This document provides biographical details about U Ba Khin, who would later become known as Sayagyi. It describes how he had a gifted career as a student but was forced to stop his formal education to start working. He took a job as an accounts clerk and worked his way up in the government. In 1937, he tried meditation for the first time and was determined to learn. He took leave from his job to study intensively under meditation master Saya Thetgyi. He continued advancing in his meditation practice while balancing his government responsibilities. He went on to found meditation centers and organizations to help spread the Dhamma.
This document provides biographical details about U Ba Khin, who would later become known as Sayagyi. It describes how he had a gifted career as a student but was forced to stop his formal education to start working. He took a job as an accounts clerk and worked his way up in the government. In 1937, he tried meditation for the first time and was determined to learn. He took leave from his job to study intensively under meditation master Saya Thetgyi. He continued advancing in his meditation practice while balancing his government responsibilities. He went on to found meditation centers and organizations to help spread the Dhamma.
This document provides biographical details about U Ba Khin, who would later become known as Sayagyi. It describes how he had a gifted career as a student but was forced to stop his formal education to start working. He took a job as an accounts clerk and worked his way up in the government. In 1937, he tried meditation for the first time and was determined to learn. He took leave from his job to study intensively under meditation master Saya Thetgyi. He continued advancing in his meditation practice while balancing his government responsibilities. He went on to found meditation centers and organizations to help spread the Dhamma.
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.