S.N. Goenka Tour of the West
 Report June 6 – June 16

Day Fifty-Eight (June 6) (Dhamma Mahavana, North Fork / Saratoga Springs Campground, Saratoga, California)

Saratoga Springs

Though the Dhamma Caravan would have liked to stay at the center longer, the Caravan left for the next destination which was in Saratoga. Goenkaji’s mission is directed towards spreading Dhamma as widely as possible. Before leaving the center Goenkaji met a few old students.

The Caravan ate lunch on the way and reached the next campground in the evening.

Day Fifty-Nine (June 7) (Saratoga Springs Campground/Cupertino, California)

Peace amid Chaos

By mid morning, a huge crowd of close to 300 children and teenagers descended upon the campground where the Caravan was staying. There was a lot of loud music, screaming children and blaring announcements over the microphone throughout the day. The small area where the Caravan was parked remained an oasis of peace in the cacophony.

Weekend Spirituality

In the evening Goenkaji gave a public talk at the Flint Theatre in De Anza College in Cupertino. A lively session of questions and answers followed the talk.

One question that comes up often is why there aren’t shorter meditation courses and why don’t you charge money like other meditation teachers do.

Goenkaji explained why he does not give shorter courses and why there is no charge for the meditation course. “Dhamma is invaluable. The moment you attach a price tag to it, it gets devalued. ”

The Buddha had said, dhammena na vanim care—Don’t make a business of Dhamma.

In business the customer is always right. Because people want shorter courses, some teachers may decide to arrange and teach short courses without any regard for the proper atmosphere and proper training that a new person needs to undergo. In such courses people dabble at the superficial level of the mind. No doubt there are some benefits but one doesn’t learn to observe the reality at the depth of the mind.  A three-day course is too short a time to reach the depth of mind. Goenkaji said that in the past he had tried to give short 3-day courses of Anapana but found that these were not really benefiting people.

Continuity of practice is essential in Vipassana. Short courses don’t offer that opportunity.
Those who get some benefit may become complacent thinking that now they have understood the whole technique and that there was no need to go any further. Thus the shorter courses became barriers for them to get to that depth of mind where impurities arise and multiply.
There are some who after doing short courses think that this is all there is to the technique and therefore are put off from experiencing Vipassana.

“I want people to really benefit. I want them to come out all their misery. Therefore the course has to be long enough to really get to the depth of the mind. Traditionally, until about a century ago, Vipassana was taught in six-week retreats but in these modern times the courses were shortened. When the duration was reduced to ten days it was found that people still got an outline of the technique but if it was reduced further they didn’t even get an outline. I don’t want people to waste their time. Human life is so invaluable.”

Happiness is a serious matter. We spend years and years in school and college studying things that often have little relevance to our lives but we are so reluctant to take even ten days from our lives to look at ourselves to learn to live a happy and harmonious life.

A man in his twenties asked whether it was not more important at his age to focus on achieving success in his career, getting married etc than striving for the experience of nibb±na (nirv±ºa)? Goenkaji explained how v±ºa (b±na) means fire and nibb±na is the total extinguishing of the fire of mental impurities that make us miserable all the time. Goenkaji asked, “Why do you want to burn?” He then added that career would be more successful and family life more peaceful if there was less fire!

Goenkaji keeps on explaining how Vipassana doesn’t make one inactive but still some people are afraid that they will lose their drive and ambition if they practice Vipassana. Goenkaji explained again how Vipassana makes a person very active and dynamic but at the same time happy and peaceful.

One question was “Are the gods (devas) real?”. Goenkaji replied, “Of course they are real. Everyone can become a god. You can become a god if you acquire divine qualities of selfless love, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.”

Day Sixty (June 8) (Saratoga Springs Campground/Berkeley/ Anthony Chabot Regional Park, Oakland, California)

Silicon Valley Professionals

The Silicon Valley Indian Professionals Association sponsored Goenkaji’s talk at Hewlett Packard on June 8. The talk was in the morning. The hall was full to its capacity with mostly young computer professionals from Silicon Valley.

