Journey of Awakening

First and foremost, let me acknowledge with deep gratitude the Godwin Home Page, which is the source of all the writings, photos, teachings of Godwin that are gathered here on this blog. I humbly thank all who have and are contributing to this amazing website and to keeping Godwin's legacy alive, especially Bhante Anandajoti and Jeanne Mynett.

Let us now hear from Godwin himself on beginning this journey of awakening through the gentle way of Buddhist meditation:

"So the question is why should we meditate? What is the importance of meditation? Why is it emphasised so much in the Buddha's teaching? So these are some of the questions that I'm going to explore in my talk.

The word meditation translates the Pali word bhavana which means cultivating the mind, developing the mind, mental culture. So the whole emphasis is on the mind. When you read the Buddhist texts you are so amazed at the Buddha's profound and deep statements about the human mind. It is amazing that he should have made these statements 2,600 years ago. In fact, modern psychologists and psychotherapists are also deeply inspired by the Buddha's statements on the human mind.

Knowing, Shaping and Freeing the Mind
The idea of meditation has been expressed by a writer in these terms: knowing the mind, shaping the mind, and freeing the mind. I would like to repeat the words: Meditation is knowing the mind, shaping the mind, and freeing the mind. So knowing the mind is understanding how the mind is working. If we do not know our mind we are really just like machines. Therefore it is extremely important to know and to understand how our minds work.

And when we know the mind, then we can shape the mind. Shaping the mind is developing mastery over the mind. If we do not develop mastery over the mind what happens is that we become a slave to our own mind. So when we become slaves to our mind then thoughts and emotions control us and that results in more and more suffering. Therefore it is very important to learn to shape the mind, and when you learn to shape the mind then you can achieve a mind that is free. So the importance of meditation is learning to achieve a mind that is free, a mind that is happy, a mind that is peaceful, a mind that has loving-kindness."

(Source: http://www.godwin-home-page.net/Gentle-Way-HK-97/Talk-Day-1.htm)

Dhamma: Way to the Beyond

"Lose the greed for pleasure. See how letting go of the world is peacefulness. There is nothing that you need to hold on to and there is nothing that you need to push away.

Dry up the remains of your past and have nothing for your future. If you do not cling to the present then you can go from place to place in peace.

There is a greed that fixes on the individual body-mind. When that greed has completely gone, then, brahmin, there will be no more inner poison drives, without which you are immune from death."

(The Buddha, Sutta Nipata 1098-1100, translated by H. Saddhatissa)

Welcome to Friends of Godwin (Australia-Singapore)

Dear friends, this blog is dedicated to my teacher and friend the late Godwin Samararatne (1932-2000), a very special person who was and still is well-loved by many in Sri Lanka and around the world. When he was physically with us, Godwin selflessly and compassionately taught the Dhamma to all without any desire for reward, with no trace of personal agendas, and with all the sweetness and lightness of his extraordinary being. He was, in a nutshell, the most transparent and luminously empty person I've ever met in my life.

For the gentle teachings and kind guidance he so freely gave me, I will forever be grateful. His memory stirs me to live my life in a way that honours him and the Dhamma. To this end, I'm starting this blog as a first humble step towards making Godwin and his teachings more widely known in our world today.

My hope is this: as our circle of friends grows in strength and number, centred around the learning and practice of Godwin's utterly simple yet profound legacy, this blog will also grow proportionately in its service to all who read and hopefully benefit from it. I will be posting Godwin's pith teachings (drawn from his many audio and transcribed talks) and event announcements on this space. Inspired by Godwin's teaching and example, I will also post short writings illuminating aspects of meditative practice from a nondual perspective - a perspective that Godwin himself appreciates and sometimes speaks about. These short posts can be seen as fumbling inadequate attempts of a friend and pupil of Godwin to continue the meditative work he has so wonderfully started.