A long, close relationship: S.N. Goenka and Sayagyi U Ba Khin

Goenka’s initial encounters with his teacher [Sayagyi U Ba Khin] were the beginning of a long, close relationship, one that became formally constituted when he finally participated in a ten-day meditation retreat. In describing his first retreat, Goenka once again put a strong emphasis on how the specifics of his meditative experiences opened his mind and brought him to fully embrace the teachings of the Buddha. Though he encountered difficulties at first and almost quit the course, he decided to stay thanks to the encouraging words of a fellow meditator. In a short time, he found himself immersed in a deep exploration of the nature of reality.

An excerpt from Daniel Stuart’s S. N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight (Lives of the Masters), describing the first time Goenka learned meditation from Sayagyi U Ba Khin. 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.