Questions and Answers with S. N. Goenka

　　(The following is from The Gracious Flow of Dharma, published by VRI.)

　　Question: How can we avoid karma

　　Goenkaji: Be the master of your own mind. The whole technique teaches you how to become your own master. If you are not the master of your mind, then because of the old habit pattern, you will keep on performing those actions, that karma, which you don”t want to perform. Intellectually you understand: “I should not perform these actions.” Yet you still perform them, because you do not have mastery over your mind. This technique will help you to become the master of your own mind.

　　Question: How can a truly Dharmic person face this adharmic world

　　Goenkaji: Don”t try to change the adharmic world. Try to change the adharma in yourself, the way in which you are reacting and making yourself miserable. As I said, when somebody is abusing you, understand that this person is miserable. It is the problem of that person. Why make it your problem

　　 Why start generating anger and becoming miserable

　　 Doing that means you are not your own master, you are that person”s slave; whenever that person wants to, he can make you miserable. You are the slave of someone else who is a miserable person. You have not understood Dharma. Be your own master and you can live a Dharmic life in spite of the adharmic situations all around.

　　Question: What is the ultimate goal of life

　　 That is, what does all this harmony lead to

　　Goenkaji: The ultimate life, the ultimate goal, is here and now. If you keep looking for something in the future but you don”t gain anything now, this is a delusion. If you have started experiencing peace and harmony now, then there is every likelihood that you will reach the goal, which is nothing but peace and harmony. So experience it now, at this moment. Then you are really on the right path.

　　Question: What is the Dharma of ātma, soul

　　Goenkaji: Observe yourself and you will find what is happening inside. What you call “soul,” what you call ātma, you will notice, is just a reacting mind, a certain part of the mind. Yet you remain under the illusion that: “This is “I.” See, this is “I,” this is “I.”” This illusion of “I” will go away, and then the reaction will go away, and you will be liberated from your misery. This does not happen by accepting philosophical beliefs.

　　Q: How to deal with insomnia

　　A: Vipassana will help you. When people can”t sleep properly, if they lie down and observe respiration or sensations, they can get sound sleep. Practise. Try, and you will find that it is very helpful.

　　Question: Some people have impurities, but they feel happy and don”t look miserable. Please explain.

　　Goenkaji: You have not entered the minds of these people. A person may have alot of money, and others may feel: “Such a happy person. Look, he has so much wealth.” But what you don”t know is that this person can”t get sound sleep; he has to use sleeping pills—a very miserable person. You can know for yourself how miserable you are, going deep inside. You can”t understand at the external level by seeing sombody”s face whether he or she is miserable or happy. The misery lies deep inside.

　　Question: Is there any shorter way

　　Goenkaji: I would say this is the shortest way. You have to change your habit pattern; you have to go to the root of your problem. And the root of problem is inside, not outside. If you learn how to take a dip inside, if you start changing things at the root level, this is the shortest way for you to come out of your misery.

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　　(The following is adapted from the question-and-answer session that followed Goenkaji”s talk at Vancouver during his tour of North America in 2002.It was first published in th…

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