"Words cannot express the gratitude we feel..."

When preparing for the visit to Sayagyi U Ba Khin's International Meditation Center, little can better inspire than mind than S.N. Goenka's comments in May 1999:

 “[W]ords cannot express the gratitude we feel towards… Sayagyi U Ba Khin, whose irrepressible enthusiasm and extraordinary Dhamma-inspiration resulted in our receiving this liberating technique… My revered Teacher had unwavering faith in the ancient belief that this technique would arise again and return to the country of its origin. He used to repeatedly say that the clock of Vipassana had struck and that Vipassana would arise again in its birthplace, India…

“Let there be no delusion in the minds of Vipassana meditators that they have received this priceless technique from Goenka. Goenka is only a medium. Actually all have received this technique from Sayagyi U Ba Khin. Since July 1969 when Goenka gave his first course up to the present time, he has been humbly acknowledging this truth while giving every course and will do so in the future as well. While giving Anapana, his Dhamma voice reverberates in the course with the words-

"Guruvara! Teri ora se, deun dharama ka dana...."

"Revered Teacher, I am giving the gift of Dhamma on your behalf..."

And similarly while giving Vipassana-

"Guruvara! Tera pratinidhi, deun dharama ka dana...."

"Revered Teacher, I am giving the gift of Dhamma as your representative..."

And at the end of the course, after metta, while returning to my residence-

"Guruvara! Tero punya hai, tero hi paratapa;

logan nai bantyo dharama, dura karana bhavatapa.

"Revered Teacher, it is because of your merit, your glory;

That I distribute Dhamma to the people to eradicate their misery.

-- Sayagyi Goenka, March 1999