mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

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nintendo
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mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by nintendo »

What is the difference between mahasi vipassana meditation and goenka vipassana meditation, which is better
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tiltbillings
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by tiltbillings »

nintendo wrote:What is the difference between mahasi vipassana meditation and goenka vipassana meditation, which is better
The difference is the "technique." Both cultivate concentration and mindfulness. It is not a matter of which is better; rather, it is a matter of which is a good fit for the person in question.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
nintendo
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by nintendo »

tiltbillings wrote:
nintendo wrote:What is the difference between mahasi vipassana meditation and goenka vipassana meditation, which is better
The difference is the "technique." Both cultivate concentration and mindfulness. It is not a matter of which is better; rather, it is a matter of which is a good fit for the person in question.
In goenka's vipassana focus on tip of the uuper lip or entrance of the nasal region, but in mahasi vipassana focus on falling and raising of abdomen, focus on nose create pressure on upper nose2
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tiltbillings
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by tiltbillings »

nintendo wrote:focus on nose create pressure on upper nose2
Not necessarily. As was sugested elsewhere to you, you may be trying too hard.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by martinfrank »

An open discussion of issues regarding Goenka meditation is not allowed on Dhamma Wheel. Critical post will be deleted and authors will be disciplined.
The Noble Eightfold Path: Proposed to all, imposed on none.
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tiltbillings
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by tiltbillings »

martinfrank wrote:An open discussion of issues regarding Goenka meditation is not allowed on Dhamma Wheel. Critical post will be deleted and authors will be disciplined.
And, of course, this is not true.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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martinfrank
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by martinfrank »

tiltbillings wrote:
martinfrank wrote:An open discussion of issues regarding Goenka meditation is not allowed on Dhamma Wheel. Critical post will be deleted and authors will be disciplined.
And, of course, this is not true.
Do you mean only my critical posts will be deleted? I am 64 years old and not used to have my posts deleted and be treated like an uppity teenager simply because I dare ask questions. Maybe you or Ben could answer my questions.

1. Who are at present the teachers of the Goenkaji System? Is there anywhere on the Internet available a list of teachers with their qualifications and some bio information? Are there any Buddhist monks or nuns among them? If not why not?

2. Is the Goenkaji System part of Theravada Buddhism or is it a separate sect? Are Goenkaji's followers Buddhists? Are they encouraged to become monks or nuns? Did Goenkaji consider himself a Buddhists? Did he have a Buddhist funeral?

3. What is the goal of Goenkaji meditation? Is it the same as the goal of satipatthana meditation?

After answering yourself these questions you will understand what is the difference between Mahasi Vipassana and Goenka Vipassana.
The Noble Eightfold Path: Proposed to all, imposed on none.
daverupa
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

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  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by robertk »

I am pretty sure mr. Goenka and his assistant teachers consider themselves Buddhist. As for his funeral wasn't it a state one in Myanmar, with many monks in attendance, or at least there was a ceremony after the official funeral in his honor.
There is at least one monk who is an assistant teacher.
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tiltbillings
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by tiltbillings »

martinfrank wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:
martinfrank wrote:An open discussion of issues regarding Goenka meditation is not allowed on Dhamma Wheel. Critical post will be deleted and authors will be disciplined.
And, of course, this is not true.
Do you mean only my critical posts will be deleted? I am 64 years old and not used to have my posts deleted and be treated like an uppity teenager simply because I dare ask questions. Maybe you or Ben could answer my questions.
I am 66 years old -- 48 of those years as a Buddhist, and I know an ax-grinder when I see one.
1. Who are at present the teachers of the Goenkaji System? Is there anywhere on the Internet available a list of teachers with their qualifications and some bio information? Are there any Buddhist monks or nuns among them? If not why not?

2. Is the Goenkaji System part of Theravada Buddhism or is it a separate sect? Are Goenkaji's followers Buddhists? Are they encouraged to become monks or nuns? Did Goenkaji consider himself a Buddhists? Did he have a Buddhist funeral?
S.N. Goenka was part of the Burmese lay-Buddhist movement. Monastics certainly practiced that style of vipassana, being taught by laymen. Being a monastic, however, does not, by the robes alone, make one a better, more knowledgeable Buddhist. You are looking for outward signs. One might point to the VRI founded by Goenka-ji as an outward sign, which is rather significant. It is no more a separate sect than is the Thai forest movement. As for the structure of Goenka's organization, I'll defer to Ben.
3. What is the goal of Goenkaji meditation? Is it the same as the goal of satipatthana meditation?
Awakening and yes.
After answering yourself these questions you will understand what is the difference between Mahasi Vipassana and Goenka Vipassana.
While the Mahasi Sayadaw practice has been founded and promoted by monastics, monastics are hardly the only recognized teachers of the method. It is a method, like the U Ba Khin/Goenka method, that was aimed at both laity and monastics.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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martinfrank
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by martinfrank »

What ax should I have to grind? You're just not eager to answer my questions.
1. Who are at present the teachers of the Goenkaji System? Is there anywhere on the Internet available a list of teachers with their qualifications and some bio information? Are there any Buddhist monks or nuns among them? If not why not?

