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Addiction

1.How can we avoid addictions like smoking cigarettes?

There are so many different types of addictions. When you practise Vipassana, you will understand that your

addiction is not actually to that particular substance. It seems as if you are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol,

drugs, paan betel leaf!. "ut actually, you are addicted to a particular sensation in the body, a bio#chemical flow

caused by that particular substance. $imilarly, when you are addicted to anger, passion etc, these are also

related to body sensations. %our addiction is to the sensations. Through Vipassana you come out of that

addiction, all addictions. It is so natural, so scientific. &ust try, and you will e'perience how it works.

2.Why is drinking only one glass of wine a breakage of sila?

(ne glass becomes more. $o why not come out it from the very beginning? (nce one becomes addicted, it is so

difficult to come out of the addiction. Why not refrain from anything that is addictive?

If someone who has come out of all kinds of into'icants and is progressing in meditation takes even a very small

)uantity of alcohol, that person will immediately feel that it creates agitation and will feel unhappy. They can*t

take it. Ignorance causes impurities to develop and into'icants are closely associated with ignorance. They

drown all your understanding. +ome out of them as )uickly as possible.

3.The method you have ust described is very practical, but can everybody benefit from it#even those who

suffer from severe addictions, such as to drugs or alcohol?

When we talk of addiction, it is not merely to alcohol or to drugs, but also to addiction to impurities such as

passion, to anger, to fear, to egotism. -t the intellectual level you understand very well /-nger is not good for

me, it is dangerous, so harmful./ %et you are addicted to anger, keep generating anger because you have not

been working at the depth of the behavior pattern of your mind. The anger starts because of a particular

#chemical that has started flowing in your body, and with the interaction of mind and matter#one influencing the

other#the anger continues to multiply.

"y practicing Vipassana, you start observing the sensation which has arisen because of the flow of a particular

chemical. %ou do not react to it. That means you do not generate anger at that particular moment. This one

moment turns into a few moments, which turn into a few seconds, which turn into a few minutes, and you find

that you are not as easily influenced by this flow as you were in the past. %ou have slowly started coming out of

your anger.

0eople who have come to these courses go back home and apply this techni)ue in their daily lives by theirmorning and evening meditation and by continuing to observe themselves throughout the day#how they react or

how they maintain e)uanimity in different situations. The first thing they will try to do is to observe the

sensations. "ecause of the particular situation, maybe a part of the mind has started reacting, but by observing

the sensations their minds become e)uanimous. Then whatever action they take is an action1 it is not a reaction.

-ction is always positive. It is only when we react that we generate negativity and become miserable. - few

moments observing the sensation makes the mind e)uanimous, and then it can act. 2ife then is full of action

instead of reaction.

Atma (soul)

1.What is *atma*, *soul* ?

0ractice Vipassana, and you will find the reality of what is happening inside you. What you call soul , atma, you

will notice, is ust a reacting mind, a certain part of the mind. %et you remain under the illusion that /this is *I* /.

Through practice of Vipassana, you will reali3e that this *I* is not permanent. It*s always changing, always

ephemeral. It*s nothing but a mass of sub#atomic particles, always in a state of flu' and flow. (nly by directly

e'periencing this, the illusion of *I* will go away, and then the illusion of the *soul*. With no illusions, delusions,

all miseries go away. "ut this has to be e'perienced. This does not happen by merely accepting philosophical

beliefs.


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Anger

1.How does one escape anger?

With the practise of Vipassana4 - Vipassana student observes respiration, or the bodily sensations caused when

angry. This observation is with e)uanimity, with no reaction. The anger soon weakens and passes away.

Through continued practise of Vipassana, the habit pattern of the mind to react with anger is changed.

2.I can*t suppress my anger, even if I try.

5on*t suppress it. (bserve it. The more you suppress it, the more it goes to the deeper levels of your mind. Thecomple'es become stronger and stronger, and it so difficult to come out of them. 6o suppression, no e'pression.

&ust observe.

Anxiety

1.I am always full of an'iety. +an Vipassana help me?

+ertainly. This is the purpose of Vipassana # to liberate you from all miseries. -n'iety and worry are the biggest

miseries, and they are there because of certain impurities deep within you. With practise of Vipassana, these

impurities will come on the surface and gradually pass away. (f course, it takes time. There is no magic, no

miracle, no gurudom involved. $omebody will ust show you the correct 0ath. %ou have to walk on the 0ath,

work out your own liberation from all miseries.

Attachment

1.What is wrong with wanting material things to make life more comfortable?

If it is a real re)uirement, there is nothing wrong, provided you do not become attached to it. 7or e'ample, you

are thirsty, you need water#so you work, get it, and )uench your thirst. "ut if it becomes an obsession, that

does not help at all1 it harms you. Whatever necessities you re)uire, work to get them. If you fail to get

something, then smile and try again in a different way. If you succeed, then enoy what you get, but without

attachment.

2.%ou spoke about non#attachment to things. What about persons?

%es, persons also. %ou have true love for the person, compassionate love for this person, this is totally different.

"ut when you have attachment, then you don*t have love, you only love yourself, because you e'pect something

#material, emotional etc # from this person. With whomever you have attachment, you are e'pecting something

in return. When you start truly loving this person, then you only give, a one#way traffic. %ou don*t e'pect

anything in return, then the attachment goes. The tension goes. %ou are so happy.

3. How can the world function without attachment?

If parents were detached then they would not even care for their children. How is it possible to love or be

involved in life without attachment? 5etachment does not mean indifference1 it is correctly called /holy

indifference/. -s a parent, you must meet your responsibility to care for your child with all your love, but without

clinging. (ut of pure, selfless love you do your duty. $uppose you tend a sick person, and despite your care, he

does not recover. %ou don*t start crying1 that would be useless. With a balanced mind, you try to find another

way to help him. This is holy indifference neither inaction or reaction, but real, positive action with a balanced

mind.

4.Isn*t performing a right action a kind of attachment?

6o. It is simply doing your best, understanding that the results are beyond your control. %ou do your ob and

leave the results to nature, to 5hamma.

.....then it is being willing to make a mistake?


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If you make a mistake you accept it, and try not to repeat it the ne't time. -gain you may fail1 again you smile

and try a different way. If you can smile in the face of failure, you are not attached. If failure depresses you and

success makes you elated, you are certainly attached.

Buddha

1.5o you think that 8 "a 9hin taught e'actly what the "uddha taught? 5id he adapt the "uddha*s teachings to

modern times? -nd if so, how and what did he change from the original teachings?

There was no change in the teaching, but 8 "a 9hin certainly made the way of presenting the teachings of the

"uddha more adapted to the people who came to him. To the non#"uddhist, :nglish#speaking Western people,

who were more scientific minded, he would present the teaching in a more scientific way. $o the e'planation

was made more palatable to those who were coming to learn, but the actual practical teaching remained the

same.

2.Why is your teaching called /in the tradition of $ayagyi 8 "a 9hin/? 5id he inaugurate a tradition of

"uddhism?

He always referred to the tradition of the "uddha, the tradition that was transferred to ;yanmar and was

continued down through the three generations of teachers we spoke about 2edi $ayadaw, his disciple $aya

Thetgyi, and finally 8 "a 9hin. We use the term /in the tradition of 8 "a 9hin/ because he was the last teacher

and was very well#known in his country, but this does not mean that this is a techni)ue invented by him. It*s anold #techni)ue which he was teaching in a modern way.

3.+an you e'plain the "uddha*s concept that the entire universe is contained within this very body?

Indeed, within this body turns the wheel of becoming. Within this body is the cause that puts into motion the

wheel of becoming. -nd so within this body is also found the way to attain liberty from the wheel of suffering.

7or this reason investigation of the body # correct understanding of the direct physical reality within # is of

utmost importance for a meditator whose goal is liberation from all conditioning.

4.Is this part of "uddhist religion? +an people of other religions practice it, or does it interfere with other kinds

of religious practices? Why would +hristians, for instance, want to do this?

(ne thing should be clear#this definitely is not "uddhist religion. -t the same time it is definitely the teaching of

"uddha. (ne should understand that "uddha means an enlightened person, a liberated person. :nlightened,liberated persons will never teach a religion, they will teach an art of life that is universal. They will never

establish a sect or religion. $o there is no such thing as /"uddhist religion/1 it is an art of life. $o anybody

belonging to any community, to any sect, to any religious group can easily practice it because it is an art.

0eace of mind is sought by everyone1 purity of mind is sought by everyone. +hrist was a wonderful person who

taught not only peace and harmony but also purity of mind, love, compassion. $o those who follow the teachings

of +hrist certainly like to develop this good )uality of purity, love, compassion. When they come to courses, they

don*t feel that they are coming to any foreign religion. - number of times very senior priests and nuns have told

me that we are teaching +hristianity in the name of "uddha.

