Lay Mindfulness Meditation Expands Across Theravada Countries, Including Thailand and Laos, and to the West

While working tirelessly for the promotion of mindfulness meditation amongst the common people in Burma, the Burmese Prime Minister U Nu appointed Mahasi Sayadaw as the resident teacher and head of a newly established meditation center-Thathana Yeiktha Meditation Center in Rangoon (now Yangon). U Nu was in awe of Mahasi Sayadaw and the way he revolutionised vipassana meditation so that it became easily comprehensible and available to the common people (Braun, 2014).

In fact, the meditation movement initiated by Mahasi Sayadaw was so well accepted in Burma that it spread like wildfire to countries such as Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, which also followed the Theravada school of Buddhism. Drawing inspiration from the teachings of Mahasi Sayadaw and the seasoned practitioners trained by him, these countries, in turn, set up their own meditation centers. A record number of 700,000 people were believed to receive lessons on insight meditation from Mahasi Sayadaw and his disciples in Burma and beyond (Mahattanadull & Nimanong, 2018).

His techniques became so famous that the Thai Minister for Sangha Affairs persuaded him to travel to Thailand and educate the general Thai population about the techniques and what he considered to be the life-alternating benefits of vipassana practices in 1952. Mahasi Sayadaw was accompanied by two of his most distinguished disciples U Asabha and U Indavamsa on this mission, which became a phenomenal success in just a few days. Innumerable vipassana meditation centers came into existence in Thailand, and more than 100,000 Thai people came into contact with insight meditation (Mahattanadull & Nimanong, 2018).

Even devotees from abroad traveled to Rangoon (now Yangon) to study under Mahasi Sayadaw to understand in-depth his vipassana meditation technique. His first batch of eminent international students included British Rear-Admiral Ernest Henry Shattock, who eventually authored a book called “An Experiment in Mindfulness,” inspiring thousands of Westerners to embrace insight meditation. Amongst other students, the notable ones included Mr. Robert Duva, an American of French descent, who renounced all materialistic pursuits and devoted himself to Buddhism (Mahattanadull & Nimanong, 2018).

Anagarika Shri Munindra, another disciple of Mahasi Sayadaw, came all the way from Bodh Gaya, India to learn about meditation from Mahasi Sayadaw. Joseph Goldstein, an American, who was one of the pioneers of vipassana movement in the West, also received training from Mahasi Sayadaw and later on,  wrote numerous books on vipassana meditation (Mahattanadull & Nimanong, 2018).

U Ba Khin delivered lessons on mindfulness to students from all over the world who came to study in his school. Some of the renowned graduates of his school-  Ruth Denison, Robert Hover, and John Coleman played a central role in popularizing his techniques in the West. In 1956, U Ba Khin also trained one of the most distinguished teachers of vipassana meditation, Satya Narayana Goenka (S.N Goenka). He was of Indian origin, born to a business family in Burma, and he initially approached U Ba Khin to find a cure for his crippling headache, but fate had other plans (Braun, 2014).

In spite of the initial hiccups that he faced, S.N Goenka, through his unfaltering dedication,  mastered the techniques of insight meditation. He eventually worked his way up to become a principal teacher of vipassana meditation (Ba Khin, n.d.).

U Ba Khin always encouraged him to return to India to introduce the techniques of vipassana in its quintessentially purest form to the Indians. He firmly believed that Burma was indebted to India in many ways, which could only be paid off through the “jewel of the Dhamma.” In the words of U Ba Khin, it was the moral responsibility of S.N. Goenka, as an Indian, to offer this jewel to those deserving Indians with good parami (virtues). Later on, as he returned to India in 1969, S.N. Goenka established a chain of over 120 non-commercial Vipassana meditation centers on a global level (Braun, 2014).

By 1988, S.N. Goenka offered a thorough and guided introduction to the practice of vipassana meditation, following the style of his mentor U Ba Khin, to thousands of vipassana enthusiasts, including Westerners, in almost 341 locations and 94 countries in the world. Today dozens of countries are dotted with innumerable vipassana retreats and training centers bearing his name. India alone boasts 78 centers, thanks to the indefatigable spirit of S.N. Goenka (“Vipassana pioneer SN Goenka is dead,” 2013; “Vipassana guru SN Goenka no more,” 2013; “Vipassana Meditation,” n.d.).