Episode #288: Anāgārika Munindra
Mirka Knaster, author of Living This Life Fully: Stories and Teachings of Munindra, shares her insights into the life of Anagarika Munindra, an important Indian Vipassana teacher. Mirka highlights how Munindra's deep-rooted heritage and early life experiences shaped his path in Dharma.
Mirka discusses how she became inspired to write this biography. It began during a silent retreat at IMS, where she felt a deep question arise: “Who is honoring Munindra’s legacy in the Dharma?” This sparked her determination to document his life and contributions. “I wondered why nobody else had written a book. And then I thought, ‘Well, okay, I'll start working on it,’” she recalls. She collaborated with Robert Pryor and Kamala Masters, conducting interviews with over 200 people worldwide. Mirka hopes her work highlights Munindra's influence on the spread of Buddhism in the West, not just as a meditation teacher but as someone who embodied living a mindful, compassionate life.
Munindra was born in 1915 in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) into the Baruah family, whose lineage traces back to the Buddha's time. His father was a novice monk, but he was ostracized by the village because he stayed with the family instead of living in a monastery. This deeply affected Munindra. As Mirka notes, “He vowed for the rest of his life, never to harm anyone else, the way people were trying to harm them.”
From a young age, Munindra showed a deep commitment to the Dharma. Mirka explains that although he excelled in school, he intentionally failed exams, avoiding the typical path of success and achievement. “He wanted his achievement to be in the Dharma,” she says simply. This focus on spiritual development over worldly goals set the tone for his entire life.
Munindra’s personal journey also involved the death of three young girls he was betrothed to in succession, which further solidified his view of life’s fragility. “That really stirred Munindra’s mind how fickle or how delicate life is,” Mirka explains. Eventually, his parents allowed him to pursue studies in Kolkata in 1936. There, he joined the Mahabodhi Society, taking on responsibilities such as managing the library and hosting prominent figures like Gandhi and Nehru. He was also part of a 1948 delegation that carried Buddhist relics to Tibet, where he met the Dalai Lama, an experience he cherished deeply.
Mirka shares stories that illustrate Munindra's dedication to the Dharma, particularly when he became the first Buddhist superintendent of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya in 1953. He faced many challenges while restoring the temple, but he was determined to make it a proper place for pilgrims. “He just did everything he could to make it a nicer place to visit,” says Mirka. His work caught the attention of Burma's Prime Minister U Nu, who invited him to Burma in 1957.
Mirka explains that one factor in his decision to go to Burma was that in India at that time, Buddhist practice had mostly faded aside from ritualistic observances. Munindra wanted to learn meditation, but there was no one in India who could teach it. In Burma, he learned meditation and studied under the great monk Mahasi Sayadaw. He learned the entire Pali Canon in just five years—a task that usually takes 15! “He studied from first thing in the morning to late at night, just stopping to eat and sleep,” Mirka notes. “And so between practice and scholarship, he became very adept.” During that time, he attained the first stage of awakening but, yet he remained humble about his progress, and never openly discussing his attainments.
Mirka describes Munindra's deep gratitude for Mahasi Sayadaw. For example he always carried a cloth he was given by his teacher, and placed it by his side when he meditated. She believes their relationship was characterized by warmth, mutual respect, and a deep sense of connection. Yet, Munindra also remained curious, exploring 48 other meditation techniques with his teacher's permission. Mirka believes that this broadened his perspective and made him a more adaptable teacher, guiding students toward the practices best suited for them. He encouraged this same openness in other seekers, often sending students to other teachers without attachment, including to his friend, S.N. Goenka, an Indian born in Burma who also taught meditation. “[Munindra’s] experience in Burma really enabled him to be even more broad-minded and open-hearted,” she says. His thorough study of the Pali Canon made him, in Mirka’s words, “a walking encyclopedia of the Dharma.” This openness and vast knowledge had a lasting impact on his own students, like Joseph Goldstein, who later wrote One Dharma, a book that was inspired by the diverse techniques he learned.
Mirka elaborates on Munindra's decision to disrobe after his brief time as a monk, which allowed him more freedom to teach and interact with both men and women. He chose to live as an Anagarika, a homeless layperson that relies entirely on the generosity of others. “He, in a sense, threw himself on the goodness or generosity of the world,” she says, “He would say, ‘Everywhere I go, I have a home!’ He just felt at home throughout the world.” She describes how this choice allowed him to teach as he chose, and helped him integrate Dharma into daily life, making his teachings more accessible.
Mirka shares insights into the interesting relationship between Munindra and S. N. Goenka. Despite their different personalities and approaches, they considered themselves "Dharma brothers." Munindra’s open-minded curiosity contrasted with Goenka’s very structured, singular approach, and which emphasized a sole technique. To Mirka, their differences yet close friendship highlight how people are drawn to various kinds of Buddhist practice. “I think it's an individual path that we all take,” she reflects. She believes that there's no right or wrong approach to Dharma, and trying different things is part of personal growth. The relationship between Munindra and Goenka illustrates to her the importance of embracing diversity without conflict.
