FOR THE BENEFIT OF MANY

(S.N.Goenka)

Talks and Answers to Questions from Vipassana Students 1983-2000

This compilation is intended for students of Vipassana as taught by S.N.Goenka

Table of Contents

Annual Meeting: Dhamma Khetta, India 1983

Dear trustees and course organizers:

This winter I have been reviewing some important Dhamma issues. With the experience of the successful completion of more than 50 assistant teacher led courses this past year, the following guidelines were drawn up at the recent assistant teacher meeting with me in Hyderabad in February 1983. They will serve to help the continuing spread of Dhamma.

Also, some general policies for all courses regarding dāna, food served on courses, assistant teacher scheduling, and some other points were reviewed.

The assistant teacher is authorized by me to conduct Vipassana courses on my behalf. As such the assistant teacher is my representative and should be received by the students in this light. This is especially so on the course site where the assistant teacher bears the responsibility of seeing that the technique is transmitted properly, that the courses are organized and run as per my instructions, and that the proper atmosphere is created to assist students in their meditation.

The greater frequency of courses is obviously providing many more opportunities for students to take Dhamma than I could provide by myself. However, to take full advantage of these opportunities, it is now more important than ever to enlist the service and support of old students. Without a minimum of old student infrastructure, there is a danger of efforts being spread too thinly and of assistant teacher courses being liable to mismanagement. This could ultimately result in a weakening of the transmission of Dhamma. Also it is important for older students to encourage newer ones to get involved in organizing and working on courses, so that they can gain the training necessary to take on more responsibility.

The most important point in the code of conduct for the assistant teacher is that he is there to serve others. In doing so, he should never come to expect, nor use Dhamma to secure, a better position for himself or his family. The teaching of Dhamma must never become his means of livelihood nor should he profit materially from it in any way.

Until now I have emphasized that the assistant teachers should add very little to the presentation of the course, that the course should run as it is on the tapes from early morning to the mettā session with the workers each night. Only in cases where the tape quality is poor or a mechanical failure occurs or for some needed clarification should the assistant teacher supplement the teaching. In the future I will individually assign functions of the teaching now covered by the tapes to the assistant teachers.

Should students or organizers ever feel a conflict between the behaviour of an assistant teacher and their understanding of Dhamma, the resolution of it should first be attempted with the assistant teacher concerned. If that fails, only then should I be referred to. It is important to avoid the unwholesome act of speaking ill of any teacher.

The following points for organizers worldwide were discussed with me at length in Hyderabad. They apply to all courses either with me or my assistants. The following policies have been drafted as per my instructions and approval.

In an effort to simplify and standardize course procedures, use the proper wording regarding dāna when either announcing a course or discussing it with prospective students. Courses are run solely on a donation basis. We have changed the wording to give more emphasis to dāna as an integral part of the practice.

Course organizers are strongly encouraged to rely locally for dāna to cover course expenses; this includes initial capital outlay for site rental, food purchases, transportation, etc. Only in exceptional circumstances may exceptions to this guideline be applied for by consulting the Teacher or assistant teacher.

If near the end of a course, on Day 10, a deficit of 20 percent or more exists, then the following morning, Day 11, a statement only of the course expenses in total and donations received to date may be posted.

If at the very end of the course a deficit still remains, it should be borne locally at least for three months. During this time the deficit can be announced in the local newsletter (if possible) and/or discussed among old students in light of the difficulty of organizing future courses if such deficits continue.

If after this three-month period the deficit still remains, then the Teacher or assistant teacher can be consulted about the availability of funds to cover such a contingency.

In addition, there is an old student dāna letter clarifying course finances for old students only. Trusts should decide whether it is necessary to send this to every old student who applies to do a course. Therein a range of expenses is mentioned for their information only. (These figures should be adapted to reflect local conditions.) While the dāna system continues to function successfully, it has been decided to further clarify the responsibility such a system places upon the old students who come repeatedly to these courses.

In general, organizers are urged to keep in close contact with the Teacher or assistant teacher directly on all points of course organization, particularly regarding site selection, finances, scheduling, public announcements, etc.

[NOTE: If it becomes necessary to write to Goenkaji in India concerning finances, it should be clearly stated that the money you are referring to belongs to your organization, association, or trust. It is important not to convey the false impression that somehow the money is related to Goenkaji personally.]

While planning a course menu, attention should be given to providing simple wholesome vegetarian meals at modest cost. Organizers should remember that as Vipassana in this tradition is unique, no other philosophies or views should be permitted on the course. This understanding precludes the designing of the course menu according to the cook’s notion of "raising consciousness through diet," or similar philosophies of "health foods," e.g., macrobiotics, organic foods, etc.

Regarding requests for "special food," students should be reminded that courses are financed solely by donations and that on such courses students live on the charity of others. By taking only what is offered they are able to develop their pāramīs, particularly that of renunciation (nekkhamma).

Ample nutritious food should be provided at mealtimes and students should eat at these times only. This is an important part of the discipline.

In cases where for strictly medical reasons special food may be a necessity, they should be cleared through the Teacher or assistant teacher before the course. While all efforts should be made to accommodate legitimate requests, it should also be kept in mind that a student must possess a minimum of physical and mental health to take Dhamma. Organizers should not feel obligated to accommodate all special complex food requests. It is left to the prospective students to decide if they can accept what is offered.

Another very important point is that, from the moment the course begins to its completion, there should be no physical contact between persons of the same or opposite sex. This applies to the management as well. Needless to say, this will also require the complete setting aside of all types of massage and/or healing practices.

These guidelines concerning diet and physical contact, including such things as massage, healing arts, yoga, tai chi, etc., exist not only when a course is in progress but at all times at Dhamma houses and meditation centres. This is not meant as a condemnation of these practices, but during the training and at the training sites the practice of Vipassana is to be maintained in its pristine purity.

I would again like to emphasize that finances should be properly handled. Every cent donated by a student is sacred money and therefore should be used for Dhamma work only. Neither the Teacher nor the assistant teachers nor the trustees nor the organizers of courses are the owners of such dāna funds. These funds should never be used for anybody’s personal benefit. For the Teacher and the assistant teachers, only the travel, food and medical expenses, when necessary, should be provided. Dhamma money should not be used for shopping, sightseeing or other personal matters.

May the above guidelines help in the spread of Dhamma.

With affluent mettā, S.N. Goenka

My dear Dhamma sons and Dhamma daughters:

The time has come once again for many to learn Dhamma. As Sayagyi U Ba Khin used to say, "The clock of Vipassana has struck." We are fortunate to have the opportunity to develop our pāramīs by assisting Dhamma to spread. It will spread because it is bound to, not because of the efforts of a particular person or group. We are only tools of the Dhamma. How swiftly things have been moving, and all because of Dhamma! Dhamma is so great, so powerful! It can give full competence to the most incompetent person, highest ability to one lacking all ability.

Dhamma finds the means to help those whose time has ripened to become liberated. Therefore in the last fifteen years so many people have taken up the burden of serving others by spreading Dhamma. Actually this is not a burden but rather a good fortune. And in this way Dhamma has spread beyond all expectation, not only in India but also in various parts of the world. It is only the beginning, but a good, encouraging beginning.

Sometimes someone tells me, "It is unbelievable that single-handedly you have done so much work in so short a period." I say, "Nothing is done single-handedly." I remember how from the first course I conducted, people came forward to organize, to manage, to make all the necessary arrangements. Course after course, students have given selfless service. Despite their many worldly responsibilities, they give time to work for the benefit of others.

The management and the Teacher are like the two wheels of a cart, the two wings of a bird. Naturally, without the Teacher the management cannot help to spread the Dhamma. But neither can the Teacher give service for the spread of Dhamma without the support of the Dhamma servers. I feel so grateful to all those dedicated students who have been helping in whatever capacity. Nothing was done single-handedly; it was done by the devoted service of a large number of students. I am pleased that the assistant teachers are receiving similar co-operation from Dhamma servers in different parts of the world.

