How to Achieve Enlightenment through Meditation and End Suffering

“No one can harm us more than our own untrained mind. No one can help us more than our own trained mind,” Goenka

Vipassana is the way to see things as they really are; it is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation that was discovered by Gautama Buddha more than 2500 years. He then taught Vipassana as a way to enlightenment and a universal remedy for day-to-day problems.

Vipassana saw a resurgence with S N Goenka, who started teaching others in 1969 after learning Vipassana. This has led to many Vipassana institutions worldwide that offer the 10-day course free of cost. Vipassana is a technique that will eradicate suffering, it is a method of mental purification which allows one to face life’s tensions and problems in a calm, balanced way. It is simple, but yet difficult. You have to become completely aware of whatever you are experiencing at this very moment - tension, anxiety, pain, aches, restlessness, any bodily sensations - pleasant or unpleasant - you are witnessing the cravings and aversions that arise. You maintain equanimity and detachment from it all.

What I like about it is that it's a complete non-sectarian technique, irrespective of your race, community or religion, it will prove equally beneficial to one and all.

Socrates said, "Man Know thyself', which means not merely knowing yourself at the intellectual level, or accepting at the emotional or devotional level, but experiencing the truth about yourself, within yourself, at the experiential level. It is said that Buddha attained enlightenment using Vipassana meditation. Step by step, this practice leads to full liberation from all mental pollution, and enlightenment. The beauty of it is that it is completely free for everyone to learn and practice, although you can make a donation, as per your capacity.