I have not been able to bring home the conception of Vipassana to our Dalit brothers. Of course, it is not a thing which can be understood by reading books. It has got to be practiced. The medicine has to be consumed. Merely its appreciation in forceful language does not enable anyone to derive its benefits. I have tried to explain further, especially in response to Brother Vijaya Sonawane from Chandigarh.
Defects of Ambedakrites: Ambedkarites feel they are Ambedkarites only because they oppose the caste system belonging to lower strata of the society and hence different from others, especially Hindus. They generally suffer from inferiotity complex and feel isolated. If only they feel that caste is nothing but the name of any group of the Indian society and it has no more difference in culture, tradition and occupation etc. and is only a mental status of individuals creating a barrier in self- x respect and intermixing of various groups, the confusion can be overcome.
Vipassana is not only for concentration of mind. It is beyond that. It is the process of controlling the mind and cleaning it of the various mental blots and stains on it due to the sanskaras or reactions on every action good or bad. It is the process of cleansing the mind for which the Budha has said Sachitta Pariodapanam. Vipassana is misunderstood to be rumination and assimilation of knowledge in seclusion. A man who practices Vipassana keeps himself free from all sources of knowledge during the practice and watches the movement of mind, controls and brings it to see internally what is going on in the mind and body with every breath and thus frees mind of its restless movement from one object to another and merges in the eternal peace.
Vipassana helped Budha: After a practice of one hour of Vipassana meditation the sadhaka or the practitioner is relaxed and ready to concentrate his mind on any attempt of thinking or acquiring knowledge with much more efficiency. A common man’s mind is not fit to concentrate on any subject continuously for longer periods as the mind keeps roaming on many unwanted subjects. Thus, Vipassana helps increase mental efficiency and thereby acquire any desired knowledge by any available technology or method.
Only a man who has not practiced Vipassana can say it misleads people. Actually, it restores misled people to the right path. Just like sunna or the actions of Prophet Mohammad are supplement to the shariat or verses of Quran, Vipassana meditation is a supplement to the teachings of Budha. Only through Vipassana meditation did he achieve enlightenment. So, no sane Budhist can separate Vipassana from his lifestyle and daily activities.
Budha reached the enlightenment only by Vipassana meditation when all ‘his practices during first six years had failed to take him to his goal. Of course, he reinvented it, and it was not its originator.
No one can understand anything without doing it. Fundamental rules for learning are: –
1. You forget what you hear, (2) you remember what you see, and (3) you understand what you do.
So, anyone who has not practiced Vipassana for at least one session of ten days at any center cannot understand Vipassana and his statement on this subject is entirely unauthorized and childish effort.
Bogus Ambedkarites: The term “Ambedkarite” is highly misconceived. Most of the Ambedkarites do not believe in following the path shown by Dr. Ambedkar. They only assemble on April 14 and Dec.6 to garland the statue of Babasaheb and then forget him throughout the year. They do not follow his 22 resolutions. They do not believe in equality, freedom and fraternity. Many of them go to Vaishno Devi regularly every year. Many Budhists are habitual drunkards.
Merely belonging to the Dalit community and reading books of Babasaheb does not make one an Ambedkarite. In fact, one is true Ambedkarite only when he practices what Babasaheb has taught and advised.
There is no religious ceremony or social gathering which brings all men nearer to humanity than a Vipassana shivir. Only by practicing Vipassana one can appreciate the teachings of Budha. A mere conversion for namesake and no change in behaviour and conduct cannot make one a real Budhist. The dream of Babasaheb can be fulfilled only through Vipassana. Anything else will only create restless revolutionaries and politicians. Babasaheb wanted lateral spread of good virtues to establish a good human society and not vertical relationship with some supernatural entity. This is being very skillfully propagated and implemented by S.N.Goenka. In fact, he is a real Budhist and Ambedkarite. He is giving sugar-coated pills of “eightfold path” of Budha to all those who want to be good but have aversion to Budha’s name and Budhism due to their die-hard religious conception.