The teachers and the servers are equally important. Neither should feel that they play a greater role. Of course, when an assistant teacher sits on the Dhamma seat, the co-servers pay respect. By doing so they develop the good quality of respect for Dhamma, not for a person. Anyone who sits on the Dhamma seat represents the Dhamma, the Buddha, the Sangha who maintained the technique through twenty-five centuries in its pristine purity. Therefore the servers pay respect with the awareness of sensations, the understanding of anicca, dukkha, anattā. With that base, pay respect and keep in mind that your job is to co-operate so that the responsibility given to the assistant teacher bears good fruit.

On the other hand, those sitting on the Dhamma seat should always feel humble, understanding that respect is being given not to them but rather to Dhamma, that they simply represent Dhamma. Whether server or teacher, our service is always for the spread of Dhamma.

Both assistant teachers and Dhamma servers must work selflessly, without expecting anything in return. As the Buddha said, "Go your ways for the good of many, for the benefit of many, out of compassion for the world." Whatever the role, whatever responsibility you are given, it makes no difference. Every responsibility is equally important, every way of contributing is so valuable if the volition is simply to be of use in the work, to help more people benefit from Dhamma.

What do the servers gain in return? Why do they leave their homes and serve on courses? They receive no remuneration; they spend their own money for travelling and other expenses. They work without expecting even respect to be given to them. Their service is entirely selfless.

Similarly, what do the assistants get? Even the respect shown them is actually for the Dhamma. Understanding this, the assistants will work without expecting anything. In this way the wheel of Dhamma will keep rotating in its purity.

The Buddha said, "Distribute the Dhamma by making an example of your own pure way of life." Preaching the right way without practising it is meaningless. Assistant teachers and Dhamma servers must understand the importance of leading a good life, and of giving a good example to others. Always bear this in mind, whatever role you play in the work. Remain cautious in all your physical and vocal actions. Live a life of purity for your own good and for the good of others. If you do so, then faith in Dhamma will arise in those who lack it, and will increase in those who have it. In this way you will attract more and more people to Dhamma, for their own benefit.

So long as the base of Dhamma is strong, your service will always be fruitful, whether you help as an assistant teacher or in any other way. Keep Dhamma strong within yourself by regular practice of Dhamma. By doing so you will be able to help the spread of Dhamma effectively, for the good of many.

There is so much misery all around. If we can wipe the tears of even a few people who are suffering, we have paid back a little of our debt of gratitude to the Buddha and to the Sangha, the chain of teachers who have maintained the tradition from ancient times.

May all of you develop Dhamma strength. May you all keep growing in Dhamma, and help others to grow in Dhamma. May more and more people benefit from your service.

May the wheel of Dhamma keep rotating. May the light of Dhamma spread throughout the world. May the darkness of ignorance be dispelled. May more and more people come out of their misery. May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated!

My dear Dhamma sons and Dhamma
daughters:

This evening I would like to say a few words about serving on courses, segregation and the use of dāna.

Earlier today I read the Code of Discipline for Dhamma Servers once again; it is a beautiful article, full of Dhamma. You all must have read it, so there is no use in my repeating it now. But if the pamphlet is left to lie in the office and you don’t follow the guidelines, it won’t help. You must observe this code of discipline.

You are here on Dhamma land for your own benefit. Even when you are serving others you are doing so for your own benefit. I want every student of Vipassana to be selfish. This is the Buddha’s teaching: be selfish. But understand where your real self-interest lies: Your mental action is the real action, not the physical or vocal action; this is what you learn in Dhamma. If your mental action is unwholesome you will harm yourself, even if you appear to be giving enormous service to the students.

There are two kinds of Dhamma service. In the first type you don’t come in contact with meditators; for example, you might water plants, whitewash buildings or clean bathrooms. The second kind involves direct contact with students. Whether your service brings you in contact with students or not, you should get the maximum benefit from your stay here.

When you serve in a way that doesn’t involve contact with meditators, keep examining how much sympathetic joy you are generating. While you are cleaning or whitewashing you should joyfully think, "The first impression for a new student arriving at this Dhamma centre is so important. My service will help so many who visit!"

When you are watering plants, you should be filled with joy. You should feel a rapport with each plant and as you tend it lovingly you will begin to feel how it generates vibrations of love, of Dhamma. It is not worth doing any job here unless you generate sympathetic joy while you are working. If you think, "Well, I want to sit continuous courses but the management won’t allow me, and I don’t have enough money to stay in a hotel, so I will stay and serve with negativity," you will pollute the atmosphere of this Dhamma land and simultaneously harm yourself.

If your service brings you directly in contact with students, you must keep examining yourself, "By this service am I harming or helping myself?" Be selfish. Sometimes during the one-hour group sitting I see a new meditator, perhaps without understanding or perhaps with real cause, get up and leave. Then I am sorry to see a frowning Dhamma server run after the student. How will this server behave outside? I know very well that whatever is said will be full of negativity. If you have a frown on your face, what sort of service can you give? You cannot help others while generating negativity. Even if this person has broken a rule deliberately, without respect for the discipline of the centre, how will your frown help? You need a smile on your face and compassion for the student. You are here to serve this person. If this point is missed, your service is not service.

I receive letters from students who came to Dhamma Giri saying they admire the Dhamma servers so much, many of whom work with such joy, compassion and mettā. But I also receive critical letters saying, "Was this an example of Dhamma? The server I met was full of negativity, there was no trace of mettā in that person, and I found the whole atmosphere to be full of negativity." If a server generates negativity towards a student, the student will feel surrounded by negativity. By mistake, perhaps out of your enthusiasm to serve, you have created a barrier for someone to progress in Dhamma. This person will never return to a Dhamma centre, and in turn will become a barrier for others who might have come, by saying, "At those centres people talk of Dhamma but do not apply it."

By behaving harshly, without a trace of love, compassion or sympathy for the students, you are not serving them no matter how hard you work. Instead you should feel, "By my service I can encourage those students who have storms to face. I passed through the same storms when I came to my first courses." Don’t overlook the fact that students break rules, but be human in dealing with them. If you work in this way, then you are serving not only them but yourself.

Many Western students come to give Dhamma service at Dhamma Giri, where there is a large number of Indian students. Communication is difficult since you don’t know the language, but I keep saying, "Dhamma language is understood by everyone, you need not say a word." If an Indian student is breaking a rule, just go and smile and place your hands together in the traditional Indian gesture of greeting. This will be enough for the student to understand; you need not say anything. If you say a hundred words with a frown, it does not help anybody.

Now a few words about segregation: I know most Western students come from a culture where segregation is foreign and you can’t understand why it is needed. But the Buddha was very particular about segregation; this is part of the teaching. We find not one or two but hundreds of cases where Māra [the forces opposed to liberation] creates difficulties for meditators in this area. Your biggest enemy is passion. Without too much difficulty a meditator can usually take out the other defilements one after another, but the defilement of passion is so deep that it is difficult to root out.

There are two possible dangers. One is that Māra might stimulate the seed of passion in you. You might talk with somebody of the other sex without any wrong intention, but once you start talking, standing nearer and nearer to that person, the proximity might stimulate passion. This is a hospital where a deep mental operation is being carried out and because of this operation saṅkhāras of passion may be stirred up. While talking to and standing near someone of the opposite sex, the saṅkhāras may overpower you. You could make a mistake that would be very harmful for you, and also for the other person.

There is another danger, especially for Western students staying here in India. It has been said, and well said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." When you are in this country, forget what you do in your own country and understand that you are living in a society where there is a totally different attitude from that in the West. Unfortunately, some so-called gurus from India have taught garbage in the West in the name of meditation, and because of that many Indians are suspicious about Western meditation students and also about meditation teachers. They suspect that a meditation centre is a place for free sex, where people are exploited. If Indians see a Western couple on this Dhamma land sitting in a certain way, or lying down, or walking together in a certain way, suspicion arises in their minds. You don’t understand what an obstacle you are creating for the progress of Dhamma on this land.

It is quite possible that a Western male and female are walking together without any passion in their minds, and one puts a hand on the arm of the other. When somebody in the East sees this, he or she may start to generate passion because nobody here would behave like that; not even a husband and wife would do that in public. You have become a seed of Māra for the Indian students and have started harming them.

