Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. It was rediscovered 2600 years ago by Gotama the Buddha,
and is the essence of what he practiced and taught during his
forty-five year ministry. During the Buddha’s time, large numbers of
people in northern India were freed from the bonds of suffering by
practicing Vipassana, allowing them to attain high levels of achievement
in all spheres of life. Over time, the technique spread to the
neighbouring countries of Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Thailand and
others, where it had the same ennobling effect.
Five centuries after the Buddha, the noble heritage of Vipassana had
disappeared from India. The purity of the teaching was lost elsewhere as
well. In the country of Myanmar, however, it was preserved by a chain
of devoted teachers. From generation to generation, over two thousand
years, this dedicated lineage transmitted the technique in its pristine
purity.
In our time, Vipassana has been reintroduced to India, as well as to
citizens from more than eighty other countries, by S N Goenka.He was
authorized to teach Vipassana by the renowned Burmese Vipassana teacher,
Sayagi U Ba Khin. Before he died in 1971, Sayagyi was able to see one
of his most cherished dreams realized. He had the strong wish that
Vipassana should return to India, the land of its origin, to help it
come out of its manifold problems. From India, he felt sure it would
then spread throughout the world for the benefit of all mankind.
S.N. Goenka began conducting Vipassana courses in India in 1969;
after ten years, he began to teach in foreign countries as well. In the
thirty-five years since he started teaching, S.N. Goenka has conducted
many ten-day Vipassana courses, and trained over 800 assistant teachers
who have conducted many courses worldwide. In addition, many Centres
have been established in India for the exclusive practice of Vipassana.
Centres for exclusive practice have been established across the world as
well. The invaluable gem of Vipassana, long preserved in the small
country of Myanmar, can now be practiced in many places throughout the
world. Today ever-increasing numbers of people have the opportunity to
learn this art of living which brings lasting peace and happiness.
