01/05/2020
Both late Vipassana Meditation Teacher S.N. Goenka (Goenkaji) and Mataji, his late wife Illaichi Devi, were born in Burma (Myanmar) in an Indian community; their families had close ties and were supportive of each other. When shortly after their wedding in 1942 Japan invaded Burma and the war with the British started, they fled to India with their families, where they stayed for five years.
Back in Burma they lived a householder's life, raising six sons. Goenkaji was a member of various business and social organizations and Mataji supported him in every way. It is reported she was a remarkably dutiful wife, daughter-in-law and mother; she served the large family (Goenkaji had seven sisters) conscientiously and tactfully.
After Goenkaji received the Dhamma from Sayagyi U Ba Khin in 1955, Mataji noticed a big change in him. One day, when she went to pick up her husband from the meditation center she received Anapana from Sayagyi and started practicing herself. Not much later, she took her first 10-day Vipassana course.
When Goenkaji travelled to India in 1969 to teach Vipassana to his parents (and from there went on to spread the Dhamma further, in India and across the world), Mataji stayed in Burma, strengthening her own practice.
n 1971 Mataji joined Goenkaji in India to be by his side in Dhamma service. Although it was Goenkaji who gave the instructions and discourses, Mataji assisted him in conducting courses as the female teacher, available to the female students.
The fact that Mataji was there with him added to Goenkaji’s credibility as a householder in a time where many spiritual teachers had a somewhat questionable reputation. It is said that overall Mataji didn’t speak much so as not to have any opportunity to break her sīla (noble spreech). When Goenkaji spoke, she calmly sat next to him, giving mettā.
Mataji also used to join Goenkaji in chanting the ‘Sabakā Maṅgala’ (May all beings be happy) chanting at the end of mettā after a group sitting. She can be heard on several group sitting recordings.
https://store.pariyatti.org/Group-Sittings-for-Old-Students-of-SN-Goenka_c_492.html
