THE GREAT COMPASSION

The Buddha taught for fortyfive years so that people would have conditions for direct awareness and understanding. The Buddha had immeasurable compassion to teach so that others could understand whatever reality appears at this moment. Without him we would be in complete darkness, the darkness of ignorance.

We would not know what is real and what is not real. We would not know our attachment and all other vices, we would not know how to develop kusala. We should study what the Buddha taught with genuine respect. Every word he said is important. We should begin to learn what dhamma is from this very moment. In the beginning one does not know anything at all about dhamma, the reality that is appearing now. When we listen we can begin to see that what arises and appears at this moment is dhamma; we can understand it as dhamma. We can understand the characteristic of dhamma instead of thinking about the "story" of dhamma.

We read in the "Path of Discrimination" (Patisambhidamagga, Treatise on Know- ledge I, Ch 71, the Great Compassion) that Enlightened Ones when seeing all the dangers and disadvantages of worldly life, have great compassion for beings. We read at the end:

"Upon the Enlightened Ones, the Blessed Ones, who see thus, I have crossed over and the world has not crossed over; I am liberated and the world is not liberated; I am controlled and the world is uncontrolled; I am at peace and the world is not at peace; I am comforted and the world is comfortless; I am extinguished and the world is unextinguished; I, having crossed over, can bring across; I, being liberated, can liberate; I, being controlled, can teach control; I, being at peace, can pacify; I, being comforted, can comfort; I, being extinguished, can teach extinguishment,' there descends the Great Compassion. This is the Perfect Ones knowledge of the attainment of the Great Compassion."

It was the Buddha's great compassion to teach in such a way that people who listened could develop their own understanding.

By Nina Van Gorkom (Full text "Once Upon A Time" here)

Tathagata (in Páli: TATHĀGATA) literally means "thus (tatha) done (gata)" or, contextually, "one who has attained the ultimate goal of liberation". It is a word used by Gotama the Buddha to refer to itself.

The Tathagata Institute is a private entity, nonprofit project.

The goal is to open a channel for promotion, donation, offers of products and services that support the Dhamma practice of the Vipassana community.

We proposed:
Pali Workshop
Translation of texts (Tipitaka) and their comments
Organization of annual pilgrimage to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar.
Exhibitions and lectures on Buddha - Dhamma - Sangha
Support and dissemination of relevant research on Vipassana

Some products:
Publications on Buddha-Dhamma
Pali Dictionaries
DVD and accessories that support the practice of meditation.

The Tathagata Institute is inspired by Vipassana meditation from U Ba Khin tradition taught by Goenka - but it is not part of the Vipassana organization.

Our motor TRUTH SHOULD TRIUMPHATE Our Principle WORK MORE SPEAK LESS Our goal PEACE OF NIBBANA TO ALL​

Sayagyi U Ba Khin