Who was Vipassana guru SN Goenka

In 1955, Satyanarayan Goenka was a successful businessman based in Burma. In his own words, fortune had sided with him and by the age of 31, he had already been the president of the Burmese Chamber of Commerce. It was at this time that he started contemplating what he could do to rid himself of the painful migraine attacks from which he had been suffering for 20 years.

That woeful exprerience drove him in 1955, although with reluctance at first, to a Burmese Vipassana teacher named Sayagya U Ba Khin. Fourteen years later, he would earn the blessing and permission of his teacher to teach Vipassana himself. S N Goenka would arrive at India with a practice that had been lost to the country of its birth for over 2500 years. Seven years later, in 1976, he would set up the first centres teaching the ancient practice on Indian soil since the times of Buddha.

S N Goenka was born on January 30, 1924 in a prominent Marwari business family in Burma. For the young, all-conquering man of the world, who later described himself as 'egoistic' in that phase of his life, approaching a Vipassana teacher would undoubtedly have been preceded by several reasons and degrees of doubt. Yet when it was proposed by Sayagyi Khin that he would teach Goenka morality, the hitherto merchant had no objection.

In 1969, Goenka started teaching Vipassana in India. Seven years later, in 1976, he opened his first meditation centre called Vipassana International Academy, also known as Dhamma Giri, at Igatpuri near Nasik in Maharashtra. He held 10-day intensive meditation classes in which students were encouraged to be silent and establish a connection with one's inner self to become aware of every sensation and movement, both mental and physical, and attain harmony and peace through their experience of truth.

... contd.

ALSO READ

No change in leadership, Lalu will be out on bail soon: RJDCongress united in MP, CM candidate to be decided by Sonia: Jyotiraditya ScindiaLeT issues threat to blow up Haridwar railway station and templesWithdrawal of Ordinance is strangulation of democracy: Baba Ramdev



Please read our terms of use before posting comments

TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory /or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright /or intellectual property rights of any person(s).





Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/10/03/who-was-vipassana-guru-sn-goenka/