Burma Pilgrimage #2, Day 3: The Generosity of Sayadaws

The following excerpt was written by an American yogi about the pilgrimage in Burma. The first pilgrimage has ended, and the second one has just begun! To read about the previous day, go here. To read about this very same day on the previous yatra, see here! You can also consider joining a later pilgrimage in Burma yourself.

"Along the way to Metta Shin monastery, our resting place for the next two nights, we stopped to pay respects to two Sayadaws along the way.

The first was Hansar Waddy, a monastery in Saya Thet Gyi's tradition. After a group sit, the Sayadaw extended a warm welcome and shared a few pearls to abide by:
the importance of right mind, having right friends, and listening to the Dhamma. After accepting our offerings, his volunteers, who had already amassed a
huge array of snacks, served this to us with such metta. We stayed a good while, and the Sayadaw beamed at us the whole time - metta has no language
barriers.

The next stop was Aung Zabu, a monastery where a Japanese businessman had donated his private collection of hundreds of Buddha statues. Although it was not a day for public viewing, we were able to go in and meet the Sayadaw. His warm welcome was followed by an extortion to keep on spreading the Dhamma. We were given permission to not only view, but also photograph the rare collection. The statues were beautiful - physical manifestations of the devotion of so many. May many more find inspiration from this collection.

The generosity of these Sayadaws, to a group of unknown meditators (even when not from their tradition) is touching. The unhurried amount of time they take, the genuine joy and warmth in their time with us, and their small Dhamma talks makes each of these encounters special. Words of teaching, simple as
they may be, when given in this atmosphere, fall onto fertile soil..."

Click here for Day 4!