S.N. Goenka
Mr.
S.N. (SATYA NARAYAN) GOENKA, the
foremost lay teacher of Vipassana meditation, was a student of the late Sayagyi
U Ba Khin of Burma (Myanmar). The technique which Mr. Goenka teaches represents
a tradition that is traced back to the Buddha. The Buddha never taught a
sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is
universal. In the same way, Mr.Goenka’s approach is totally nonsectarian. For
this reason his teaching has a profound appeal to people of all backgrounds, of
every religion and no religion, from every part of the world.
From
Businessman to Spiritual Teacher
Mr.
Goenka was born in Mandalay, Myanmar, in 1924. He joined his family business in
1940 and rapidly became a pioneering industrialist establishing several
manufacturing corporations. He soon became a leading figure in Myanmar’s large
influential Indian community and for many years headed such organisations as
the Burma Marwari Chamber of Commerce and the Rangoon Chamber of Commerce &
Industry. He often accompanied Union of Burma trade delegations on
international tours as an advisor.
In 1956
Mr. Goenka took his first ten-day Vipassana course at the International
Meditation Centre in Rangoon, under the guidance of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. In 1962
Mr.Goenka’s industries and businesses were taken over when the newly installed
military government of Myanmar nationalised all industry in the country. This
gave him an opportunity to spend more time with his teacher for meditation and
in-depth training, all the while remaining a devoted family man and father of
six sons.
After
14 years practising with his teacher, he was appointed a teacher of Vipassana
and devoted his life to spreading the technique for the benefit of all humanity.
Shortly thereafter he came to India and conducted his first ten-day meditation
course in 1969. In India, a country still sharply divided by caste and
religion, Vipassana has been widely and easily accepted because of its
non-sectarian nature.
The
Vipassana International Academy (Dhamma Giri) was established in 1974 in
Igatpuri, near Bombay, India. Courses of ten days and even longer duration are
held there continuously. In 1979 Mr. Goenka began travelling abroad to
introduce Vipassana in other countries of the world. He has personally taught
tens of thousands of people in more than 400 ten-day courses in Asia, North
America, Europe and Australia.
In
response to an ever-growing demand, he started training assistant teachers to
conduct these ten-day residential courses on his behalf. To date, he has
trained more than 700 assistant teachers who have, with the help of thousands
of volunteers, held Vipassana courses in more than 90 countries. More than 80
centres devoted to the teaching of Vipassana have been established in 21
countries. Today more than 1000 courses are held annually around the world. One
of the unique aspects of these Vipassana courses is that they are offered free
of any charge for board, lodging or tuition; the expenses are completely met by
voluntary donations. Neither Mr. Goenka nor his assistants receive any
financial gain from these courses.
Poet
and Speaker at distinguished forums
A
prolific writer and poet, Mr.Goenka composes in English, Hindi and Rajasthani
and his works have been translated into many languages. He has been invited to
lecture by institutes as diverse as:
·
the Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery (of
Ven. Sheng Yen) in Taiwan
·
the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland; 2000
·
the Millennium World Peace Summit at the
United Nations, New York, 2000
·
Spirit in Business Congress in New York,
2002
·
Spirit in Business Congress in Vught,
Netherlands, 2002
Commitment
to Peace
Mr.Goenka
believes and teaches that for peace outside (among nations, among different
communities) there must be peace inside. Individuals must learn the "art
of living " in order to live peaceful lives. This is the heart of his
teaching to people from different backgrounds. At the Millennium World Peace
Summit (United Nations, New York) he stressed for the assembled spiritual
leaders of different religions the
overriding importance of inner peace to effect real world peace.
One
important consequence of his work in India has been a subtle but telling
influence on inter-religious harmony. Thousands of Catholic priests, Buddhist
monks, Jain ascetics, Hindu sanyasis and other religious leaders have come and
continue to come to Vipassana courses. The universality of Vipassana - the core
of the Buddha’s teaching - is providing a way whereby ideological differences
can be bridged and people of diverse backgrounds can experience deep benefits
without fearing conversion.
Mr.
Goenka recently made history in India when he and a leading Hindu leader, HH
Shankaracharya of Kanchi, met and together exhorted Hindus and Buddhists alike
to forget past differences and live in harmony. After this initial meeting Mr.
Goenka also met HH Shankaracharya of Sringeri and many other top Hindu leaders
in an effort to establish harmonious relations between Hindu and Buddhist communities.