Mental Pollution in Office Space

Goenkaji explained the importance of mental balance and mental cultivation for every section of society but especially so for business people. When one is successful from a worldly point of view, that is when one has a lot of money and fame, one tends to become ego-centred. This in turn makes one short-tempered. One cannot tolerate anything that happens against one’s wishes. Such a businessman remains angry and makes the atmosphere at the office very tense. The employees work out of fear and often their talent is not fully utilised. Goenkaji said this was what was happening to him and his staff before he started practicing Vipassana.

When Vipassana was suggested to him at a cure for migraine, he faced two big barriers—
            1. He thought that this practice was Buddhism and he remembered the words “swadharme nidhanam shreyah, para-dharmo bhayavahah” (“Better to die in one’s own religion than to go to any other religion”). When his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, compassionately explained that Vipassana is nothing but sila, samadhi and pañña, he was reassured. In fact, Goenkaji was already giving so many discourses on the Gita ideal of sthitaprajña (one established in wisdom) yet he was unable to realize it for himself. He would often say tearful prayers to request more wisdom. His devotional fervor would give him a relatively calm mind for some time. But then again the old habit pattern of anger and ego would dominate him. He started seriously searching for something that would take him to the ideal of sthitaprajña.

2. He was a very busy person and found it difficult to spare ten days of his life to learn this technique.

When he started practising Vipassana he learned how we make the atmosphere around us tense by generating defilements in the mind. This is mental pollution. Once the mind starts getting purer, the interaction with employees and colleagues changes. There is genuine warmth and goodwill.

If there is mental pollution in the office atmosphere, then one burns oneself and burns others—the creative ability of the employees is stunted; the productive energy is wasted due to negative emotions.

Goenkaji asked the young professionals to be really selfish. To be really selfish one must look after one’s own peace and happiness. When one is peaceful, all others around become peaceful and happy. Then one finds that one’s peace and happiness helps one’s business career as well.

Vipassana results in a sharper mind, making one more adept in solving technical and administrative problems.

There were many questions from the young computer professionals, many of whom had heard for the first time how simple, rational, logical and scientific this ancient teaching from India was. They asked questions about effect of Buddha’s teaching on India, why India lost it and how it compared with other meditation techniques they had heard about. Some of them met with Goenkaji at the end of the talk and promised to give a trial to the practical teaching of the Buddha.

Not Just To Quench The Thirst Of Curiosity

Berkeley has a reputation for a vibrant and active student community and student activism. Goenkaji has given talks there More than ten years ago,Goenkaji gave some public talks there and many people gathered to hear him today as well.

Goenkaji explained that Vipassana is a process of exploring the truth within, exploring the mind-matter phenomenon. But it is not just to quench the thirst of intellectual curiosity. It was a Berkeley scientist who had made a big contribution to the understanding of how everything in the material structure is mere wavelets, mere vibrations and that there is no solidity in it at all. The Buddha proclaimed this truth more than 2600 years ago. The difference is that the Buddha discovered it without any scientific instruments, when he explored the reality within to find a way out of all suffering. Vipassana is that path out of all suffering. It is self-realization through self-observation. It is the experiential understanding of how one generates misery and how one can come out it.

When one had craving for something that is pleasant, there is inherent aversion to something that is unpleasant. When one has aversion to something that is unpleasant, there is inherent craving for something that is pleasant.

Mind-washing

Later on he answered questions from the audience and gave private interviews. Somebody questioned, “Is this brainwashing?” and Goenkaji replied, “No. It is mind-washing. It purifies your mind and makes you happy and peaceful.” Don’t get brain-washed! Believe your own experience. And keep working on purifying your mind to live a better life.

