An Ancient Path (Introductory Talk on Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka)

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The talks collected in this book were given to varying audiences under unique circumstances that partly shaped what was said. I hope some of the pleasant ambience of these occasions comes over in print.

This is not a collection of essays. The talks stand side by side, all having the same center, which is reached from a different angle each time. The Boston talk was to mental health professionals in the USA. The Freiberg talk was given to "Mindfulness" researchers in Germany. The Madrid talk was given in a hospital, with a translator, that slowed and limited its length. Before the Vienna talk, I was advised to speak as if the audience had a pre-existing, intellectual knowledge of Buddhism, and I was asked to specifically address the topic of "Karma and Chaos." Before the Dublin talk I was admonished to give a literary and intellectual cast to the presentation. In Ghent I was asked to speak to a University audience with a more philosophical background.

To me each talk was a memorable mingling with new places and people, and an echo of dozens of other talks that either were never recorded, or that lacked anything specifically different enough to be worth presenting alongside of what is written here. Because every introductory talk, regardless of the angle of approach, has to cover some similar material, not all talks are worth saving, and there is a lot of repetition in this book. Much of the repetition has been preserved, so that the talks remain in themselves generally coherent and intact, but since all audio files were edited for readability, the written word varies significantly from audio material bearing the same title and date.

I would suggest that the talks be read one at a time, and the book (or computer screen) closed in between for a while. When it is reopened, I hope the next talk will have enough that is new to sound vivid and fresh, and enough repetition of essentials to have the effect of a chorus.