I would prefer you don’t group my topics together.retrofuturist wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:26 am Greetings thepea,
If anything, it's more likely we'd merge some of your topics to prevent proliferation of overlapping topics throughout the forum.
But sankharas aside, it's clear that while Theravada Buddhism has the triple gem of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha... the Goenka equivalent is Goenka / U Ba Khin, Goenka's videos, and a pretty inconsistent pack of Assistant Teachers. I don't think it's a particularly solid foundation for the tradition, and in the absence of a successor to Goenka himself, I expect the tradition to deteriorate, rather than flourish. You may be witnessing the start of that with the things you describe.
If the Buddha predicted decline for his own dispensation, then what hope does Goenka have? How could it be otherwise?
Metta,
Paul.
Each one has a different aspect of the 8-fold noble path engrained in it. But is using current global circumstances as the backdrop for these discussions.
I realize everyday that I am not of similar mind as the majority of the population, although as this continues more and more are changing their view.
As few are sotapanna, this state of mind may very well be in the minority but does not make it unwise or not the correct view.
As far as Goenka centres deteriorating moving forward I share your view that this may be a possibility.
The dhamma instructions are very much in Mr.G’s audio and video discourses and how he guides one through the process. My experience in past was that the grounds and conditions were suitable for the dhamma to flourish.
But.....what I’m seeing currently with lack of open communication, teachers made unavailable to answer and be accountable for decisions resembles mara(government).
The organization globally is resembling a mighty corporation that wants to grow and consume and puts its own survival(dead entity) over that of the living.
As I said I am a purist, fancy meditation halls and newer clean sanitized kitchens mean nothing to me. You get your bowl, somebody puts something in it out of love and compassion and you take from that bowl what you need.
Then you work.
You can wrap a pretty shiny new meditation centre up in a fancy bow but if it is missing one aspect of dhamma it is going to fail.
I don’t know the future of Mr.G’s centres, I don’t require a teacher any more, only suitable accommodations that support the continuity of practice.
These centres provided me with this previously, they do not at the moment. They are currently very large retirement homes wasted on the few, being supported by the many.
I sense in your posts and in others over the years a real distain for this tradition. I have seen similar things in the monastic traditions, when training laity. Most monastic traditions lack the infrastructure to train laity. I do appreciate and respect Mr.G’s noble efforts to produce a global system that catered to laity. But he is gone and if corrupted in leadership this tradition will lose its purity from top down.
I hope you are wrong about this tradition, but at current it is failing my approval, I cannot recommend this tradition to any new students.