The Enlightened One knew this. When you are on Dhamma land you have to learn how to live as a bhikkhu, a monk, or as a bhikkhunī, a nun. Be very careful. Segregation helps you to eradicate your own passion at the deepest level; it makes it easier not to generate passion.

However unpleasant this rule may look, it is for your own benefit. When you go to a hospital the rules have to be obeyed whether you like them or not, because they are made in your interest. Similarly, when you come to a hospital like this, a Dhamma hospital, all the rules have to be obeyed. Obey them willingly; don’t have negativity towards them. They are for your own benefit and for the benefit of all those who are coming here.

Now, a few words about the use of dāna: If while giving service a Dhamma server wastes even a cent of Dhamma money, he or she is not giving real service. People have to work hard to earn money honestly, so it is difficult for them to give it away. Therefore any donation that has been given must be properly used. A Dhamma server must not waste a cent of it.

During the time of the Buddha, a wealthy king gave 500 new robes to the monks. The cost was nothing to him yet he was attached to his wealth, so he questioned Ānanda, the private secretary of the Buddha, "I have given 500 new robes to the Sangha, what you will do with them?"

Ānanda replied, "I will keep them in storage."

"Why?"

"Only when I find that a monk’s robes are worn out will I give him one of these new robes. This is how we use the donations we receive."

"And what will you do with the old, torn robes?" asked the king.

"From the worn robes I cut out some portions and make bedsheets."

"Good. But when these bedcovers are worn out, what do you do?"

"Again I cut out pieces, and make towels," replied Ānanda.

"Good! But when these towels wear out, what do you do then with the cloth?"

"I cut out small pieces and make small hand towels."

"These will also wear out; then what you will do?"

"I will take small pieces, join them, and make some washing rags for those who arrive with muddy feet."

"Wonderful! When those also wear out what you will do?"

"I beat them, pulp them, and make something useful from the pulp."

"Wonderful!"

This is the Buddha’s way. Those who give donations expect their dāna to be used properly. If they come here and find things lying around wasted they will think that people here don’t take care of the donations received, and as a result they won’t give anything. If this happens, you are certainly not helping either the previous donors or the new students. Every cent donated must be properly used.

Keep these three points in mind: Your service must be true Dhamma service that gives you real benefit. Segregation has to be observed; it is in your own interest. And lastly, make best use of the contributions received; this is also in your interest.

When you work for your own benefit you will find that you have also started helping others deeply. Dhamma is for one’s own good and also for the good of others, for one’s own benefit and also for the benefit of others. Dhamma is for one’s own liberation and also for the liberation of others.

Make best use of the Dhamma while you are staying here. If your service is good, continue, and improve it wherever possible. If you have not yet learned how to give good service, learn now, give good service and gain merits. Gain purity of mind, develop your pāramīs, and come out of all your miseries.

Dhamma Giri, India June, 1986

My dear Dhamma servers:

What is the purpose of Dhamma service? Certainly not to receive board and lodging, nor to pass the time in a comfortable environment, nor to escape from the responsibilities of daily life. Dhamma servers know this well.

Such persons have practised Vipassana and realized by direct experience the benefits it offers. They have seen the selfless service of the teachers, management and Dhamma servers—service that enabled them to taste the incomparable flavour of Dhamma. They have begun to take steps on the Noble Path, and naturally have started to develop the rare quality of gratitude, the wish to repay this debt for all that they have received.

Of course the teacher, management and Dhamma servers gave their service without expecting anything in return, nor will they accept any material remuneration. The only way to pay back the debt to them is by helping to keep the Wheel of Dhamma rotating, to give to others the same selfless service. This is the noble volition with which to give Dhamma service.

As Vipassana meditators progress on the path, they emerge from the old habit pattern of self-centredness and start to concern themselves with others. They notice how everywhere people are suffering: young or old, men or women, black or white, wealthy or poor, all are suffering. Meditators realize that they themselves were miserable until they encountered the Dhamma. They know that, like themselves, others have started to enjoy real happiness and peace by following the Path. Seeing this change stimulates a feeling of sympathetic joy, and strengthens the wish to help suffering people come out of their misery with Vipassana. Compassion overflows, and with it the volition to help others find relief from their suffering.

Of course it takes time to develop the maturity and to receive the training to teach Dhamma, but there are many other ways in which to serve those who have come to join a course, and all of them are invaluable. Truly it is a noble aspiration to be a Dhamma server—a simple, humble Dhamma server.

And those who practise Vipassana start realizing the law of nature according to which actions of body and speech that cause harm to others will also harm those who commit them, while actions that help others will bring peace and happiness to those who perform them. Thus, helping others is also helping oneself. It is therefore in one’s own interest to serve. Doing so develops one’s pāramīs and makes it possible to advance more quickly and surely on the path. Serving others is, in fact, also serving oneself. Understanding this truth again stimulates the wish to join in the noble mission of helping others to come out of their miseries.

But what is the best way to serve? Without knowing this, servers cannot help others or themselves; instead they might even do harm. However noble the Dhamma mission may be, there can be no true benefit in helping to fulfil it if the volition of the Dhamma server is not sound. The service will not be beneficial if it is given to inflate the server’s ego, or to obtain something in return—even if only words of praise or appreciation.

When you give service see that you meditate at least three times a day for one hour each, to keep yourself fit to give service. If you find your mind is agitated or full of negativity and it cannot work properly, then you had better stop serving and join the course. First help yourself! Understand, unless you have helped and strengthened yourself in Dhamma, you can’t help others. A lame person cannot support another lame person; a blind person cannot guide another blind person. Strengthen yourself at least enough so that you can give wholesome service.

Every action of yours is important because the students examine the actions of the teacher, the management and the Dhamma servers, and if they find these people are short-tempered they will become discouraged. But if they find the teacher, management and the servers are peaceful, smiling, helpful, and full of love, without a trace of ill will, they will certainly be encouraged to walk diligently on the path.

Therefore, understand that you have a great responsibility. Every action of yours on this Dhamma land should be such that you generate devotion and confidence towards Dhamma in the mind of the newcomers, and you help to strengthen devotion and confidence in the minds of the old students.

Just as you expect a new student to observe the precepts and the discipline of the course, in the same way see that you yourself observe the discipline and silence as much as possible. Say only what is essential. Speak politely, lovingly, truthfully, helpfully. You have to observe all the Five Precepts while you are giving Dhamma service. If you break any precept you will harm the atmosphere of the centre and harm others.

A Dhamma server is not a jailer but a servant, a Dhamma servant. The students are not prisoners. Of course the rules and discipline must be observed, but if a student is found breaking them it does not mean the Dhamma server should take action against this person with the mentality of a jailer towards a convict. No, there must be sympathy. If somebody has broken a rule, it shows that this person is either ignorant or highly agitated. A good Dhamma server will generate a feeling of sympathy and think, "This person is suffering; how can I help him come out of suffering?" This cannot be done by punishment or using hard words full of anger and hatred—that would be like throwing fire on somebody already burning. This person requires soothing words of sympathy, love and compassion.

At times you might have to use strong words but see that they are not hurtful, filled with ill will. If by mistake you have spoken wrongly, see how quickly you realize this and develop love and compassion towards the same student. Seek an opportunity to meet this person and smilingly speak a few words of love and compassion. If this person was hurt by your wrong action, the bad effect will be washed away and the student will start working once again with enthusiasm.

Understand that even though you are a server, you are always a student. Therefore never try to play the role of the teacher. If a student approaches you with any difficulty pertaining to the meditation, don’t be enthusiastic to give advice on the technique to the student. In a humble way take the person to the teacher and let the teacher answer questions pertaining to the technique.

While serving you can give suggestions, but don’t expect that these suggestions will be accepted by the manager or by the teacher. Don’t inflate your ego or you will start to harm yourself. If you feel agitated because your suggestions have not been accepted, you are not learning Dhamma. You are here to serve, not to dominate others.

