Wanted non-stop fight against injustice, not meditation
My book on Vipassana in Marathi was released on Oct.14 last and when this news came in the press one Joshi, probably of Vipassana Academy, Nagpur, wrote against it commenting on the views expressed by the Budhist monk, Mettanand, who said:
“It is not necessary to sit down and close both the eyes. What is required is maintaining balance of pragnya (wisdom) by keeping both the eyes open”.
At the time of Dhamma Chakrapravartan at Sarnath, the Budha neither taught meditation to the five monks (parivrajakas) nor he himself went out teaching the same. Rather he emphasized educating people and awakening them on launching a struggle to root out the evils of Brahminism in the society. However, for monks he made it obligatory to strictly follow the Trisharana, Panchasheela as well as Ashtangk Path so that they were able to conquer the evil by good while spreading the message of Dhamma. He also preached that every individual had the potential to become a Budha.
Jain way of punishment: In Burma, from where S.N.Goenka claims to have brought the Vipassana back, no such inequality exists as in India. As there is no caste-based inequality and oppression in Burma, the monks there do meditation,
In the Vipassana Academy here, Vipassana is taught not as part of Budhism but as a technique in isolation for various purposes. It is taught in such a manner for ten days that Budha’s Middle Path is completely forgotten and it turns into Jain way of punishing the body sitting continuously watching bodily sensations.
Dr. Ambedkar warning: Babasaheb has wamed that Vipassana should not be introduced in India since the situation is not yet mature. Hence, what is good for one may prove poison for others. This is exactly happening with our Ambedkarite Budhists entangled in Vipassana whose supporters are confusing the right of concentration with the Vipassana.
Vipassana supporters must note that any meditation or concentration is not a right concentration. The Samadhi becomes samyak only when it is utilised for the liberation of others. Otherwise it is an ordinary meditation.
Ancient sages used to get angry at the slightest provocation and would curse them. Sage Gautama had cursed his own wife and turned her into stone. There are many such stories. Hence, any meditation is not a right (samayak) meditation.
After the enlightenment, Budha found that it was wrong for him to sit as a sanyasi with folded arms and allow things to remain as they were. He found asceticism useless. It was vain to attempt to escape from the world. He realised that what was necessary was not escape from the world but transform the world and make it better.
So it is clear that Budha did not choose the path of personal gratification by sitting silently but preferred preaching people the way of eradicating suffering in an objective manner.
Vipassana helping enemy: But what a tragedy. Our Ambedkarites have taken up the cudgel on behalf of Vipassanawalas and are making all-out efforts to propagate it zealously among the Budhists. Their efforts would have been appreciated had they conducted the Vipassana course in Hindu or Jain temples for making them more humane. But they have resorted to spoiling our people. By supporting Vipassana, they are helping the enemy.
For the Ambedkarite Budhist Vipassis, Goenka is greater than Babasaheb or even Budha. They lose their composure even at the slightest provocation and do not even tolerate any criticism.
Cure for Gujarat violence: It is shocking to note the views (DV June 1, 2002 p.18) of S. Krishna who advocates Vipassana to cure the violence in Gujarat. He selectively quotes Budha saying:
“Fire cannot extinguish fire, Force and violence cannot solve any problem. One can win the opponent through love and dialogue. Hence his solution is to have a violence-free world. We have to first purify our mind from defilements of craving and aversion and fill our hearts with love and compassion towards all being. Only then we will be able to have a violence-free world.”
The problem with Krishna is he is not willing to identify himself with those who have experienced the horrors of violence. It is very easy to talk the language of peace and harmony living in a glass house. Will he talk this language if his kith or kin were to meet the same fate? How to love the enemy? He would have been the first person to protest and fight the nazis forgetting the peace talk
Before dreaming about a violence-free world through Vipassana, let’s first talk about the ground realities in India. Understand the root cause of the problem instead of talking in the air. On conversion to Budhism on Oct.14, 1956 at Nagpur, Babasaheb said:
“Buddhism can emancipate the universe. But unless justice prevails, there cannot be peace”.
The Ambedkarite Vipassis should decide their priorities. Are they ready to fight for justice or join the peace brigade of our enemy?
Dr. Ambedkar warned:
“Revolt and rebellion against the established order is a natural part of the history of the poor in all countries of the world. Neither spiritual forces nor historical forces are going to bring the millennium. If the Hindu Social Order is to fall to the ground, it can happen only under two conditions. Firstly, the social order must be subjected to constant fire. Secondly, they can’t subject it constant fire unless they are independent in thought and action. The Hindus on the other hand are telling the untouchables to depend upon the Hindus for their emancipation. The untouchables are told that the general spread of education will make the Hindus act in a rational manner. If the untouchables who believe in this facile proposition are hypocrites who are prepared to agree to whatever the Hindus have to say in order that, their grace they may put in places reserved for the untouchables. They are a predatory band of untouchables who are out to feather their nests by any means open to them.”
