Questions and Answers on Vipassana

Questions & Answers on Vipassana

Question: Should I simply observe the sensations and let Dhamma do the rest, or should I also make a conscious effort by thought or in other ways to understand anicca?

Goenkaji: Not only by thought, but by experience. You are observing sensation and you are experiencing the reality, “Well look, it is anicca.” Then it works. Otherwise if you just experience sensations and don’t understand, “This is impermanent,” how will you develop equanimity, how will you develop paññā?

 

Question: Would you say that emotion and sensation are the same?

Goenkaji: They are two sides of the same coin. Emotion is mental and sensation is physical, but the two are interrelated. Actually every emotion, anything that arises in the mind, must arise along with a sensation in the body. This is the law of nature.

 

Question: It seems to me that it would take forever to eliminate the saṅkhāras one by one.

Goenkaji: That would be so if one moment of equanimity meant exactly one less saṅkhāra of the past. But in fact, awareness of sensation takes you to the deepest level of the mind and allows you to cut the roots of past conditioning. In this way, in a relatively short time, you can eliminate entire complexes of saṅkhāras, if your awareness and equanimity are strong.

 

Question: Then how long should the process take?

Goenkaji: That depends on how great a stock of saṅkhāras you have to eliminate, and how strong your meditation is. You cannot measure the past stock but you can be sure that the more seriously you meditate, the more quickly you are approaching liberation. Keep working steadfastly towards that goal. The time is bound to come—sooner rather than later—when you will reach it.

 

Question: My mind still remains immersed in sexual desire and as a result, I am unable to maintain the continuity of practice. What can I do?

Goenkaji: Fight this battle. Lust is something that keeps following you life after life and it is a very deep saṅkhāra. Whenever sexual desire arises in the mind, don’t focus on the object of the lust. Just accept the fact of lust as lust. “At this moment my mind is full of lust.” Accept this and see what sensation you have. At that moment, start observing whatever sensation predominates anywhere in the body, and keep understanding, “Anicca, anicca. This is not permanent, this is not permanent. This lust that has come is also not permanent; let me see how long it lasts.” In this way, the sexual desire becomes weaker and weaker and passes away.

 

Question: I wonder whether we can treat obsessivethoughts in the same way that we treat physical pain?

Goenkaji: Just accept the fact that there is obsessive thought or emotion in the mind. It is something that was deeply suppressed and now has appeared at the conscious level. Do not go into the details of it. Just accept emotion as emotion. And along with it, what sensation do you feel? There cannot be an emotion without a sensation at the physical level. Start observing that sensation.

 

Question: Would you say that Vipassana is the only way to reach enlightenment?

Goenkaji: Enlightenment is achieved by examining oneself and eliminating conditioning. And doing this is Vipassana, no matter what name you may call it. Some people have never even heard of Vipassana, and yet the process has started to work spontaneously in them. This seems to have happened in the case of a number of saintly people in India, judging from their own words. But because they did not learn the process step by step, they were unable to explain it clearly to others. Here you have the opportunity to learn a step-by-step method that will lead you to enlightenment.

One-day course with Goenkaji at Global Pagoda

A one-day course has been arranged within the main dome of the Global Vipassana Pagoda on 16 January 2011, Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm (instead of 19 January). Goenkaji will be present during this course.

Registration for this course is compulsory.

Contact: Mobile: 98928-55692, 98928-55945;

Tel: (022) 2845-1182, 2845-1170 (11 am to 5 pm).

Registration email: global.oneday@gmail.com

Online registration: www.vridhamma.org

 

Annual Meeting of Assistant Teachers

The annual meeting which is usually held at Dhamma Giri is being shifted to Dhamma Pattana. Goenkaji wishes that all ATs should attend the AT Meeting.

Travel arrangements will be made for those ATs who will be sitting the 45-day course at Dhamma Tapovana before the meeting and those sitting the 60-day course after the meeting

The programme is as follows:

17 Dec. 2010: Arrival at Dhamma Pattana by 5 pm.

5 pm to 7 pm: Registration at Dhamma Pattana.

7 pm to 8 pm: Group meditation at the centre followed by dinner. (Residential arrangements have been made at Dhamma Pattana and at Keshav Shristi.)