Do not expect anything in return for your service. When you insist that your suggestions should be accepted, you are expecting something. Keep understanding: "I am here to serve, that is all. I am learning how to serve without expecting anything in return; I am serving with only one volition: to see that more and more people benefit. May I be a good example to them; this will help them and will help me also."

Understand that while serving you are learning how to apply Dhamma in day-to-day life. After all, Dhamma is not an escape from daily responsibilities. By learning to act according to the Dhamma in dealing with the students and situations here in the little world of a meditation course or centre, you train yourself to act in the same way in the world outside. Despite the unwanted behaviour of another person, you practise trying to keep the balance of your mind, and to generate love and compassion in response. This is the lesson you are trying to master here. You are a student as much as those who are sitting the course.

May all of you who give Dhamma service become strengthened in Dhamma. May you learn to develop your goodwill, love and compassion for others. May all of you progress in Dhamma to enjoy real peace, real harmony, real happiness.

Annual Meeting: Dhamma Giri, India March 3, 1987 Closing Address

My dear Dhamma sons and Dhamma daughters:

It is a wonderful opportunity that once again in this life we have come together to walk on the path of Dhamma, moving towards the final goal of full liberation. In so many previous lives we have been working together to develop our pāramīs, and due to these past associations again we are working together to liberate ourselves and help others to get liberated from the bondages of defilements.

Throughout the world there is so much misery, but the time has ripened for many to practise pure Dhamma and come out of misery. We are fortunate that we have become instruments to serve these people in the correct way, and by helping them come out of their misery certainly we help ourselves. There are many wholesome practical ways to help the starving, the poor, the sick and the illiterate, but the service that is given in Dhamma is incomparable. Dhamma service helps the sufferer gain the strength to go to, and eradicate, the deep-rooted cause of all the sufferings accumulated in countless lives.

How one cooperates in this movement of service to humanity is of utmost importance. Whether one is sitting on the Dhamma seat explaining Dhamma, or one is cooking or cleaning, no job is higher or lower. Service is service. Certainly there is a difference between one service and another, but the true measure of the quality of service is one’s volition. If one’s ego is inflated by sitting on the Dhamma seat because so many people bow down before it then one knows nothing of Dhamma. Instead, this type of service is harmful because the vibration that such a person creates will pollute the entire atmosphere. People cannot learn Dhamma in these conditions.

In contrast, someone may be just cleaning the toilets or sweeping the floor and yet the mind is suffused with love, compassion and goodwill to provide a clean and healthy environment in which to meditate. Such volition makes that service so wonderful. What is important is the quality of volition of one who is giving the service.

As every organ in the human body is essential, so it is in a Dhamma organization. Everyone who gives service is equally important, but such service is no service unless one is practising Dhamma. Only then can one reap the wonderful fruits of Dhamma as a result of this service.

Those who serve must bear in mind that they exemplify to newcomers the efficacy of the Dhamma. If they are devoid of good qualities they will discourage others from practising Dhamma. They have a great responsibility to see that their behaviour inspires confidence in Dhamma in those who are doubtful, and greater faith where it already exists.

Whoever serves must become strongly established in Dhamma, and as one does so all attachments to sects, philosophical beliefs and rituals are left behind. This is the yardstick to measure one’s development in Dhamma. Once these bondages are no more, one then sees that Dhamma is a way of life, living in peace with oneself and all others. Every action—physical, vocal or mental—should be such that it helps other beings, but these actions cannot be wholesome unless the mind is freed of defilements such as craving, aversion, anger, hatred and ill will. When these are eliminated, good qualities of love, compassion and goodwill naturally arise in the mind. This is Dhamma—a universal path free from all sectarianism.

The aim of Dhamma is to remove the roots of defilements from the deepest level of the mind. Through practice one soon realizes what the root is, where suffering actually begins: in blind reactions of craving and aversion towards sensations within the body. If one learns to maintain equanimity with the understanding of impermanence, one emerges from the unhealthy habit of reacting and the entire mass of the mind is purified. If one forgets the root level one cannot get liberated.

So the student of Vipassana should be clear whether or not one’s actions and meditation practice are purifying at the root level. If this understanding is clear the bondages of sectarianism naturally get shattered. Also, the habit of discriminating between one meditator and another will stop, as one realizes that each is a miserable person. One’s service is to help people strengthen themselves in the technique and come out of all defilements. If one is serving selflessly in this way, this is a pure Dhamma attitude and the results are bound to be good.

No one serving Dhamma should feel superior or inferior to others. Whatever the task assigned, one should accept it happily as an opportunity to serve for the benefit of many, to bring a smile to faces that were melancholic and help people to grow in Dhamma through continued practice. As one has benefited through one’s own practice, one wishes that others who have come on the path may start experiencing peace and harmony.

In this way, serve merely for the sake of serving without expecting anything in return. If people start giving service for any personal gain, be it material or any other kind of gain such as praise, honour or respect, then the entire atmosphere will get charged with unwholesome vibrations. Everyone who gives service has a great responsibility to see that the atmosphere of a Dhamma centre always remains charged with pure Dhamma vibrations for today and future generations. Similarly, those who meditate at a centre, working with the pure technique without mixing it with anything else, will help the Dhamma vibrations of that area.

These vibrations of an area may last for centuries, and generation after generation will come to this Dhamma land and come out of their misery. By one’s good service and meditation one has contributed to this wholesome atmosphere, which has such long-range effects.

Therefore Dhamma service is an extraordinary opportunity. Perform it to liberate yourselves and to help others be liberated from defilements, from bondages, from misery. Be the torchbearers of the Dhamma to dispel the surrounding darkness of ignorance and suffering.

May you be strong to serve suffering beings everywhere. May all miserable people come into contact with Dhamma and be liberated. May you all keep practising Dhamma for your own good and for the good of many.

May all beings be happy.
May all beings be peaceful.

Annual Meeting: Dhamma Giri, India March 1, 1988 OPENING ADDRESS

Companions on the path of Dhamma:

Once again we have gathered together to understand how more suffering people can come in contact with Dhamma. As the work grows, more assistant teachers are appointed, more centres are established and more servers give their service for the spread of Dhamma. This growth is bound to continue and so it is essential that the work be properly organized, avoiding the tendencies that can weaken Dhamma.

At such a time in the growth of Dhamma we are at a crossroads because there is every danger of its turning into an organized religion, and then it will harm rather than help humanity. Once it becomes a sect the essence of Dhamma is gone. This is a delicate situation. On one hand some discipline has to be maintained; on the other hand, if it merely turns into a hierarchy with everyone working within regimented rules, a sect will be established.

Sects arise when egos are predominant, when one’s position within the organization is of primary importance. If one sacrifices one’s home comforts, business and time with family for Dhamma work and expects some appreciation for one’s service, this is madness. This is where the personality cult and sectarianism starts. Selfless service for the benefit of more people is important. Dhamma is important, nothing else. One should be happy with whatever one is asked, or not asked, to do.

One may say that one is working selflessly but only the individual can judge this. Two of the brahmavihāras—muditā (sympathetic joy) and karuṇā (compassion)—are for this purpose. They are yardsticks by which to measure whether one is really developing in Dhamma. If one feels jealousy or enmity towards a fellow server because his service is greatly appreciated, then one has not understood Dhamma. If there is sympathetic joy, one is progressing in Dhamma.

Conversely a fellow server may make a mistake, or what one perceives to be a mistake. If one generates hatred or aversion towards this person then one is far away from Dhamma, but if one’s motivation is to help this companion who has slipped, then karunā is developing. One may even say that one has no hatred towards this person, but if there is a pleasant feeling at another’s downfall then one is far away from Dhamma. Keep on examining yourself carefully because nobody else can do this for you.

First establish yourself in Dhamma and then you can serve others properly. If Dhamma is important rather than this mad "I" then certainly the ego is getting dissolved. However, if one is projecting one’s ego in the name of serving Dhamma, no-one can benefit from such service. If one keeps on examining how much the ego is getting dissolved, one is fit to serve the organization.

Over the next few days important work will be carried out to formulate the code of discipline for all those involved in the spread of Dhamma. In such work the individual has no importance because persons may come and persons may go. It is Dhamma that should remain most important in all your decision-making to serve people properly.

