Chattha Sangayana CD - Vipassana Research Institute
The Munificent Nature of Dhamma

•	S. N. GOENKA

Man is a social being. It is neither possible nor profitable for him to live separated from society. Whatever contribution he makes to the society while being a member of it, in terms of making the social fabric more peaceful and harmonious, is the yardstick of his merit as a useful member of society. The basis of any healthy, harmonious society is always the healthy and harmonious individuals who populate it. Disharmonious people not only remain tense and unhappy themselves, but also make other people around them ill-at-ease because of their tensions and disharmony. Therefore, it is obvious that if we wish to produce a society which is happy, healthy and harmonious, we will also have to make each individual happy, healthy and harmonious. Only if each individual has a pure, peaceful mind can we expect peace in the society. Dhamma is a unique way for attaining peace for the individual, and hence is a way to attain peace and harmony for the society and the world.

Dhamma does not mean a particular sect. Sects, dogmas and creeds always build barriers and divisions, differences between men. The Truth, Dhamma, on the other hand, breaks all such barriers and differences and removes these divisions between men; otherwise, what is going under the name of Dhamma no longer qualifies to be called Dhamma.

True Dhamma uproots from the mind the sense of superiority and so also the sense of inferiority which certain segments of society often have; and eliminating its impurities, establishes the mind on a healthy ground of equality where both these unhealthy complexes cannot exist. This purity of mind imparts the quality of equanimity, and one gains the ability to view every situation, every individual and every state of existence in its true nature, in its true colour; one is able to see things as they really are. Such purity also frees the mind of false exaggerations and blind dependence which is often characteristic of individuals steeped in emotional devotion to some supernatural power. Our ability to see things as they really are, without beclouding our vision with the conditioning of the mind, imparts that insight, wisdom and understanding of the Truth. We also attain the ability to conduct self-introspection. Our insight is freed of the veil of ignorance. The conditioning of the mind which may have been a result of our past listening, studies or environments, becomes a barrier to our ability to see things in their true nature and perspective. Our old traditional beliefs and convictions colour our vision so thoroughly that we see existence, things and situations through a distorted vision and fail to see the untarnished reality of these. In the name of Dhamma and Truth, we have chained ourselves in these golden chains of dogma and blind belief, which in ignorance we begin to regard with pride as ornamental achievement and erudite understanding. However, to be totally liberated from all our ignorance and suffering, we will have to break asunder all such emotional and intellectual bondages of dogma and creed.

If we hope to be liberated of hate, greed, delusion, malevolence, envy, fear and all other traits that defile the mind, it is imperative that we set aside all imaginations, emotional devotions and old accepted dogmas and learn to live in the present moment as it is. To live in the reality of the moment is to live in the present. The moments that have passed are no longer real; now we can only have a memory of those moments. Similarly, the moments that are yet to come cannot be real, as we can only have expectations, hopes and fears about them. Living in the present means to be totally aware of whatever is being experienced at this very moment. The pleasant and unpleasant memories of the past, pleasant and unpleasant hopes and fears for the future, take us away from the reality of the moment and thus do not allow us to live a life of reality. A life not lived in the present moment is a life of delusion and unreality which causes all sorts of perverse situations in life and defilements in the mind, resulting in anxiety, tension, dissatisfaction, restlessness and suffering. However, as we learn to live and witness the truth of the present moment, automatically we begin to experience respite and freedom from these negative traits.

By the Supreme Enlightenment obtained by a great man and great Teacher, Lord Buddha, was evolved a way which enables one to live and experience the present moment, cutting the mind off from all past conditioning, eliminating all hate, greed and delusion from it, and thus purifying it and totally freeing it from all suffering. After having completely liberated himself by this method, he taught and preached this way of liberation throughout the rest of his life. He called this liberating technique Vipassana meditation.

The student of this method learns to be completely aware of whatever he experiences at this very moment. Developing mindfulness and awareness about his physical phenomenon, he practises K±y±nupassan±. He develops awareness of sensations that he experiences  pleasant, unpleasant or neutral  and thus practises Vedan±nupassan±. He develops total awareness of his psychic phenomenon, and thereby practises Citt±nupassan±. Similarly, he is mindful of all good and evil states of his mind, their origin, their cause and their nature; and then transcending the entire field of physical and psychic phenomenal experiences, the entire sensual field, the field of relativity, he experiences Nibb±na and he thus practises Dhamm±nupassan±. The practice of such mindfulness eradicates all the deep-rooted conditioning which is caused by unwholesome states of mind. With the lessening and elimination of past conditioning, the mind slowly emerges free from all attachments, from all lust for sensual pleasures, from all loss of equilibrium which is born out of expectations, from anxieties about the future, from the pain inflicted by the memories of the past, from all frustrations, from all yearnings; and thus it acquires its natural state of calm, peace and purity.

This technique of Vipassana which frees mankind of all evil, which calms the mind brimming over with tensions and anxiety, and teaches man how to be free from all suffering, is good and useful for one and all, regardless of whether the individual belongs to this caste or that community, this country or that ethnic group, this language or that culture. It also does not require that one declare oneself a Buddhist before one can use it or benefit from it. It also is not necessary that one prostrate before the image of Buddha or burn incense or perform any of the traditional rituals of worship. Nor does it require that one meditate on the form or the name of this great teacher who gave us this technique.

When one takes refuge in Buddha, one has to be absolutely clear that this devotion does not turn into blind devotion. Such madness would make us indolent and would have us believe that now Buddha will end all our suffering. On the other hand, after having witnessed the process of purification taking place not only in oneself but also in others with the practice of this technique, if one's sense of gratitude towards the compassionate Enlightened Teacher begins to overflow, then any show of respect and gratitude certainly will not be out of place. When our devotion is aroused by those qualities which liberate and purify us, then such devotion inspires us to acquire these qualities. Devotion of this nature does not become a blind belief and bondage, but is a factor of enlightenment. This enlightenment factor is makes the mind pliable, and this flexibility of great assistance in the process of purification through Vipassana meditation.

Lord Buddha is not the object of Vipassana meditation. The object of this meditation is the moment to moment changing nature of one's own body and mind, the awareness and eternal vigilance of which is developed. This meditation teaches us to be constantly aware and mindful of the real nature of things at each moment. Such a practice which trains us to live in and to be aware of the present moment, to see and experience things as they really are, can be accepted and practised by all men, regardless of their colour, caste, sect, culture, nationality, language or era. Man learns to study his own nature. Man learns to see himself through self-introspection. He examines his own physical and psychic nature. He watches the manifestations of the conditioning of his own mind in the course of life at each moment. He sees thus the arisings of his own cravings, clingings and other defiling attributes. So one can, by the practice of such awareness, liberate oneself from all these mental defilements and thus become a decent human being and get established in True Dhamma. Such a pure being could belong to any sect, as the society holds him in high esteem and is rightly proud of him. Such a man, with mind free from all fetters, is not only by nature himself happy and free, but he also becomes a potent instrument for enhancing the peace and happiness of all others.

May the munificent, all-embracing, benevolent, universal nature of Dhamma reach all suffering human beings and cause them to be free, happy and liberated; such is our wish for peace and happiness for all.

May all be happy!