Was it necessary for "uddha to practice meditation even after enlightenment?

%es, it was necessary. :ven when one becomes a "uddha, it does not mean that the law of nature will be

different for this person. The law of nature of this body is that it is decaying, dying. The body re)uires strength,

and when a "uddha goes in this meditative state of nibbana and comes out, he finds that the whole body has

become healthier. It helps, he can serve much more.

There is so much work for the body of one who works all the twenty#four hours, e'cept for two or two#and#a#

half hours when he lies down. $ome rest is needed. The mind is peaceful, but to rest the body the mind has to

go to the depth and reach the nibbanic stage. When one comes out of the nibbanic e'perience one is physically

refreshed.


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5.%ou keep referring to the "uddha. -re you teaching "uddhism?

I am not concerned with *isms*. I teach 5hamma, and that is what the "uddha taught. He never taught any

*ism*, or any sectarian doctrine. He taught something from which people of every background, every religion,

can benefits. He taught the way with which one can to live a life full of benefits for oneself and other. He didn*t

merely give empty sermons saying, * (h, 0eople. %ou must live like this, you must live like that/. The "uddha

taught practical 5hamma , the actual way to live a wholesome life. -nd Vipassana is the practical know#how to

lead a life of real happiness.

6.-ll "uddhist meditation techni)ues were already known in yoga. What was new in meditation as taught by the

"uddha?

What is called yoga today is actually a later development. 0atanali lived about


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1.We have young children and it is very difficult to find time to meditate. What should I do?

- householder is bound to face such difficulties. "ut if you wait for the time when there are no hindrances, you

will not meditate for your whole life. 7or a woman, motherhood is good. -nd if you have children, you have the

responsibility to look after them#very good. -long with the responsibility of looking after the child, you must find

time to meditate. When the child is asleep, meditate. The child has awakened all right, again start nursing the

child. In this way, even if you don*t get a fi'ed time or place, it doesn*t matter, do it in intervals. "ut meditate,

don*t stop.

2.-t what age could I start to teach my child to meditate?

"efore birth. ;editation should be taught when the child is growing in the womb. The child needs good

vibrations while in the womb, so practise Vipassana. :very pregnant mother should practise more Vipassana

because then you are helping two beings simultaneously. %ou are helping yourself, and you are helping the

being which has not yet come out. Help them.

-fter that, when the child grows to five or si' you can start teaching -napana. &ust be aware of the respiration

for a few minutes1 two, three, five minutes, enough. 5on*t push too much. - few minutes of awareness of

respiration, and then say1 /-ll right, play./ -fter that, again a few minutes of respiration. $o it will become like

playing for the child. 2ater on, as he or she grows, increase the time. In this way you start giving the seed of

5hamma, and the child develops in an atmosphere of 5hamma.

%ou have started giving training in -napana in some schools. How will this training benefit children?

-ctually the entire teaching has only one purpose (ne should live peacefully and harmoniously in accordance

with the law of nature#not harming oneself or others. 6ow this art of living is difficult to learn in old age, so the

training should start at a young age. In the schools children should learn the art of living a healthy life. Their

entire life is ahead of them.

%ou start by teaching them how to control their minds. -long with this awareness of respiration it is e'plained

that you have to live a moral life, so they understand, /I must not kill, I must not steal, etc. "ut how can I

abstain from that? I must have control over my mind. -nd look, this helps./ The obect that is given is universal

so a student from any caste, any community, any religion can work on this.

%ou also tell them that they can develop in this awareness of respiration and then they will live a good life. -t

further stages they can purify their minds to such an e'tent that they will live a perfect life, so there is a goal. In

school for e'ample, when they learn the alphabet the goal is that they will become very learned people later on.6ow they have started with this base of sila and respiration.

3.5o you think that by this training children can become good citi3ens?

What is a good citi3en? - good citi3en is one who does not harm himself or herself and also does not harm other

members of society. The whole teaching shows how to live a life of morality. If children start learning this in

childhood, when they become adults they will naturally live healthy, good lives. This is how they will become

good citi3ens.

4.What is your feeling about teaching 5hamma to children?

The best time for that is before birth of the child. 5uring pregnancy the mother should practise Vipassana, so

that the child also receives it and is born a 5hamma child. "ut if you already have children, you can still share

5hamma with them. If your children are very young below age !, direct your metta the techni)ue of ;etta#

"havana to share the vibrations of goodwill and compassion to all beings, taught on the @=th morning of the

Vipassana course ! to them after every sitting and at their bedtime. In this way, they also benefit from your

practice of 5hamma. -nd when you are older, e'plain a little about 5hamma to them in a way that they can

understand and accept. If they can understand it a little more, then teach them -napana for a few minutes.

5on*t pressure the children in any way. &ust let them sit with you, observe their breath for a few minutes, and

then go and play. The meditation will be like play to them1 they will enoy it. -nd the most important is that you

must live a healthy 5hamma life yourself, you must set a good e'ample for your children. In your home, you


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must establish a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere which will help them grow into healthy and happy people.

This is the best thing you can do for your children.

5.+ould you give advice to mothers with infants, and struggling to keep up their practice?

Why should there be a problem? The child is on the lap and still you can practise. %ou can give metta to the

child. %ou can give metta to others. %ou must learn how to carry on your 5hamma in every situation. $o use

5hamma for all your duties. - mother*s duty is to look after the child in a 5hamma way.

6.Is it necessary to introduce Vipassana into education?

+ertainly. Vipassana is the practical science of living. The ne't generation must learn this science at a very

young age, so that they can live a very healthy life, a harmonious life. If they understand pure 5hamma, the law

of nature, they will live according to the law of nature. When children are taught Vipassana in the schools and

colleges, as it is being done now in some cities, there are very good results.

Com"lexes

1.How to come out of inferiority A superiority comple'es?

This is what Vipassana does. :very comple' is an impurity of the mind. -s that impurity comes to the surface,

you observe it at the level of body sensations. It passes away. It arises again. -gain you observe. -gain it

passes away. 2ike this, these comple'es weaken and ultimately do not rise again. &ust observe. $uppression ore'pression is harmful. Vipassana helps one come out of all comple'es.

Concentration

1.What is the difference between Vipassana and concentration?

Vipassana is not merely concentration. Vipassana is observation of the truth within, from moment to moment.

%ou develop your faculty of awareness, your mindfulness. Things keep changing, but you remain aware # this is

Vipassana. "ut if you concentrate only on one obect, which may be an imaginary obect, then nothing will

change. When you are with this imagination, and your mind remains concentrated on it, you are not observing

the truth. When you are observing the truth, it is bound to change. It keeps constantly changing, and yet you

are aware of it. This is Vipassana.

Conditioning

1.%ou talk about conditioning of the mind. "ut isn*t this training also a kind of conditioning of the mind, even if

a positive one?

(n the contrary, Vipassana is a process of de#conditioning. Instead of imposing anything on the mind, it

automatically removes unwholesome )ualities so that only positive, wholesome )ualities remain. "y eliminating

negativities, it uncovers the positivity which is the basic nature of the pure mind.

Cra#ing

1.Is it okay to have a craving for enlightenment?

It is wrong. %ou will never get enlightenment if you have a craving for enlightenment. :nlightenment ust

happens. If you crave for it, you are running in the opposite direction. (ne cannot crave for a particular result.

The result comes naturally. If you start craving, / I must get nibbana, I must get nibbana/, you are running in

the opposite direction of nibbana. 6ibbana is a state which is free from craving, and you want to reach that state

with craving # not possible.

2.Is a strong desire the same as craving?


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There is a difference. Whether there is craving or not, will be udged by whatever you desire. If you don*t get it,

and you feel depressed, then it was craving. If you don*t get it, and you ust smile, then it was ust a desire. It

didn*t turn into craving. Whenever there is a craving and clinging and you don*t get something, you are bound to

become miserable. If you are becoming miserable, then there was some craving. (therwise, no craving.

3.+an*t there be wholesome cravings and aversions # for e'ample, hating inustice, desiring freedom, fearing

physical harm?

+ravings and aversions can never be wholesome. They will always make you tense and unhappy. If you act with

craving or aversion in the mind, you may have a worthwhile goal, but you use an unhealthy means to reach it.(f course, you have to act to protect yourself from danger. If you do it overpowered by fear, then might you

develop a fear comple' which will harm you in the long run. (r, if with hatred in the mind, if you are successful

in fighting inustice, then that hatred becomes a harmful mental comple'. %ou must fight inustice, you must

protect yourself from danger, but you can do so with a balanced mind, without tension. -nd in a balanced way,

you can work to achieve something good, out of love for others. "alance of mind is always helpful, and will give

the best results.