18 Dec. 2010:Details of the programme will be informed in due course.

19 Dec. 2010: The meeting will end after lunch at 1 pm.

Please contact the following about your attendance & travel arrangements: Registration department, Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri. Email: atmeeting2010@gmail.com

Tel: (02553) 244076, 244086 Extn: 306;

Mobile: 99678-71644

In case of any query contact:

1) Mr. Dilip Deshpande,
email: at_central_coordinator@dhamma.net.in OR

2) Mr. Mahendra Kolte,
email: mahendra.kolte@gmail.com

 

New Website on Children’s Courses

A new international website has been launched about Anapana meditation courses for children and teens. The site contains information for potential participants, as well as parents and teachers. Also posted are video clips and course dates. For more information, visit: www.children.dhamma.org.

 

Mobile Version of International Vipassana Website

Now there are more ways to explore the www.dhamma.org website. Use your smartphone to visit www.mobile.dhamma.org. There is a wealth of information about Vipassana, including the worldwide schedule of courses. A Hindi-language version of the website has also been added at www.hindi.dhamma.org.

Pilgrimage to the Buddha Sacred Sites

IRCTC, the tourism arm of Indian Railways, in the year 2007, started running a fully airconditioned special train named the Buddhist Circuit Special Tourist Train, touring the Buddha Sacred Sites: Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Sravasti, Rajgir and Kushinagar.

Complete details can be viewed on www.railtourismindia.com/buddha

This is an excellent opportunity for Vipassana meditators to do the pilgrimage in a safe, reliable and comfortable manner without the bother and hassle of organizing multiple ticketing, local transport at different destinations and hotel stays.

Global Vipassana Foundation (GVF) has negotiated a special discount of 15% with IRCTC for the benefit of Vipassana mediators.

IRCTC & GVF has additionally agreed to structure in two slots of group meditation for the Vipassana meditators, subject to the number of meditators being not less than ten. The first, GS under the Bodhi tree in the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya and the second GS at Kushinagar. The group sittings will be scheduled for after the close of visiting hours to the temple so as to provide a quiet environment for group meditation. This would be subject to no other engagement happening on the particular day in the temple premises.

The circuit of the Buddhist Circuit Special Tourist Train starts and ends at Delhi. The forthcoming schedule and tariff appear below:

	Starting	Ending
Dec 2010	11& 25Dec	18Dec & 1st Jan
Jan 2011	8& 22 Jan	15Jan & 29Jan
Feb 2011	12& 26Feb	19Feb & 5March
Mar 2011	12& 26Mar	19 March & 2 April

Class	Rack Rate		15 % Discounted Rate
	Rs	USD $	Rs	USD $
First AC Coupe	55272	1176	46981	1000
First AC	48650	1050	41353	893
2T AC	41650	875	35403	744
3T AC	34650	735	29453	625

Registration: Visit www.railtourismindia.com/buddha or contact: Hemant Sharma, Mobile: 97176-44798, Izhar Alam, Mobile: 9717635912, IRCTC, Ground Floor, STC Building, 1-Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi -110001. Tel: [91] (011) 23701100, 23701101, Email: arunsrivastava@irctc.com

 

New Vipassana Centre in Vietnam

Goenkaji has named Vietnam’s first Vipassana meditation centre Dhamma Viññu (Learned in Dhamma). The centre is located in a quiet area near Bao Loc City in Lam Dong province. The 7.5 acres of land border a small stream at the bottom of a hill. The climate is moderate, with an average temperature of about 26°C (77°F).

Construction started in early 2010 and the centre can now accommodate 24 students. The first three-day course was held in September, attended by 23 old students. Building will continue as funds become available, with the aim of eventually serving 120 students.

For more details, contact: dhammavinnu@gmail.com

New Buildings at Dhammādicca, Japan

Dhammādicca (Sun of Dhamma) is the second Vipassana centre established in Japan, to serve the eastern part of the country. Recently the centre completed construction of a new meditation hall and dormitories. It can now serve more than 60 students on a course and can better meet the increasing demand from Tokyo residents.

To mark completion of this work, Dhammādicca held its first open house. Visitors were very interested by a video of Goenkaji and an introduction to the activities of the Japan Vipassana Association.

 

New Temporary Centre at Philippines

A new temporary course centre is being planned in the Philippines, until land for a permanent centre becomes available in about five years. The centre is being designed so that the buildings can be dismantled and re-assembled at the eventual permanent site. Tents will be used for the dining area. For more information, contact: susette_pg@yahoo.com or helwigs@mac.com

 

New Vipassana Centre in Eastern Thailand

Land has been donated for a new centre in eastern Thailand. The 20-acre site is situated among orchards and rubber plantations, and surrounded by the verdant mountains of Chanthaburi. It is located near a wildlife sanctuary and a natural hot spring, not far from the border with Cambodia. Goenkaji has named the centre Dhamma Candapabha (The Light of Dhamma).

