Phuṭṭhassa lokadhammehi, cittaṃ yassa na kampati; asokaṃ virajaṃ khemaṃ, etaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ.
- When faced with the vicissitudes of life, one's mind is unshaken, sorrowless, stainless, secure-this is the highest blessing.
- Khuddaka pāṭha 5.12 Maṅgala Sutta
An Art of Living for transformation of an individual
In the Buddha's teaching, the human matters most; when we talk of humans, the mind matters most; and when we talk of the mind, purity matters most, so that it can generate pure love and compassion. Purity of mind can be achieved only when impurities are removed from the root level of the mind. It is this root of the mind which generates and multiplies impurities. And, if this habit pattern is not changed, the impure mind remains unchanged; the individual remains unchanged; and if the individual remains unchanged, the society and the world is not changed either. So the Buddha strikes at the root cause of misery, which is the foundation of the problem. To demolish this impure foundation, he rediscovered the powerful tool of Vipassana.
This ancient technique has now spread again around the world. Millions of people attend courses in India and the rest of the world. People from different communities, traditions and religions come to learn this technique, to obtain the same benefit. The balanced view of “know yourself, by yourself, for yourself”, as some students call it, helps one live peacefully and harmoniously with oneself and with others. The transformation in one's attitude at the end of the course reduces stress, while increasing equanimity.
Other common benefits are growth in concentration and work efficiency, positive behaviour changes, effective decision-making, gentle speech and harmonious feelings towards others. Since the wisdom is gained through personal experience, one finds prejudice being replaced by compassion; jealousy at the success of others changing to joy; greed and arrogance getting transformed to generosity and humility. This mental change is the real conversion bought by Vipassana.
Vipassana also helps many to come out of their addictions to different intoxicants, complexes, depression, chronic health problems and psychosomatic issues. Increased positivity of mind delivers better health. By the practice of Vipassana, many students have been able to face life-altering situations, adversaries, illness and even death, with perfect equilibrium of mind.
To read experiences of students sharing the impact of Vipassana in their daily life, research papers and related articles, please click here