4.What is wrong with wanting material things to make life more comfortable?

If it is a real re)uirement, there is nothing wrong, provided you do not become attached to it. Whatever

necessities you re)uire, work to get them. If you fail to get something, then smile and try again in a different

way. If you succeed, then enoy what you get, but without attachment.

5.How about planning for the future? Would you call that craving?

-gain, the criterion is whether you are attached to your plan. :veryone must provide for the future. If your plan

does not succeed and you start crying, then you know that you were attached to it. "ut if you are unsuccessful

and can still smile, thinking, / Well, I did my best. $o what if I failed? I*ll try again 4/ # then you are working in a

detached way, and you remain happy.

$hamma

1.What is 5hamma ?

What one*s mind contains, at this moment, is 5hamma. 5hamma is everything there is.

2.What is the relevance of 5hamma to a person on the street, whose stomach is empty?

- large number of people living in slums come to Vipassana courses and find it very helpful. Their stomachs are

empty, but their minds also are so agitated. With Vipassana, they learn how to be calm and e)uanimous. Then

they can face their problems. It is noticed their lives improve. They come out of addictions to alcohol, gambling

etc. 5hamma is helpful to everyone, rich or poor.

3.How can a truly 5hammic person face this adhammic world?

5on*t try to change the adhammic world. Try to change the adhamma in yourself # the way in which you are

reacting and making yourself miserable. 7or instance, when somebody is abusing you, understand that this

person is miserable. It is the problem of that person. Why make it your problem? Why start generating anger

and making yourself miserable? 5oing that means you are not your own master, you are that person*s slave1

whenever that person wants to, he can make you miserable. "e your own master. Then you can live a 5hammic

life, in spite of all the adhammic situations all around.

4.How do you e)uate religion and 5hamma?

If religion is taken in a sectarian sense, like Hindu religion or ;uslim religion or "uddhist religion and so on, then

it is totally against 5hamma. "ut if religion is taken as the law of nature, the universal law of nature, then it is

the same as 5hamma.


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5.5o you believe the 5hamma can guide you?

%es. +ertainly, the 5hamma starts guiding you. -s the mind gets more and more purified, your pannya, your

own e'periential wisdom will get stronger and stronger. When any problem comes in the world, in your life, then

you ust go a little deep inside and you get the answer yourself. $o this becomes your guide. %ou should not

depend on anyone else. %ou depend on yourself, and depend on 5hamma.

$hamma %orces

1.-re there 5hamma forces that support us as we develop on the 0ath?

+ertainly B visible as well as invisible ones. 7or e'ample, people tend to associate with those of similar interest,

background and character. When we develop good )ualities in us, we naturally attract people who have such

good )ualities. When we come in contact with such good people, naturally we get support from them.

If we develop love, compassion and goodwill, we will get tuned up with all beings, visible or invisible, that have

these positive vibrations, and we will start getting support from them. It is like tuning a radio to receive waves

of a certain meter band from a distant broadcasting station. $imilarly, we tune ourselves to vibrations of the

type we generate1 and so we receive the benefit of those vibrations. "ut all this happens only if we work hard

and correctly.

$eath

1.How can Vipassana be used at the time of death?

-t the time of death # death of other people # then you ust sit and give metta. -nd when your own death

comes, observe it, at the level of sensations. :veryone has to observe one*s death coming, coming, coming,

going, going, going, gone 4 "e happy 4

Ego

1.%ou speak of the ego *I* only in negative terms. Hasn*t it a positive side? Isn*t there an e'perience of *I* which

fills a person with oy, with peace and rapture?

Through practice of Vipassana you will find that all such sensual pleasures are impermanent1 they come andpass away. If this *I* really enoys them, if they are *my* pleasures, then *I* must have some mastery over them.

"ut they ust arise and pass away without my control. What *I* is there?

I*m speaking not of sensual pleasures, but of a very deep level.

-t that level, *I* is of no importance at all. When you reach that level, the ego is dissolved.

There is only oy. The )uestion of *I* does not arise then.

Well, instead of *I* , let us say the e'perience of a person.

7eelings feel1 there is no one to feel it. Things are ust happening, that*s all. 6ow it seems to you that there

must be an *I* who feels, but after beginning to practice Vipassana, you will reach the stage where the ego

dissolves. Then your )uestion will disappear4

7or conventional purposes, yes, we cannot run away from using words like *I* or *mine* etc. "ut clinging to them,

taking them as real in an ultimate sense will only bring suffering.

2.I find that I am every egoistic and )uick to belittle other people. What is the best way to come out of this

problem?


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+ome out of it by meditating. If the ego is strong, one will try to belittle others, to lower their importance and

increase one*s own. "ut meditation naturally dissolves the ego. When it dissolves, you can no longer do anything

to hurt another. ;editate and the problem will automatically solved.

3.Why do I keep reinforcing this ego? Why do I keep trying to be /I/ ?

This is what the mind is conditioned to do, out of ignorance. "ut Vipassana can liberate you from this harmful

conditioning. In place of always thinking of the self, you can learn to think of others.

Emotion

1.Isn*t anger, aversion, sadness etc all natural human emotions?

%ou call them *natural* human emotions, but the mind by nature is very pure. This is a very common mistake.

The true, pure nature of the mind is so much lost that the impure nature of the mind is often called *natural*4

The true natural mind is so pure, full of compassion, goodwill.

I will give you an e'ample. $uppose somebody close to me dies. It is natural for me to...

-gain you are saying the same thing4 It is the wrong nature in which you are involved. If somebody dies, no

crying. +rying doesn*t solve any problem. -ll those moments when you have been crying you are sowing seeds

of crying. 6ature wouldn*t see why you are crying, nature only sees what seed you have sowed and the seed of

crying will only bring more crying..

"ut the feelings I have for that dead person?

%ou are harming that person also because wherever this person has taken his ne't birth, wherever this person

may be, you are sending vibrations of crying. $o poor person, so much agitated. He gets vibrations of misery.

Instead of that, at the end of a @=#day Vipassana course, you are taught how to send metta, the vibrations of

love and compassion. He or she will be happy. Wherever you are, your metta vibrations will touch this person.

"y giving metta, instead of crying, you will be helping this person.

E&uanimity

1.What do you mean by *being e)uanimous*?

When you do not react, you are e)uanimous.

2.+an we feel and enoy things fully and still be e)uanimous?

+ertainly. 2ife is to enoy wholesome things. "ut not with an attachment to anything. %ou remain e)uanimous

and enoy, so that when you miss it you smile / I knew it was going away. It has gone away. $o what? / Then

only are you really enoying life. (therwise, you get attached, and if you miss it, you roll in misery. $o no

misery. In every situation be happy.

3.$urely it is unnatural never to react?

It seems so if you have e'perienced only the wrong habit#pattern of an impure mind. "ut it is natural for a pure

mind to remain fully e)uanimous. -n e)uanimous, pure mind is full of love, compassion, healthy detachment,

goodwill, oy. :)uanimity is purity. 2earn to e'perience that.

4.How can we be involved in life unless we react?

Instead of reacting you learn to act, to act with a balanced mind. Vipassana meditators do not become inactive,

like vegetables. They learn how to act positively. If you can change your life pattern from reaction to action,

then you have attained something very valuable. -nd you can change it by practising Vipassana.

5.How is e)uanimity related to samadhi concentration of the mind!?

$amadhi can be without e)uanimity. With the base of craving one becomes fully concentrated. "ut that kind of

samadhi is not right samadhi. That is with the base of impurity. "ut if the samadhi is with e)uanimity, then it


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gives wonderful results, because the mind is pure and concentrated, so it is powerful with purity. It cannot do

anything that will harm you or harm others. "ut if it is powerful with impurity, it will harm others, it will harm

you. $o e)uanimity with samadhi is helpful.

6.If someone is purposely making our life miserable # how to tolerate this ?

7irst of all, don*t try to change the other person. Try to change yourself. $omebody is trying to make you

miserable. "ut you are becoming miserable because you are reacting to this. If you learn how to observe your

reaction, then nobody can make you miserable. -ny amount of misery from others cannot make you miserable if

you learn to be e)uanimous deep inside. Vipassana will help you. (nce you become free from misery inside, this

will also start affecting others. The same person who was harming you will start changing little by little.

Esca"ism

1.How is Vipassana different from escapism?

Vipassana is to face the world. 6o escapism is permitted in Vipassana.

%asting

1.I want to know if I can fast?