After the talk as Goenkaji and others went up the mountains to the beautiful Anthony Chabot Regional Park a few wild deer and other animals crossed their path. It was quite late and everyone was tired. They had to start early the next day to go to the Jain Temple in Milpitas where Goenkaji was scheduled to give a public talk in Hindi.

Day Sixty-One (June 9) (Oakland / Jain Temple, Milpitas / Hayward / Petaluma, CA)

Vira and Mahavira: A Warrior and A Great Warrior

The Jain temple hall was full with Indian expatriates. Some of them had heard Goenkaji’s talks before but only in English. They were looking forward to hearing from him in Hindi.

Goenkaji explained the word Dharma (Dhamma in Pali). Dharma is nature of things. It also means the laws of nature which when followed makes one happy and peaceful and helps one to generate nothing but love and compassion for others.

All vocal and physical violence starts with violence in the mind. The nature of violence is that whenever the mind generates violence one becomes agitated and distressed. The nature of non-violence is that whenever the mind generates non-violence one experiences immense peace and happiness.

This requires hard work. One has to work hard to liberate oneself from the bondage of defilements that time and again makes the mind violent. One who liberates oneself from the bondage of defilements is a v²ra. And one who liberates oneself and also helps others to become liberated from the bondage of defilements is called a mahav²ra.

The discourse lasted more than an hour and there were many questions from the audience. To questions about philosophical beliefs in India, Goenkaji remarked that everyone in India is a philosopher but what is the use of all the philosophies if one’s life doesn’t reflect one’s talk? He also clarified how various misconceptions about the Buddha have harmed Indians. We all believe that the corporeal structure is impermanent (nashvar sharir) but actually there is so much attachment to the body that body has become “I”. This is deh±tma buddhi. Similarly one may accept that mind is impermanent but actually there is so much attachment to it. This is citt±tma buddhi. Without understanding what the Buddha really taught, Indians have maligned his teaching and stayed away from it saying he doesn’t believe in Soul; or saying that he doesn’t believe in God.

Another misconception in the minds of many Indians is that the Buddha was n±stika. Goenakji explained what was the original meaning of n±stika. One who doesn’t believe in karma and its fruit is a n±stika. When one looks within one can see for one-self how one forms karma.

For centuries people have been afraid of the Buddha’s teaching. Now they are finding out that it is not something to be afraid of but something that helps one come out of fear; something that makes one fearless.

Goenkaji knows about the unfortunate reluctance to give trial to this wonderful technique that originated in India and made India a world teacher in the field of spirituality. He knows it from his own resistance over fifty years back towards the Buddha’s teaching and the resistance that Indians had when he started teaching Vipassana in India thirty-three years back.

From Milpitas Goenkaji went to Hayward where about four hundred meditators had gathered for a one day course. One meditator wanted to know about the milestones in meditation. Goenkaji explained that the one should give importance only to the present moment. Equanimity is the only yardstick to measure one’s progress on the path of Dhamma. To a student who complained of lack of concentration, Goenkaji advised the practice of more Anapana. One meditator was worried about her livelihood. She said that while she doesn’t do anything wrong in her company, the company is involved in certain practices that are not completely healthy. Goenkaji told her that if she is not involved personally in any unwholesome practices then she should not feel guilty about something over which she has no control.

Almost everyone who takes a ten-day course benefits to some degree and agrees that Vipassana is helpful. But it is difficult to keep the daily meditation practice at home after the course is over. And without continued daily meditation morning and evening, one doesn’t get the optimum benefit from Vipassana. Therefore one-day courses and group sittings are very important. They are like “charging the batteries”. One gets continued strength and inspiration to maintain daily practice when one joins group sittings and one-day courses.

The Dhamma Caravan drove from Milpitas to Petaluma. The KOA camp was near the venues of the one-day course and the public talk the next day.

Day Sixty-Two (June 10) (Santa Rosa, CA)

Suffering Defined

At Sonoma State University, Goenkaji gave Anapana at the one-day course in the morning and a public talk in the evening.

