PM Modi hails Acharya Goenka for giving Vipassana global identity

Recalling the beginning of the birth centenary celebrations of Acharya Goenka a year ago, Modi said the nation is celebrating Amrit Mahotsav and also remembering the ideals of Kalyan Mitra Goenka. He reaffirmed that when these celebrations are coming to an end today, the country is moving rapidly towards fulfilling the resolutions of a Viksit Bharat.

“More than 80 countries in the world have understood the importance of meditation and adopted it because of Guruji’s efforts. Acharya Shri Goenka ji is one of those great people who again gave a global identity to Vipassana. Today, India is giving new expansion to that resolution with full strength. We proposed International Day of Yoga in the United Nations. It got the support of more than 190 countries. Yoga has now become a part of life globally,” Modi said.

Even though it was India’s ancestors who researched the processes of Vipassana yoga, the Prime Minister said the irony is that the next generation have forgotten its importance.

“Vipassana, meditation, dharana, are often considered matters of renunciation but its role was forgotten,” he said, praising eminent personalities such as Acharya Goenka for their leadership in this direction.

Quoting him, Modi said, “A healthy life is a big responsibility of all of us towards ourselves.”

“Today, the challenges of modern times have further increased the role of Vipassana. Today, distress and stress have become a common thing. Our youth are becoming victims of stress because of no work-life balance, and lifestyle problems. Vipassana may be the solution for them. Similarly, because of micro and nuclear families, elderly parents at home also remain under a lot of stress. We should try to connect elderly people, who have crossed the retirement age, with it (Vipassana),” Modi said