Vipasana Gyan

एक दंपत्ती दिवाली की खरीदारी करने को हड़बड़ी में था! पति ने पत्नी से कहा- जल्दी करो मेरे पास" टाईम" नहीं है... कह कर रूम से बाहर निकल गया सूरज तभी बाहर लॉन मे बैठी "माँ" पर नजर पड़ी, कुछ सोचते हुए वापिस रूम में आया।....शालू तुमने माँ से भी पूछा कि उनको दिवाली पर क्या चाहिए....  शालिनी बोली नहीं पूछी। अब उनको इस उम्र मे क्या चाहिए होगी यार, दो वक्त की रोटी और दो जोड़ी कपड़े इसमे पूछने वाली क्या बात है..... वो बात नहीं है शालू... "माँ पहली बार दिवाली पर हमारे घर में रुकी हुई है" वरना तो हर बार गाँव में ही रहती है तो... औपचारिकता के लिए ही पूछ लेती......... अरे इतना ही माँ पर प्यार उमड़ रहा है तो खुद क्यूँ नही पूछ लेते झल्लाकर चीखी थी शालू, और कंधे पर हेंड बैग लटकाते हुए तेजी से बाहर निकल गयी...... सूरज माँ के पास जाकर बोला माँ हम लोग दिवाली के खरीदारी के लिए बाजार जा रहे हैं आपको कुछ चाहिए तो..  माँ बीच में ही बोल पड़ी मुझे कुछ नही चाहिए बेटा.... सोच लो माँ अगर कुछ चाहिये तो बता दीजिए.....  सूरज के बहुत जोर देने पर माँ बोली ठीक है तुम र...

(Mr. Parikh, Vipassana Teacher, was among the first assistant teachers appointed by Goenkaji. He served Dhamma in various capacities for many years and made a significant contribution to the spread of Vipassana. He passed away peacefully at his residence in Mumbai in 2005.) At the age of forty-two, while living the life of a good householder, there arose in me a tremendous urge to pursue the path of purification of mind. This was stirred up in me as a result of a saintly person saying to me, “There can be no progress in the spiritual life without purification of the mind.” Upon hearing these words, I immediately began to search for a method by which the mind could be purified. Two friends of mine told me about Vipassana meditation as taught by Goenkaji, but at that time I was not inclined to go and try. But when another friend attended the course and within a month expressed his desire to take a second course, I thought there must be something worthwhile in it. This was primar...

One day, Shakyamuni Buddha went for a walk with two of his disciples, Mahakasyapa and Ananda. As noon was approaching, the group of three started to feel thirsty, and decided to rest under a tree alongside the road. The Buddha saw that nearby there was a melon patch, and requested Ananda to go up ahead and beg for a watermelon in order to quench their thirst. When Ananda arrived at the melon patch he saw a young woman who was watching guard over the watermelons. Ananda approached the woman and politely spoke, “My teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, has walked over to this place, and he is hungry and thirsty. Would you mind offering one of your watermelons to me, so that I could go back and care for my master?” Before Ananda could even finish speaking, the woman became very angry, and refused Ananda’s request. She then, using abusive language, demanded Ananda to immediately get out of her field. Ananda very discouragingly walked back to the tree and reported the entire sequence of event...