When the hall filled up to its capacity and people were still coming in, Vipassana meditators kindly gave up their places in the hall and went to the lobby where the discourse was going to be relayed via closed-circuit TV  so that non-meditators were able to listen to Goenakji in the hall. Whenever a public talk hall fills to its capacity, meditators give up their places so that those who have not yet tasted Dhamma, get an opportunity to listen to Goenkaji in person and be inspired to take a ten-day course.

Goenkaji explained how the Buddha’s teaching is as relevant today as in the past—because there is as much misery today as in the past; because human beings generate misery the same way today as they used to do in ancient times. We all suffer. Life starts with crying. Anyone who has been born is bound to encounter the sufferings of sickness and old age.

Throughout life, one encounters things that one does not like, and is separated from things that one likes. Unwanted things happen, wanted things do not happen, and one feels miserable. Even the most powerful person on the earth cannot ensure that only wanted things will happen or that unwanted things won’t happen in his/her life.

The Buddha went to the root of the problem and discovered the solution for liberation from all misery. He realized that we keep reacting to the pleasant and unpleasant sensations with craving and aversion.

One remains agitated and miserable due to these mental impurities.

Reciting a word or and chanting can help calm the mind, but only for some time and only at the surface of the mind. Actually one is running away from the problem. One is not facing the impurity that has arisen. When one keeps on repeating a word or a mantra, the vibrations of the word or the mantra envelope the practitioner while deep inside the habit pattern of craving and aversion continues unabated. It is like singing a lullaby to put a baby to sleep. Hence this is not a lasting solution to the problem.

Someone may recite the name of a god or a goddess in the hope that he or she will be pleased with the recitations of his/her name. One doesn’t understand that the god or the goddess, if he/she really has created the laws of nature, would be more pleased if one obeys those laws! The law is that if one defiles one’s mind with any impurity such as anger, hatred, lust, jealousy etc. one becomes unhappy then and there. On the other hand, if one purifies the mind, remains equanimous, generates love and compassion one remains happy and peaceful.

In the beginning of his first course, Goenkaji expected to be taught the recitation of the Buddha’s name and when that didn’t happen, thought, “What is the use of watching the breath and watching the sensations?” Soon it became clear to him—as it becomes clear to all Vipassana meditators—that breath and sensations are closely related to the mind and mental impurities. One starts understanding the law of nature of how one keeps generating misery for oneself and spreads this misery all around.

From Cruelty to Compassion

As usual, there were questions from the audience about terror and terrorism and how Vipassana can help. Gonekaji gave the example of Angulimala at the time of the Buddha. This terrorist had killed 999 human beings, and that too without any weapons of mass destruction. He kept a garland made from the fingers of his victims—therefore the name Angulimala (literally, garland of fingers). How cruel, how inhuman! When he was looking for his thousandth victim, he came across the Buddha. The Buddha didn’t change him with mere sermons. Angulimala learned the same technique, worked hard, and became an arahat, a very saintly person. When this same Angulimala, now a monk, went around for alms people recognized him as the murderer of their loved ones. They hit him with sticks and threw stones at him. Blood oozed from the wounds on his body but his mind generated only love and compassion.

It was not only Angulimala who got converted in this way. So many contract killers and murderers at the time of the Buddha and after the Buddha came out of violence. Today Vipassana is bringing similar results among the criminals in various prisons in India, USA and other countries.

Goenkaji, Start a Vipassana Centre Here!

Someone from the audience requested Goenkaji to start a Vipassana center in Santa Rosa. Goenkaji laughed and said “I don’t start centres. The meditators do.” It is the local meditators who start a centre in any area. Usually the first step in this direction is that the Vipassana meditators in an area come together regularly for weekly group meditation and one-day courses. Then they start organizing ten-day courses under the guidance of an authorized assistant teacher. Once an area hosts a few ten-day courses, and gather enough financial and human resources, the local meditators start looking for a suitable place for a centre. Guidelines for running non-centre courses, establishing a trust or developing a center are available on the www.dhamma.org website.

