Vipassana has been handed down, to the present day, by an unbroken chain of teachers since the time of Buddha. Mr. S.N. Goenka, an indian by descent was born and raised in Burma (Myanmar). Living there he had the good fortune to learn Vipassana from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin who was at the time a high Government official. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. Since then he has taught tens of thousands of people of all races and all religions in both the East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet the growing demand for Vipassana courses.
Vipassana is technique to see what things really are and is as old as 2500 years ago. This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. The Vipassana is way of self transformation and self observation and focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and soul.
About the Course
In order to learn the technique, the participants need to follow a prescribed code of discipline, learn the basics of the method and practice sufficiently to experience the benefits of the technique. This technique is taught at the ten day residential course.
Intense hard work is required at the course. It is a 03 step procedure. The first step is to abstain one self from killing, stealing, sexual activity, speaking falsely, and intoxicants during the period of the course. This simple code of moral conduct serves to calm the mind, which otherwise would be too agitated to perform the task of self-observation. Moving forward, the other step involves developing mastery over the mind by learning to fix one’s attention on the natural reality of the ever changing flow of breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. From the fourth day the mind gets calmer and focused. It can now undertake the practice of Vipassana by itself through observing sensations throughout the body, understanding their nature, and developing equanimity by learning not to react to them. Finally, on the last full day participants learn the meditation of loving kindness or goodwill towards all, in which the purity developed during the course is shared with all beings.
The entire practice is actually a mental training. Just as we use physical exercises to improve our bodily health, Vipassana can be used to develop a healthy mind.
About the centre
Since 2002, Mid-Atlantic Vipassana Association has been organizing Vipassana Meditation courses in Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington DC, and various other locations in the Mid-Atlantic States. The first 10-Day Vipassana course was held in Virginia in 2002 at Camp Virginia Jaycee near Blue Ridge, Virginia. In 2005 a 10-Day Vipassana course was organized at Camp Fairlee Manor in Chestertown, Maryland, near Washington DC.
Dhamma Delaware was purchased in October, 2013 and the first 10-Day course was offered in November, 2014.
Website: http://www.delaware.dhamma.org/
Course Schedule: https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schdelaware
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