That same night U Ba Khin and another

Burmese student, who was a disciple of Ledi

Sayadaw, received npna instruction from
Saya Thetgyi. The two students advanced
rapidly and were given Vipassana the next
day. Sayagyi progressed well during his first
ten-day course, and continued his work
during frequent visits to Saya Thetgyi`s
center and
in meetings with him whenever his teacher
came to Yangon.
Sayagyi's government service continued
for another 26 years. He became Accountant
General on January 4, 1948, the day Myanmar
gained independence. For the next two
decades he was employed in various
capacities in the government, most of the
time holding two or more posts, each
equivalent to the head of a department. At
one time he served as head of three separate
departments simultaneously for three years
and, on another occasion, was head of four
departments for about one year. When he
was appointed as the chairman of the State
Agricultural Marketing Board in 1956, the
Burmese government conferred on him the
honorary title of Thray Sithu. Only the
last four years of Sayagyi's life were devoted
exclusively to teaching meditation; the rest
of the time he combined his skill in meditation
with his devotion to government service.
In 1950 he founded the Vipassana
Association of the Accountant General's
Office where lay people, mainly employees
of that office, could learn Vipassana.
In 1952 he opened the International
Meditation Centre (I.M.C.) two miles north
of the famous Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon.
Here many Burmese and foreign
students had the good fortune to
receive instruction in the Dhamma
from Sayagyi.
He was active in the planning for
the sixth Buddhist council known as
the Chattha Sanga-yana (Sixth Reci-
tation), which was held from 1954 to
1956 in Yangon. In 1950 Sayagyi was
a founding member of two organi-
zations which were later merged to
become the Union of Myanmar
Buddha Sasana Council (U.B.B.S.C.),
the main planning body for the great
council. He served as an executive
member of the U.B.B.S.C. and as
chairman of the committee for patipatti
(practice of meditation) and as
honorary auditor of the council. There
was an extensive building program
spread over 170 acres to provide
housing, dining areas and kitchen, a
hospital, library, museum, four hostels
and admin-istrative buildings. The
focal point of the entire enterprise
was the Mah Psnaguh (Great Cave),
a massive hall where approx-imately
5,000 monks from Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, India, Cambodia and
Laos gathered to recite, purify, edit
and publish the Tipitaka (Buddhist
The following articles have been excerpted from
The Sayagyi U Ba Khin Journal by the Vipassana
Research Institute.
Sayagyi U Ba Khin was born in Yangon,
the capital of Myanmar, on March 6, 1899.
He was the younger of two children in a
family of modest means living in a
working-class district. In school he proved
a gifted student with a remarkable ability
to commit his lessons to memory, learning
his English grammar book by heart from
cover to cover.
In 1917 Sayagyi passed the high school
final examination, winning a gold medal
as well as a college scholarship. Family
financial pressures, however, forced him
to discontinue his formal education and
start earning money.
His first job was with a Burmese
newspaper called The Sun, but after some
time he began working as an accounts
clerk in the office of the Accountant
General of Myanmar. In 1937, when
Myanmar was separated from India, he
was appointed the first Special Office
Superintendent.
It was on January 1, 1937, that Sayagyi
tried meditation for the first time. A
student of Saya Thetgyiaa wealthy
farmer and meditation masterawas
visiting U Ba Khin and explained npna
meditation to him. When Sayagyi tried it
he experienced good concentration,
which impressed him so much that he
became determined to complete a full
course. A week later he applied for a ten-
day leave of absence and set out for Saya
Thetgyi's meditation center.
The Chain of Teachers~Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899-1971)
1iesseae \sus/s||s
In i|c irc!iiicn cj Sccgi U 8c K|in cs icug|i | S. N. Gccn|c
Vol. 23, No. 2 May, 1996 P.O. Box 51, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370-0051, U.S.A. Published three times yearly
+6-65
Teachers~Sayagyi U Ba Khin .......................... 1
Reminiscences by S. N. Goenka ........................ 2
Appointments and responsibilities ................... 3
International News ............................................ 4
Not for himself nor for another, will he do wrong,
Nor for son nor wealth nor kingdom.