Mirka also compares Munindra’s personality to that of the Burmese meditation master, U Pandita, who was also a disciple of Mahasi Sayadaw. U Pandita was highly organized and established centers like the one in Rangoon, contrasting to Munindra’s more free-spirited approach. “Munindra didn't have that kind of skill or push to establish structures,” she says, “He was more free-floating.”
Reflecting on how an individual's personality and their understanding of the Dharma are deeply connected, Mirka explains that even enlightened beings retain their unique human traits, and uses a Burmese expression to illustrate her point: “The bottle is empty, but the perfume is still there.” She believes it is important for seekers to learn that a teacher’s personality is not the measure of the value of their teachings. “We go through different stages on the path of Dharma,” she remarks, noting how her own journey has helped her appreciate the worth of each phase for its own sake. For example, she fondly recalls Goenka as a perfect teacher for her early experiences in as a meditator, although she did not continue in that tradition, as later stages called for different spiritual teachings.
Mirka holds that the profound atmosphere of reverence for the Buddha and Sangha in Burma, coupled with the daily acts of generosity that Munindra witnessed during his time there, and a culture intricately woven with Buddhism at every level, irrevocably reshaped his understanding of the Dharma. She shares an illustrative story: At one point, Munindra wanted to take Dharma books from Burma to India. However, for whatever reason, the military initially was reluctant to allow those books out of the country, yet Munindra was somehow able to convince them. Mirka believes that it was Munindra’s sincerity and deep connection that persuaded the authorities to allow it, even receiving their help in doing so!
“In the end, hundreds of people came to see him off on the ship! He felt he was leaving his home,” she says, describing his departure from the Golden land. His experience here was so profound and he was so grateful, that it aroused in Munindra a feeling of great responsibility to bring the teachings of Burma back to India where they originated. And beyond just Dharma books, he wanted to return the actual practice of Buddhist meditation to India as well. From 1966 to 1977, he taught in Bodhgaya, attracting many Western students who would later help spread his teachings worldwide. “He was very important in bringing the Dharma to India,” Mirka explains, adding that his approach to teaching was that of a Kalyana Mitta, or spiritual friend, rather than a guru. This allowed him to connect with students on a more personal level.
Essentially, Mirka believes that Munindra was in the right place at the right time when he went back to India. This was when many young Westerners, disillusioned with traditional institutions and government dishonesty, were traveling overseas searching for truth and a deeper meaning in life. Many went to India, drawn to Asian philosophies and new experiences. This led some of them to Munindra in Bodhgaya. He welcomed them all without any judgment about their hippie lifestyles, and gave openness to exploration. His readiness to engage and teach them set many students on transformative journeys into the Dharma. (Listeners are encouraged to hear the interviews of some of these students who have appeared on past episodes, such as Michael Stein, Barry Lapping, Grahame White, Alexandra Kaloyanides, and Lynn Bousfield)
Mirka also shares how his students have remarked on his unique presence, describing him as “motherly” and others, “androgynous.” “He was motherly in the sense that when you met him, the first thing he did was ask how you are. He wanted to take care of your physical needs first,” she notes. This gentle approach and generosity left a lasting impression. She contrasts Munindra’s presence to Goenka, who also periodically came to Bodhgaya to teach at that time. The latter’s powerful, booming voice and strong, masculine presence offered a different kind of authority and discipline.
Mirka says, “[Munindra] was very conscientious about health and hygiene. And not just for himself, but for the people he came into contact with.” Unlike many other teachers, one time, without any hesitation, he personally took a seriously ill student to the doctor in the middle of the night. “If you were just in his presence, it was like a blast of metta (loving kindness) hit you! And this was with everyone,” she adds.
Mirka believes that Munindra was a unique teacher. He inspired confidence in his students by believing in them, even when they didn’t believe in themselves. He also allowed students to progress at their own pace, recognizing their individual needs and adjusting his teachings accordingly. And he integrated the Dharma into everyday life. “He didn't put a barrier between himself and his students. He piled around with them. He was in the bazaar with them, he was having chai with them,” she notes. This resonated with many Western students, who valued a non-hierarchical, personal approach.
Mirka describes the significant role that Munindra played in spreading Buddhism to the West. He inspired and taught not only Joseph Goldstein, as mentioned earlier, but other notable Western students as well, such as Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield, who later became influential teachers. He also taught at the International Meditation Society (IMS)--which he was instrumental in helping establish, and Spirit Rock in the US, as well as in Europe and Australia. She wonders, “How could he have even known when he was a little boy in that Bengali village that all of this would come to pass?”
Mirka also mentions that later in his life, Munindra supported a Buddhist studies program in Bodhgaya that drew international students, continuing his mission to spread the Dharma. “He made a huge difference in their lives, even long after they had spent time with him, and after he died, “ she says, reflecting his joyful nature and commitment that left a lasting impact on many students. She is also delighted to see so many young Westerners embracing the Dharma today, reminiscent of her own youthful experiences. She credits Munindra's pioneering efforts in this movement for inspiring this new generation's interest.
Mirka ends by sharing her opinion on what Munindra would think about today’s Dharma landscape, “I couldn't imagine he would be anything but delighted to see how much the Dharma has spread!”