DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
On April 11, 2012, The Mulligan Project proudly celebrated the opening of the Dien Ban Day Center, a full-service special education school dedicated to transforming the lives of children with disabilities and their families.
Many of the children at the Dien Ban Day Center have Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. Approximately one in ten children in Dien Ban is born with Down syndrome, and the region is home to more than 1,000 children with disabilities, many of whom have little or no access to basic education.
The Dien Ban Day Center is the first facility of its kind in the region and fills a critical gap in educational services. Many of the children served by the Center had never attended school or had been turned away after their first year. For children who are unable to succeed in the public school system, educational opportunities are extremely limited.
The Dien Ban Day Center provides children with disabilities a personalized educational program that helps them reach their full mental and physical potential. Through these programs, the children continue to thrive. They have learned to walk. They have learned to read. These are life-changing milestones that many could not have achieved before the Center opened.
In addition, we work closely with parents by providing training and resources to help them better support their children’s special needs.
Vipassana Meditation has made a world of difference in the lives of thousands of people around the globe. Many have found greater inner peace and improved mental and physical well-being through its practice. Vipassana has transformed countless lives in a positive way.
There is no cost to attend the courses—not even for food or accommodation. All expenses are covered entirely by donations, most of which come from individuals who have completed a course and experienced its benefits. They choose to give others the same valuable opportunity.
Recognizing the profound benefits and global impact of the Vipassana Organization, both internationally and throughout the United States, Forever Beauty has chosen to support this remarkable organization by donating a percentage of the company’s net profits to the Vipassana Meditation Organization. This is our way of giving back and helping make these life-changing courses available to others.
Below, you will find information about the Vipassana Organization, including its worldwide meditation centers, course schedules, and a brief introduction to Vipassana Meditation.
Vipassana, which means “to see things as they truly are,” is one of India’s oldest meditation techniques. Rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2,500 years ago, it was taught as a universal path to overcoming suffering—an Art of Living. This non-sectarian practice aims to eradicate mental impurities, leading to inner peace, wisdom, and the highest happiness through complete liberation.
Vipassana is a journey of self-transformation through self-observation. It develops a deep awareness of the inseparable connection between the mind and body through careful observation of physical sensations. This disciplined practice reveals how the mind and body continuously influence one another. By exploring this direct experience, practitioners gradually dissolve mental impurities and cultivate a balanced mind filled with peace, compassion, and loving-kindness
The natural laws that govern our thoughts, emotions, judgments, and sensations become clear through direct experience. One comes to understand how personal growth or decline occurs, how suffering is created, and how it can be overcome. As a result, life becomes characterized by greater awareness, clarity, self-control, inner peace, and freedom from delusion.
Since the time of Gotama Buddha, Vipassana has been passed down through an unbroken lineage of teachers. Although Indian by ancestry, the current teacher in this tradition, Mr. S.N. Goenka, was born and raised in Burma (now Myanmar). There, he had the great fortune of learning Vipassana from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, who was then a senior government official.
After studying under his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka returned to India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. Since then, he has introduced this timeless practice to tens of thousands of people from all backgrounds, cultures, and faiths throughout both the East and the West.
In 1982, to meet the growing worldwide interest in Vipassana, Mr. Goenka began appointing assistant teachers who were trained to preserve and transmit the technique in its pure and authentic form.
The technique is taught through ten-day residential courses, during which participants follow a prescribed Code of Discipline, learn the fundamentals of the method, and practice diligently to experience its benefits firsthand.
The course requires sincere effort and dedication. The training consists of three stages.
The first stage is to observe a code of moral conduct throughout the course by abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual activity, false speech, and the use of intoxicants. This simple code of morality helps calm the mind, preparing it for the practice of self-observation.
The second stage is to develop concentration by learning to focus attention on the natural flow of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. By the fourth day, the mind becomes calmer and more focused, making it ready to begin the practice of Vipassana itself—observing bodily sensations, understanding their true nature, and cultivating equanimity by learning not to react to them.
The final stage, practiced on the last full day of the course, is the meditation of loving-kindness (Metta), in which the purity and peace developed during the course are shared with all beings.
The entire practice is a form of mental training. Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, Vipassana develops a healthy, balanced, and peaceful mind.
To preserve the technique in its original and authentic form, Vipassana is never taught commercially. Courses are offered entirely free of charge. No one involved in teaching receives any material compensation.
There is no cost to attend a Vipassana course—not even for food or accommodation. All expenses are covered through voluntary donations from students who have completed a course, personally experienced its benefits, and wish to offer the same opportunity to others.
Of course, the benefits develop gradually through continued practice. It is unrealistic to expect every problem to be solved in just ten days. However, within that time, the essential principles of Vipassana can be learned and applied in everyday life.
The more one practices the technique, the greater the freedom from suffering and the closer one comes to the ultimate goal of full liberation. Even a single ten-day course can produce meaningful and lasting benefits in daily life.
People of all backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs are welcome to attend a Vipassana course and experience the technique for themselves. Those who sincerely practice it often discover that Vipassana is an invaluable tool for cultivating wisdom, inner peace, compassion, and lasting happiness that can be shared with others.
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