On Vipassanā and Authenticity
Insight Myanmar17 Aug 2025

On Vipassanā and Authenticity

Episode #380: “I started meditation at a fairly young age,” begins scholar and author, Daniel Stuart. At nineteen, he traveled to India, disillusioned by the world he grew up in and searching for an alternative. What he discovered was vipassanā meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka, and for him it was “a quite revolutionary experience!”

For Stuart, meditation was never confined to the cushion. His practice sparked questions about history, authenticity, and cultural context. This curiosity took him through India and Burma, into the study of Pāḷi and Hindi, and ultimately into academia, where he now bridges rigorous research with personal commitment. A “die-hard student” of S.N. Goenka, Stuart nonetheless insists on examining the lineage within its historical complexity, even when this has put him at odds with the community.

Over time, Stuart has come to see that many teachings in the Goenka tradition emerged from Buddhism’s historical evolution over time, not in an unbroken line unchanged since the time of the Buddha, as is claimed in the tradition. Yet for him, this does not diminish the value of the teachings; it reveals how Buddhist traditions adapt and remain meaningful. He contrasts this with what is called the “Protestant” view of authenticity by many Western meditators who equate purity and authenticity only with the original texts.

Instead, Stuart sees Goenka’s teaching as a pragmatic response to the cultural worlds and contexts he navigated. He says that embracing this complexity has only deepened his faith and his practice. “We live in this space in between,” Stuart says, “like ancient tradition and modernity… and that’s where the whole game is.”

Episoder(508)

Jonathan Crowley, Part 4

Jonathan Crowley, Part 4

Episode #253: This is the 4th installment of our interview with Jonathan Crowley, a dedicated vipassana meditator in the tradition of S. N. Goenka. In this episode, he speaks about the time he and his...

23 Jul 20242h 2min

A Star2 Is Born

A Star2 Is Born

Episode #252: Born in a Thai refugee camp after his family fled the violence in Myanmar, Star2’s life has been remarkable. His family moved to San Diego when he was just five, and there he faced a new...

19 Jul 20241h 5min

A Sacred Struggle

A Sacred Struggle

Episode #251: Alexandra Kaloyanides joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Baptizing Burma: Religious Change in the Last Buddhist Kingdom. After pursuing her own meditation practice while ex...

16 Jul 20241h 50min

A Critical Junction

A Critical Junction

Episode #250: Rosalia (“Lia”) Sciortino, founder of SEA Junction in Bangkok, shares her poignant narrative of dedication to the country of Myanmar. Her journey began with an interest in cultural anthr...

12 Jul 20241h 16min

Fighting Fire With Fire

Fighting Fire With Fire

Episode #249: Nathan Ruser, a geospatial analyst focusing on human rights, sheds light on a deeply troubling situation unfolding in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Ruser has meticulously detailed the actions...

9 Jul 20242h 5min

ASEAN’s Inconvenient Humanitarian Crisis

ASEAN’s Inconvenient Humanitarian Crisis

Episode #248: Working in ASEAN for 27 years, Adelina Kamal played a pivotal role in establishing and ultimately being appointed executive director of its AHA Centre for Coordinated Disaster Response, ...

2 Jul 20242h 18min

Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment

Episode #247: Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), shares his insights into the ongoing atrocities in Myanmar. He emphasizes the critical need for...

28 Jun 20241h 5min

Spring University Myanmar

Spring University Myanmar

Episode #246: Thura, co-founder of Spring University Myanmar (SUM), offers a poignant narrative of resilience and innovation in the face of tyranny. Following the 2021 coup, Myanmar's youth found them...

25 Jun 20242h 27min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
i-retten
popradet
fotballpodden-2
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik