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Dhamma Determination

My dear Dhamma meditators: Once again we have gathered for this annual meeting. I have listened to the report of what was done during the last year, and it is quite satisfactory, quite encouraging. I also noted what you are going to do in the coming year. This is a very important year because it is the birth centenary of the great lay saint, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, who was so compassionate. In his memory we have to work hard.

There is nothing wrong in making memorials and monuments to Sayagyi, but the best memorial to him is an individual—each of you is a memorial to him. Develop yourself in Dhamma to such an extent that others think, "Here is a Vipassana meditator who learned Dhamma in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. Look how it changes people!" Make this effort to show your gratitude towards him, to encourage people to come on the path and liberate themselves, and also because it is in your own interest.

There are two important things that each meditator in this tradition has to do: Do your best to get established in pure Dhamma and work to fulfil the noble mission of this saintly person.

What a strong Dhamma volition he had! He said, "I have to pay back the debt of gratitude to the country from which we received this invaluable jewel." When he discussed newspaper reports on the situation in India, we saw how much compassion he had. He said, "What is happening in that country where Buddhas arise, where pure Dhamma arises? People are quarrelling and fighting in the name of religion! There is sectarian conflict, racial conflict and caste conflict. If they get this wonderful Dhamma, the whole country will come out of misery. There is no other way. So long as these conflicts exist there will be nothing but misery, and they can be eradicated only if the country gets pure Dhamma."

I was fearful and thought, "Who will accept Vipassana in India? Nobody knows me there."

"Don’t worry," he answered, "The time has ripened. People who have good pāramīs have taken birth as human beings on this earth and they will automatically come to take Dhamma. As soon as they hear the word ‘Vipassana’, they won’t be able to resist. Once India starts to accept Dhamma it will spread like wildfire around the world. Previously it spread from that country, and now once again the time has ripened and it will spread from there. The clock of Vipassana has struck." He was so confident about this.

I doubted that I would be successful, but somehow, within just one month of my arrival in this country, the first course was given, and then course after course, the Ganges of Dhamma started flowing.

People are miserable. A short-tempered person who is full of negativity understands at the intellectual level, "This is not good for me. I am making myself and others miserable; I want to come out of it." But how can this person come out of it? Anybody involved in any kind of vice is unhappy and wants to change from vice to virtue, but how? Mere sermons won’t help. People keep listening to good sermons and expect that by some miracle their life will change, but it doesn’t work. Everyone has to work out their own salvation. But how?

People should know there is a way which does not depend on blind faith or blind belief. Vipassana is scientific, rational and pragmatic, and brings results here and now. If you work on it you will get results, and then naturally you will have confidence in it. Step by step you will reach the final goal. The entire Dhamma is to abstain from unwholesome activities, perform wholesome activities, and purify the mind—the totality of the mind, not just the surface. There is nothing more to add, and nothing to take out—paripu��a, parisuddha. All beings desire to come out of misery, and here is a way. Everyone who feels misery and wants to come out of it should hear that this technique exists, and that they are welcome to give it a trial. This is how Vipassana spread at the time of Buddha, and this is how my Dhamma father wanted it to spread.

We are not interested in increasing the number of people who call themselves disciples of Goenka or U Ba Khin; that would be meaningless. We are not here to establish an organized religion. The moment that happens the organized religion becomes predominant and Dhamma is lost. A teacher or assistant teacher should never say to a student, "Well, you are so weak, how can you liberate yourself? Come and surrender to me, take refuge in me, and I will liberate you."

Then once people have given Vipassana a trial we should help them to progress further on the path. What facilities are needed to do that? How can we encourage them? We start helping by sharing the best we have with them. The only aim is that more and more people come out of their misery and experience peace and harmony: Bahujana-hitāya, bahujana-sukhāya.

There is a danger that in the future a son or a grandson of a Vipassana meditator might say, "I am a vipaśyī because I was born in a family of vipaśyīs," and the vipaśyī caste will start. Without practising Vipassana or knowing what it is, people will be called "vipaśyī." This is a big danger, and you have to be careful from now onwards. Understand, without actually practising Vipassana there is no benefit. Encourage others to work by working ardently yourself. This is the way we can pay back the debt of gratitude to this saintly person.

This wonderful technique was lost not only in India, but all around the world. The time has come now for Vipassana to spread again, and we have to see that it remains as long as possible to serve people. It will serve people only when the purity of the technique is maintained. Once anything is mixed with it the efficacy is gone. Then people won’t care for it and it will be lost, as it was lost thousands of years ago. We have to be very careful that this does not happen.

Whatever we have received from this saintly person, which he in turn received from the tradition, we have to maintain in its pristine purity. We won’t add anything to it or subtract anything. Kevalam paripunam—it is complete. Kevalam parisuddham— it is pure. If we maintain the purity from generation to generation, a large number of people will start coming out of misery. Now the time has come and the bell of Vipassana has rung. Vipassana will start to spread—but not miraculously. Somebody has to maintain the purity of the technique, and work so that it spreads.

At this annual conference these few points should be very clear. And each of you leaving this conference must think, "How can I best apply my ability, my intelligence and my strength so that this message spreads, and more people learn about it? "When people want to practise this, how can I help them develop further? What can I do so that more and more people get established in Dhamma?"

And thirdly, make the determination: "I myself will never spoil the purity of the technique, and as far as possible I will not allow, encourage nor support anybody to spoil the purity of the technique."

Our conference will have been successful if you carry these determinations with you. And it will be successful, there is no doubt about that. Dhamma is there to help you. Dhamma has been helping till now and it will continue to help you. But it requires a strong determination from you to pay back the debt of gratitude to this saintly person, because of whom you received the Dhamma.

Just as we have a feeling of gratitude towards the Buddha so we also have deep gratitude towards the tradition which maintained the purity, and deep gratitude to Sayagyi U Ba Khin, who had such a strong Dhamma volition. To fulfil his noble desire we will do everything we possibly can—not only for our good but also for the good of all others.

A large number of people around the world are suffering, suffering. May pure Dhamma spread around the world. May more and more miserable people come in contact with Dhamma, apply Dhamma in life, and be liberated from all miseries.

Bhavatu sabba mangalam

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