The only aim is bahujana-hitāya, bahujana-sukhāya. May more and more people benefit from Dhamma, come out of their misery and enjoy real peace and harmony. I see a very bright future. May all of you shine in this brightness with Dhamma so that people get attracted through you, to the Dhamma. May you all be successful working in Dhamma for suffering people everywhere.

Dhamma Mahi, France August, 1988

My dear Dhamma sons and Dhamma daughters:

Now that we have a centre in Europe, an important question has been raised about the need to maintain discipline here. Of course discipline was maintained in the non-centre courses, but it is even more important here because we want the centre to develop strong Dhamma vibrations so that the students who come here benefit far more than was possible in those camps.

Understand: A Dhamma centre is not established only for the benefit of the present students. Properly managed it will continue to serve this part of the world for generations, maybe for centuries. You who are establishing the centre now are pioneers and have a great responsibility. If you maintain the purity of the technique, the purity of the teaching and the purity of the Dhamma vibrations, coming generations will imitate you and also do the same; and so from day to day, year to year, and generation to generation the vibrations will become stronger and stronger.

Some students may not like certain rules. It is the duty of the senior students, the trustees, the management and the assistant teachers to convince those people of their necessity. You can explain that discipline is necessary in a hospital for the well-being of the patients, and similarly discipline is necessary in this Dhamma place, which is like a hospital for people who are miserable. In fact it is even more important in a Dhamma centre because if rules are relaxed here, the anti-Dhamma forces (Māra) will start to play games.

I remember the case of one of the first centres in the West where some of the senior students told me that the rules of segregation are appropriate for Eastern culture, but not for the West. They said, "If you impose such rules it will be too much for the students. When we meet here in our country we shake hands, hug, or kiss each other on the cheek, so physical contact is unavoidable. If this is stopped, people will think that we are too harsh and regimented."

I was not happy, but because the students were pressing hard and they were honest, sincere and respectful, I said, "All right, let us give this a trial. Don’t encourage physical contact, but where it is unavoidable this guideline can be relaxed."

It wasn’t long before Māra started playing games and after about a year a married couple, both of them very old students, separated because they had developed relationships with two other serious students at the centre. The centre had become a place of courtship, and this encouraged other students to play the same game. The atmosphere became unbearable, and the senior students themselves realized that strict discipline must be maintained; otherwise the centre would be spoiled.

We can learn from one mistake; we do not have to make the same mistake at every centre. So be very careful, don’t allow Māra to find even a small entry on to this Dhamma land, or it will spoil the spread of Dhamma.

Now at Dhamma Mahi, just as at that early centre, some of you want a relaxation of the discipline. There have been objections that people here cannot sing or socialize, at least between courses. No, that would not be healthy at a Dhamma centre. There is nothing wrong with Vipassana students socializing, but that should not take place on Dhamma land. On this land only Dhamma is to be practised. Whether or not there is a course running, strict discipline must be maintained.

Remember that although you apply the rules firmly, you should not become negative. If, with negativity in your mind you ask a student to work properly, then you yourself have started to spoil the atmosphere; you yourself have broken the discipline. If somebody is breaking discipline, there must be immense compassion and infinite love towards this person. You have to be firm, but with deep love and compassion.

Before speaking to a wayward student, first examine whether your mind is balanced and whether you are generating love and compassion towards the person. Only if this is so may you speak to the student; otherwise not. If you are not fit it is better to remain silent and let things take their course. First correct yourself before you try to correct anybody else. This is so important on Dhamma land; otherwise not only will you defile the atmosphere but you will also drive people away.

When students see an experienced server, trustee, manager, or assistant teacher speaking harshly, will they be encouraged to walk on the Dhamma path? They will think, "If these people who have taken so many courses and are here to help others have no love or compassion, what sort of technique is this? What will I learn here?"

Instead of helping people to get established in Dhamma, you will drive them away. It is better to sacrifice one point in the discipline than to spoil the atmosphere of the Dhamma land with negativity. Everyone must be cautious about this.

Also, never go to extremes. It is true that we do not want Dhamma buildings to be painted black or red, but don’t go to such an extreme that you say, "Because red is not permitted, we won’t use pink either, nor will we allow people to wear red or pink sweaters."

Now, what is this discipline that we have to maintain? Segregation is essential of course. Also, at a Dhamma centre as on a course, there should be no singing or chanting, not even chanting words of Dhamma. Convince questioners of the value of this rule by explaining that when one chants or sings one generates vibrations, and only those who have been properly trained should do that at a centre. One who has been trained to chant goes deep inside with equanimity and feels sensations whenever there is a pause. This kind of chanting generates healthy vibrations. However developed a student may be, he or she has not been properly trained to chant and should refrain from doing so. Singing is out of the question.

Between courses, gossip and chatter should be discouraged. You do not have to maintain silence but there should be only such talk as is necessary. There are four kinds of verbal impurity: telling lies, backbiting, slanderous talk, and indulging in idle chatter. Although you don’t have to be silent, be careful that this fourth impurity is avoided along with the others.

Students who wish to bring their children here should understand that there are not enough servers to look after the children. If families come, the father can stay in the outer compound and look after the child while the mother meditates, and vice versa; this is acceptable. Fortunately there is plenty of land here; some arrangement can be made so that these children are kept far away from the meditation compound and do not disturb the students. Understand that when a meditator gives mettā, the positive vibrations are very strong; and similarly if a meditator directs negativity at a child, it would also be strong and would harm the child. In the interest of the children, parents should not let them cause any disturbance in the meditation compound.

Under no circumstances should a student or server bring any kind of animal with them. This is totally prohibited in a Dhamma centre. If anybody brings an animal, politely request them to take it away. If they can’t, it is better that they leave with their animal.

Then there is the important question of old students and assistant teachers living and working together harmoniously at the centre: The old students and the assistant teachers are the representatives of Vipassana to all others. What sort of example are they if they quarrel and find fault with each other?

The Buddha wanted Vipassana meditators to behave in such a way that they establish confidence in Dhamma in the minds of those who have no confidence in Dhamma, and increase confidence in Dhamma in the minds of those who already have confidence in Dhamma. Responsible meditators have to be very careful. Nothing should be done that would decrease the confidence and devotion of students towards Dhamma, or would drive new students away from the path of Dhamma.

Everyone comes here to serve, not to build up egotism. An assistant teacher should never feel, "I am superior to all other students." You are not superior; you have been given a responsibility to serve in this way, and if tomorrow you are asked to serve in a different way, you will serve in that way. Understand that there are old students who are capable of teaching but for one reason or another they have not been appointed.

The old students should also be careful; on their part they should always have a feeling of respect towards those who have been appointed assistant teachers. When somebody sits on the Dhamma seat they represent Dhamma, they represent your teacher; so showing them respect is respecting the Dhamma, respecting your teacher.

If both assistant teachers and students have this attitude, automatically the relationship will be harmonious. But perhaps an assistant teacher feels, "Everything must be done according to my orders," or the management or the Dhamma servers feel, "We don’t care what the assistant teacher says, we will work as we like. Who is this person to give us advice?" If such attitudes develop, the atmosphere would be spoiled. It is very important that there be harmony. Everyone has to help each other to help the Dhamma help the students who have come here. No one should feel that they are superior or inferior. You are here simply to serve people.

The best way to serve people is to generate as much love and compassion as possible, and dissolve your ego as much as possible. This is not only in the students’ interest, it is in your interest also. If you build your ego as you serve people, you have started to harm yourself in the name of Dhamma, in the name of serving others. One who cannot help oneself can never help others.

At the start of one or two of the centres there was a tussle between the assistant teachers and the management or trustees. That fire started, but soon it was extinguished; now don’t repeat that bad example here. From the beginning make sure that there is no fire; only cordiality and goodwill should prevail.

Whenever there is a problem the management, trustees and assistant teachers should sit down in a cordial atmosphere and make a decision. If you can’t make a decision because there is a difference of opinion, try to understand the others’ point of view and then inform the teacher; let him take a decision. But don’t run to the teacher for minor problems; you should be able to discuss things and settle them amongst yourselves.

