Since the time of Buddha, Vipassana has been handed down, to the present day, by an unbroken chain of teachers. The current teachers in this tradition were appointed by the late Mr. S.N. Goenka, who was Indian by descent but was born and raised in Burma (Myanmar). While living there, he had the good fortune to learn Vipassana from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, who was at the time a high Government official. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and was authorised by Sayagyi to begin teaching Vipassana in 1969. During his life he taught tens of thousands of people of all races and all religions in both the East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet the growing demand for Vipassana courses. Before he passed away in 2013, he left behind a comprehensive system for training and appointment of future teachers in the tradition.