-craving, eradicates it from the root level and starts livin a happy, healthy and peaceful life.

This was followed by presentation of more than 30 papers, each focusing on a particular aspect of Vipassana and its relevance to different healing disciplines. The following conclusions emerged:

" The goal of Vipassana is the eradication of all suffering-dukkha; disease, be it physical and/or mental, is only one aspect of suffering. Health benefits obtained are mere by-products of the process of purification of the mind."

" Vipassana is a scientific technique and can make a profound contribution to all the healing and helping professions."

" More scientific research needs to be conducted into the benefits of Vipassana particularly its role in improving one's quality of living, both at the individual and group levels."

Marching Ahead Step by Step

Vipassana International Academy (V.I.A.) is progressing and expanding geometrically day by day. About 5000 new students have come in 1990 to learn this technique. Thousands of old students are getting firmly established by attending long courses, which are now being regularly held. The total number of attendance of students comes to one lakh.

Dhamma Giri is now in a position to accommodate about 500 students at a time on a regular basis. Apart from more than 275 individual cells, other facilities of separate dining halls for both men and women and two spacious meditation halls exist at Dhamma Giri. More cells are under construction.

Similarly, Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) has taken up very seriously the task of bringing together and publishing TIPITAKA in Devanagari the complete texts of 'Buddha Wani' followed by commentaries and explanations, which will be about 500. This work is being done with the help of computers and Pali Scholars. Regular teaching of Pali Language is also in progress as usual.

The publication of books by VRI is gathering speed slowly. Apart from Hindi and English, are being printed in other languages also for wider circulation. The cost is being kept at a minimum with great efforts.

The staff and residential accommodations are getting more and more. A new big building complex is nearing its completion for VRI activities.

Two New Centres in India

Dhamma Laya, Dakshin Vipassana Centre,
Jaisingpur 416101, Dist. Kolhapur, (Maharashtra)
% Contact - (023383) 496.

Here a farmhouse in an area of 5 acres of land is being converted into a centre. It is located on Bombay-Pune-Kolhapur Rly. Line and is about 6 km. away from Station on the Highway.

Dhamma Sindhu, Kutch Vipassana Centre,
Gram-Bada, Mandvi-Kutch (Guj.) 370475,
% Contact - (02832) 20989.

This is about 1 1/2 km. away from sea shore and is full of trees with 3 wells of sweet water in an area of 19 acres of land. It is near to Bhuj and is about 10 km. away from Durgapur.