Here is a little story: A bullock cart owner used to transport goods from one place to the other. This man had a small dog. When he travelled from one village to another, he trained the dog to walk under the bullock cart to avoid the sun’s heat. Wherever they travelled, the farmer sat on the bullock cart but the dog walked below in the shade of the cart.

In time the small dog came to feel that he was carrying the entire burden of the cart, and he wondered why the farmer gave so much attention to the bullocks. He thought, "I am carrying the burden of this cart! Wherever we travel, it is over my back. More importance should be given to me!"

Actually, nobody is carrying the cart; the Dhamma is carrying the cart. Nobody should feel, "I am the most important person, it is only because of me that the centre functions properly. It is only because of me that the teaching is given, that Dhamma spreads." Come out of this madness!

Understand that you are simply a vehicle, a tool, and Dhamma is doing its job. If you had not been given this responsibility, somebody else would have taken it and the work would go on. Dhamma is bound to spread now; the clock of Vipassana has struck. You have been given the opportunity to serve in one way or another, and this should not become a cause of inflating your ego.

A new centre has started and it should develop with the proper Dhamma atmosphere. It should be a source of inspiration not only to those who are on the path, but also to those who are not, so that they will be attracted and come to Dhamma. This is a great responsibility for all of you.

Certainly you all have good merits and pāramīs from the past, which is why you have come on the path of Dhamma and now have the opportunity to serve Dhamma. Make use of this opportunity to increase your pāramīs so that you draw nearer and nearer the final goal of liberation. Help yourself and help others.

May Dhamma grow. May Dhamma spread in its pristine purity.

May this first centre on the continent of Europe prove to be an ideal centre. May it be a source of peace and harmony to many—not only of the present, but also of future generations. May countless people benefit on this Dhamma land and come out of their misery.

Annual Meeting: Dhamma Giri, India March 1, 1989 Opening Address

Messengers and servants of the Dhamma:

You have assembled here from around the world to deepen your understanding of how to spread the Dhamma so that more and more people may come into contact with it and benefit from it. Whatever you discuss or plan here in the coming days, keep firmly in your minds the basic message imparted by the greatest messenger of Dhamma twenty-five centuries ago. That message explains not only what Dhamma is but also how it should be distributed. Every word of it is valuable to remember. It is a message of eternal relevance to all Dhamma messengers in all ages.

What ultimately is the volition with which to spread the Dhamma? What is the underlying purpose? Is it the wish to convert people to Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity or any other organized religion? On the contrary, that great messenger made clear the volition required. The Dhamma is to be spread bahujana-hitāya, bahujana-sukhāya—for the good and benefit of many, as many people as one is capable of serving!

And how is this service to be given? Again,
the same message gives us the answer: lokānukampāya—with compassion for people, with selfless love and goodwill in one’s heart.

All servants and messengers of Dhamma must keep examining themselves to check that their service accords with this message, for egotism may make its onslaught in any person at any time. When it does, the recognition one gets and the prominence one is granted seem more important than the service rendered. This attitude is nothing but madness, all the more dangerous because it can be so subtle. For this reason one must constantly be on guard against its approach.

Of course personal material gain is out of the question, but certain forms of Dhamma service may sometimes lead to name and fame. Be careful not to let this become the attraction. Remember that you must work without expecting anything in return, with compassion for those whom you serve. They are most important, not those who give the service. The weaker your egotism and the greater your goodwill, the better you are fit to serve.

And what precisely is the service that you must seek to give? Again the master Teacher has explained: desetha Dhammaṃ—give the people Dhamma, nothing but Dhamma. Not the Dhamma of any organized religion, be it Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Jain, but the Universal Law applicable to one and all.

One characteristic of the genuine Dhamma is that it confers benefits at every stage to those who practise it. As the Teacher said, it is ādikalyāṇaṃ, majjhekalyāṇaṃ, pariyosana-kalyāṇaṃ—beneficial in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. The first steps on the path yield positive results at once, and these increase as one goes further. When the final goal is reached, the benefits are limitless. Thus every step of the practice produces good. This is one important feature by which to recognize the true Dhamma.

Another characteristic is that the Dhamma is complete. Nothing need be added to it or removed from it to render it effective; it is kevalaṃ paripuṇṇaṃ, kevalaṃ parisuddhaṃ. The Dhamma is like a brimming vessel: Nothing more is required to fill it, and any addition will be at the sacrifice of what the vessel already contains.

Often the urge to add may be well-intentioned, in the hope of making the Dhamma more attractive to people of various backgrounds. "What harm is there in adding something which is itself good?" someone may ask. Understand: The harm is that the Dhamma will eventually be relegated to the background and forgotten. Additions may offer mundane benefits, but the goal of Dhamma is supra-mundane: liberation from suffering. Something may be harmless in itself but it becomes most dangerous if it causes us to lose sight of this goal.

Equally insidious are moves to abridge the Dhamma in any way. Again the intention may be good: to avoid offence to people who might find aspects of the teaching hard to accept. Against such urging we must recall that the Dhamma was not devised to suit any particular set of views; it is the Law of Nature rediscovered by the master Teacher 2,500 years ago. Every part of it is needed to lead on to the final goal. Omitting an aspect that some find controversial—whether sīla, samādhi, or paññā—may be a way to curry favour, but what is that worth if the efficacy of the Teaching is lost? We seek not popularity but liberation for ourselves and others.

Given a bowl of nectar, someone cries, "It is too sour!" Another says, "It would be sweeter with a little sugar." Very well, mix a little sugar with it; there is no harm in doing so. But if the next time the bowl is offered, more sugar is added, and more every time, eventually the taste of nectar will be lost. Then people will mix together sugar and water, and drink that mixture calling it nectar, and wonder why their thirst is not slaked. So with the nectar of the Dhamma: Imbibe it in its pure form, without any alteration, in order truly to benefit from it.

Words are only words; to attract others to the Dhamma, far more useful is the example you set by your way of life. Therefore the great Teacher said brahmacariyaṃ pakāsetha—be a shining example of the Dhamma by applying it yourself. This is the best way to encourage others to practise it.

Suppose you point with your finger in a particular direction and say, "This is the right path that all must follow to reach liberation. This is the direct way to happiness." Before examining the path, people will first look at your finger. If it is stained with dirt or blood, what confidence can they have in the way to which you point? Develop purity in yourself if you wish to encourage others to follow the path of purification.

The teaching is extraordinary in its simplicity: A certain cause will produce a certain effect; to remove the effect, eliminate the cause. Reacting with craving to pleasant sensations or with aversion to unpleasant ones will immediately give rise to suffering. If, instead of reacting, one smilingly observes and understands the impermanence of the experience, then no suffering will arise. This is Dhamma, the Universal Law, applicable to all regardless of religion, sex,
social group or nationality. It is this essence of Dhamma that we seek to offer to others in its pristine purity.

Keep to these fundamental principles of the Dhamma, and all the details of how to distribute it will naturally become clear.

As love and compassion are the proper bases for spreading the Dhamma, they must form the base for all your discussions during this meeting. When making a suggestion, be careful to present it humbly, without any attachment to your view. See that you speak with all the wisdom that you have. You may put forward a proposal up to three times, but if others still do not accept it, smile and drop it. Recognize that the Dhamma will take the course that is best for it, not necessarily the one that you with your limited understanding think is best.

Remember that an empty vessel has nothing to offer others. Therefore fill yourself with the Dhamma. Discover real peace and harmony within yourself, and naturally these will overflow to benefit others.

May you keep walking on the path for the good, happiness and liberation of many. May you be successful in your attempts to spread Dhamma, to spread peace and harmony.

ANNUAL MEETING: Dhamma Giri, India March 3, 1989

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Goenkaji: Believing that Ātmā is immortal is a philosophical belief. First one has to believe that there is an ātmā, a soul, and then one has to believe that it is immortal. Both these beliefs are strongly interconnected. If ātmā, or the soul, is not immortal then ātmā is useless to me. I accept ātmā simply because somebody says that it is immortal, and by ātmā I understand it is "I." If somebody whispers in my ear, "Well look, everything is mortal, impermanent in this world, but you are permanent, you will always remain," I feel elated by this belief, "Wonderful, I will remain! Everything, the body, mind and the entire universe passes away, but I will remain!"