6o, no. Total fasting is not good for this techni)ue. 6either total fasting nor overeating. It is a middle path. :at

less # what is necessary for the body # that*s all. 7asting you can do later on ust for your body*s sake # that*s

another )uestion. "ut for meditation, fasting is not necessary.

%ood

1.Why is vegetarian food helpful for meditation?

When you eat meat or something, then this being # animal or fish or whatever it is # for its whole life was

generating nothing but craving, aversion, craving, aversion. -fter all, human beings can find some time when

they can come out of craving and aversion. These beings cannot come out of it. $o every fibre of their body is

vibrating with craving and aversion. -nd you yourself want to come out of craving, aversion and you are giving

an input to all of that. $o what sort of vibrations you will have. That is why it is not good.

2.+an a non#vegetarian succeed in Vipassana?

When you come to a Vipassana course, only vegetarian food is served. "ut we don*t say that if you take non#

vegetarian food, you will go to hell. It is not like that. $lowly, you will come out of eating meat, like thousands of

Vipassana students have. %ou will naturally find there is no more need for you to have non#vegetarian food. %our

progress in Vipassana will certainly be better if you are vegetarian.

'od

1.Who is Cod?

Truth is Cod. Deali3e the truth within you, and you will reali3e Cod.

2.Is there a Cod who created earth?

I have not seen such a Cod. If you have, you are welcome to believe. 7or me, truth is Cod, the law of nature is

Cod, 5hamma is Cod, and everything is evolving because of 5hamma, because of this law of nature. If you

understand this, and live according to the law of 5hamma, you live a good life. Whether you believe in a

supernatural Cod or not, makes no difference.


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3.5on*t we need Cod*s power?

Cod*s power is 5hamma*s power. 5hamma is Cod. Truth is Cod. When you are with truth, when you are with

5hamma, you are with Cod. 5evelop Cod*s power within yourself, by purifying your mind.

4.-re you an atheist?

2aughs!. If by *atheist* you mean one who does not believe in Cod, then no, I am not. 7or me, Cod is not an

imaginary person. 7or me, truth is Cod. The ultimate truth is ultimate Cod.a""iness

1.%ou said Vipassana makes one truly happy. "ut to remain happy and peaceful even when confronted by the

suffering of others # isn*t that sheer insensitivity?

"eing sensitive to the suffering of others does not mean that you must become sad yourself. Instead you should

remain calm and balanced, so that you can act to alleviate their suffering. If you become sad, you increase the

unhappiness around you1 you do not help others and you do not help yourself. That is why my teacher $ayagyi

8 "a 9hin used to say that a balanced mind is necessary to balance the unbalanced mind of others.

2.+an we get complete happiness and complete transformation through Vipassana?

It is a progressive process. -s you start working, you will find that you are e'periencing more and more

happiness, and eventually you will reach the stage which is total happiness. %ou become more and moretransformed, and you will reach the stage which is total transformation. It is progressive.

onesty

1.;y professional life involves dishonesty. I cannot take up another calling as that will cause great

inconvenience.

0ractise Vipassana, and your mind will become strong. -t present, you are a slave of your mind, and your mind

keep forcing you to do things which you do not want to do. "y the practise of Vipassana, you will get the

strength to come out of this easily, and then you will find some other profession, which will be helpful to you,

and which will be wholesome.

y"notism

1.What is the difference between hypnotism and meditation?

The true meditation techni)ues of ancient India were totally against hypnotism. $ome techni)ues did use

hypnotism, but this is totally against 5hamma. 5hamma makes you self#dependant. Hypnotism will never make

you self#dependant. Therefore, these two do not go together.

nsomnia

1.How to deal with insomnia?

Vipassana helps you. When a Vipassana student can*t sleep properly, if he or she lies down and observes

respiration or sensations, sound sleep comes. :ven if they don*t get sound sleep, the ne't day they will get up

feeling very fresh, as if they have come out of a deep sleep. 0ractice Vipassana even when lying down. Try, and

you will find that it is very helpful.

2.7or the past ten to twelve years, I haven*t been able to sleep properly.

Vipassana will solve this problem, depending on how properly you work. If you come to Vipassana with the sole

aim of getting sound sleep, then it*s better you don*t come4 %ou should come to Vipassana to come out of the

impurities of your mind. There is a great disturbance because there is so much negativity in the mind, so much

worry. -ll these worries, negativities and impurities will start getting eradicated by Vipassana, and you will start

getting very sound sleep.


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*arma

1.How can we avoid karma?

"e the master of your own mind. Vipassana teaches you how to become your own master. (therwise, because

of the old negative habit pattern of the mind, you will keep doing actions, that karma, which you do not want to

do. Intellectually, you understand, / I should not perform these actions/. %et, you continue to do so, because

you do not have mastery over your mind. Vipassana will help you achieve this mastery over the mind.

2.Is being wealthy good karma? If it is, does that mean that most people in the West have good karma, and

most people in the Third World have bad karma?

Wealth alone is not a good karma. If you become wealthy but remain miserable, what is the use of this wealth?

Having wealth and also happiness, real happiness # that is good karma. ;ost important is to be happy, whether

you are wealthy or not.

3.If all causes have a specific effect, how do we have freedom of choice to liberate ourselves from our karma?

"ecause of cause. The cause of your understanding this cause of your understanding. This cause of

understanding helps you come out of the reaction of generating new sankharas conditioning of the mind!. The

cause of ignorance results in generating more and more sankharas and rolling in it. The cause of wisdom results

in helping to come out of it. The cause is there, -ll the time you are using the cause of ignorance. %ou keep onrolling in misery. 6ow by practice of Vipassana, you are making use of the cause of wisdom. %ou don*t make new

sankharas.

+ie

1.What would you say is the purpose of life?

To come out of misery. - human being has the wonderful ability to go deep inside, observe reality, and come out

of suffering. 6ot to use this ability is to waste one*s life. 8se it to live a really healthy, happy life4

2.How to practise Vipassana in daily life?

Take a Vipassana course, and then you will understand how to apply the practice in your life. If you ust take acourse and don*t apply it in life, then Vipassana will become ust a rite, ritual, or a religious ceremony. It won*t

help you. Vipassana is to live a good life, every day , every moment.

3.What is life after death?

:very moment one is taking birth, every moment one is dying. 8nderstand this process of life and death. This

will make you very happy, and you will understand what happens after death.

4.What is the ultimate goal of life?

The ultimate life, the ultimate goal, is here and now. If you keep looking for something in the future, but you

don*t gain anything now, this is a delusion. If you have started e'periencing peace and harmony now, then there

is every likelihood that you will reach the goal, which is nothing but peace and harmony. $o e'perience it now,

this moment. Then you are really on the right path.

+i,eration

1.-re there any liberated people living presently?

%es. Vipassana is a progressive path to liberation. -s much as you are free from impurity, that much you are

liberated. -nd there are people who have reached the stage where they are totally free from all impurities.


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2.Is meditation the only way to get liberated?

%es. &ust accepting something with blind faith will not help. %ou have to work for your liberation. %ou have to

find out where the bondage is, and then you have to come out of that bondage. This is Vipassana. Vipassana

enables one to directly e'perience the real cause of bondage, the real cause of misery, and enables one to be

gradually liberated from all miseries. $o liberation comes from the practice of Vipassana.

+o!as

1.In your discourses you talk about thirty one lokas, but often this looks very speculative. +an this beunderstood at the level of sensations?

+ertainly. The whole techni)ue takes you to the stage where you will start feeling#some students, very few,

have started feeling # / now what sort of vibration am I e'periencing? What sort of vibration?/ -nd according to

that, they understand # a vibration of this particular loka, of this particular plane, is of this type. -nd later on,

they can understand in greater detail also. "ut it is not necessary that one should first accept the reality of these

thirty#one planes to progress in 5hamma. 6othing doing. -ccept it only when you reach the stage when you can

directly e'perience such very subtle realities.

-antras

1.How does Vipassana differ from other meditation techni)ues like the use of mantras. 5on*t they alsoconcentrate the mind?

With the help of mantras, visuali3ation of any shape or form one can easily get the mind concentrated, no doubt.

"ut with Vipassana, the aim is to purify the mind. -nd mantras generate a particular type of artificial vibration.

:very word, every mantra will generate a vibration, and if one keeps working with this mantra for long hours,

one gets engulfed in the created vibration. Whereas, Vipassana wants you to observe the natural vibration that

you have # in the form of sensations # vibrations when you become angry, or when you are full of passion, or

fear, or hatred, so that you can come out of them.

-etta Bha#ana

1.What is metta?

;etta or ;etta "havana is the techni)ue of generating vibrations of goodwill and compassion that a Vipassana

student is first taught on the @=th day of a @=#day Vipassana course. 2ater, at the end of every Vipassana

course, or a @#hour sitting, a meditator is asked to practice metta, to share the merits gained with all beings.

