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.”

Avsnitt(507)

No Neutral Ground

No Neutral Ground

Episode #359: “The real motivating force is people, it is those human relations.” Duncan McArthur, a backpacker turned decades-long humanitarian leader, found his truth not in textbooks, but in the ra...

1 Juli 20252h 2min

Rewriting History

Rewriting History

Episode #358: The 4th International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS), hosted by Chiang Mai University in August 2024, brought together scholars, activists, and experts to discuss Myanmar's ...

27 Juni 20251h 4min

From Russia With Anxiety

From Russia With Anxiety

Episode #357: When Wai Yan Phyo Naing, a civilian scholar in Myanmar vocal against the human rights atrocities of the junta, received a scholarship from a Russian university to pursue his Masters, he ...

24 Juni 20252h 16min

When Silence Isn’t Noble

When Silence Isn’t Noble

Episode #356: Jonathan Crowley shares his experiences as an Assistant Teacher within the Vipassana Meditation Organization of SN Goenka. He participated in a culture that heavily prioritized rules and...

20 Juni 20251h 56min

Can’t Knock the Hustle

Can’t Knock the Hustle

Episode #355: “You need to pay attention to what the kids care about,” says Naomi Gingold. “It will inform so much about the place that you're trying to understand, be it politics, culture, all of it!...

17 Juni 20251h 46min

Over the Borderline

Over the Borderline

Episode #353: Professor Lahra Smith, a political science professor specializing in East Africa at Georgetown University, argues that Myanmar’s current struggles must be seen within a global framework ...

10 Juni 20252h

Bonus Episode: The Global Citizen

Bonus Episode: The Global Citizen

The Global Citizen Podcast recently featured a look at the work behind Insight Myanmar and Better Burma, which we bring you here as a bonus episode.

8 Juni 202547min

A Nation Interrupted

A Nation Interrupted

Episode #352: Nicholas Coppel’s tenure as Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar (2015–2018) provides a unique lens on the country’s transition toward democracy, as well as the enduring challenges posed by...

6 Juni 20251h 14min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
motiv
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
fordomspodden
spar
flashback-forever
rss-viva-fotboll
aftonbladet-daily
blenda-2
svenska-fall
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
olyckan-inifran
rss-krimreportrarna
dagens-eko
svd-dokumentara-berattelser-2
rss-frandfors-horna
svd-ledarredaktionen
rss-aftonbladet-krim