S.N. Goenka: Misunderstood and Misrepresented

It is a challenging thing to write critically about a living community of which one is a part. It is even more difficult when this community is built on cherished spiritual ideals that many feel are inviolable. I have taken up the task of writing this short work primarily because of my great reverence for S. N. Goenka, but also because I feel that he has been misunderstood and misrepresented by many, including some of his own students. My hope is that a critical and informed perspective on the life of this great master, and the role he played in the dissemination of the Buddha’s teachings in modernity, will prove helpful to anyone interested in those teachings.

These are the powerful words by Daniel Stuart in the preface of S. N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight (Lives of the Masters), describing the mission before him in writing about the meditation master. Future posts here will look more deeply into this work, and we hope to have Daniel on the Insight Myanmar Podcast as well to discuss his new book.