Annual Meeting: Dhamma Giri, India January 21, 1995
Questioner: Vipassana plays an important role in social change. You have been carrying out its propagation since 1969. However, casteism, communalism and sectarianism are constantly on the rise. Would you like to suggest something that could eliminate these evils?
Goenkaji: There is only one way, ekāyano maggo, and that way is to change each individual. When you want to change society you have to change the individual. After all, society is nothing but a mass of individuals. Each man matters most. And when you talk of man, who is nothing but the combination of mind and matter, mind matters most.
So we should help people understand that since mind matters most, each individual has to change the behaviour pattern of his or her own mind in order to come out of the misery resulting from all this casteism, sectarianism and communalism. People must be shown how they are generating such negativity because of these evils of society.
When you learn Vipassana and look inside yourself you understand, "Look, as soon as I generate hatred I start harming myself. Before harming anyone else, look, I start suffering."
People don’t like to suffer, but they don’t realize that every time they generate negativity in their minds they are harming themselves. The first victim is oneself when one generates negativity. If more and more people begin to realize this they will start coming out of suffering. However, it takes time.
India is a country with such a large population; you should not expect the entire country to have changed in only these last twenty-five or twenty-six years. But I am very hopeful because a beginning has been made. For the last 2,000 years this wonderful law of nature, the Dhamma, has been lost to us. Fortunately the neighbouring country maintained it in its pristine purity from generation to generation, although among very few people. Now we have got it in its pure form. Now I am sure that the results we are beginning to see will have an impact on society. If a whole jungle has withered away and you want to see it green again, each individual tree has to become green. Each tree must be watered properly at its root. When each individual tree becomes healthy, the entire jungle will become healthy. If individuals become healthy, society becomes healthy. Vipassana is doing its own job. It may take time, that can’t be helped. But the results are coming and I am quite hopeful it will change society. §
We have heard that you are writing a detailed introduction to the Tipiṭaka, the teachings of the Buddha, which will inspire meditators. Would you like to throw some light on this and also say when it is likely to be in print?
Well, I’ve taken up this job knowing full well my limited knowledge of the Pāli language. But when I read Buddha’s words in the language spoken by him I feel so inspired. Before I came to Vipassana, before I came in contact with the Buddha’s words, I should say I knew nothing about Buddha or about his teaching. It is shameful that when I took my first course I had not even read the Dhammapada. I had no knowledge at all of these teachings.
So I can quite understand that although large numbers of people here in India have respect for Buddha (of course, some say he is an incarnation of God), they know nothing about his teaching. When they come to Vipassana courses they are amazed and are so fascinated by such a wonderful teaching that they want to know more. However, for most students, to learn Pāli in order to read the Buddha’s words is too large an undertaking. So I just wanted to give the gist of the teachings to inspire students. I am not a professional writer, but still I try to write.
Now the first volume will give as much information as possible about the Buddha. Not just about his physical appearance, but the Dhamma body of the Buddha, the qualities of the Buddha. For example, Iti’pi so bhagava araham… I try to explain the meaning of the quality araham and how Buddha displayed this quality. In this way, each quality of the Buddha is explained along with related incidents in order to give detailed information about the Tipiṭaka under different headings.
The next volume will be about Dhamma, to explain how Buddha was not a founder of any religion or any sect. What he taught was the law of nature; he discovered the law of nature. I would say that he was a super-scientist. Modern science seeks only our comfort. But this super-scientist sought to eliminate all our miseries in a scientific way. You see, Dhamma is not Buddhism. Buddha never taught Buddhism. He had nothing to do with Buddhism. He taught Dhamma. He called those who were following his teachings dhammiko, dhammattho, dhammim, dhammacari, dhammavihari. He never used the words Baudda or Buddhism. This point should be well understood by students. This is the purpose of the second volume.
The third volume will be about Sangha. It is commonly understood that anyone who wears a particular robe is Sangha. Well yes, this is apparent Sangha, no doubt. But when Buddha refers to one who has become Sangha he means that this person has reached a certain stage and has become a saint, an ariya. Only then is one Sangha. So many became Sangha through his teachings. This should give inspiration to the students. They will think, "I may come from a particular tradition, with a particular belief, but once starting to practise Dhamma I begin purifying my mind. In a very scientific way it is becoming more and more pure. I am on the way toward the goal of totally purifying my mind." This third volume will include examples of persons who became Sangha.
So I am trying. I don’t know how successful I will be nor can I say when the work will be completed. With all the other responsibilities it will take time. But I will do my best. §
Each year at the Annual Conference you explain the duties and responsibilities of assistant teachers, Dhamma servers and trust members. Kindly touch on these points once again so that all three groups can perform their duties in the right spirit. Whether one is a Dhamma server or managing the organization as a trust member or serving as a Dhamma teacher (junior assistant teacher, assistant teacher, senior or teacher), it makes no difference; one is serving people. The motivation, the whole aim, should be to serve people without expecting anything in return. Expecting any kind of monetary gain is out of the question and is totally against Dhamma. No-one should commercialize Dhamma; otherwise it will be degraded and get spoiled, it will not remain Dhamma. But even expecting some kind of honour or respect from others is also prohibited. You serve without expecting anything from others.