2. Is the Goenkaji System part of Theravada Buddhism or is it a separate sect? Are Goenkaji's followers Buddhists? Are they encouraged to become monks or nuns? Did Goenkaji consider himself a Buddhists? Did he have a Buddhist funeral?

3. What is the goal of Goenkaji meditation? Is it the same as the goal of satipatthana meditation?
Where is the list of the teachers and their qualifications? I didn't ask about Assistant Teachers; I asked about fully qualified teachers. Is there anybody who studied at a Buddhist University? Monks or nuns of many years? Can you give the names of five full teachers which can be looked up in the Internet or are these names secret? Where can I find information about who are the heads of the organization e.g. for the US or Europe? Is it all secret? Is it a cult?

I believe it is legitimate to ask whether Goenkaji was Buddhist or not. Google "Goenka Funeral" and "Buddhist Funeral". You might Google what the majority of Indian Buddhists thinks of Goenkaji... just Google "Goenka Ambedkar". If I read people writing about the "Goenka Sangha", saying that "Goenka was a Buddha", Jack Kornfield calling him "Ven. S. N. Goenka" am I not allowed to have doubts?

Goenkaji answering the question:
Do I have to be a Buddhist to practice Vipassana?

People from many religions and no religion have found the meditation course helpful and beneficial. Vipassana is an art of living, a way of life. While it is the essence of what the Buddha taught, it is not a religion; rather, it is the cultivation of human values leading to a life which is good for oneself and good for others.
https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/qanda

Vipassana is not the essence of what Lord Buddha taught. The Four Noble Truths are the essence of what Lord Buddha taught. Lord Buddha never suggested people could be e.g. Jains and his followers at the same time. I agree that meditation is helpful for people and contributes to a happy life but this is not the goal of Buddhist meditation.

THE QUESTION IS

Is the Goenka System teaching Buddhist Meditation to the millions as his followers say?

OR

Is it watering down Lord Buddha's Teaching to a way of life for lay people and confusing millions about what Lord Buddha taught?
The Noble Eightfold Path: Proposed to all, imposed on none.
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mikenz66
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by mikenz66 »

I've only gone to one Goenka retreat, but what was taught there seemed to me to be a basic Theravada meditation technique, along with basic talks on the Dhamma. The details are different from the Mahasi approach that I usually use but both build concentration and mindfulness, and develop insight into one's experience.

Vipassana, or "insight" is, actually, what the Buddhist path is about.

One could argue with the label "vipassana meditation", but that is a different issue.

:anjali:
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by MisterRunon »

I've been mostly with Goenka's style for a while now, and I find many things about it unsatisfactory so.. I plan on trying out the Mahasi technique soon. That's just me though.
robertk wrote:I am pretty sure mr. Goenka and his assistant teachers consider themselves Buddhist. As for his funeral wasn't it a state one in Myanmar, with many monks in attendance, or at least there was a ceremony after the official funeral in his honor.
There is at least one monk who is an assistant teacher.
I'm not so sure about that.. I think he kind of has a different definition for what a Buddhist is. In his video discourses, he tries to emphasize how he is not teaching Buddhism. I think his ATs also don't know that much about the Suttas.
nintendo wrote:Goenka lineage has so many assistant teachers, they are all tape recorder operators, no enlightened teachers are there
And how do you know this? Actually, many people believe John Beary, one of the most qualified teachers for Goenka, to be at a very high stage.
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by Dhammanando »

martinfrank wrote:
I believe it is legitimate to ask whether Goenkaji was Buddhist or not. Google "Goenka Funeral" and "Buddhist Funeral".
I got 58,000 hits for "Goenka funeral", but I'm not sure what conclusion you would have us draw from them. If you mean to imply that if Goenka didn’t have a Buddhist funeral —i.e. one conducted by the bhikkhusangha— then he couldn’t have been a Buddhist, then I believe the premise is faulty. This can be seen from the fact that the Buddha himself wasn’t interested in having a “Buddhist funeral”. When Ānanda asked him what “we” (i.e. the bhikkhusangha) should do with the Tathāgata’s remains, the reply was that the bhikkhus should stay out of it and leave funeral arrangements to brahmin and kshatriya householders.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
MisterRunon
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Re: mahasi vipassana vs goenka vipassana

Post by MisterRunon »

Dhammanando wrote:
martinfrank wrote:
I believe it is legitimate to ask whether Goenkaji was Buddhist or not. Google "Goenka Funeral" and "Buddhist Funeral".
I got 58,000 hits for "Goenka funeral", but I'm not sure what conclusion you would have us draw from them. If you mean to imply that if Goenka didn’t have a Buddhist funeral —i.e. one conducted by the bhikkhusangha— then he couldn’t have been a Buddhist, then I believe the premise is faulty. This can be seen from the fact that the Buddha himself wasn’t interested in having a “Buddhist funeral”. When Ānanda asked him what “we” (i.e. the bhikkhusangha) should do with the Tathāgata’s remains, the reply was that the bhikkhus should stay out of it and leave funeral arrangements to brahmin and kshatriya householders.
I think Goenka's point was that, during the time of the Buddha, there was no such thing as a Buddhist.
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