Tourists to the Present Moment at Dhamma Dhara
Sayagyi U Goenka has successfully made the liberating activity of Burmese meditation available throughout the world, and to countries where the Buddha's pure teachings have never reached in the 2500 years since Gautama Buddha himself taught the Dhamma. In this essay, author John Fallot describes his own experiences of attending such a course in America for the first time, which took place at Dhamma Dhara. For those well-accustomed to practice as it is found in Buddhist countries, is account may be intriguing to read.
Here is an excerpt from the post:
"The day’s remainder wasn’t too important, beyond the stating of the rules and the start of the Noble Silence. Indeed, it would be in poor taste for me to expound on it too greatly, since there is something very sacrosanct about first steps — nor will I describe the discourses of S.N. Goenka in detail. But as I will say repeatedly, it is to be experienced."
"The day’s remainder wasn’t too important, beyond the stating of the rules and the start of the Noble Silence. Indeed, it would be in poor taste for me to expound on it too greatly, since there is something very sacrosanct about first steps — nor will I describe the discourses of S.N. Goenka in detail. But as I will say repeatedly, it is to be experienced."