You already get so much when you see people benefit from the technique. People come to courses with so much melancholy and sadness on their faces. And after ten days you find them leaving with blooming, bright faces. You feel so happy that you have given good service and that people have benefited so much. Later on when you get word from them that they are continuing to benefit from walking on the path you feel so happy. This is your reward, and a very good reward it is. The pāramī that you earn, the merits that you gain, will benefit you. Don’t expect anything else from the students when you are serving.
And while serving in any capacity, a feeling of gratitude should develop within you. Never expect others to have gratitude toward you, but you yourself must be developing gratitude as well as great respect and devotion toward the Enlightened One. Buddha took great pains for us. For aeons and aeons he kept on developing his pāramī, making efforts to discover this wonderful technique which had been lost to humanity. If he had not taken those pains how would we have got it? So a feeling of gratitude should develop towards him. What’s more, if he had decided not to teach others after becoming enlightened, how would we have received it? But out of infinite compassion he kept distributing this technique throughout his life. A boundless feeling of gratitude should develop towards the Enlightened One.
And then from generation to generation, from teacher to pupil, right from the Enlightened One to Sayagyi U Ba Khin the technique was maintained in its pristine purity. We should have a feeling of gratitude towards all of those who preserved the technique. Though it went to other countries, eventually it was lost, as happened in India. However, people in Burma, although few in number, maintained it. We should have a deep feeling of gratitude towards them. Otherwise how would we have received it?
This feeling of gratitude is a very important quality indicating that a person is developing on the path. Serve without expecting anything in return and see that gratitude is ever increasing in you.
Now, amongst yourselves, whether one is a server or a trust member or a teacher, one should not generate ego. Not the ego of feeling, "Now I have become a teacher," nor the ego of feeling, "Oh, I am just a lowly Dhamma server." You are all serving, just serving in different ways. The whole aim, the whole idea is just to serve people. So you should have good feelings towards each other. If this feeling of goodwill is missing it will set a bad example. It shows that you have not understood Dhamma very well at all. So always keep this in mind: In whatever capacity you are serving the aim is just to serve suffering humanity, that’s all. §
Would you be able to conduct a course exclusively for English-speaking children in the near future?
I can’t say whether I will be able to personally do that, but I’ll try because there is again a big need. We already have course material designed for Indian children and suitable material for English-speaking children should come up.
In India, meditators as well as non-meditators are sending their children to these courses and they are quite happy with the results. Similar things should happen in the West; although initially I told the Western students that only children of meditators should participate in the children’s courses. Otherwise those parents who have not meditated with us might misunderstand what we are teaching. §
Are you thinking of conducting a Vipassana course exclusively for teenagers?
Certainly. There is a great need for this. We look towards the new generation to come up in Dhamma. Dhamma is good for everyone, young and old, but I want to give more attention to the young because this will ensure that Dhamma will continue to spread from generation to generation. When I started it was difficult because so few Indian youths participated. But now they are coming to courses in larger numbers. We should have courses with special discourses for them. §
A student asks, "I have trouble working with sampajañña when not sitting in meditation. Could you please offer some suggestions for working with it outside of meditation?"
According to the teaching of Buddha there must be a continuity of awareness of anicca within the framework of the body. This should be maintained while walking, sitting, eating, drinking; in every position, in every posture. You have to remain aware of it all the time. This takes you to the depth of your mind and helps you to eradicate deep-lying impurities there. Even at home, meditating in the morning and evening, sampajañña is important. But when you are engaged in your day-to-day responsibilities sampajañña is not necessary. You are not meditating at that time, and if you try to keep half your attention on sensations and the other half on your work you won’t be successful at either activity. §
A magnificent pagoda has been built at Dhamma Giri. What connection does it have with our practice of Vipassana?
Well the decoration on the pagoda is like the decoration on a cake. It is the taste of the cake which is important, not merely its decoration. So the pagoda is important for the Vipassana meditators who meditate in the cells. The decoration of the pagoda is a demonstration of gratitude. When Dhamma went from this country to neighbouring countries, the people there adopted Indian architecture as a way of remembering that this Dhamma came from India, the land of the Buddha. To this day people have so much respect and gratitude towards India because of this. When Dhamma went to Burma the original stupas built there were in the Sanchi style found near here, though later on different decorations evolved.
Similarly now, after twenty centuries Dhamma has returned from Burma. It is fitting that people here should understand this and generate feelings of gratitude towards Burma. Burma is such a wonderful Dhamma country; it maintained the purity of the technique. So all this architectural design is to remind people that the Vipassana technique comes to them from Burma and this is the reason why they’re able to benefit from it.