;etta vibrations are tangible vibrations whose beneficial power increases as the purity of the mind increases.

2.5oes metta get stronger as samadhi concentration! gets stronger?

%es. Without samadhi, the metta is really no metta. When samadhi is weak, the mind is very agitated, and it is

agitated only when it is generating some impurity, some type of craving or aversion. With these impurities, you

cannot e'pect to generate good )ualities, vibrations of metta, or karuna compassion!. It isn>t possible.

-t the vocal level, you may keep on saying /"e happy, be happy>, but it doesn>t work. If you have samadhi then

your mind is calm and )uiet, at least for a moment. It is not necessary that all the impurities have gone away1

but at least for that moment when you are going to give metta, your mind is )uiet, calm, and not generating any

impurity. Then whatever metta you give is strong, fruitful, beneficial.

3.Is the generation of metta a natural conse)uence of the purity of the mind, or is it something that must be

actively developed? -re there progressive stages in metta?

"oth are true. -ccording to the law of nature B the law of 5hamma B as the mind is purified, the )uality of metta

develops naturally. (n the other hand, you must work to develop it by practicing ;etta "havana. It is only at a


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very high stage of mental purity that metta is generated naturally, and nothing has to be done, no training has

to be given. 8ntil one reaches that stage, one has to practice.

-lso, people who don>t practice Vipassana can practice ;etta "havana. In such countries as "urma, $ri 2anka

and Thailand, ;etta "havana is very common in every household. However, the practice is usually confined to

mentally reciting /;ay all beings be happy, be peaceful/. This certainly gives some peace of mind to the person

who is practicing it. To some e'tent good vibrations enter the atmosphere, but they are not strong.

However, when you practice Vipassana, purification starts. With this base of purity, your practice of ;etta

naturally becomes stronger. Then you won>t need to repeat these good wishes aloud. - stage will come when

every fiber of the body keeps on feeling compassion for others, generating goodwill for others.

4.How does metta help in the development of mudita sympathetic oy! and karuna compassion!?

;udita and karuna naturally follow as one develops metta. ;etta is love for all beings. ;etta takes away the

traces of aversion, animosity and hatred towards others. It takes away the traces of ealousy, and envy towards

others.

-udita (ym"athetic /oy)

What is mudita?

When you see other people progressing, becoming happier, if your mind is not pure, you will generate ealousytowards these people. /Why did they get this, and not I? I>m a more deserving person. Why are they given such

a position of power, or status? Why not I? Why have they earned so much money? Why not I?/ This kind of

ealousy is the manifestation of an impure mind.

-s your mind gets pure by Vipassana and your metta gets stronger, you will feel happy when seeing others

happy. /-ll around there is misery. 2ook, at least one person is happy. ;ay he be happy and contented. ;ay he

progress in 5hamma, progress in worldly ways/. This is mudita, sympathetic happiness. It will come.

-ind

1.What is mind? Where is it?

The mind is there in every atom of your body. This is what you will understand by practising Vipassana. With it,

you will make an analytical study of your mind, an analytical study of your matter, and the interaction of thetwo.

2.%ou spoke about taking out the bad )ualities from the mind. What does that mean?

2ike you have emotions in you# feelings of depression in you#feelings of animosity towards others. -ll those are

bad )ualities. They keep you unhappy. With these you harm yourself and you harm others. 2ittle by little you

have to take them out. -nd you will enoy great peace of mind.

3.What is the connection between the mind and the brain?

The brain itself is ust a physical organ. -s you deal with other parts of the body, you deal with the brain in the

same way, that*s all. 6othing special to do with the brain. "ut the mind is totally different. In the West, all

importance is given to the brain as if the mind is located here. 6othing doing, it is everywhere. The mind is in

the whole body. $o give attention to the whole body.

4.If you purify the body, you purify the mind?

6o. :ven though you purify the body, the mind may remain dirty and it will again make the body impure. $o the

root is the mind, not the body. The body is ust the base. With the help of the body, the mind is working, but the

mind has to be purified. %ou keep on washing your body as much as you can, but the mind is not washed. ;ind

remains still impure. ;ind has to be pure. "ut if you purify the mind, the body gets purified. It has an effect. The

aim of Vipassana is to purify the mind.


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5.%ou say we are meditating during -napana! to sharpen the mind. How is the mind sharpened?

If you are with reality and not reacting to it, naturally the mind gets sharpened. The mind gets blunt when it

reacts. ;ore reaction makes the mind more gross. When you don*t react, its natural reality is very sharp, very

sensitive.

-orality

1.Why do you give so much importance to morality and maintaining the five precepts of sila, in Vipassanacourses?

I have seen from a number of students that people who give no importance to sila, or morality, cannot make

any progress on the path. $ila is the foundation of 5hamma. When the foundation is weak, the whole structure

will collapse. 7or years such people may come to courses and have wonderful e'periences in meditation, but in

their daily lives there is no change. They remain agitated and miserable because they are only playing a game

with Vipassana, as they have played so many games. $uch people are real losers. Those who really want to use

5hamma in order to change their lives for better must practise sila as carefully as possible.

2.We should lead a moral life, but morality is deteriorating in the whole world.

It is all the more important that 5hamma should arise at this time, when morality is deteriorating4 The time

when there is darkness all around is the time when the day should break, the sun should arise.

3.Is it against morality to kill an enemy if you are a member of the armed forces?

%es. "ut at the same time, the army is necessary for the protection of the country, for the protection of the

civilians. The army should not be used ust to kill others. It should be used to show the strength of the country,

so that an enemy cannot even have the thought of being aggressive and harming people. Therefore, the army is

necessary. "ut not to kill, ust to show strength. If somebody is harming the country, then the first thing to do is

to give a warning. (therwise, if it becomes necessary, action has to be taken. "ut then again, the soldiers have

to be trained not to have anger, not to have animosity. (therwise, their minds will become unbalanced, all their

decisions will go wrong. With a balanced mind, we can take good decisions, right decisions, which will be very

helpful to us and helpful to others.

0ain

How can the mind remain balanced when we are in pain?

Whenever something happens in the e'ternal world that we do not like, there are unpleasant sensations in the

body. - Vipassana meditator focuses the entire attention on these sensations without reacting, ust observing

them very obectively. It is very difficult in the beginning, but slowly it becomes easier to observe the gross

unpleasant sensations # what we call pain # with a balanced, calm mind. 0leasant, unpleasant, makes no

difference. :very sensation arises only to pass away. Why react to something that is so ephemeral.

0eace

1.Why don*t we live in a state of peace?

"ecause e'periential wisdom is lacking. - life without wisdom from one*s own direct e'perience, is a life of

illusion, which is a state of agitation, of misery. (ur first responsibility is to live a healthy, harmonious life, good

for ourselves and for all others. To do so, we must learn to use our faculty of self#observation, truth#observation.

2.What is the point of seeking peace within when there is no peace in the world?

The world will be peaceful only when the people of the world are peaceful and happy. The change has to begin

with each individual. If the ungle is withered and you want to restore it to life, you must water each tree of that


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ungle. If you want world peace, you ought to learn how to be peaceful yourself. (nly then can you bring peace

to the world.

3.$uffering, war and conflict are as old as history. 5o you really believe in a world of peace?

Well, even if a few people come out of misery, it is good. When there is darkness all around and one lamp has

started giving light, it is good. -nd like this, if one lamp becomes ten lamps, or twenty lamps, the darkness will

get dispelled here and there. There is no guarantee that the entire world will become peaceful, but as much

peace as you can make yourself, that much you are helping the peace of the world.

0rison courses

1.What about hardened criminals, can they do Vipassana?

+ertainly. Vipassana is to purify the mind1 the techni)ue is to make people come out of their tensions and

miseries. Those who have committed such serious crimes as murder or rape or arson are very miserable people1

their minds are full of tension. -nd now Vipassana courses are being held in many prisons in India. In fact, Tihar

&ail, in 5elhi, one of the largest 5hamma Tihar

e,irth

1.5o you believe in re#birth?

;y believing or not believing will not help you. 0ractice Vipassana, and you will reach a stage where you can seeyour past, and you can see your future. Then only believe. 5on*t believe something ust because your teacher

says so. (therwise, you will be under the clutches of a guru, which is against 5hamma.

elless er#ice

How does one find the balance between selfless service and taking care of oneself?

laughs! If one cannot take care of oneself, what service will one give? 7irst take care of yourself, and then start

giving selfless service

ex

1.What is the importance of nourishment, se'uality and livelihood in helping or hindering progress in

meditation?

