Goenka method

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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Myotai
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Goenka method

Post by Myotai »

Hello,

Is there somewhere I can read about the Goenka method in detail? I have been reading a summary of his discourses and a sort of body scan is implied but no specific detail.

Thanks :anjali:
Sanjay PS
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Re: Goenka method

Post by Sanjay PS »

Myotai wrote:Hello,

Is there somewhere I can read about the Goenka method in detail? I have been reading a summary of his discourses and a sort of body scan is implied but no specific detail.

Thanks :anjali:
There is a book written by William Hart , captioned " The Art of Living" which condenses the 10 day course conducted by Goenkaji in a book format. However , the book mentions very clearly , that doing the course itself is paramount , reading the book is just to get an inspiration/idea .

Please contact any of the retreat centers closest to your location , i am sure the book will be available . www.dhamma.org lists the centers around the world . A video titled " Doing Time , Doing Vipassana " can also give one a fair idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8tZX3dGSM8

sanjay
The Path of Dhamma

The path of Dhamma is no picnic . It is a strenuous march steeply up the hill . If all the comrades desert you , Walk alone ! Walk alone ! with all the Thrill !!

U S.N. Goenka
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Myotai
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Re: Goenka method

Post by Myotai »

Thanks, but with a new baby at home taking myself off for 10 days isnt going to happen any time soon... :)
Sanjay PS
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Re: Goenka method

Post by Sanjay PS »

Myotai wrote:Thanks, but with a new baby at home taking myself off for 10 days isnt going to happen any time soon... :)
i know , its not easy at all. In the meanwhile , you can locate getting the book and read through it . I enjoyed it , prior to doing my first course way back in 1998 . When the time is ripe and opportune , you will be naturally drawn in plunging in the depths of your mind.

All the best , and take care of the little one . Quite a few years ago , i read in the Time magazine an extensive article mentioning that the most crucial and formative period of a human being is from the time of conception to that of 2 years old ! The mind and the brain is like a dry sponge , the rate of its saturation of nutritive inputs is well accelerated .

sanjay
The Path of Dhamma

The path of Dhamma is no picnic . It is a strenuous march steeply up the hill . If all the comrades desert you , Walk alone ! Walk alone ! with all the Thrill !!

U S.N. Goenka
Samma
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Re: Goenka method

Post by Samma »

An overview:
the insight meditation taught by the Indian S.N. Goenka (1924), a
disciple of the Burmese meditation teacher U Ba Khin (1899-1971),
began to spread around the globe and has by now
become what probably is the most widely taught form of insight
meditation world-wide. This meditation tradition centres on
observation of bodily feelings. The practice of contemplating
feelings is based on the previous development of a foundation in
mental tranquillity through mindfulness of breathing, to which in
a standard ten days retreat the first three days of practice are
dedicated. Subsequently, feelings are observed through a
continuous scanning of the body in the up and downward
directions, leading to a penetrative awareness of their changing
nature at increasingly subtler levels. Eventually, such practice
leads to an awareness of the entire spectrum of body and mind in
a constantly changing flux. (Analyao,dynamics of insight)
For some more depth found this:
http://gurmeet.net/spiritual/vipassana- ... a-part-ii/

Just search "body scan guided mediation" and I'm sure you'll find a lot of stuff.
upekha
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Re: Goenka method

Post by upekha »

You can find the book "The Art of living" as a PDF ebook

http://store.pariyatti.org/Art-of-Livin ... _4598.html

with metta
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pilgrim
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Re: Goenka method

Post by pilgrim »

Dr. Lin: "By observing our bodily sensations how can we eradicate our defilements and change our habit pattern? Isn’t it easier to practise by observing our mind directly and not let unwholesome thoughts arise?"

S. N. Goenka: "Purifying the mind by changing the thoughts from unwholesome to wholesome is certainly a good practise. This was taught by many other teachers before Buddha and after Buddha. But this is not the depth of Buddha’s teaching. It is difficult to observe the mind but easy to observe the sensation which is nothing but the manifestation of the mental state at any given moment. "

I have difficulty with this instruction. When anger or whatever emotion arises in me, I think I feel it as a mental presence, not as a sensation on my body. Goenka advises one not to look for a corresponding sensation to the mental state. In which case, how does one become aware of all sensations on the body ? I do not doubt that there would be changes to sensations in the body, but this is so subtle that it appears to me to be easier to be aware of the mental state instead of sensations.
MisterRunon
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Re: Goenka method

Post by MisterRunon »

pilgrim wrote:Dr. Lin: "By observing our bodily sensations how can we eradicate our defilements and change our habit pattern? Isn’t it easier to practise by observing our mind directly and not let unwholesome thoughts arise?"

S. N. Goenka: "Purifying the mind by changing the thoughts from unwholesome to wholesome is certainly a good practise. This was taught by many other teachers before Buddha and after Buddha. But this is not the depth of Buddha’s teaching. It is difficult to observe the mind but easy to observe the sensation which is nothing but the manifestation of the mental state at any given moment. "

I have difficulty with this instruction. When anger or whatever emotion arises in me, I think I feel it as a mental presence, not as a sensation on my body. Goenka advises one not to look for a corresponding sensation to the mental state. In which case, how does one become aware of all sensations on the body ? I do not doubt that there would be changes to sensations in the body, but this is so subtle that it appears to me to be easier to be aware of the mental state instead of sensations.
In that case, maybe you try a different technique. For whatever reason, Goenka seems to think that his is the only true technique that the Buddha taught, but there's no evidence anywhere in the Suttas that he taught body scanning (he did teach Vedana though). IMO, the Mahasi technique is a more balanced approach. I believe it incorporates the sensations in the body as well as the mental thoughts.
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