The tremendous amount of attachment that ignorance helps us develop to "I" is strengthened by this kind of belief. There is a reason behind the formation of all these philosophical beliefs. Our job is not to say, "No, it is wrong," to give reasons why, and get involved in debates and arguments—that won’t help. Neither should we confirm the belief.

Leave it aside. All right, if the belief is that there is a soul that it is immortal, then let me investigate this belief. Vipassana is nothing but investigating the truth pertaining to oneself within the framework of the body. The first thing that you come across is your bodily structure. By Vipassana, as you keep moving from the gross to the subtle, to the subtlest, you will reach a stage where you will start experiencing every tiny subatomic particle which is arising and passing. And you will realize, "Well this is not ātmā, because ātmā is immortal and this is not immortal."

Similarly, you keep on observing the entire mental structure. As you observe from the gross to the subtle, to the subtlest, you will reach the stage where you will find that the mental structure is also nothing but wavelets arising and passing. By this experience you are investigating, like a scientist, what the truth is. When you reach the stage where the entire mind and matter phenomenon is just arising and passing—and in that whole process the impurities are eradicated—then a stage comes where you transcend the field of mind and matter and you experience something which is called nibbāna, where nothing arises, nothing passes away. You may say it is immortal. But when you reach that stage there will be no "I." That stage has to be experienced by each individual. Without that, again it will become just a philosophy.

Accept only the reality pertaining to the truth that you experience within the framework of the body and keep moving. The answer will come, Vipassana will help to supply this
answer. §

As it is essential that you give material food to your body every day, a minimum of twice, to keep it healthy and strong, similarly you have to give some food to the mind to keep it healthy and strong. And with these two hours of sitting, you give food to the mind to make it strong and healthy. §

Yes, everything in the field of mind and matter is impermanent and this impermanence is permanent. It is permanently impermanent. Things keep on changing. So far as matter is concerned, it keeps on changing. So far as mind is concerned, it keeps on changing. The nature of change cannot be turned into a nature of non-change. It will always be changing.

There are four, basic, ultimate truths. One ultimate truth pertaining to matter; another ultimate truth pertaining to the mind; a third ultimate truth pertaining to the mental contents; and the fourth ultimate truth, the nibbānic stage. All of them are permanent. The first three are permanent in their nature of change. And the fourth is permanent in its nature of no change—there can’t be any change. So everything is, in this respect, changing and non-changing.

Emphasis is given to that which constantly changes because out of our ignorance and madness we develop attachment to that which will change, and once it changes we become depressed. The attachment brings misery. For that purpose the whole teaching of Vipassana is to keep understanding that whatever is changing is permanently changing. This nature of change doesn’t go away, but our attachment to it has to go away, otherwise we will suffer. Vipassana is for that purpose only, not to establish any philosophy. §

Whenever a few people sit together, whatever they generate in their minds permeates the atmosphere. If five, ten, twenty, or fifty people meditate together, the vibrations of one or two amongst them might be good vibrations and it may help the others meditate better in that atmosphere. This is the reason. §

Meditate. What else can you do? Now you have a wonderful object with which you can take out all your habit patterns of aversion. Whenever you feel something unpleasant, the old habit of the mind is to react with aversion. Vipassana is to help you to come out of all such conditionings.

Your aversion towards unpleasant sensations cannot be eradicated unless you face them and change this habit pattern. So welcome all these objects which help you to come out of your old habit of aversion. The whole purpose of Vipassana is to change the habit pattern of the mind; neither have craving towards pleasant sensations nor aversion towards unpleasant ones. When you have pleasant sensations observe them without attachment, without reaction, understanding they are anicca. Good, now unpleasant sensations have come; make use of them, work with Vipassana. §

Continue to work. Keep on fighting your battle. When you come to a Dhamma environment like this, the entire atmosphere is charged with vibrations which are anti-craving, anti-aversion, anti-ignorance. In this atmosphere you can work better, and you gain strength by your practice here. With that strength you have to face the world outside. After all, you have to live in the world. You can’t live in a meditation centre all the time. You go to a hospital to gain health, not to live there. So gain strength here and then live in the world. After some time you may find that your meditation is again becoming weaker. Understand the reason: The whole atmosphere outside is charged with the vibrations of craving and aversion, and you are doing something which is anti-craving, anti-aversion. The outside atmosphere starts overpowering you and you become weaker. You have to keep on fighting.

For this fight you are given two tools in this technique. The first tool, Anapana, is specifically for that purpose. Whenever you find you have become so weak that you can’t work with the body and bodily sensations, come back to Anapana. Breath is something which you can intentionally make harder. You work with it and you can’t feel your breath—make it a little harder. You can intentionally make this object a little more gross. Work with that; the mind becomes calm and you will reach a stage where you can again start working on the body. §

It is true that if you practise mettā with these subtle sensations, it is very strong, very effective, because then you are working with the deepest level of your mind. If you are experiencing a gross sensation, that means only the surface level of your mind is working and the mettā is not that effective. But it doesn’t matter. In this case just keep imagining at the intellectual, conscious level, "May all beings be happy. May all beings be happy." And keep on working. When you reach the stage where there are subtle vibrations, you will work at a deeper level and the mettā will be more effective. §

A meditator should be very wise and understand the law of nature. In spite of all your crying and prayers, there is no possibility that this person will come back. You have to accept the fact that this person has gone forever.

Understand that whenever you generate a vibration of sorrow and misery while remembering someone who has passed away, the vibrations will reach wherever this person may be, and will make him or her unhappy. No-one wants a near and dear one who has passed away to be unhappy. We would certainly like the person to be happy, peaceful and liberated, yet you send vibrations to this person which will make him or her more unhappy. You are harming the person whom you want to be happy.

Another harmful aspect is that while you are crying, remembering the near and dear one who has passed away, you are sowing seeds of saṅkhāras of misery. You are becoming miserable and a seed of misery will bring nothing but misery in the future. Nature will not differentiate whether you are sowing the seed because of this or that logical reason. No, the seed is of misery and it must bring misery.

After all, what is a seed? A seed generates and creates a habit pattern of the mind. And now you are supporting the habit pattern of the mind by becoming more miserable, due to this or that reason. This habit pattern will bring more misery in the future; so you have started harming yourself and the dear one who is gone.

And the third harmful aspect is that this sensation of misery that you are generating by this saṅkhāra starts permeating the atmosphere around you. Everyone else in the family around you will become depressed, because you are generating that type of sensation. You have started harming yourself, those around you who are alive, and the dear one who has passed away. This action of yours is harmful in three ways.

If somebody works wisely and understands the law of nature, then as soon as you remember the one who has passed away, if even slight sorrow starts in the mind, you immediately calm down and start generating vibrations of mettā, love, "May you be happy, wherever you are. May you be happy, may you be peaceful, may you be liberated." Your vibrations will reach this being and he or she will feel happy. These vibrations are full of happiness, peace, harmony. You are generating a saṅkhāra at that time of harmony and peace. This seed will bring fruit to you of peace, harmony and happiness. And this vibration will permeate the atmosphere and make it peaceful and harmonious. You have started helping all three—the loved one who has died, yourself, and your family—in the proper way, in a Dhamma way.

Vibrations do work. Even to those who have passed away, wherever they may be, the vibration that we generate whilst remembering them will certainly reach there, strongly or mildly, according to the strength of your mind.

