Vipassana movement

The Vipassana movement is a modern branch of Burmese Theravada Buddhism that emphasizes insight meditation as a path to understanding the fundamental characteristics of existence and reaching the initial stages of awakening. It arose in nineteenth-century Burma as Western modernism influenced Theravada tradition and monks sought to restore meditation practice grounded in the Satipatthana Sutta, the Visuddhimagga and other texts, developing what is described as bare insight meditation. Ledi Sayadaw (1846-1923) pioneered lay meditation practice by reintroducing techniques grounded in Abhidhamma philosophy, and Mahasi Sayadaw (1904-1982) popularized the influential New Burmese Method through the twentieth century, emphasizing direct insight development without preliminary concentration practice; the Indian lay teacher S. N. Goenka (1924-2013), trained in this lineage, expanded the movement globally by establishing meditation centers across Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa. Since the 1970s American teachers including Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg founded institutions such as the Insight Meditation Society, adapting the movement's methods for Western audiences and influencing secular mindfulness programs. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/