He will not use dishonest means to seek success.
Such a one is indeed virtuous, wise and righteous.
na attahetu na parassa hetu
na puttamicche na dhanam na rattham
na iccheyya adhammena samiddhim attano
sa slav paav dhammiko siy
Words of Dhamma
Dhammapada 84
2
back to I.M.C. that contained the famous
Pali verse:
Anicc vata sankhr, uppdavaya-dha
mmino. Uppajjitv nirujjhanti, tesam vpasamo
sukho.'
Impermanent truly are compounded
things, by nature arising and passing
away. If they arise and are extinguished,
their eradication brings happiness.
One year later, in a tribute to his teacher,
Goenkaji wrote: Even after his passing
away one year ago, observing the
continued success of the courses, I am
more and more convinced that it is his
mett which is giving me the inspiration
and strength to serve so many people....
Obviously the force of Dhamma is
immeasurable.
Sayagyi's aspirations are being ful-
filled. The Buddha`s teachings, carefully
preserved during these many centuries,
are still being practiced, bringing results
here and now.
scriptures). Working in groups, the monks
prepared the Pali texts for publication,
comparing the Burmese, Sri Lankan, Thai
and Cambodian editions, and the Roman
script edition of the Pali Text Society in
London. The corrected and approved texts
were recited by the monks in the Great
Cave where ten to fifteen thousand laymen
and laywomen came to listen.
Sayagyi remained active with the U.B.
B.S.C. in various capacities until 1967. In
this way he combined his responsibilities
and talents as a layman and government
official with his strong Dhamma volition
to help spread the teaching of Buddha. In
addition to the prominent public service
he gave to that cause, he continued to
teach Vipassana regularly at his center.
Sayagyi finally retired from his out-
standing career in government service in
1967, and from that time until his death in
January 1971 he stayed at I.M.C. teaching
Vipassana.
Because of his highly demanding
govern-ment duties, Sayagyi was able to
teach only a small number of students.
Many of his Burmese students were
connected with his government work and
many Indian students were introduced by
Goenkaji. Some of the Westerners who
came to the sixth council were referred to
Sayagyi for instruction in meditation, since
at that time there was no other teacher of
Vipassana in Yangon who was fluent in
English. His students from abroad were
small in number but diverse, including
leading Western Buddhists, academicians
and members of the diplomatic community
in Yangon. From time to time Sayagyi was
invited to address foreign audiences in
Myanmar on the subject of Dhamma.
These lectures were published in booklet
form and included What Buddhism Is and
The Real Values of True Buddhist Meditation.
Goenkaji was in India conducting a
course when news of his teacher's sudden
death reached him. He sent a telegram
U Ba Khin, however, could not even
conceive of misappropriating government
funds for his own use. It was his duty, he
decided, to hand over the cash to his
superior officers, even though they were
fleeing the country. Sayagyi did not know
whether he would be able to catch up with
them in their flight; nevertheless, he had
to make the attempt. He hired a jeep taxi
and made the three-hour journey north to
Maymyo.
On his arrival he found the British still
in that city. He sought out his superior
officer and handed the cash over to him,
breathing a sigh of relief at having been
able to discharge his duty.
Only then did Sayagyi ask, And now,
sir, may I receive my salary for this month,
and my traveling expenses to here?
This was U Ba Khin, a man of perfect
integrity, of unbreakable morality, a man
of Dhamma.
A Man of Virtue and Simplicity
In the Myanmar of Sayagyi`s day,
certain high government posts ensured
comfort for the remainder of an ap-
pointee`s life, not partic-ularly due to the
level of salary, but rather to the pervasive
practice of padding all transactions with
bribery. No one came out of these offices
a poor person. Sayagyi, however, entered
his retirement with meagre life savings
and no home of his own for his family,
since they had lived in government
housing throughout his career. Even
though he had worked in as many as four
govern-ment departments simultaneously,
he had accepted only one salary-and, of
course, avoided all illegal gains.