Many times in your own life you will find that, although there is no reason, nothing has happened outside, you start feeling depressed. Certain vibrations from outside are coming in contact with you. A vibration of depression makes you depressed. Similarly often you will find that, without any reason, although nothing has happened outside, you feel happy. Certain good vibrations of happiness are reaching you. This is the law of nature. If you are near a burning oven, its vibrations will bring you heat. If you are near a refrigerator, the vibrations will bring you coldness. The earlier one understands the law of nature and starts applying it in this life, the better. So this is the best way to act at that time. §

A householder is bound to face such difficulties. But if you wait for the time when there are no hindrances, you will not meditate for your whole life. For a woman, motherhood is good. And if you have children, you have the responsibility to look after them—very good. Along with the responsibility of looking after the child, you must find time to meditate. When the child is asleep, meditate. The child has awakened: all right, again start nursing the child. In this way, even if you don’t get a fixed time or place, it doesn’t matter, do it in intervals. But meditate, don’t stop. §

Before birth. Meditation should be taught when the child is growing in the womb. The child needs good vibrations while in the womb, so practise Vipassana. Every pregnant mother should practise more Vipassana because then you are helping two beings simultaneously. You are helping yourself, and you are helping the being which has not yet come out. Help them.

After that, when the child grows to five or six you can start teaching Anapana. Just be aware of the respiration for a few minutes; two, three, five minutes, enough. Don’t push too much. A few minutes of awareness of respiration, and then say; "All right, play." After that, again a few minutes of respiration. So it will become like playing for the child. Later on, as he or she grows, increase the time. In this way you start giving the seed of Dhamma, and the child develops in an atmosphere of Dhamma. §

Actually the entire teaching has only one purpose: One should live peacefully and harmoniously in accordance with the law of nature—not harming oneself or others. Now this art of living is difficult to learn in old age, so the training should start at a young age. In the schools children should learn the art of living a healthy life. Their entire life is ahead of them.

You start by teaching them how to control their minds. Along with this awareness of respiration it is explained that you have to live a moral life, so they understand, "I must not kill, I must not steal, etc. But how can I abstain from that? I must have control over my mind. And look, this helps." The object that is given is universal so a student from any caste, any community, any religion can work on this.

You also tell them that they can develop in this awareness of respiration and then they will live a good life. At further stages they can purify their minds to such an extent that they will live a perfect life, so there is a goal. In school for example, when they learn the alphabet the goal is that they will become very learned people later on. Now they have started with this base of sīla and respiration. §

What is a good citizen? A good citizen is one who does not harm himself or herself and also does not harm other members of society. The whole teaching shows how to live a life of morality. If children start learning this in childhood, when they become adults they will naturally live healthy, good lives. This is how they will become good citizens. §

This would not have been necessary if we were working with other types of meditation which impose a good layer at the surface of the mind, making you forget everything that is deep inside.

But this technique is totally different. From the very beginning it starts an operation of the mind, taking out the impurities from the deepest level. When you operate on a wound, only pus will come out; you can’t expect rose water to come out. What is the pus of the mind? Now the worst pus that you have is sexual passion. The entire loka in which you are living is called kāma-loka, the loka where sexual passion is predominant. Even at the apparent level your birth is because of the sexual contact of your parents. The base of sexual passion is deep inside. And if sexual passion comes on the surface, it becomes stronger for a male when he is in contact with the vibration of a female. When a female develops passion, it is strengthened by contact with the vibrations of a male. And if you remain intermingled while you are doing this operation, it is dangerous. It will harm you. Instead of your coming out of passion, there is every possibility that you will multiply passion. So better remain separated as much as possible. It is essential. §

The teaching of Dhamma is the same for all, but you don’t work! So examine yourselves: Why don’t you work? The difficulty is that you are all involved in mad games of philosophical beliefs, "There is a soul, there is a god, I believe in this." All that becomes a big obstacle. And these people more or less have come out of that madness. They think, "I am here to learn a technique which will purify my mind and make me a good person." So they work.

Or, you have all these bondages, "I am a very conservative Hindu"... "I am a very strict Jain. I can’t get converted to this." Through Vipassana you are not converted to Buddhism, you are converted to Dhamma. Still this question keeps coming in your mind. If you can’t come out of these bondages, you can’t be helped. Come out of the bondages! Understand Dhamma is universal. It is simply an art of living: how to develop control over the mind and how to purify the mind so that we live a healthy life. Once you understand that, you will work more. Then all those qualities that you have mentioned about the Westerners are bound to come to you also, nature will not
discriminate. §

One glass becomes more. So why not come out it from the very beginning?

Once one becomes addicted, it is so difficult to come out of the addiction. Why not refrain from anything that is addictive?

Another important reason is that if someone who has come out of all kinds of intoxicants and is progressing in meditation takes even a very small quantity of alcohol, that person will immediately feel that it creates agitation and will feel unhappy. They can’t take it.

Understand, with the experience of so many who have progressed, that this goes against Dhamma, against the purification of the mind. Ignorance causes impurities to develop and intoxicants are closely associated with ignorance. They drown all your understanding. Come out of them as quickly as possible. §

The cause of the problem is included in the question. When these organizations work for their own expansion, they have already started rotting. The aim should be to increase other people’s benefits. Then there is a pure Dhamma volition and there is no chance of decay.

When there is a Dhamma volition, "May more and more people benefit," there is no attachment. But if you want your organization to grow, there is attachment and that pollutes Dhamma. §

Yes, it was necessary. Even when one becomes a buddha, it does not mean that the law of nature will start favouring this person. The law of nature of this body is that it is decaying, dying. The body requires strength, and when a buddha goes in this meditative state of nibbāna and comes out, he finds that the whole body has become healthier. It helps, he can work much more.

There is so much work for the body of one who works all the twenty-four hours, except for two or two-and-a-half hours when he lies down. Some rest is needed. The mind is peaceful, but to rest the body the mind has to go to the depth and reach the nibbānic stage. When one comes out of the nibbānic experience one is physically refreshed. §

The actual attainment, is to reach the stage of arahant. Become arahants, and I will announce loudly, "Look, one of my students has become an arahant! Come, come all of you!" Unless you become an arahant, then what can I announce? [Laughter]

Now the biggest attraction is that your way of life is changing. If you are a better person,
certainly you are getting strengthened in Dhamma. That is good enough. §

Vipassana is the only way to help in such a situation. In all these sects, communities, beliefs, dogmas, rites, and rituals, there is something universal: the goal of purifying the mind to such an extent that you will not harm yourself or others. Now one may belong to any community or belief, but everyone can accept this easily.

An example: A large number of Christian priests and nuns come to courses and some have said, "You are teaching Christianity in the name of Buddha." Everyone wants the mind to become pure. Similarly, whether one is a Jain or a Hindu or anything else, if one starts doing Vipassana, one finds it is universal and good for all. These differences will all be immaterial for people who start working in Vipassana. And this will give a unity to the country, a unity to all humanity. It is a very positive thing to do. §

We don’t discourage people from coming out of their illness. But the goal should be very clear: Vipassana is to purify the mind so that the mind is free from all illnesses.

If the goal is only to come out of a certain disease, your motivation is wrong and you won’t work properly; all the time your attention will be towards your illness. When your attention is not on the object on which you should be working, you can’t benefit. You will attain neither this nor that.

The aim is to come out of all the illnesses of life which make us unhappy. Yes, when the mind is purified, all psychosomatic diseases will have to go, they can’t remain, but we don’t say that physical diseases will also be cured. Some may indeed be cured, but the goal is to purify the mind. §

This would be harmful. Understand: The names of practices that are used here—sāmāyika, pratikramaṇa, kāyotsarga, sandhyā—are all words of pure Dhamma, of Vipassana. But today the essence is lost; it is just a lifeless shell which they are performing.

For example: At the source of the Ganges the water is so pure, but it gets dirtier as the river descends. By the time it reaches the sea the water is so polluted you cannot drink it or even wash clothes in it. Now the same thing is found in Dhamma: It starts with such crystal purity, but as it descends all sorts of pollution comes in, and then it is of no use.

Dhamma must be kept in its purity. Such people who perform these rites and rituals must be made to understand what their rite is.

One word that is used is sāmāyika. The literal meaning of this is that the mind becomes equanimous. What do they do for this sāmāyika? They sit and repeat a set formula for forty-eight minutes. Now you sit here for one hour so you have given more sāmāyika, as far as the time is concerned.

But in those forty-eight minutes they repeat a certain formula without understanding that this is