A New Life (With an Open Mind)

U Han Htay, Religious Department

(This is an article written by a research officer, originally titled “The King Couple I Knew”.)

Saya U Pe Aung sent Dr. King and his wife, Jocelyn B. King, to Sayagyi U Ba Khin’s meditation centre in September 1959. Our department assigned me and two other officers to accompany them. We did not need to take leave, as this was part of our official duty.

When I first heard that the Americans, Dr. King and his wife, had come for meditation, I assumed that they were interested in learning about Burmese customs and practices, perhaps merely as a cultural experience. I did not look down on this, but I did not give it much thought either.

Dr. King was a priest of the Congregational Christian sect. Apart from their academic research, I believed they would not truly appreciate meditation. As for myself, I accompanied them purely out of official responsibility and had little personal interest.

At that time, I only knew Sayagyi U Ba Khin as the Accountant General of Burma. I had never met him and knew nothing of his role as a meditation teacher. In 1953, my father once went to the Accountant General’s Office for an official matter. It happened to be tea break time, and he did not see Sayagyi or his officers and clerks at their desks.

When my father asked a civil servant about this, he was told that during their free time they were meditating in the large shrine room above the office. This made a deep impression on my father and gave him great respect for Sayagyi. Even during short breaks of half an hour, Sayagyi encouraged meditation to calm the mind, bring peace, and guide his staff closer to the Dhamma through practice.

My father later told us about this, but at that time I still did not know about Sayagyi’s meditation centre. I never thought of meeting him, nor did I make any effort to do so. It was only later, through my involvement with the American couple, that I finally met him.

Inya Myaing and the First Meetings with Sayagyi

The Ko-kine (Kokkine) area, Inya Myaing Hill, was a beautiful and very quiet place. It was there that I first met Sayagyi, who was around sixty years old at the time. He had a well-built body and appeared healthy.

Note: This area is particularly beautiful. Rangoon Arts and Sciences University and Inya Lake are located nearby, with many large trees and a very peaceful atmosphere. Wealthy families lived there in spacious compounds. Rangoon University, founded by the British in 1920, was surrounded by large trees and was a very pleasant place for study. At that time, it was regarded as one of the best universities in Southeast Asia, both in its buildings and surroundings.

Dr. and Mrs. King, my two companions, and I were each assigned a room. Sayagyi himself stayed in a small rest house and personally taught the yogis. At 10:00 a.m. he went to his office, returned to the centre at 5:00 p.m., and remained there until 10:00 a.m. the following morning.

At 7:00 p.m. he interviewed the yogis about their practice. Around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., the day’s practice concluded. In the morning, before leaving for his office, he taught all of us the correct way to practise.

Sayagyi was calm and straightforward. If he had something to say, he spoke openly. He held great reverence for the Triple Gem—the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. At that time, however, I still did not know very much about Sayagyi.

We were mainly interested in observing the two foreign yogis who asked Sayagyi questions about their practice rather than about the Dhamma itself. We felt uplifted seeing Dr. King and his wife practise respectfully and diligently. I was thinking myself, “What will happen to them? How will they change?”

Mrs. King Changed Her Life

On the third day, I heard Joyslyn King reporting to Sayagyi about her experiences of strong physical pain (dukkha). Dr. King had dissatisfaction with impermanence (anicca) and discussed this with Sayagi. All three of us practised in the usual way, without forcing ourselves.

By the fifth day, Joyslyn King’s face became clear and bright. She no longer appeared dissatisfied as before. That evening, Sayagyi gave a Dhamma talk, and after it ended, she bowed and touched Sayagyi’s feet with her head as a gesture of deep respect.

She openly admitted, “I am becoming a true Buddhist from a Christian life.”

We were all surprised to hear this, because until that day she had never bowed to the Buddha image or to Sayagyi.

Dr. King was the same.

[In one of Sayagyi Goenka’s essays about his life with U Ba Khin, he mentioned this point openly. In the beginning, he told Sayagyi frankly that he would not bow to the Buddha or to him, as most Burmese people did. Sayagyi replied that this was not important—only the practice mattered.]

Now, however, Dr. King’s wife was bowing to the Buddha and to Sayagyi out of respect and gratitude. I felt glad, satisfied, and deeply uplifted.

I approached her and asked, “Why has your life changed so much in such a short time, and why have you abandoned the Christian view?” She answered me very clearly:

“I have truly discovered anicca, dukkha, and anattā in my own body and mind. My doubts, wrong views, desires, and worries have been destroyed by the understanding of anattā. With this knowledge, my mind has become clear. I cannot express my gratitude to Sayagyi in words—that is why I bow to him by touching his feet. Through understanding the Dhamma, I now live peacefully.”

As she spoke, I placed my hands together in añjali, showing reverence. Her face was filled with peace and calmness.

Mrs. King was no longer in a state of half-faith and half-doubt. Her expression showed that she had genuinely searched for the truth throughout her life—indeed, through many lives—and had finally found it. The deep satisfaction she experienced was clearly visible on her face.

In truth, we three Burmese companions had come with them while still holding half-faith and half-doubt. Because of this, we concealed our conceit as Buddhists and quietly tried our best to practise among ourselves.

Now, arriving at the final day, Dr. King said to Sayagyi, “I am satisfied with the nature of dukkha, but I still do not understand anicca, and I cannot accept it.”

