(The following is adapted from a public talk given by Goenkaji for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis on 5 August 1998 at Dharma Drum Monastery, Taiwan.)

Most Venerable Master Sheng Yen, venerable bhikkhus and bhikkhunis,

It is a great joy to come once again to meet the great master who is such a saintly person and to meet you all who are interested in meditation. When I see you all sitting cross-legged for meditation, I remember the words of the Buddha, who was once asked, "How should we pay respect to the Enlightened One?" Pointing out to the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis who were sitting and meditating, he said, "This is the way to pay respect to the Buddha."

This is really the proper way to pay respect to the Enlightened One: to follow his teachings. And his teaching is to meditate and to remain aware of the mind-matter phenomenon; to understand at the experiential level how impurities arise, how they get multiplied, how they overpower us; and how to stop this process and change the habit pattern of the mind. This is what he called Vipassana: observation of the reality as it is, in its true nature, within the framework of the body; the interaction of mind and matter from moment to moment.

At the time of Gotama the Buddha, there were many techniques of meditation prevailing in India. There were techniques that could take one to the depth of absorption samādhis, the seventh jhāna and the eighth jhāna, which he learnt from teachers of those days in India. But mere samādhi did not take him to the final goal of full liberation, the final goal of total enlightenment. So, when he sat down under the Bodhi tree, he started observing the truth pertaining to himself and attained the highest stage of full enlightenment.

The first truth that one starts observing is the natural flow of respiration. This is Anapana meditation. Observing the natural flow of respiration on a small area at the entrance of the nostrils, the mind becomes sharper and sharper, subtler and subtler, more and more sensitive. With this sharp and sensitive mind, one starts experiencing different kinds of sensations on this area below the nostrils above the upper lip. Then, from this area, one starts observing the entire physical structure, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes, from the tips of the toes to the top of the head, experiencing various types of sensations on the body. There are different types of sensations: sometimes, very gross, solidified, intensified sensations or very subtle and pleasant sensations or neutral sensations. One keeps on observing these sensations objectively, without reacting to them.

One starts understanding one’s own habit pattern of reacting: reacting to the pleasant sensations with craving and clinging and reacting to the unpleasant sensations with aversion and hatred. One realizes this truth and tries to change this habit pattern, understanding fully well that the characteristic of every sensation - pleasant or unpleasant, gross or subtle - is arising, passing away, arising, passing away. Oh, it is so impermanent! So the first characteristic of impermanence, anicca, pertaining to mind and matter becomes clearer and clearer at the experiential level.

When that becomes clear, the second characteristic also becomes clearer and clearer - the second characteristic of misery, dukkha. One realizes at the experiential level, "Whenever I react with clinging and craving towards the pleasant sensation, I lose the balance of my mind, I lose the peace and harmony of my mind. Similarly, when I react with aversion or hatred towards the unpleasant sensation, again I lose the balance of my mind, I lose the peace and harmony of my mind. Oh, this is misery!"

Then the third characteristic becomes clearer and clearer: "Whether it is a pleasant sensation or an unpleasant sensation, I have no mastery over it, I have no control over it. If I want to push out the unpleasant sensation, I cannot. If I want to retain the pleasant sensation, I cannot. Things are happening just according to nature." Again, at the experiential level, the third characteristic becomes so clear, the characteristic of anatta. No "I", no "mine", not "my soul" - just a phenomenon, which is changing every moment. This mind and matter phenomenon where there is nothing to say that this is "I" or this is "mine". As one continues to practice deeper and deeper, it becomes clear that the entire mind and matter phenomenon is so substanceless, so essenceless. It is suññatā, nothing to grasp and say that "There is substance." or "This is the substance." There is no substance at all.

One is experiencing this reality directly. This is not an intellectual game. This is not an emotional or devotional game that one should accept because the Buddha has said so. Now one realizes this truth and starts changing the habit pattern of the mind of reacting with craving or aversion. As the habit pattern of craving and aversion gets eradicated at the root level of the mind, the mind becomes purer and purer. And according to the law of nature, when the mind becomes pure, it naturally gets filled with love, compassion and goodwill towards others. So long as there is a habit of craving, there is bound to be a habit of aversion also. And so long as there is this habit of aversion, there cannot be love or compassion.

The Buddha attained the highest stage of full enlightenment, full liberation by this technique and that is why the first thing that he announced was Conditional Origination, paticca samuppāda.

Things arise because of conditions. If there is this condition, then this result is bound to be there. And, in this process, he explained so clearly, that when the six sense doors come in contact with their respective objects, there is a feeling of sensation on the body. If it is a pleasant sensation, one reacts with craving; if it is an unpleasant sensation, one reacts with aversion. This feeling of sensations on the body plays a very important role. Out of our ignorance, we keep on multiplying our misery because of these sensations and our reaction to them. And out of wisdom, we start coming out of misery without reacting to them.

There were many techniques of meditation at the time of the Buddha, before the Buddha and even after the Buddha in India. But nobody ever talked about the feeling of sensations on the body. This was the great discovery of Sakyamuni Buddha. Any technique of meditation, which makes the mind concentrated, brings calmness, tranquility and purity but only at the surface level of the mind. The Buddha was not satisfied with that. He went to the depth of the mind, the deepest level of the mind, which constantly interacts with the sensations on the body.

Therefore, practicing the technique of Vipassana meditation as taught by the Enlightened One, all importance has to be given to the sensations on the body. One has to train the mind, on the one hand, to remain aware of the sensations, and on the other hand, to remain equanimous with this awareness of the sensations. This is the scientific process of purification of the mind; purification of the totality of the mind.

I am glad that a number of you have taken Vipassana courses and I am sure that you must be meditating daily. I would advise you to take more courses. The householders have multifarious responsibilities, worldly responsibilities. They cannot give as much time as should be given for meditation. You are fortunate; you are monks, you are nuns. You can work much deeper. I wish all of you get the best fruits of the teaching of the Enlightened One by practicing Vipassana. Moreover, you are very fortunate to have such a saintly teacher who can guide you. May you all be successful! May you all enjoy the best fruits of Dhamma.