Santa Rosa has many Vipassana meditators and there is a lot of enthusiasm for Dhamma. Let us hope a centre arises there soon, along with many other places around the world!

Day Sixty-Three (June 11) (Santa Rosa, CA / Albion, CA)

Training Under Sayagyi

In the morning Goenkaji gave an interview to New Dimensions Radio. He explained how in spite of coming from a staunch Hindu family, and prejudice against the teaching of the Buddha, he was attracted to Vipassana. He meditated under the guidance of his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, from 1955 to 1969. This long and intimate training has kept him in good stead throughout his mission of spread of Dhamma. Sayagyi often used to say about Vipassana—“It is very easy and yet it is very difficult. It is very difficult and yet it is very easy.” It is easy in the sense that is simple to follow and practice. But it is difficult because our mind is distracted by so many negativities all the time so we need to have strong determination to continue on the path of Dhamma.

Sayagyi authorized him to teach Vipassana and entrusted him with the task of taking Vipassana to its homeland and then spreading it all over the world.

Explaining the benefits of a ten-day course, Goenkaji said that while one feels somewhat rejuvenated even if one goes away on holiday to a resort or beach for some time, but it is because one has actually distracted oneself from the problems that one faces in life. Coming back home one is subjected to the same tensions and strains and one continues to react in the same deleterious manner as before because there is  no way to cope with them. Vipassana offers that tool. One remains fully aware of the world outside and yet one remains aware of one’s own mental state inside.

The modern world offers many sensual pleasures and one takes these fleeting pleasures as happiness. One craves for more and more. The more one is attached to the sensual world the more one becomes fearful and insecure about losing them. As the Buddha said—K±mato j±yat² soko, k±mato j±yat² bhaya½. From craving arises grief, from craving arises fear. Therefore all the sensual entertainments that are available to the modern man has made him even more fearful.

Vipassana helps one to see the fleeting nature of all worldly pleasures and how they inevitably lead to suffering. One has to learn this from experience. As long as one depends solely on intellect one cannot understand Dhamma. Because the intellect has limitations but experience has no limitations. Therefore experiential wisdom is of utmost importance. It alone can give true understanding and true happiness.

The interviewer asked, “When does this process of suffering start? At birth?” Goenkaji replied that every moment one is taking a new birth. Every moment if one is ignorant one generates a new impurity. Therefore rather than going into the hypothetical question of when it all started, one should give importance to the present moment that one is facing. The flow of consciousness continues from moment to moment and at each moment one needs to be aware to avoid generating new saªkh±ras.

Supernatural Powers

The interviewer wanted to know whether some of Goenkaji’s students have developed any supernatural powers. Goenkaji replied that he has found that supernatural powers can be harmful. One develops ego and attachment to the powers. And one forgets the main goal of purification of mind. As long as the mind is defiled by impurities such as anger, hatred, fear, ego, jealousy, lust, greed etc. even if one has some special abilities one remains a miserable person.

Again, when the September 11th incident was brought up by the interviewer Goenkaji explained how those who indulge in violence in the name of religion do not really understand their own religion. Goenkaji reminded the interviewer that “Salaam walekum”, the customary greeting in most Islamic countries, means “May peace be with you”.

After the interview, the Dhamma Caravan set off for the next destination, Albion, on the Mendocino coast. Slowly they moved on the windy roads through the beautiful hills of Sonoma county into Mendocino. It was a narrow single lane road. The slowly moving Caravan had to stop on the shoulder of the road many times to allow other vehicles to pass. Finally it reached the Pacific Coast. After driving for some time along the spectacular coast, the Caravan stopped at a campsite on a small beach.  Soon a blanket of fog rolled in from the sea and it became very cold. Goenkaji met with the local meditators, including trust members and assistant teachers, at the nearby residence of a meditator. When he returned it was so cold and foggy that he was unable to take his evening walk.

