GP document - Mindful Timekeeping

2.2 Understanding mindfulness through Vipassana
A need of indepth understanding of
mindfulness called for the study of Vipassana
meditation . Vipassana meditation has been a
core contributer to the mindfulness movement.
Today, through the mindfulness movement its
practices and principles find widespread
application. An accessible way to learn
mindfulness is to take a vipassana course. It is
taught around the world and mainly in India by
Vipassana International Academy established
by Shri. S.N. Goenka.
According to Vipassana Research Institute,
Vipassana means “to see things as they really
are”. It is a logical process of mental
purification through self-observation. [23]
Vipassana enables us to experience peace
and harmony by purifying the mind, freeing it
from suffering and the deep-seated causes of
suffering.
Vipassana Research Institute and
Vipassana International Academy
Courses of Vipassana meditation started in
India in 1969. The Vipassana International
Academy is situated in Igatpuri, Maharashtra.
It was established in 1976. Vipassana Research
Institute (VRI), a non-profit-making body, was
established in 1985 with the principal aim of
conducting scientific research into the sources
and applications of the Vipassana Meditation
Technique.
A Brief History of Vipassana [24]
Vipassana is one of India’s ancient meditation
techniques. It was knowlegde imparted by
Gautam Buddha, and is the essence of what
he practiced and taught. During the Buddha’s
time, it was largely practiced in Northern India.
Over time, the technique spread to the
neighbouring countries of Myanmar (Burma),
Sri Lanka, Thailand and others, where it had
the same effect. This happened with
Emperor Asoka’s intervention, when he
discovered the teachings of Buddha after the
Kalinga war. Five centuries after the Buddha,
the heritage of Vipassana disappeared from
India.
In the country of Myanmar, however, it was
preserved by a chain of devoted teachers.
From generation to generation, over two
thousand years, this dedicated lineage
transmitted the technique.
Vipassana has been reintroduced to India, as
well as to citizens from more than eighty other
countries, by Mr. S. N. Goenka, founder of
Vipassana International Academy and
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