Wanting to build a house for his
children, he asked me to help him arrange
for the construction. As work on the house
proceeded, we found that 10,000 rupees
were lacking for completion. Where was
Sayagyi to get this money? He certainly
would not ask for it. Since such a sum was
so easy for me to give, I suggested this to
him. But he refused, insisting that any
money from a student is dna (donation)
and therefore to be put to proper Dhamma
uses. Trying a different angle, I offered to
lend him the money, thinking that later I
could just tell him to disregard payment.
He accepted my offer, and the house was
completed.
However, each and every month
thereafter when his pension check arrived,
he took not one penny of it, but im-
mediately passed the whole thing to me.
This was very painful for me to accept.
These 10,000 rupees meant so little to me,
and here each month I had to receive my
teacher`s only income. Eventually 5,000
rupees remained to be paid.
During this time, my aunt (who had
adopted me as her son and who had been
a longtime student of Sayagyi`s) was
dying. She had made great progress in her
In Wartime, as in Peacetime,
a Man of Integrity
The invading Japanese Imperial Army
occupied Yangon during the month of
February 1942, and was advancing toward
central Myanmar. The Japanese air force
began an aerial bombardment of Mandalay
during which the railway station was
destroyed.
At that time Sayagyi was stationed in
Mandalay as accounts officer of the
railways, with responsibility for whatever
funds were kept in cash. After the
bombardment was over he went to the
ruined station, searched through the
debris, and found intact the iron safe in
which the money was kept. Having the
key with him, he opened the safe and
removed the cash contents, a substantial
sum.
U Ba Khin was at a loss about what to do
with this money. The British authorities
had already fled in retreat from the fast-
approaching Japanese. Mandalay at that
moment was a no-man`s-land between
the two armies-a city without any
government. It would have been very easy
for Sayagyi to take the cash for himself
without anyone being the wiser. As it
happened, Sayagyi had a great need for
money at the time, since his young
daughter was seriously ill and his expenses
were therefore unusually heavy, severely
taxing his means.
Reminiscences of Sayagyi by S. N. Goenka
3
seven years of meditation with Sayagyi,
and he was quite fond of her. Now, it is a
custom in the Eastern countries not only
to care for one's parents during their
lifetime, but also to remember them by
making contributions in their name after
death. So as I passed the last days with my
mother, I asked her to tell me where she
wished me to give this dna
She said, Wherever you want.
I named several hospitals, charitable
organizations, and so on. And where else
would you like to donate? I asked.
When she said that she wanted 5,000
rupees to go to Sayagyi himself, I was
delighted. Here was my chance to be
relieved of this terrible burden of having
to receive money from my teacher. Surely,
I thought, Sayagyi would accept the dna
as a last wish of a devoted dying student
and then be able to use it for repayment of
the loan.
As it happened, a few days later Sayagyi
was present at the time of her death; he
knew that she had died peacefully and
consciously, with awareness of anicc at
the top of her head. He went around the
center telling everyone how her final
minutes were filled with paa, with anicc
When I informed him of her volition to
give him the 5,000 rupees he was very
pleased. Look, he said, she has given
these 5,000 rupees as dna,^ and he began
distributing it to this Dhamma cause and
that Dhamma cause! I was so surprised to
see my hopes dashed.
Each month thereafter as I received my
teacher`s pension check until, at last, the
final payment, I was reminded of the high
principles of this person who was such an
example of moral rectitude in public
office.
His determination to establish an
example of how an honest official works
brought him up against many of the
practices common at the time in the
administration.
For instance, to thoroughly discourage
any attempt to influence him, Sayagyi let
it be known that he would not accept even
small personal gifts, despite the common
practice of such exchanges. Once on his
birthday, a subordinate left a gift at
Sayagyi's house when he was not at home.
