Steve Katona:
Finally, to the point: Sayamagyi's interpretation of U Ba Khin's teaching is much gentler and less rigid than Mr. Goenka's. I could go into details if anyone wanted. The teacher's are more accessible and willing to talk practice and possibilities for insight in practical terms. Mr. Goenka's 'assistant teachers' repeat lines, seemingly verbatim, from the video talks played every evening of Mr. Goenka. They seemed to me to discourage questions that required thinking outside the box and definitely any doubts were not discussed. "Just follow the instructions."
Mother Sayamagyi's teachers don't hold out anything beyond stream entry for the average householder (private interview during the retreat) but encourage practice with whatever enthusiasm and diligence one is willing to put in. I think they are realistic and encouraged me to work hard and come back in 6 months and while attending another course, talk about what is and has been happening to me. The main teacher for the course I just attended gave me his phone number and personal email address and assured me he would welcome communication about practice within the limits of his job and other responsibilities.
hi steve,
i would be interested in knowing more details about your experience on your 10 day sayamagyi tradition vipassana retreat, particularly in how the vipassana technique was taught and how the theory behind it was presented (how did they differ from goenka retreats?), as well as how you interacted with the teachers who guided you and what the interviews you had with them were like (what questions were you asked?).
welcome to the dho, by the way.
tarin