Spiritual Trekking through 1970s India
Michael Stein's journey in India unfolded amidst the cultural upheavals of the 1960s. Bereaved at 14, he sought solace through meditation, fueled by the turbulent zeitgeist. Leaving behind New York, he embarked on a transformative odyssey. India, with its spiritual allure, captivated him upon crossing the border in 1971, just before the war with Pakistan. Stein's spiritual exploration, intertwined with encounters with luminaries like Ram Dass, led him to S.N. Goenka's Vipassana teachings in Dalhousie. In the nascent days of Westerners seeking Eastern wisdom, Michael traversed a diverse spiritual landscape. Reflecting on the dynamic personalities of Goenka and Munindra, he appreciated their distinct approaches. The evolving Vipassana movement faced logistical challenges, yet Michael reveled in the adventure and camaraderie. As he played a pivotal role in establishing meditation centers like IMS and Dhamma Dhara, his narrative unfolds as a testament to the profound impact of Goenka's teachings, shaping his life's trajectory and contributing to the global dissemination of Vipassana. In the following excerpt, he describes his first ever vipassana course with Goenka conducting.
“I was looking at people; it was just like it was thousands of years ago to me. It was a very moving experience for me to come to Bodhgaya.”
That first day, in the evening, I started the course. And Dalhousie, the course in Dalhousie was in a hotel! It overlooked the Himalayas. It's in the foothills of the Himalayas, at about 7000 feet. They said to me, ‘Go to Goenka-ji’s room and he'll teach. And you can start. He'll give you the precepts and you’ll surrender. And he'll teach you ānāpāna[sati].’
It turned out that the rooms were such that there was a bedroom, and then there was an anteroom, a sitting room in front. Goenka-ji was in the sitting room. I went in there, and it was just Goenka-ji and myself. He started chanting a little bit and told me I should take the precepts and he gave me ānāpāna. So, I had a unique experience to start off my time with him.
After that, I took the course. And then I did another course. Then, I did a 30-day course. At that time, you could just stay any amount that you wanted. Goenka-ji stayed at different places. Sometimes, he'd teach three courses in a place, and you could then sit 10 days or 20 days or 30 days. So, I sat a 30-day course, fairly close in the beginning. And then we went to Bodhgaya and I went down for the first time. I had never been before. This was 1972, and if you've been to Bodhgaya, Bodhgaya then was a little village. It wasn't built up like it was now. It was small. There weren't a lot of people in it.
Goenka-ji was coming to do first a ‘self-course,’ which he used to do every year there. Then, he would do a regular course afterwards. When I got off the train from Benaras to Gaya, I took a tanga, which is a horse drawn carriage, from Gaya to Bodhgaya, which I'm just guessing now is probably about a three- or four-mile drive. I was back in my mind. I had just finished sitting 30 days. And I was sitting there when I was out. I was looking at people; it was just like it was thousands of years ago to me. It was a very moving experience for me to come to Bodhgaya.
So, Goenka-ji did a self-course. I didn't do the self-course then; I managed. He let a certain amount of people do the self-course, and the other people went to the Gandhi ashram which is where Munindra-ji lived. And they did a self-course there also, and the other people in the Burmese Vihara. So, I managed the course at the with another person at the at the Gandhi ashram. The Gandhi ashram was right in the center of Bodhgaya, not far from the temple. And after that, Goenka did his, did a regular course. I sat that and then they left. Everybody left and Goenka-ji was going to Bombay. A lot of people, we would follow him around then, but I sort of at that point, needed a little break. I saw a friend and went up to Darjeeling to hang around and do things.
When I was up at Darjeeling, I went to see Kalu Rinpoche which was, he was very, very, very powerful and very calm and a great person. So, I went there and then I sat there with him at Sonada, the temple where his monastery was. They did a thing where you took refuge with him and stuff. I did that. And he hit me on the head. And it was like all of a sudden, the top of my head just completely opened up. It was a pretty moving type of experience at that point. I didn't see him again for another six years. No, I saw him again; he came to Rajgir when Goenka-ji was there. And that was the only couple of times I saw him.