5uring an intensive meditation course it is essential that the meditator eat vegetarian food. (utside of that, it is

sufficient that the meditator become moderate in nourishment, naturally taking care to eat healthy food. ;any

students become vegetarians naturally.

In the same way, during a course one is re)uested to abstain from any se'ual activities, but in daily life you can

continue to have se'ual relations with your wife or husband. We have to also understand that the practice of

Vipassana meditation leads you naturally to eliminate se'ual desire. Cradually the meditator will become full of

love for others without e'pecting anything in return. 0assion is replaced by compassion. -t this stage se'ual

activity becomes inade)uate to e'press such pure love. Without any repression or suppression, the meditator

enters into a stage of natural celibacy.

Degarding livelihood, a meditator can do any profession, but it should be a profession that does not harm other

beings and that contributes to the welfare of others. In this regard, the most important thing is mental volition.

Whatever ob you are doing, you should do it with the feeling of serving society, in e'change for which you

receive remuneration to maintain yourself and your family.

2.Why is there segregation of se'es on a course?

This would not have been necessary if we were working with other types of meditation which impose a good

layer at the surface of the mind, making you forget everything that is deep inside.


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"ut this techni)ue is totally different. 7rom the very beginning it starts an operation of the mind, taking out the

impurities from the deepest level. When you operate on a wound, only pus will come out1 you can*t e'pect rose

water to come out. What is the pus of the mind? 6ow the worst pus that you have is se'ual passion. The entire

loka in which you are living is called kama#loka, the loka where se'ual passion is predominant. :ven at the

apparent level your birth is because of the se'ual contact of your parents. The base of se'ual passion is deep

inside. -nd if se'ual passion comes on the surface, it becomes stronger for a male when he is in contact with the

vibration of a female. When a female develops passion, it is strengthened by contact with the vibrations of a

male. -nd if you remain intermingled while you are doing this operation, it is dangerous. It will harm you.

Instead of your coming out of passion, there is every possibility that you will multiply passion. $o better remain

separated as much as possible. It is essential.

3.What about se' within the framework of Vipassana?

7or a new Vipassana student, we don*t say that you have to have suppressed celibacy, forced celibacy. It is not

healthy. It creates more difficulty, more tensions, more knots. $o that is why the advise for a Vipassana student

is have relations with one spouse, one man#one woman, and disciplined se'. -nd if both are Vipassana

meditators, a time will come that they will naturally come out of the need for se'. $e' is not necessary. "y

nature, they are contented, so happy, the body relations have no meaning. "ut that should happen naturally,

not forcefully. $o as one starts practicing Vipassana, it is not necessary one should be celibate. "ut at the same

time, there must be relations with only one person1 otherwise, this madness will continue. Then the passion

keeps on multiplying, one cannot come out of it.

4.What is disciplined se'?

5isciplined se' is where you don*t go mad about se', where one is not a se' maniac. If one keeps running from

one se'ual relation to the other, one is not disciplined. If you are with one person, then naturally the se'

relations becomes less. If you have se'ual relations with many, then it multiplies. The law of nature is such.

When you put petrol on the fire, the fire multiplies.

5.What is the difference between right and wrong se'ual conduct? Is it a )uestion of volition?

6o. $e' has a proper place in the life of a householder. It should not be forcibly suppressed, because a forced

celibacy produces tensions which create more problems, more difficulties. However, if you give free licence to

the se'ual urge, and allow yourself to have se'ual relations with anyone whenever passion arises, then you can

never free your mind of passion. -voiding these two e)ually dangerous e'tremes, 5hamma offers a middle path,

a healthy e'pression of se'uality which still permits spiritual development, and that is se'ual relations between

two persons who are committed to each other. -nd if your partner is also a Vipassana meditator, whenever

passion arises you both observe it, at the level of bodily sensations as Vipassana trains you to do. This is neithersuppression nor free licence. "y observing you can easily free yourself of passion. -t times a couple will have

se'ual relations, but gradually they develop towards the stage in which se' has no meaning at all. This is the

stage of real, natural celibacy, when not even a thought of passion arises in the mind. This celibacy gives a oy

far greater than any se'ual satisfaction. -lways one feels so contended, so harmonious. (ne must learn to

e'perience this real happiness.

6.In the West, many think that se'ual relations between any two consenting adults are permissible.

That view is far away from 5hamma. $omeone who has se' with one person, then another, and then someone

else, is multiplying his passion, his misery. %ou must be either committed to one person or be living in celibacy.

ociety

1.In 5hamma much emphasis has been given to leading a life of simplicity and detachment. In the world today,

how can a householder achieve these obectives?

%ou see, more importance should be given to detachment. $implicity will follow, but it should not be the aim.

(therwise 5hamma will deteriorate. There will be a class of people who will ust make a show, /2ook how simply

I live,/ but deep inside there will be attachment for wealth and riches, etc. This does not lead to liberation. $o

the aim of 5hamma should be to develop detachment. (nce detachment is developed, none of these things will


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hold any attraction. 6aturally, simplicity will develop. "ut if this becomes the aim, it will become a show. ;ore

important is purification of the mind through detachment.

2.+an non#householders be allowed during the Vipassana course to do some of the compulsory daily practices

of their own religion for a short period#like samayika, pratikramana, sandhya, etc.?

This would be harmful. 8nderstand The names of practices that are used here#samayika, pratikramana,

kayotsarga, sandhya#are all words of pure 5hamma, of Vipassana. "ut today the essence is lost1 it is ust a

lifeless shell which they are performing.

7or e'ample -t the source of the Canges the water is so pure, but it gets dirtier as the river descends. "y thetime it reaches the sea the water is so polluted you cannot drink it or even wash clothes in it. 6ow the same

thing is found in 5hamma It starts with such crystal purity, but as it descends all sorts of pollution comes in,

and then it is of no use.

5hamma must be kept in its purity.

If they start understanding, /This is an empty shell, and Vipassana is the real essence, yet I can*t let go of the

empty shell,/ then at least they should keep the two apart. 5o these rites and rituals, then leave a gap and do

Vipassana later. They can continue like that, although it is not healthy. "ut as they grow they have to come out

of these rites and rituals. Dites and rituals can*t go together with Vipassana.

7or the answer in more detail Vipassana and Dites E Dituals

3.There is great turmoil in some parts of India and also violence all over the world. +an Vipassana play a role inrelieving this?

Vipassana is the only way to solve these problems, not only in India but throughout the world. $uch violence

arises where there are deep impurities such as anger, hatred, and animosity in the minds of the people, and on

some e'cuse or other these negativities are manifested. If the mind is full of negativity, it will succumb to

violence and harm others.

We all want peace in the world but how will it happen? 6o amount of sermons, punishment, or violent opposition

can solve this problem. The only way is for each individual*s problems to be tackled with Vipassana.

-fter all, society is made up of individuals. If you forget the individual and want to change the whole world, you

will not be successful. If the whole ungle has withered and you want to see it green and blooming, you have to

water the root of every tree. If each tree becomes green, the entire ungle will become green. $imilarly, you

have to deal with individuals1 although it takes time, there is no other way. Vipassana is the only solution.

$ee that Vipassana spreads. We must have compassion, not hatred, for these miserable people#the terrorists

and those who use violence. They need Vipassana. If they get Vipassana, they will certainly change for the

better.

0eople have changed through coming to Vipassana courses, and this is bound to happen because it is the nature

of 5hamma. -nd when the individual changes, society will change. If even ten percent of society practise

Vipassana and manifest their purity, goodwill, and metta, they will start to attract more and more people, and

the whole society will start changing. This is the only solution.

4.How does Vipassana solve the problems of society?

$ociety, is after all, nothing but a group of individuals. To solve the problems of society, the problems of the

individual must first be solved. We want peace in the world, yet we do nothing for the peace of the individual.

How is this possible? Vipassana makes it possible for the individual to e'perience peace and harmony. Vipassana

helps to solve the individual*s problems. This is how society begins e'periencing peace and harmony. This is how

the problems of the society begin to be solved.

5.Isn*t e'cusing a sinner encouraging sin?

6ever encourage sin. $top people from committing sin. "ut don*t have aversion or anger towards the sinner.

Have love, compassion, metta. This person is a miserable person, an ignorant person, who doesn*t know what
http://www.vridhamma.org/Rites-and-Ritualshttp://www.vridhamma.org/Rites-and-Rituals


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he is doing or she is doing. They are harming themselves and harming others. $o you will use all your strength,

physical and vocal, to stop this person from committing sin, but with love and compassion towards them. This is

what Vipassana will teach you.

6.If a negative act is committed for the good of others, is it bad ?