Next day, Sayagyi brought the present to
the office. At the end of the working day,
he called a staff meeting. To the morti-
fication of the staff member who had left
it for him, Sayagyi berated him publicly
for so blatantly disregarding his explicit
In this way the person began to work,
and by the end of the course he realized
that his initial objection had been
unnecessary, that his fears of conversion
had been unfounded.
He Wished to Return
the Dhamma to India
Sayagyi had a strong belief in the
prophecy that the Vipassana-Dhamma
would arise once again 2,500 years after
the time of Buddha, that it would appear
again in India, and spread from there
around the world.
He often used to say, The time clock of
Vipassana has struck! Now it will go forth
from Myanmar and spread afar. He
himself was very eager to undertake the
task of spreading Dhamma. He wanted to
go to India to give courses there, and then
to travel to other countries in order to
serve suffering people throughout the
world. He often used to say, Myanmar
owes a great debt to India which must be
repaid; from there has come the jewel of
the Dhamma. Today this jewel has been
lost in India and is sorely needed. A large
number of people in India with good pram
(virtues) from the past would willingly
accept the jewel of Vipassana.
But despite his eagerness to go and
teach Dhamma in India, he was unable to
do so since, at that time, it was extremely
difficult for a Burmese citizen to get a
passport for foreign travel.
During this period an invitation came
from Mahathera Nandeshwar, head of the
Maha Bodhi Society in Madras, requesting
Sayagyi and his assistants to come to India
and give a number of Vipassana courses.
This seemed to Sayagyi to be his hoped-
for opportunity to go abroad for Dhamma
service. Accordingly, he applied to the
Burmese authorities for a passport.
But Sayagyi discovered that he would
be unable to get his passport without
misstating his reason for going abroad .
Had he complied, Sayagyi would have
been able to realize his long-standing
dream of repaying Myanmar`s debt to
India and helping people trapped in
misery around the world. But my teacher
could never compromise his sla in such a
way. He adamantly refused the proposal,
saying that he could not teach Dhamma
from a base which was false. He preferred
to give up his much-cherished dream
rather than abandon the fundamental
principles by which he lived-the
principles of Dhamma.
orders. He then put the gift up for auction,
and gave the proceeds to the staff welfare
fund. On another occasion, he took similar
action on being given a basket of fruit; so
careful was he not to allow anyone to try
to influence him by bribes whether large
or small.
Such was U Ba Khin, a man of principles
so strong that nothing could cause him to
waver. For him, the perfection of sla and
his commitment to Dhamma were sur-
passed by no other consideration.
Having passed through the corridors of
power which were rampant with cor-
ruption, where fortunes were often easily
amassed, here was a singular man of
modest means who died with the wealth of
his integrity fully intact.
Teacher of a Nonsectarian Path
One of the things which kept drawing
me closer and closer to my teacher was his
nonsectarian interpretation of Dhamma.
The teaching of Buddha is so universal
that people from different sects and
communities can follow it and experience
its benefits. I never found Sayagyi
interested in converting people to the
formal, organized, Buddhist religion. Of
course, he himself was Buddhist by birth,
and proud to be so. But for him the essence
of Buddhism was Dhamma, and a true
Buddhist was one who practiced Dhamma.
He was interested in helping people to
establish themselves in Dhamma, that is,
in sla (morality), samdhi (concentration)
and paa (wisdom); to show people how
to convert themselves from misery to
happiness. If someone underwent this
conversion from impurity to purity and
then wished to be called a Buddhist,
Sayagyi was pleased, but the important
point was the change which had come in
the person`s life, not merely the change in
the name one called oneself.
One incident, illustrating this non-
sectarian attitude, occurred when a staunch
Christian came to take a course under
Sayagyi. While the opening formalities
were being explained, this man became
frightened that he was being asked to
convert from Christianity to Buddhism
and, because of this groundless fear, he
refused to take refuge in Buddha.
I can take refuge in Jesus Christ, but
not in Buddha, he said.
Very well, replied Sayagyi smilingly,
take refuge in Jesus Christ-but with the
understanding that you are actually taking
refuge in the qualities of Christ, in order
to develop these very qualities in
yourself.