Goenkaji had been in this area over 20 years ago when he conducted non-center courses.

Day Sixty-Four (June 12) (Albion, CA / Fort Bragg, CA /Albion, CA)

Eagles Hall

In the morning Goenkaji and Mataji took their morning walk in the beautiful estate gardens maintained by a meditator. Mataji was delighted to see the huge roses of every hue and scent.

Goenkaji gave a talk at the Eagles Hall in Fort Bragg in the evening. It was a very old wooden building that looked stark and unwelcoming in the morning but by the time of the talk meditators had meditated there for an hour. Chairs were put out for the audience. The black Halloween decoration on the stage that nobody had bothered to take down was covered with some white, gold and light blue drapes. The high rickety steps on which Goenkaji needed to climb to reach the stage remained the only challenge. Small wooden blocks placed on the steps solved the problem.

The arrival of a group of virtuous venerable monks and nuns from a nearby monastery made the atmosphere in the hall auspicious. They were respectfully escorted to the front row.

Goenkaji explained that Vipassana is a journey within. In Vipassana one learns how peace of mind is lost the moment one starts to react with craving and aversion. There is  ignorance when there is a lack of experience of the reality within. There is no moment in life, in any posture and any position, when there is no sensation. And if there is ignorance then one keeps on reacting with craving and aversion to these sensations.

From Gross to Subtle

One starts the work of eradicating this habit by learning to concentrate the mind. The mind becomes sharp if the area of observation is small. To investigate the mind-matter phenomenon the mind needs to be sharp. The sharper the mind, the deeper it penetrates. However, as one starts observing the breath, the mind wanders away. One may get upset but is told, “Just accept, ‘my mind has wandered away’ and come back to the awareness of breath. Keep trying patiently and persistently”. As the mind becomes calm, the breath becomes shorter and shorter. As the breath becomes shorter and shorter, the mind becomes subtler and subtler.

Goenkaji talked about the process of investigation of the truth inside. As one keeps on observing the truth inside, one progresses from gross realities to subtler realities. This journey of gross to subtle takes one to the experience of all the ultimate realities. There are four ultimate realities: r³pa (matter), citta (mind/consciousness), cetasika (mental concomitants) and nibb±na.

After the talk, Goenkaji met with the venerable monks and nuns. They expressed their pleasure at meeting Goenkaji and were grateful for his teaching. One of the monks mentioned that his first experience of meditation was with Goenkaji. After meeting with the monks and nuns, Goenkaji and Mataji met with others from the audience. One small child offered a flower to Mataji.

Day Sixty-Five (June 13) (Crescent City RV Park, Crescent City, California)

Minor Accident, Major Delay

The Dhamma Caravan’s next destination was Ashland, Oregon but it was not possible to cover the distance in one day. Thus it was decided to stop at a campground on the way along the Pacific Coast. The decision proved wise as within about half an hour after starting the journey the rear tyres of Goenkaji’s motor home were punctured by sharp rocks by the side of the road along a sharp turn. Luckily, the driver was able to maneuver the motor home into a large turnout, and the whole caravan was able to gather there to help. Some crewmembers made phone calls to locate new tyres. Another crewmember made tea for every one. This caused a delay of more than two hours. There were a couple of experienced mechanics among the crew and they quickly changed one tyre and extracted a piece of the muffler system, which was damaged in the accident. As the motor-home was stranded on the roadside, Goenkaji continued his reading. A senior teacher accompanying the Caravan in a car seized the opportunity to seek Goenkaji’s guidance on various issues pertaining to Vipassana activities in his area.

After a delay of more than two hours the Caravan continued on its way until it was met further on the road by the repair vehicle, which brought another tyre.