+ertainly it is bad. - negative act starts harming you. When you have harmed yourself, you can never help

anybody else. - lame person cannot help another lame person. 7irst you have to make yourself healthy, and

then you will find that you have started helping others.

.%ou always condemn ritualism in society, but what is wrong with e'pressing our respect and gratitude?

There is nothing wrong with that. Despect and gratitude are not rituals. Dituals are when you don*t understand

what you are doing, when you are doing something ust because somebody asked you to. If deep inside you

understand, / I am paying respect to my parents/, or / I am paying respect to a particular god or goddess/ #

then, see what are the )ualities of that god or goddess? -m I giving real respect to that god or goddess by

developing the same )ualities within myself? -m I giving real respect to my parents by developing their good

)ualities? If the answer is yes, then you are doing these actions with understanding, and they are not rites or

rituals. "ut if you perform something mechanically, then it becomes a rite or ritual.

.Isn*t society influenced by the actions of one another?

(f course. We are influenced by the people around us and by our environment, and we keep influencing them as

well. If the maority of people, for e'ample, are in favour of violence, then war and destruction will occur,causing many to suffer. "ut if people start to purify their minds, then violence cannot happen. The root of the

problem lies in the mind of each individual human being, because society is composed of individuals. If each

person starts changing, then society will change, and war and destruction will become rare events.

.How can we help each other if each person must face the results of his own actions?

(ur own mental actions have an influence on others. If we generate nothing but negativity in the mind, that

negativity has a harmful effect on those who come into contact with us. If we fill the mind with positivity, with

goodwill toward others, then it will have a helpful effect on those around us. %ou cannot control the actions, the

kamma of others, but you can master yourself in order to have a positive influence on those around you.

uering

1.Why do people cause suffering for us?

6obody causes suffering for you. %ou cause suffering for yourself by generating tensions in the mind. If you

know not to do that, it becomes easy to remain peaceful and happy in every situation.

2.What do we do when someone else is doing wrong to us?

%ou must not allow people to do wrong to you. Whenever someone does something wrong, he harms others and

at the same time he harms himself. If you allow him to do wrong, you are encouraging him to do wrong. %ou

must use all your strength to stop him, but with only good will, compassion, and sympathy for that person. If

you act with hatred or anger, then you only aggravate the situation. "ut you cannot have goodwill for such a

person unless your mind is calm and peaceful. $o practice to develop peace within yourself, and then you can

solve the problem.

3.Isn*t suffering a natural part of life? Why should we try to escape from it?

We have become so involved in suffering that to be free from it seems unnatural. "ut when you e'perience the

real happiness of mental purity, you will know that this is the natural state of the mind.

4.+an*t the e'perience of suffering ennoble people and help them to grow in character?


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%es. In fact, this techni)ue deliberately uses suffering as a tool to make one a noble person. "ut it will work only

if you learn to observe suffering obectively. If you are attached to your suffering, the e'perience will not

ennoble you1 you will always remain miserable.

5.If one does something wrong, then one is bound to suffer in the future?

6o, not in the future, but here and now 4 The law of nature punishes immediately, at the very moment one

starts generating a defilement in the mind. (ne cannot generate a defilement and feel peaceful. The misery is

instant. (nly when you reali3e that suffering is here and now that you will change the habit pattern of

generating defilements that lead to wrong verbal or physical action. If you think, *(h, I*ll be punished only in

future lives, and I*m not bothered now*, it won*t help.

i,rations

1.What are vibrations? How do they affect us?

:verything in the 8niverse is vibrating. This is no theory, it is a fact. The entire 8niverse is nothing but

vibrations. The good vibrations make us happy, the unwholesome vibrations cause misery. Vipassana will help

you come out of effect of bad vibrations# the vibrations caused by a mind full of craving and aversion. When the

mind is perfectly balanced, the vibrations become good. -nd these good or bad vibrations you generate start

influencing the atmosphere all around you. Vipassana helps you generate vibrations of purity, compassion and

goodwill # beneficial for yourself and all others.

i"assana courses

1.What do you suggest to people who cannot attend a ten#day course?

;ake a determination to attend a ten#day course. Without that, nothing can be done. There is no magic, no

miracle. Why should I ask people to spare ten days of their life, if I could ust sit here and teach them in an

hour? That would be easy, but it wouldn*t work. (ne has to spare ten days of one*s life to learn the techni)ue. It

is such a deep, subtle techni)ue. Ten days is the minimum time needed to learn it properly.

2.+an one learn Vipassana from a book?

6o. It can be very dangerous. Vipassana is a very delicate and deep operation of the mind. (ne must take a @=#

day course, to make a beginning.

3.How can one take a Vipassana course?

-pplications for a Vipassana course can be sent to any Vipassana centre in India or abroad. There are certain

rules, a +ode of +onduct that one must agree to follow before applying for a course. 5oing a Vipassana course is

voluntary, there can be no compulsion here. "ut during a Vipassana course, the course rules have to be strictly

followed. These rules are to enable a student to get ma'imum benefits from doing a Vipassana course.

4.What are the charges A fee for a Vipassana course?

+harges?4 5hamma is priceless4 There is no fee and there can never be a fee charged for teaching Vipassana.

Vipassana courses are completely free of charge. :arlier, for a short time, some small actuals were charged for

boarding and lodging e'penses. 7ortunately, that has been removed. $o one does not have to pay anything to

attend a Vipassana course.

5.Why are there no fees charged for doing a Vipassana course?

(ne reason, as I said, is that 5hamma is priceless. It cannot be valued in money. -nother reason is that a

student taking a Vipassana course practices renunciation from the householders* responsibilities, for the duration

of the course. He or she lives like a monk or a nun, on the charity of others. This is to reduce the ego, a big

cause of one*s misery. If one even pays a small token fee, then the ego gets built up, and one may say, / (h, I

want this. This facility is not to my liking/, / I can do whatever I want here/, and so on. This ego becomes a big


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hindrance in progressing on the path of 5hamma. This is another reason why no fee is charged. This has been

the 5hamma tradition for millennia. The "uddha did not charge any fee for distributing this invaluable gem of

Vipassana4

6.How are e'penses met for a Vipassana course, since no fee is charged from students?The e'penses are met from voluntary donations dana! from students who have completed at least one

Vipassana course. The donation, in money or services, is given with the 5hamma volition that, /as I benefited by

getting this wonderful techni)ue due to the generous dana of others, may others also benefit /. ;ost important

is the volition with which the dana is given. :ven a handful of fertile soil given with a pure 5hamma volition, is

far more beneficial than a bag of gold given with ego, or with no 5hamma volition. The dana given with a puremind gives benefits to the giver.

However, this does not mean that somebody will go around at the end of the course, asking every student if he

wants to give a donation. - table is put in a )uiet corner, and whoever wishes to give dana goes there and gives

it, that*s all.

.Why do you say the early morning hours are good for meditation?

Coing to bed early and getting up early is a very good habit. It keeps you healthy. The early morning hours are

also very good for meditation, for your daily practice, because that is the time when all others are sleeping 1 so

most of this craving # when people awaken, everybody craves, the whole atmosphere is full of craving, you can*t

meditate better. :verybody is sleeping, you meditate # best time.

i"assana 0agoda

There is an apprehension that the pagoda coming at ;umbai might lead Vipassana into another sect.

Well, if this teacher will have at least a few more years of his life, you will see that he is so strict that he will not

allow anything that we are doing to take the turn of sectarianism. If the pagoda becomes a tool for making

"uddha*s teaching a sect, an organi3ed religion, then all our teaching has gone to mud. If this pagoda is used for

people who come and pray /(h pagoda, please give me this, please give me that, I need this, I need that/,

then the whole thing will become an organi3ed religion, certainly.

However, we are going to use the pagoda in the correct 5hamma way. That is, the pagoda is only for telling

more and more people about Vipassana. They will first come to the pagoda out of curiosity # / such a

magnificent building, what is there in it?/ -nd when they come there, they get the information / well, look, hewas the "uddha, and what sort of "uddha, and what he taught, and what happened in his life, and the

Vipassana that made him a "uddha, and Vipassana that made him a good 5hamma teacher for the whole world,

and people got so much benefit/. We will give this information, and out of , say ten thousand people who come,

even if at least a hundred are benefited and the rest get at least the right message. $o we will see that this

pagoda is not allowed to build up another sect. (therwise our purpose will be lost.

i"assana -editation

1.How can professionals, who have less time, practise meditation?

;editation is all the more important for professionals4 Those who are householders, who have responsibilities in

life, need Vipassana much more, because they have to face situations in life where there are so many

vicissitudes. They become agitated because of these vicissitudes. If they learn Vipassana, they can face life

much better. They can make good decisions, correct decisions, which will be very helpful to them.