Despite
this uniquely positive development, mere exhortations cannot bring about the
much desired reconciliation and co-operative spirit. Only when individuals
undertake to remove from within themselves the blocks to peace and harmony can
peace begin to flower outside and affect society. For this reason Mr. S.N.
Goenka has always emphasised that the practical application of meditation is
what will enable man to achieve inner as well as outer peace.
The spread of Vipassana
S. N. Goenka began conducting
Vipassana courses in India in 1969; after ten years, he was invited for the
first time to teach in other countries. The first course in the West was held
in July 1979, at Gaillon in France. For over a decade Mr. Goenka travelled
regularly to Western countries and conducted ten-day courses.
In response to an ever-growing
demand, he started training assistant teachers to conduct these ten-day
residential courses on his behalf. To date, he has trained more than 700
assistant teachers who have, with the help of thousands of volunteers, held
Vipassana courses in more than 90 countries including the People’s Republic of
China, Iran, Muscat, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Zimbabwe,
Mongolia, Russia, Serbia, Taiwan, Cambodia, Mexico, Cuba and all the countries
of South America. More than 80 centres devoted to the teaching of Vipassana
have been established in 21 countries.
Today more than 1000 courses are
held annually around the world and over 100,000 people attend these ten-day
Vipassana meditation retreats.
Vipassana across
Europe
At present there are
seven Vipassana meditation centres in Europe:
Ø France: first
Vipassana course in 1979, purchase of centre in 1988.
Ø
United Kingdom: first
course in 1979, purchase of house in 1987, purchase of centre in
1991.
Ø Switzerland: first
course in 1980, purchase of centre in 1999.
Ø Germany: first
course in 1983, rental of a hotel since 1993, purchase of centre in 2000.
Ø Italy: first
course in 1986, purchase of centre in 1998.
Ø Spain: first
course in 1984, purchase of centre in 1999.
Ø Belgium: first
course in 1985, purchase of centre in 2000.
Moreover, many more
courses are offered in several countries at rented sites: first course in the
Netherlands in 1988, in Portugal in 1990, in Israel in 1991, in Sweden in 1992,
in Russia in 1993, in Romania and Serbia in 1995, in Ireland in 1996, in
Hungary, in Denmark, Greece and Austria in 1998 and in Poland in 2002.
Belgium
The Vipassana centre
is situated in the Northeast of Belgium, about 15 km from Sittard
(Netherlands), 20 km from Genk (Belgium) and 45 km from Aachen (Germany).
Belgium as a trilingual country (Dutch, French and
German) is a suitable location for this international centre. Courses are held
in 4 languages: English, Dutch, French and German.
The buildings were formerly used as
a family hotel. There are 30 double rooms with attached bathrooms. There is
also a large meditation hall, kitchen, dining halls and some dormitories.
The
centre can accommodate up to 100 people. It is located in a rural green area
and is a very suitable place for holding meditation retreats ( www.pajjota.dhamma.org ).
Two courses a month are taking
place and since opening in June 2000 about 3,000 people have attended retreats.
Germany
The German Vipassana centre is
located between Plauen (Sachsen) and Hof (Bavaria) in former East Germany, 15
km away from the Czech border. It lies between the cities of Berlin, Munich,
Frankfurt and Prague and can be reached within 300 km driving distance.
Situated on top of a hill, the
centre overlooks the surrounding Vogtland. The nearest village is about 1 km
away so the Vipassana centre remains quiet and undisturbed.
The newly renovated centre can
accommodate up to 100 people and opened its gates in December 2002. It offers a
regular course programme of two courses a month (www.dvara.dhamma.org ).
Course Schedules
For details of
courses throughout Europe and worldwide you can visit the Vipassana
international website at www.dhamma.org .
General
Organisations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany
In 1987 a legal Trust was organised
in Germany called Vipassana-Vereinigung e.V. In 1998 Trusts were founded in the
Netherlands and Belgium, namely Vipassana Stichting and vzw Vipassana Belgium.
These organisations share the aim
of organising Vipassana courses as taught by S.N. Goenka.
Volunteer Work
Everyone who has completed a
Vipassana course is an old student and he/she can offer his/her service freely
in any of the following fields: organisation of courses, serving on courses,
kitchen and household work, working in the garden or maintaining the buildings,
editing of a magazine, organising information evenings, etc.
