An Authentic Lineage of Awakening

By Kim Allen, Heartwood Journal, BIN, 2013

 

In a 1993 interview with Tricycle magazine about the Insight Meditation Movement, Joseph Goldstein wondered how much connection there would be to an "authentic lineage of awakening" in 20 years. Well, now it is 2013, and the BIN Journal decided to ask him. The conversation covered wide-ranging topics related to the current situation with teachers and teachings and some thoughts about the future. We spoke with Goldstein by phone.

 

Understanding the Insight Meditation Movement

BIN: What is the Insight Meditation Movement? What distinguishes, characterizes, or unifies it?

 

Joseph Goldstein: What we might call the Vipassana or Insight movement is simply those who engage in Insight meditation in one form or another. The different strands of Buddhism offer various methods, tools, forms, and metaphysics, but the essence of all is mindful awareness and nonclinging. One difference that we've seen in the West between Vipassana and other traditions, such as Zen or Tibetan, is that Westerners started the Insight tradition here, rather than Asian teachers. That means that from the beginning, we didn't have Asian cultural forms as a framework. I don't see that as being better or worse, just different.

 

BIN: Describe the structure of the Insight movement/tradition at this time. To what degree does it contain a consistent set of practices and understanding of spiritual development?

 

JG: What we practice here derives directly from different Asian Theravada lineages of practice: those of Mahasi Sayadaw, Ajahn Chah, Goenka, and now U Tejaniya, Pa'Auk Sayadaw, and others. Some Western teachers stick with one lineage fairly closely, while others offer more of a blend. What's interesting to see is that among the various Western teachers, there are different blends of practice developing, as influences from different practice lineages are incorporated into the teachings. Some teachers also add accents from other traditions like Dzogchen or Zen.

 

Insight and Theravada

BIN: Where does the Insight tradition fit into the Theravada tradition?  

 

JG: It lies right at the heart of the tradition; it comes out of the specific practices of the Asian Theravada world. We are offering a Western expression of those teachings.

 

BIN: What innovations has the Western Insight movement contributed?  

 

JG:  We have emphasized certain aspects and styles of practice. First, the usual retreat format is one of silent, intensive practice, which is something not all traditions do. And within that form of retreat, generally, we support individuals finding their own rhythm within the retreat. This differs from sesshin, for instance, where the whole group practices in concert.

 

Furthermore, there has been a growing integration of Western psychological understanding with the classical Buddhist teachings. I think our challenge is to find the right balance so that the psychological understanding is used in service of Liberation. There is some danger of making a "sense of well-being" into a goal in itself. Of course, having a greater sense of well-being is a positive and helpful development in our lives, but it doesn't necessarily lead us to the highest possibilities of freedom.

 

Teachers and teacher trainees

BIN: What boundaries and lines exist within the Insight tradition to distinguish different teachers and teachings?  For example, only teachers who teach retreats at the major insight centers are invited to the Insight Teachers meeting held every three years. 

 

JG: Basically, this was purely logistical. We needed to create some non-personal criteria so the numbers were workable. But we need to keep looking at whether this criterion still makes sense. The form needs to keep up with the evolving scene. I'm happy to hear about the Gen-X teacher's meeting and other such events starting to happen.

 

BIN: There are a number of teacher training programs that prepare people for various levels and types of teaching. How are these people trained?

 

JG: The trainees are familiarized with the lineages of Asia so that they become aware of where all this is coming from. But they don't necessarily identify themselves as being from one particular lineage. Especially the younger teachers who may not have practiced in Asia – perhaps they would identify more with the Western teachers and with various "blended" styles of practice.

 

I think what is important as a foundation for all the trainees is a good understanding of Right View: Regardless of the depth they teach from, their teaching should be in line with the Buddha's understanding of Right View, conveying the teachings of the Buddha as they understand them.

 

Looking to the future

BIN: The founders of the Insight Movement are beginning to slow down or retire, and will someday die. How might this movement change as that comes about?

 

JG: It's an interesting question. I think we're in pretty good shape. It's been one of the strengths of the Insight movement that it's always been decentralized. This was a conscious decision. When we created IMS, we made sure that it did not belong to one teacher. The Insight Movement as a whole is not so dependent on any particular teacher. People cycle out, and new ones come in. I feel good about that just continuing. I don't imagine there will be a conclave with black and white smoke after the founding teachers die.

 

BIN: Is there any appropriate planning for the future of the Insight movement which would be helpful to do now?  

 

JG: What creates the future of the Dharma in the West is the standard of the teachers. The most important preparation work we are doing is the teacher training programs. That's what will keep it going. We need to be careful to maintain the quality of the teachings among all those who are training to be teachers. Hence, the strong focus on Right View.

 

In addition, the centers need to bring in newer teachers, and new centers need to form. The centers provide the space and structure for the teachers to come in and offer the teachings. There are "dual tracks" between the development of the centers themselves and the teachers; they are mutually supportive. At IMS, we have undergone huge organizational development in 37 years. We've learned a lot – sometimes painfully! But now we're in a really good space. And we have that organizational wisdom to pass on, just as we pass on the Dharma wisdom through teacher training.

 

Overall, I feel pretty optimistic about where the Insight movement is going. There are a lot of people – some of whom are in the various teacher training programs – who have a tremendous depth of understanding.

 

BIN: Do you think Insight is a lineage? Could it be considered an "authentic lineage of awakening"?

 

JG: The short answer is that it's too early to tell. Different Asian lineages are well-represented in what we teach here. But whether the style that blends them together will become its own lineage is still uncertain. My sense is that it will because the teacher trainees have been "brought up" with this mix, but we don't know how that will play out.

 

Awakening

BIN: Can a student seeking Awakening find appropriate teachings from Western Insight teachers?

 

JG: Yes, within the spectrum of what's being taught, there are teachers who really hold to the idea of Enlightenment and Awakening as being the core of their practice and teaching.