Plans for development are being prepared, and the land is being leveled for future construction. For more information, contact: info.thaidhamma@gmail.com

 

New Vipassana Centre in Western Canada

After many years of searching, the Alberta Vipassana Foundation Trust is happy to announce that it has purchased a parcel of land for a centre. Goenkaji strongly encouraged establishment of a centre in this area when he visited in 2002. He has named the centre Dhamma Karunā (Compassion of Dhamma).

The 108-acre property has a large open field with slight rises, two gullies and a number of small wooded areas that contain creeks and springs. There are several good potential building sites and the local authorities have been supportive of the Trust’s proposals.

The site is two hours from Edmonton, an hour and a half from Calgary, and not too far from southern and northern communities. Two towns in the area have many amenities. In early September 2010, the Trust participated in a design workshop: it reviewed the work of other centres and decided on its own path for development. Sufficient funds are available for initial work and to repay student loans and a mortgage in a fairly short time.

For more information, visit: www.karuna.dhamma.org/os (username: oldstudent, password: behappy)

 

 

Online Vipassana Newsletters and Archives

For complete archives of the VRI Newsletter in English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam, visit: www.vridhamma.org/Newsletter_Home

Centre Development at Dhamma Mahī, France

Every year, approximately 2,200 students attend Vipassana courses in France. However, there is an average of two requests for each available place. To meet the growing demand, Dhamma Mahī (Ground of Dhamma) has launched a project to expand accommodations.

The aim is to be able to accommodate 120 students plus 30 servers per course, for a total of 3,000 students every year. The new accommodations will feature individual rooms with attached bathrooms. The first new rooms should be ready in 2011.

For more details, visit: www.mahi.dhamma.org/os (username: oldstudent, password: behappy)

 

Pali Workshop in Germany

A 14-day Pali workshop is being planned in southern Germany in August 2011. This intensive seminar will be held in English and is open to all serious and dedicated old students of Vipassana.

The workshop is designed to convey a basic knowledge of Pali, and will provide students with ample material to enable them to continue with individual studies.

The focus is on pariyatti—academic study—as a means to paṭipatti—the practice of Dhamma. Certain days of the workshop will be dedicated to topics of special interest to meditators, such as the Noble Eightfold Path, suttas dealing with dāna and mettā, the morning chantings, and a selection of Goenkaji’s sutta discourses.

The workshop will be held at a rented site regularly used for non-centre courses. It will be preceded by a 10-day course.

There will be a charge for room and board. For more information about the site and photos, visit: www.berghof-agatharied.de

For registration, contact: paliworkshop@aol.com

 

First Vipassana Course in Latvia

In July 2010, the first Vipassana course was held in Latvia. 68 students took part, including only nine old students. Most participants were from Latvia (both Russians and Latvians), with 10 students from Lithuania, Estonia and Russia. The students ranged in age from 17 to 78.

For many of the Latvian students, the course was a unique opportunity: they would not have travelled outside their country to learn Vipassana. For the servers, the experience of serving the first course in their home country was an inspiration.

Latvia's second course is now scheduled for July 20 to July 31, 2011. For more information, contact: info@lv.dhamma.org.

 

Second Vipassana centre in Spain

Dhamma Neru (Celestial Mountain of Dhamma) was able to pay off its mortgage in 2009, its 10th anniversary year. To meet the strong demand, several non-centre courses are held at various sites throughout Spain every year.

The Trust is working on finding a suitable location for a second centre in Spain. For more information, contact: info@es.dhamma.org.

Bhalā hoya isa jagata kā, sukhī hoṅya saba loga;

Dūra hoṅya dāridra dukha, dūra hoṅya saba roga.

May the world enjoy well-being; may all people be happy;

May poverty and suffering be dispelled;
May all ills be vanquished.

 

Barase barakhā samaya para, dūra rahe duṣakāla;

Śāsana hove Dharama kā, loga hoṅya khuśahāla.

May the rains fall in due season, may there be no drought;

May the government be righteous,
May the people be happy and prosperous.

 

With much mettā,

A Vipassana meditator