In this way the operation is
supported by old students who have benefited from the technique and who want to
share this with others.
The ongoing work of the Trusts is
prepared by temporary or permanent committees such as course organisation,
kitchen, household, outreach, finances, newsletter, garden, construction, planning, etc.
Trust meetings are held
periodically. Trustees, assistant teachers and other old students present at
the meeting take part in the discussion and the decision making process. At the
Trust meetings the different commitees also meet in order to discuss the
ongoing work and new projects in their respective fields.
All work of trustees and assistant
teachers is done on a volunteer basis.
Finances
All expenses are met by donations
from students who, having completed a Vipassana course and experienced the
benefits, wish to give others the same opportunity. In this way the finances of
the Vipassana organisations are funded by voluntary donations. The Trusts are
not involved in any commercial activities.
Vipassana and Social
Change
Vipassana is increasingly
recognised and used as a means for improving human welfare.
The Vipassana Research Institute
aims to study the application of Vipassana in different fields, such as
education, rehabilitation, decrease of stress, (addiction) therapy, management
and personal development. From a
professional standpoint, the Institute seeks to explore the practical role and
potential of this technique in modern society.
Vipassana in prisons
Vipassana has proved to be an effective
tool for the social rehabilitation of prisoners in jail. Since 1995 ten-day
Vipassana programmes for prison inmates and staff have been introduced in many
parts of India. There are three permanent Vipassana meditation centres in
Indian prisons, where more than 10,000 inmates have attended courses. Convinced
of its positive effects the Government of India has recommended that every
prison in the country should organise ten-day Vipassana courses for the
rehabilitation of the inmates.
Jail
authorities in the West are likewise becoming interested in this application of
Vipassana. To date courses have been successfully held in several United States
prisons, also in the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico,Taiwan, New Zealand and
Nepal.
At
the North Rehabilitation Facility, Seattle, USA,Vipassana has been an ongoing
part of the treatment programme. Due to the encouraging results of ten-day
residential retreats at NRF, the National Institute of Health in 2000 awarded a
three-year grant to the University of Washington to study the long term effects
of Vipassana meditation on addictive behaviour in inmates.
Vipassana in drug rehabilitation
Vipassana is used as a part of a
holistic rehabilitation programme in a Swiss drug therapy facility. The
programme aims to help clients overcome their addiction. This rehabilitation
concept was evaluated by the Swiss Department of Justice and showed positive
results.
Vipassana in
training and business administration
Thousands of police officers have
completed Vipassana courses as part of their training at the Police Training
College (PTC) in Delhi, capital of India.
The civil service career of Mr.
Goenka's teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, is another example. As the head of several
government departments of the Union of Burma, Sayagyi instilled a heightened
sense of duty, discipline and morality in his subordinates by teaching them
Vipassana. Efficiency increased and corruption was reduced.
High level institutions in India,
such as the governments of the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh; large corporations such as the Oil and Natural Gas Commission; leading
research institutes such as the Bhabha Atomic Research Institute; and national
training institutes such as the Indian Institute of Taxation - all encourage
their employees to attend Vipassana courses as part of their ongoing job
training. In 1996 India's most industrialised state, Maharashtra, began
offering expenses-paid leave to officials every three years for Vipassana
practice, to help them deal with stress.
Conclusion
Men and women from all walks of
life successfully practise Vipassana. They include the highly educated and the
illiterate, the wealthy and the impoverished, aristocrats and slum-dwellers,
devout followers of every religion and followers of none, the powerful and the
powerless, the elderly and the young. Courses have been organised for people
with disabilities, including the blind and leprosy patients. Other programmes
have focused on school children, drug addicts, homeless children, college
students and business executives.
These experiments underscore the
point that societal change must start with the individual. Social change cannot
be accomplished by lectures and sermons; discipline and virtuous conduct cannot
be instilled in students simply through textbooks. Criminals do not become good
citizens out of fear of punishment; ethnic and sectarian discord cannot be
eliminated by punitive measures. History shows the failures of such attempts.
The individual is the key. Each
person must be treated with love and compassion. Each must be trained to
improve - not by exhortations to follow moral precepts, but by being instilled
with the authentic desire to change. This is the only change which will endure.
Vipassana has the capacity to transform the human mind and character. The
opportunity awaits all who sincerely wish to make the effort.
Be Happy to all
