GRATITUDE MEDITATION
for our Teacher S.N.Goenka
(1924-2013)
on the occasion of the centenary of his birth

Over the course of 2023-2024, old students from all over the world marked the centenary of their birth.

While most old students never met Goenkaji personally, we recognize him as our teacher and every time we sit a course or group sitting, we are close to him. Indeed, our gratitude towards him is boundless, and inspires many of us to help others benefit from and develop in Dhamma!

Thus, this celebration is not a blind rite or ritual but rather an opportunity to develop our quality of gratitude towards the person who gave us Dhamma. 

As old students of Dhamma Suttama, we had the opportunity to express our gratitude to Goenkaji together
during special commemorations of Virtual and In-person Old Student Group Sittings in Montebello, Montréal,Québec City and Dunham followed by an inspiring slideshow on Goenkaji's life in Dhamma Service attended by over a hundred students.

This programme has been offered as a tribute to Goenkaji and all he has done to spread the Dhamma to millions of people around the world.

May All Beings Be Happy!

It is in the nature of pure Dhamma to spread (Ehipassiko), because we naturally wish to share the benefits we have received. But we still need a vehicle, a teacher to transmit the teaching. We are fortunate that an extraordinary being was born a hundred years ago, someone who could imbibe the pure Dhamma, someone full of wisdom and benevolence. Encouraged by his master Sayagyi U Ba Khin, he came to transmit this wisdom in India and from there to several parts of the world, teaching some three hundred courses, working to establish numerous centres, seeing to the training of assistant teachers and laying the foundations for the governance of a vast organisation in the service of Vipassana. We are all immensely grateful to him.