Vipassana pioneer SN Goenka passes away

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Mumbai, India -- Spiritualist and pioneer of the Vipassana meditation in India, SN Goenka, 90, died late Sunday night at his residence in Mumbai due to old age, an aide said here on Monday.

He is survived by his wife Mata Elaichidevi and six sons.

The funeral would be held on Tuesday in Jogeshwari electric crematorium, said aide Gautam Gaikwad.

Goenka started teaching Vipassana meditation in 1969 and followed it up with a meditation centre in Igatpuri, near Nashik, in 1976.

Last year, Goenka was conferred the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award.

Born and raised in Burma, Goenka was a successful businessman when he came in contact with the late Sayagyi U Ba Khin, who taught him the Vipassana techniques.

After 14 years training under Sayagyi, Goenka decided to settle in India and started teaching Vipassana meditation in 1969.

He established the Vipassana International Academy, a meditation centre in Igatpuri in 1976.

Later, 172 more such centres blossomed worldwide, including 75 in India.

In 1982, he became a vipassanacharya and started training teachers worldwide and established the Vipassana Research Institute in Igatpuri in 1985.

Goenka's technique represented a tradition that can be traced back to Lord Gautam Buddha who taught 'Dhamma' as the non-sectarian way to liberation.

Goenka's approach was also totally non-sectarian and found universal appeal, including among jail inmates in India and US.

In 2000, Goenka addressed the Millennium World Peace Summit at the UN headquarters in New York.

Following his passion, he laid the foundation of the Global Vipassana Pagoda at Gorai Beach, in north-west Mumbai.

Standing at 325 feet (or the height of a 30-storeyed building), it encompasses the world's largest pillar-less stone dome, twice as big as the Basilica of St Peter at the Vatican City.

In the centre is a circular meditation hall, 280 feet in diameter with a seating capacity of 8,000, and relics of Buddha are kept in the pagoda.

Goenka believed that the monument would bridge different communities, sects, races and countries to make the world a more harmonious and peaceful place.

Speech By S.N. Goenka in U.N. Peace Summit

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Former head of the Jogye Order Venerable Ji-kwan Passes Away At the Age of 79

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Seoul, South Korea -- A revered Buddhist monk here in Korea, the Venerable Ji-kwan, has passed away at the age of 79 after battling chronic asthma for many years.

A former chief executive of the largest Buddhist sect in the country, the Jogye Order, Venerable Ji-kwan died late Monday evening at Gyeongguk temple in Seoul.

The Buddhist monk had been under medical treatment since September as his health rapidly deteriorated with age.

Venerable Ji-kwan was known as a studying monk in Korean Buddhism who founded the Kasan Institute of Buddhist Culture, a research institute dedicated to the study of Buddhism and devoting most of his life to publishing Buddhist books.

A memorial altar will be set up at the Haeinsa temple in South Gyeongsang province later this morning and a cremation rite will be held on the 8th of this month.

About Ven Ji Kwan

Ven. Ji-Kwan was born Dec. 9, 1932 and entered into the priesthood at Haein-sa Temple in South Gyeongsang Province in 1947. He served as head monk at the temple from 1970 to 1972 and has worked as a professor of Dongguk University. He was also president of the university for four years from 1986.

Ven. Ji Kwan became the 32nd top administrator of the Jogye Order, Korea's biggest Buddhist order in 2005, winning a majority 165 votes out of the order's 320 representatives.

Ven. Ji Kwan led the Jogye Order for the next four years, following his predecessor Ven. Bub Jang, who died of heart attack in September 2005.

The nation's largest religious sect runs 2,000 temples, with 15,000 Buddhist monks and nuns and around 8 million followers, making it the nation's largest religious sect. Buddhism is the biggest religion in Korea.

Related article: Buddhist Leader Stressed Simpler Lifestyle, Mind

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