I heard him say this. Sayagyi remained calm when Dr. King’s wife bowed to him, declaring that she had become a Buddhist. Now, when Dr. King expressed his difficulty in accepting anicca, Sayagyi again remained calm and unmoving. He answered Dr. King gently:

“Dr. King, you have already accepted the nature of dukkha, as you yourself have said.”

He continued:

“The particles (kalāpas) in the bodily aggregates (khandhas) are all atomic in nature. Wherever they arise, they also vanish. All atomic particles are constantly moving according to anicca. You need to contemplate more deeply the penetrating nature of impermanence. Try to practise again and come for the next retreat.”

Dr. King agreed and expressed his intention to participate in a future retreat, but in the end he did not return.

Up to that time, he did not abandon the Christian view. He later wrote two books, Ten Thousand Miles Far Away and Searching for Nibbāna. In these works, he described that he had understood only part of the Dhamma; much of it remained unclear and difficult for him.

The Couple Far Away from Thousands of Lives

Up to this day, his wife has openly declared in America her transformation into the Buddhist view and has continued spreading the Dhamma. She taught people according to Sayagyi’s way of practice. Every month, she wrote letters to U Ye Lin, editor of Your Life magazine (now associated with the U.S. Embassy), joyfully reporting her progress and successes.

As someone who had discovered the Dhamma, she never forgot it. She also wrote to me frequently, expressing that only the Buddha-Dhamma was capable of offering true peace and happiness.

I often thought about her as someone who continued to carry the torchlight of vipassanā, lit by Sayagyi, into America. She attained peaceful happiness (santi-sukha) and had truly brought the Dhamma into her heart. With this Dhamma-heart, she even dared—firmly yet compassionately—to stand in contrast to her husband’s views.

She possessed far greater significance than those who are Buddhists in name only, through her merits and spiritual maturity.

Dr. King, however, was still many lifetimes away from his beloved wife. His faculty of wisdom had not yet matured and needed more time to ripen. He was unable to attend another meditation retreat and could not meet Sayagyi again in full, as Sayagyi U Ba Khin passed away in 1971.

I continue to pray for Dr. King who has already received the path of the Dhamma, and with his wife able to lead the Buddha-Dhamma onward to others.

Some Reflections

According to Mrs. King’s article, “My Lifetime Teacher,” she practised bhāvanā under Sayagyi’s guidance on three occasions—between July and September 1959. Her mind underwent a decisive transformation only during the third retreat.

According to U Han Htay’s article, based on discussions between Dr. King and Sayagyi (including interviews concerning Dr. King’s practice), Dr. King understood dukkha but not anicca. This raises an important question: did he truly discern anicca and dukkha?

I have my doubts. His experience of dukkha may have been limited to bodily pain alone. Without clearly discerning anicca—without genuine experiential understanding—it is difficult to let go of self-view. Like most people, one may continue to cling strongly to the notion of self.

Here the importance of the teaching of paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent origination) becomes evident.

This observation is not intended to criticise Dr. King, who remained a committed Christian. Even some well-known Buddhist scholars—such as Professor U Pe Maung Tin, the first Rector of Rangoon University in 1920, and Mrs. Rhys Davids—were also unable to fully appreciate the doctrine of anattā.

U Pe Maung Tin was a Christian who translated the Visuddhimagga into English. Even in his very old age, he still did not fully understand anattā. Eventually, he asked Mahāgandhāyon Sayadaw U Janakābhivaṃsa about it, and the Sayadaw explained the teaching to him. This incident is recorded in “One Life, One Sāsanā,” the biography of Mahāgandhāyon Sayadaw written by Venerable U Gosita.

Regarding Mrs. Rhys Davids’ wrong view, most Western scholars are already aware of it. Self-view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) is deeply rooted in the minds of living beings. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to abandon and let go of it. This attachment even had a strong influence on the Bodhisatta and some of his chief and great disciples in past lives, despite their high level of spiritual maturity and perfection. Many examples of this can be found in the suttas and Jātaka stories.

Here, I would like to refer to one notable Jātaka story: Jā 544, Mahānāradakassapa Jātaka, which contains many Dhamma points worthy of deep reflection.

Among the three universal characteristics, non-self (anattā) and unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) are the most difficult to understand and appreciate. Thus, it is plausible that Dr. King understood dukkha but not anicca—a point that remains doubtful. Most human beings perceive dukkha as sukha, failing to recognize the pervasive chaos, problems, and suffering in the world. These phenomena can be clearly observed throughout human history.

There is no need to look far. The twenty-first century itself provides ample evidence—from the events of 2001 (the 9/11 incident) to the ongoing conflicts between Palestine and Israel in 2025. Human greed, hatred, and delusion have increased even more than before, because people regard themselves and the external world as permanent, stable, and as possessing lasting happiness and a permanent self.

According to my knowledge, the meditation system of Anāgāmi Sayā Thet—U Ba Khin’s teacher—has been quite successful both in Burma and abroad. I have even known a few Taiwanese practitioners who were students of Goenkaji and who developed solid meditation practice through this lineage.

Here, I would like to introduce a well-known Burmese monk who taught the Sayā Thet system through his writings, particularly in his widely respected book, Ditthadhamma Vipassanā.

---

• Content of With an Open Mind-- Dhamma Talks by Sayadaw Jhaneyya
• Content of Publications of Bhikkhu Uttamo

---

• MP3 and Youtube

---

According to the translator—Bhikkhu Uttamo's words, this is strictly for free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma—Dhamma Dāna. You may re-format, reprint, translate, and redistribute this work in any medium.