mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

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Andy Coke, modified 14 Years ago at 11/28/09 6:29 AM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/28/09 6:29 AM

mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Hello there,

found another teacher that comes from U Ba Khin. Apparantly teaches in the same style that Goenka (which makes sense). What's somewhat annoying is that none of them talk about each other, or I've never seen it. The various centres of this teacher are listed here:

http://www.internationalmeditationcentre.org

Seem much more posh. Hopefully the assistant teachers will be better. I will (I hope) go on retreat this summer with this people, see how it is.

Any of you participated in a retreat of any of this centres??

Thanks,

Andy.
Andy W, modified 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 6:30 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 6:30 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 59 Join Date: 10/13/10 Recent Posts
Andres - Did you do this retreat in the end? How was it? Did you get taught by Mother Sayamagyi or someone else?

Please do let me know. Most of the monastic centres shut up shop in the early part of the year, and this seems like on of the few places in the UK where you can actually sit for ten days before May.

Cheers,
Andy
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Andy Coke, modified 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 6:57 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/2/10 6:57 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Hey Andy,

no, I didn't go. I went to Satipanya, in Wales. Which was very good. They hold a one week retreat in november from 20 to 28th or something like that. But otherwise nothing much up until summer I think, when they do pretty long retreats.

google "satipanya wales" and you'll get there. The monk's name is Bhante.

Good luck,
Andrés
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Steve Katona, modified 13 Years ago at 11/4/10 6:29 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/4/10 6:29 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 52 Join Date: 9/5/10 Recent Posts
My first post. I just returned from a 10 day course at the IMC-USA in Westminster, MD. I have, in the past, attended 2-10 day courses and a 3 day 'old students' course at the North Fork, CA Goenka Center. I have a couple of years experience in sitting with the U Ba Khin system (as channeled by Goenka). However, I was completely without a meditation practice from 2006 until a few months ago because of severe liver disease from Hep C and a subsequent transplant because of liver cancer. Who cares but me, I'm asking myself, but somehow want to give you an idea of my practice experience. I had about 15 years of Zen practice before leaving Zen--in a big huff--and finding Goenka.

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.

The teaching consists of 5 days of anapanna followed by anapanna as needed to focus samadhi and vispassana as much as one can using bodily sensations experienced with pointed concentration during body scans and experiencing the body as an entire entitiy--all while sitting as still as possible with eyes closed.

I hope this is responsive. Steve
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S Pro, modified 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 9:58 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 9:58 AM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 86 Join Date: 2/7/10 Recent Posts
Hi Steve

thanks for the info. I plan to do a weekend retreat in Germany in February 2010.
Maybe go for a longer one in the UK - we´ll see....
Cheers
Sven
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tarin greco, modified 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 2:11 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 2:11 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 658 Join Date: 5/14/09 Recent Posts
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
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Steve Katona, modified 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 6:03 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 6:03 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 52 Join Date: 9/5/10 Recent Posts
Thanks for your note and the welcome. Please send me your email off this site as there is something I want to send that I am writing that is very much unfinished. I will respect your privacy and only respond with a brief note and the attached document. The only reason for off site is that the piece is not meant for general consumption, is unfinished, and is narrative and personal reaction/response to the retreat experience. If it finishes with any interest for a number of readers, I will consider putting it online. I'll explain. write to srtraveler@gmail.com.
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Steve Katona, modified 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 6:09 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 11/15/10 6:09 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 52 Join Date: 9/5/10 Recent Posts
Tarin,
Here's my original reply to you that initially got lost in cyberspace:

Thanks for your email. I am in the process of writing a pretty long piece in which I am trying to define where I am in relation to practice, what happened to me at the said retreat, etc. I think it runs about 10 pages double spaced at this point and I haven't gotten much into the day to day of the retreat. I'm not sure where this will all go. I want to have the piece done in about 2 weeks. The only reason for writing it is to clarify my current situation and to fulfill an old dharma friend's request.

I'll be in Denver to see the Tutankhamun show at the Denver Museum of Art from Wed-->Fri so that will all be down time. I'll include what's done as an attachment and you can read, skim or delete it all and wait until the piece is finished at which time I will cut and paste just the parts about the IMC retreat and send them to you.

I have no emotional investment in your choice so I'll only ask that you let me know if you want an edited version just about the retreat, the full finished copy, or never mind--thanks but no thanks. Cheers...sk
J Kb, modified 13 Years ago at 2/3/11 8:32 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 2/3/11 8:32 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Post: 1 Join Date: 2/3/11 Recent Posts
Steve:

I sent you an email, but what shows up in my 'sent' box is odd, so I don't know if you got it. Can you say anything more about your experience? I did a Goenka 10 day course some years ago, and am considering a course with mother sayamgyi in May, or an assistant in Feb. Thanks.

John jkilbourATpol.net
hershl hershl, modified 1 Year ago at 6/26/22 3:37 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 6/26/22 3:37 PM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 3 Join Date: 6/26/22 Recent Posts
I have sat at the IMC-USA Maryland center three times using the Sayama- U Ba Khin approach.
At present, we spend 4.5 days with anapanna and the rest of the 10 days with vipassana, sweeping.
I also met her many years ago here.
When goenka came to the US, i did a course with him and subsequently with some of his American students.
Sayama is the direct successor to U Ba Khin. goenka, ruth dennison, hover and others were all regarded by u ba khin as lesser teachers.
She is a heart presence as was u ba khin.
The whole focus on the retreats is for the student to have the direct experience while maintaining balance, a sense of humor and taking as much time to honor their personal journey. No pledge sittings and curtness like i had with the goenka people. All questions invited and answered. Honestly, I so much more love my experience with her and her students than the take no prisoners, boot camp style of goenka and his students.

I have been sitting such retreats in the theravadin tradition since the 70s.
These have been the most helpful.
And every student gets personal time with the teacher daily to ask questions and report on the experience. My teacher also offered for me to contact him subsequently to receive help.
And the food was the best I have ever had on a retreat.
What's not to like?
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Smiling Stone, modified 1 Year ago at 7/3/22 5:45 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 6/27/22 11:31 AM

RE: mother sayamagyi - another U Ba Khin teacher

Posts: 341 Join Date: 5/10/16 Recent Posts
Hey Hershl,
Welcome to the Dho, thanks for chiming in on this thread and giving your informed feeling about these traditions. I, for one, would love to hear more about your meditation journey. You are very welcome to start your own thread if you feel like it, or you could share whatever you consider valuable on this one : some views on the technique on the Goenka tradition. I would be also interested in getting your feedback on what is written there. Old Goenka students are often quite private about their practice.
Wishing you the best
with metta
smiling stone

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