Ancient Tree, More Ancient Tradition

Along the way the Caravan took a small detour so that Goenkaji and Mataji could experience a “Drive-Through” tree. Because the motor homes could not actually drive through the tree, Goenkaji disembarked and walked from the parking lot to visit the 2400 year old Chandelier Tree. Its trunk had a diameter of about 31 feet. Goenkaji lovingly touched its trunk: the pure tradition of Dhamma that is more than 2600 years old had come from the other side of the earth and touched a tree that probably took birth at the time of Emperor Ashoka who spread the message of Dhamma far and wide.

The Caravan continued its journey through the Redwood forests. The tall trees standing silently on either side blocked almost all sunlight but they seemed so gentle and benevolent. Redwood trees are among the most ancient on earth. Everyone in the Caravan felt a lot of affection welling up in their hearts for these trees.

When the Caravan reached the Crescent City RV Park at 8pm that evening, everyone was ready to go to bed.

Day Sixty-Six (June 14) (Glenyan Campground, Ashland, Oregon)

Towards Warmer Climes

A light, misty rain confined Goenkaji and Mataji to the motor home in the morning. The Dhamma Caravan began its journey around 11 in the morning to go to Ashland, Oregon. For the last few days the weather had been quite cold with a biting wind but as the Caravan moved towards Oregon, it started getting warmer and for most part there was bright sunshine.

The Caravan reached the Glenyan Campground in Ashland in the evening.

Those volunteers who didn’t have place to sleep in the motor homes pitched their tents, as they always did, in the vicinity of the motor homes. They were not unhappy about the discomfort; rather they knew how difficult the journey must be for their Teacher to have undertaken at such an advanced age and they felt fortunate to have been able to help in the mission of their Teacher.

Day Sixty-Seven (June 15) (Ashland, Oregon)

Within This Fathom-length Body

The small town of Ashland has many old meditators. They had organized a one-day course at the Hidden Spring Wellness Center. Goenkaji went there to answer questions from the students on the course.

In the evening, Goenkaji gave a public talk to a capacity crowd at the Unitarian Church.

The truth of suffering and the way out of suffering has to be realized within the framework of the body, within the mind-matter phenomenon. Within this fathom-length body one finds the source of misery and the way out of it.

Craving and aversion have become a deeply ingrained habit pattern of the mind. One is unhappy when one doesn’t get what one wants. When one does get what one craves for, then the attachment to it makes one want it more and more; makes one worried and fearful at the possibility of losing it. Thus one remains miserable whether one doesn’t get what one craves for and also when one gets what one craves for.

When one looks within, one learns at the experiential level that every physical or vocal action that harms others starts with an impurity in the mind making one agitated and miserable. Thus one understands that one should live a moral life not only for the benefit of others but also one’s own peace and happiness. Just as when one washes hands by rubbing them against each other, wisdom purifies morality and morality purifies wisdom.

Day Sixty-Eight (June 16) (Ashland /Portland, Oregon)

Long Days, Short Nights

During the planning stage Ashland had seemed an insignificant, small stop on the road. The response of not only the old students who came to the one day course but also of the general public who flocked to the Unitarian Church to listen to Goenkaji’s lecture the previous night had surprised everyone because Ashland is a small town.

There is an active regional committee of committed old students who organize regular group sittings, one-day courses and non-center ten-day courses in the area. They came to meet Goenkaji at the campground and he met them in small groups in his motor home.

Three Caravan members spent the whole previous day doing some maintenance work on Goenkaji’s motor home. When they retired at night there was still about an hour’s remaining work.  While Goenkaji met the local Dhamma workers, they finished their work and were ready for departure when Goenkaji finished the interviews.

It was after eight in the evening when the Dhamma Caravan arrived at the RV park south of Portland. Everyone had had a long day both literally and figuratively. As the Caravan moved northward, the summer days became longer and longer. There was still plenty of light even at nine in the night.