English
Twenty-five centuries ago, Pāli was the lingua franca of northern India, the dialect in which the Buddha taught. Just as Sanskrit is the canonical language of Hinduism and Latin the canonical language of Catholicism, Pāli is the classical language in which the teachings of the Buddha have been preserved. Tipitaka (Pali canon) i.e. literally meaning three baskets which contains teachings of the Buddha, are in Pali language.
Twenty-five centuries ago, Pāli was the lingua franca of northern India, the dialect in which the Buddha taught. Just as Sanskrit is the canonical language of Hinduism and Latin the canonical language of Catholicism, Pāli is the classical language in which the teachings of the Buddha have been preserved. Tipitaka (Pali canon) i.e. literally meaning three baskets which contains teachings of the Buddha, are in Pali language.
In a 10-day course, the meditators undertake the delicate and demanding task of examining their own minds in a surrounding which intermingles long stretches of meditation with periods of instructions from Mr. Goenka. Students of this course are familiar with Goenkaji’s practice of chanting, both the Buddha’s words and his own inspiring compositions, rhymed Hindi couplets known as ‘dohas’ in the morning. This chanting provides a congenial, supportive atmosphere for meditation.
Sixth century B.C. was an important era in history. This was the period when a great benefactor of mankind was born and became renowned as Gotama, the Buddha. The Buddha rediscovered the path of Dhamma, the law of nature (the path to liberation), leading to the eradication of universal suffering. With great compassion, he spent forty-five years teaching Dhamma, the path out of suffering, to millions of people helping them to come out of their misery.
This book contains three-day series of public talks given by Mr. S. N. Goenka at Hyderabad, India from July 22 to 24, 1993. For publication purposes, it has been titled as 'The Gracious Flow of Dharma.'
In a Vipassana course, the participants learn how to free the mind of the tensions and prejudices that disturb the flow of daily life. By doing so, one begins to discover how to live each moment peacefully, productively and happily. At the same time, one starts progressing towards the highest goal to which mankind can aspire: purity of mind, freedom from all suffering, full enlightenment.
In 2002, Mr. S. N. Goenka, Principal Teacher of Vipassana meditation, was invited to participate in the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland along with global leaders in politics, business and media. In this meeting, Mr. Goenka spoke in various sessions on the topics like 'The future of religion', 'Death: Exploring the taboo', 'Anger and how to deal with it' and 'The meaning of true happiness'.
This book is a tribute to Sayagyi U Ba Khin, teacher of Mr. S. N. Goenka and an outstanding civil servant from Myanmar. U Ba Khin’s career was that of an ideal householder, combining unwavering dedication to Vipassana meditation with unwearying commitment to public service.
For the Benefit of Many
Since the early 1980s, there has been an astonishing increase in the number of Vipassana centers in India and around the world. After experiencing efficacy of technique themselves, many old students selflessly contributed in the spread of Vipassana meditation. Working in many different capacities, they have served for the welfare of many.
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