2.+an we combine two or more meditation techni)ues ?

%ou can combine as many techni)ues as you like, but don*t combine them with Vipassana. Vipassana is uni)ue

techni)ue, and combining it with anything else will not help you. It may even harm you. 9eep Vipassana pure.

(ther techni)ues only give a veneer to the surface of the mind. "ut Vipassana makes a deep surgical operation1


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it takes out comple'es from the depth of the mind. If you combine it with any other techni)ue, you are playing a

game which may be very harmful to you.

3.Isn*t it selfish to forget about the world, and ust to sit and meditate all day?

;editation as a means to ac)uiring a healthy mind is not at all selfish. When your body is sick, you enter a

hospital to recover health. (ne doesn*t say, *(h, I*m being selfish*. (ne knows that it is not possible to live a

proper life with a sick, wounded body. (r one goes to a gymnasium to make one*s body stronger. $imilarly, one

doesn*t go to a meditation center for the whole life, but simply to make the mind more healthy. -nd a healthy

mind is most necessary to live one*s day to day life in a way that is good for oneself and others.

4.I can understand meditation will help maladusted, unhappy people, but how can it help someone who already

feels satisfied with his life, who is already happy?

$omeone who remains satisfied with the superficial pleasures of life is ignorant of the agitation deep within the

mind. He is under the illusion that he is a happy person, but his pleasures are not lasting and the tensions

generated at the deep levels of the mind keep increasing, to appear sooner or later at the surface of the mind .

When that happens, this so#called *happy* person becomes miserable. $o why not start working here and now to

deal with that situation?

5.5oes Vipassana heal the physical body?

%es, as a by#product. ;any psychosomatic diseases naturally disappear when mental tensions are dissolved. If

the mind is agitated, physical diseases are bound to develop. When the mind becomes calm and pure,automatically they will go away. "ut if you take the curing of a physical disease as your goal in practising

Vipassana, instead of the purification of your mind, you achieve neither one nor the other. I have found that

people who oin a course with the aim of curing a physical illness have their attention fi'ed only on their disease

throughout the course *today, is it better? 6o, not better...Today is it improving? 6o, not improving4* -ll the ten

days they waste in this way. "ut if the intention is to purify the mind, then many diseases automatically go away

as a result of meditation.

6.How would you compare psychoanalysis and Vipassana?

In psychoanalysis you try to recall consciousness past events that had a strong influence in conditioning the

mind. Vipassana, on the other hand, will lead the meditator to the deepest level of the mind where conditioning

actually begins. :very incident that one might try to recall in psychoanalysis has also registered a sensation at

the physical level. "y observing physical sensations throughout the body with e)uanimity, the meditator allows

innumerable layers of conditioning to arise and pass away. He or she deals with the conditioning at its roots andcan free himself or herself from it )uickly and easily.

.How many times does one have to attend a Vipassana course?

It depends, but I would say attend for ten days, and see for yourself how it has helped you. If you find that you

can apply it in life, very good. 2ater on, go for another ten days. "ut the main thing is not merely going to the

courses for ten days, but applying the techni)ue in life. If Vipassana is manifesting itself in your day#to#day life,

then you are practicing properly. (therwise, merely going to courses will not help.

.Isn*t this techni)ue self#centred? How can we become active and help others?

7irst you have to be self#centred, you have to help yourself. 8nless you help yourself, you cannot help others. -

weak person cannot help another weak person. %ou have to become strong yourself, and then use this strength

to help others and make others strong also. Vipassana helps one develop this strength to help others.

.If we keep observing ourselves, how can we live life in any natural way?

We*ll be so busy watching ourselves that we can*t act freely or spontaneously. That is not what people find after

completing a Vipassana course. Here you learn a mental training that will give you the ability to observe yourself

in daily life whenever you need to do so. 6ot that you will keep practising with closed eyes all day throughout

your life, but ust as the strength you gain by physical e'ercise helps you in daily life, so this mental e'ercise will

also strengthen you. What you call /free, spontaneous/ action is really blind reaction, which is always harmful.


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"y learning to observe yourself, you will find that whenever a difficult situation arises in life, you can keep the

balance of your mind. With that balance you can choose freely how to act. %ou will take real action, which is

always positive, always beneficial for you and for all others.

Vipassana Practice

A storehouse o ans7ers ,y .8. 'oen!a9iWhy is it important to sit two full hours every day?

It is essential that you give material food to your body at least twice every day, to keep it healthy and strong.

$imilarly you have to give some food to the mind to keep it healthy and strong. -nd with these two hours of

sitting, you are doing that.i"assana 0racticeclarifications re)uested from practicing Vipasana students!

1.What should we do if both the nostrils are blocked during -napana?

Try, keep trying. If both the nostrils are blocked atleast one will get opened up. "ut if you stop trying # and start

breathing through the mouth # it won*t open up. 9eep trying, at least one will get opened up.

2.Is it okay to count the breath?

6o, no. That is verbali3ation. %ou must observe the natural breath, as it is.

3.;y breathing is very forced and shallow and my eye lids flutter. Is that all right?

It doesn*t matter. If it is shallow, it is shallow. $o long as you feel that the breath is there, incoming and

outgoing, then the purpose is served. 6ot that it should become very deep and not shallow. -t times it will

become very deep and at times shallow. -s the mind gets concentrated you will find that the breath is becoming

shorter, shorter, at times it may even stop, and you are aware of it. -nd then suddenly a deep breath, because

you need o'ygen. Then again it will become shallow, subtle, and then again a deep breath will come. If naturally

it happens, allow it to happen, nothing wrong.

4.When I am doing -napana during a @=#day course!, I have very similar sensations as when I am doing

Vipassana.


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%es. %ou will get sensations everywhere, but ignore them. 5uring -napana, only this area the small area above

the upper lip, below the nostrils!. "eing an old student, tommorow morning 5ay 7our ! you start giving all

importance to this area with sensation. 8pto three days, only respiration. $o many things are happenng in the

body # ignore them during -napana.

5.5oes -napana get rid of sankharas in the same way as Vipassana does?

To some e'tent, yes it does. "ut -napana is actually to sharpen the mind so that Vipassana becomes stronger.

6.When I meditate, my eyeballs start moving. Is there some particular place to look?

6o. &ust forget about the eyes and let them be closed. (therwise, if the eyeballs start moving, they will cause

strain and tension. Whenever you find they have started moving, stop them *(h, eyes have got no function in

this techni)ue*. They will stop. Then again, after some time they will start rolling # then again stop. 2ike this,

come out of this habit. 2et the eyeballs be naturally still.

.I see a lot of images, when I am meditating, a lot of light, faces...

They are nothing but the proection of your own accumulation at the deep, unconscious level. Whatever you

have accumulated starts to be proected. Ignore them, don*t give them any importance. 5on*t try to push them

out, nor start taking an interest in them. They will pass away. This is a sign of your progress on the path,

because this naturally happens as you go deeper.

.I am an old student, but when I kneel down like this for forty#five minutes, say, there is still pain. 5oes that

mean there is an impurity or sankhara?

%es, it has something to do with sankhara. "ut at the stage when you are doing -napana, then it is not

advisable that you forcefully sit for one hour without changing. That is only after Vipassana. 6ow, whenever the

pain becomes severe, change your position.

.Is pain necessarily a part of getting rid of sankharas?

+ertain sankharas will come out only as pain. $o let them come out.

1:.When meditating, I e'perience a lot of pain in my oints.

Cood, good. There is no sensation like pain. If you get pain, wonderful 4 2earn how to observe it. If there is painand it tries to overpower you, then try to find the centre of the pain, and then see how far the influence of the

pain is. 2ike this you divide the area, as it is somebody else*s pain that you are e'aming. :'amine it like a doctor

e'amines the patient*s body. Then you will be detached from it. ;ost of the time, the pain will over power you.

"ut keep trying. Then, through the pain, you will start feeling something else # maybe pressure, maybe heat,

maybe throbbing. Then you will get an undercurrent of vibration through the pain, which is throughout the body.

"e as e)uanimous as possible. $oon, you will reach the stage where pain will not bother you.

11.5o sankharas mainly come out as pain?

6ot necessarily pain, they can manifest in different ways. They can come out as heat, they can come out as

pressure, throbbing, as subtle vibrations. -ccording to the type of sankhara, that type of sensation there will be.

12.When the sensations are strong on one area, should one try to stay with that area or move?

6o. 5on*t stay in one area. 8se the breath. With -napana, the mind will start moving down. If it gets stuck due

to any reason, the breath will help you. 2ike this, if you keep on working, a stage will come that in spite of

severe pain, you can move anywhere you like. If you keep trying, you will be successful.

13.I*ve been having nightmares dur

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