4
Teachers
Dr. Bhogilal & Dr. Kamala Gandhi, U.K.
Patrick & Ginnie Given-Wilson,
Australia
John & Joanna Luxford, New Zealand
Dr. Kay Wain, Australia
Deputy Teachers
John Burchall, Australia
Anne Doneman, Australia
Bachubhai Shah, India
Dr. R. M. Chokhani, India
Kashyap & Kamala Dharmadarshi, India
R. S. Goenka, India
Premji & Madhu Savla, India
Arun & Kamla Toshniwal, India
B. K. Goenka, India
Vimalchand Surana, India
Mahasukh & Manju Khandhar, India
Narayan & Rama Patil, India
Prof. P. L. & Susheela Dhar, India
Sudhir & Madhuri Shah, India
Re-allocation of Duties
for Teachers & Deputy Teachers
Ram Singh & Jagdish Kumari:
General coordination, Research Council
Dr. Om Prakash: Dhamma Sota
L.N. Rathi: Dhamma Bodhi, Dhamma
Cakka, Dhamma Licchav, Dhamma
Kanana, Dhamma Ketu, Dhamma
Suvatthi, Dhamma Vimutti, Dhamma
Upavana, Dhamma Tarai, Dhamma
Janin
Natverlal & Kaushalya Parikh:
Dhamma Kota, Dhamma Ptha, Training,
Bombay city
S.N. & Laj Tandon: Dhamma Salila,
Dhamma Sikhara Training, Delhi area
S. Adaviyappa: Dhamma Sumana,
South India, Children`s courses
Bachubhai Shah: South Gujarat
David & Amanda Crutcher, U.S.A.
Dr. Daniel Mayer, U.S.A.
Philix Lee & Yu Yen, U.S.A.
Ian McCrorie, Canada
Normand Williams & Francine Gingras,
Canada
Mario Desharnais & Martine Gariepy,
Canada
U Tun Hla, Myanmar
U Tin Maung Shwe, Myanmar
Radhadevi Dalmia, India
Jaya Sangoi, India
Mohinidevi Saraogi, India
Dr. Dhananjay Chavan, India
Leelavati Borse, India
Anil Dharmadarshi, India
Prakash Mahajan, India
Ashalata Thorat, India
Dr. Sunita Jain, India
Dr. Chandrakant Chauhan, India
Dinesh Meshram, India
Dr. Ishwarchandra Sinha, India
Dr. Prem Narain Somani, India
Nathuji Bambarde, India
Prahlad Raghute, India
Rameshwarlal & Anandi Sharma, India
Pushpa Makharia, India
Vanita Mehta, India
Jaya Modi, India
L. N. & Pushpa Todi, India
Roop & Beena Jyoti, Nepal
Col. Purna Prasad Dhakal, Nepal
Suman Dhakhwa, Nepal
Junior Assistant Teachers
Mrs. Bhatia, India
Suresh Gaikwad, Nepal
Renuka Manandhar, Nepal
Mona Dhakhwa, Nepal
Ashta Ratna Shakya, Nepal
Amrit Man Tamrakar, Nepal
Kumar Bhattarai, Nepal
Sharada Pant, Nepal
Dr. R.M. Chokhani: Research
Kashyap & Kamala Dharmadarshi:
Gujarat, except South Gujarat & Kutch
R.S. Goenka: Pali Tipitaka, Publications
Premji & Madhu Savla: Dhamma Giri
centre construction (with Mr. & Mrs.
Khandhar) & planning, construction &
maintenance
Arun & Kamla Toshniwal: Tape room
equipment including its import, A.T.kits
B.K. Goenka: Dhamma Khetta,
Dhamma Setu
Vimalchand Surana: Dhamma Thal,
Rajasthan
Mahasukh & Manju Khandhar:
Dhamma Giri
Narayan & Rama Patil: Dhamma
Sarovara
Prof. P.L. & Susheela Dhar: Dhamma
Tihar, Indian Institute of Technology
Sudhir & Madhuri Shah: Dhamma
Naga
Shanti Shah, Usha Modak, Dr. B.G. &
Mrs. Pushpa Savla: Responsibilities
unchanged
John Burchall: Dhammaloka
Anne Doneman: Dhamma Rasmi
Senior Assistant Teachers
Torben & Tiske Rosgaard-Bosserez,
Belgium
Jurgen & Ella-Mae Stowasser, France
Stephen & Hazel Strange, U.K.