But Guruji, one danger envisaged in this is that the pagoda is so beautiful that it might linger in our minds while meditating.
Well, it is beautiful because Dhamma is beautiful. It is a symbol of Dhamma. If it comes in your mind while meditating it will teach you the meaning behind the symbol: anicca, anicca, anicca; changing, changing, changing. §
Is it possible to play music, dance or create art without being ego-centred? Can one truly express oneself artistically with a balanced mind?
A balanced mind is very necessary. But a stage where you are totally free from ego, where the ego is totally dissolved, takes a long time. When one has reached the stage of anāgāmī, then at the depth of the mind the ego has significantly melted away, and at the stage of arahant there is no ego at all. But for ordinary Vipassana meditators, at least they have to make sure that they have started dissolving their egos. Any artist who is practising Vipassana properly will see a big change in their field of art, whatever it may be. The art will become pure in the sense that it will never be used to arouse passion in the minds of others, or anger or hatred. With the practice of Vipassana one will become a better artist with the effect that through the medium of art one will be able to give people a sense of peace and harmony. One has to judge whether this wholesome direction is developing or not. §
Is our tradition the only tradition of pure Dhamma?
Understand what pure Dhamma is: The law of nature, the truth about mind and matter and their interaction, how mind and matter are influencing each other and how this can be experienced. It is not the play of useless intellectual games. Buddha wanted us to experience Dhamma.
When you start experiencing the truth at the depth of the mind, you find that it is the same with everyone. Not just at the surface level, the paritta citta, the conscious mind, but at the depth. The problem lies at the depth of the mind where the behaviour pattern of reaction begins. There is a Pāli word, nati, which means inclination. At the depth of the mind where there is an inclination towards reaction, the unwholesome process begins. For example, the reaction of anger is triggered by this inclination and one continues to react with this anger for a long time. As this repeats itself over and over again, the behaviour pattern of reacting with anger is strengthened. This happens similarly with passion or any other defilement.
For behaving like this you are responsible. No outside power is producing this behaviour. You are doing it out of ignorance. Now, with Vipassana you begin to understand, "Look at this game I’m playing. I am harming myself. I am making myself a prisoner of my own behaviour patterns." If you start observing this process deep within yourself, you will find that naturally it stops, and eventually you’ll reach the stage where even this inclination towards reaction does not arise. What else can pure Dhamma be than this?
If you work at only the superficial level of the mind and either give it a good layer or else divert the attention to some other object in the attempt to come out of this pattern of reaction, you do find that the mind becomes calm. But this is only at the surface of the mind. Deep inside the same inclination towards reaction is still going on and unless you reach that point how will you really change this behaviour pattern? Vipassana is the way to reach that level and observe the reality as it is. Without your trying to change it, it will get changed if you simply observe it. In this way you are coming out of your prison, out of your bondage. This is why it is the only way, pure Dhamma, ekāyano maggo. §
What is your message to India and the world in the present context?
Make use of wonderful Dhamma. Understand what Dhamma is. Don’t take it as Hindu Dhamma or Buddhist Dhamma or Jain Dhamma. It has nothing to do with these organized religions. Dhamma is totally apart from these organized religions; it is a way of life enabling us to understand the universal law of nature.
This is Dhamma: How mind and matter interact, with their currents, cross-currents and undercurrents; and how, out of ignorance we keep on reacting in ways that make us so miserable. By observing all this you realize how this law of nature applies to everyone. If you don’t enjoy burning yourself, then you keep your hand out of the fire. By reacting blindly you are burning yourself, harming yourself. Experience this.
Merely talking like this won’t help. Let people experience it. More and more people should realize the reality of Dhamma, understanding that Dhamma has to be experienced and that it is not an intellectual game. And for experiencing it, well, here is this wonderful technique which will take you to the depth of your mind to the point where mind and matter are interacting, and where you can apply the wisdom to take you out of the habit of reaction which is actually harming you. By applying this wisdom you are making your mind purer and purer in order to live a happier life, a more harmonious life. §
In view of the vast expansion of our Vipassana work and its importance to humanity, do you have a vision of how it can continue to spread in its purity in the future, even after you are not here?
Well, the people who are responsible for the spread of Dhamma must understand that the purity of the technique is the most important part of its efficacy. India lost this wonderful technique within 500 years of the Buddha. This was due to a number of reasons, but the main reason was the mixing of the technique with different rites, rituals, philosophical beliefs, etc. After some time those rituals and beliefs became more predominant than Vipassana itself, and as a result it slowly lost its efficacy. So we have to be very careful that this should not happen again. We already lost it 2,000 years ago and now that it has come again in its pure form we should maintain the purity so that it gives good results for as long as possible. The moment people start making it impure they will begin to lose the good results. People come from different traditions, from different walks of life. They should not try to impose their beliefs or their traditions on this technique. If people realize this important point then whether I am here or not, this technique will long continue to help people. §
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