National
Vipassana enables self-realisation through awareness: President (Lead)
Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) Vipassana meditation purifies the mind and its practice leads to increased concentration, resulting in beneficial effects on the body and mind, and in turn to the entire society, President Ram Nath Kovind said here on Sunday.
He said Vipassana comprises three simple precepts — morality, concentration and self-realisation — through awareness and insight, and is a non-sectarian meditation technique that applies equally to all human beings irrespective of caste, religion, language, gender or age.
The Vipassana meditation technique, taught by Lord Buddha, has attracted people in large numbers not only from Maharashtra but all over India and the world, the President said after laying the foundation stone of the second Dhammalaya meditation centre at the Vipassana Global Pagoda in Gorai, north-west Mumbai.
The President also joined the Global Vipassana Foundation’s (GVF) “The Gratitude Day” at the Pagoda, which comprises the world’s largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars, located in Gorai, a picturesque coastal village on the shores of Arabian Sea.
‘The Gratitude Day’ marked the 46th death anniversary of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, the teacher of its foremost Indian exponent and GVF founder S.N, Goenka. Ba Khin was the first Accountant-General of Burma and a leading authority on Vipassana meditation, in whose memory the Pagoda was built and inaugurated in February 2009.
It is also the second death anniversary of the late Goenka’s wife, Mata Illaichi Devi Goenka, who played a paramount role along with her husband in establishing the Vipassana meditation technique in India and teaching it.
Besides the Dhammalaya for which Kovind laid the foundation stone on Sunday, the first GVF’s first Dhammalaya is functioning in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur since October 1995, according to the present GVF Chairman Nayan Shah.
The President said he was happy to note that in the world’s biggest Pagoda here, and the GVF centres in Igatpuri (Nashik) and Dengan Palace (Nagpur) are popularizing Vipassana meditation.
He recalled how in 1972, social reformer Vinoba Bhave had asked Goenka to teach this meditation technique to schoolchildren.
Later in 1975, even prisoners in jail were taught Vipassana, while the Maharashtra government has provided facilities to its staffers to learn and practice Vipassana for its beneficial effects, besides other states, said Kovind.
Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Now a global tourist and religious attraction, the GVF’s pagoda, construction of which was completed in 2009, comprises of a main dome and three sub-domes.
At the centre is the world’s largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars, 29 metres tall, while the total height of the building is 96.12 metres, or twice the height of the previously largest hollow stone monument in the world, the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur.
This pagoda dome enshrines the bone relics of Lord Buddha, sourced from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, and donated to the GVF by the Mahabodhi Society of India and the then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.
The Vipassana meditation, as taught by Goenka, who passed away in 2013 aged 89, is now taught and practiced in over 160 centres in 60 countries worldwide.
The aim of the Pagoda complex is to express gratitude to Lord Buddha for dispensing a universal teaching for the eradication of sufferings, reveal the truth about his life and his teachings, and offer free Vipassana meditation courses to the people.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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