Vimala Mahajan, India
Prakash & Shubhangi Borse, India
K. B. Chikkanarayanappa, India
Thakorbhai Parekh, India
Ratilal & Chanchal Savla, India
Assistant Teachers
Larry Jack & Ruth Senturia, India
Stephen Whitfield & Sarah Bennet,
Australia
The Following Appointments were Announced:
5
International News
In 1995 thousands of students around
the world worked tirelessly to share
Vipassana with others. They served at
centers, rented sites and prisons. They
taught children, wrote articles, arranged
public talks, translated transcripts into
many languages and did scientific
research into the effects of Vipassana-
each student assisting Goenkaji in his
task of spreading Dhamma. Some of the
highlights of these efforts:
In India
27,500 students participated in 350
ten-day and old student courses.
9,500 young students participated in
160 child-ren`s courses, including ten
courses for 400 street children.
Five newly-constructed centers held
their first courses and many new sites
were purchased for centers.
33 courses were held in prisons, one
of them for children of the inmates.
Goenkaji completed the first volume
of the intro-duction to the Tipitaka.
50 different books were published.
The report of an exhaustive two year
study on The Psychological Effects of
Vipassana on Tihar Jail Inmates, was
completed.
Outside India
12,000 students participated in over
270 courses.
80 courses were held at rented sites.
700 students participated in 20
children`s courses.
First courses were held in several
South American countries, Mexico,
Indonesia and Taiwan.
Students in Canada, Germany, Italy,
Romania and Spain are looking for
suitable sites for centers or Dhamma
houses.
Demand increased for courses in East
European countries, especially Bulgaria,
Lithuania and Serbia.
Goenkaji`s discourses and
instructions were completed in Farsi and
Russian.
The Worldwide Vipassana Video
Project completed its filming stage
documenting 25 centers and sites
for future centers, prison courses,
children`s courses, the lineage of teachers
in Myanmar and interviews with more
than 100 students. A film about Dhamma
Giri has been completed and editing is
being done for other documentaries.
Vipassana now has a web page on the
Internet.
Seminar at Dhamma Giri
The latest in a series of international
seminars was held at the Vipassana
Research Institute over a weekend in May
1995 and was attended by about
500 people, including many professionals
from India and abroad. The theme,
Dhamma-Its True Nature, was chosen
for its relevance to many of
the world`s current problems. In his
address, Goenkaji emphasized the
nonsectarian aspect of Dhamma- a pure,
harmonious and wholesome way of life
that anyone can lead.
European Conferences
In August 1995, the inaugural European
Conference on the Spread of Dhamma
took place at Dhamma Mah in France.
More than 130 Dhamma workers, trustees
and assistant teachers attended from all
over Europe and further afield. The
principal themes were the spirit of
Dhamma service and the importance of
meeting together to understand and
protect the purity of the technique.
Aweekend seminar with 53 participants
was also held in November at Capizzone,
Italy on the topic Vipassana Meditation:
How to Apply It in Life.
Course Held in Mexico
The first course in Mexico took place at
Cuernavaca in December 1995, with 34
students and five servers from Mexico,
Cuba and the U.S.A. participating.
North American Annual Conference
August 3 - 4, 1996
Following the 30-day course in
Massachusetts this summer, there will be
two days of meetings for ATs, trustees,
Dhamma workers, and other inter-ested
old students.
Small group discussions may include:
children`s courses, non-center courses,
computers, registration, international
exchange, spread of Dhamma and
Dhamma service training.
For more information and to register
please contact VMC Dhamma, Dhara.