Mohynin Sayadaw was one of the most prominent students of Ledi Sayadaw, and his more famous monastery can be visited near Monywa. This branch extension can be visited on the southern end of Golden Valley Road. Inside the compound are a large cluster of buildings, with newer and renovated multi-storied structures mixing with others made of wood that date back much further. This site was built for the monk in the 1940s, and Monhynin Sayadaw himself came here regularly to teach Vipassana practice over the course of the last 40 years of his life. (As a younger monk, following his venerable teacher Ledi Sayadaw's advice, he spent ten years without speaking while practicing intensive Vipassana meditation)
Although the area is now considered an older part of town, when the monastery was first built there was only jungle here, with tigers roaming not far away. Foreigners are not allowed to stay here overnight, but the relics of the original Sayadaw may be viewed, and this makes a wonderful site for one to practice meditation amongst such purity and strong vibrations. Another shrine building has a large standing statue of the original Monyhin Sayadaw, next to one of a Buddha that is customarily placed in the center. The pagoda is also quite beautiful, and is a very suitable place for meditation. A new Mohnyin center is now being constructed in Nay Pyi Daw, and here foreign yogis will be welcome to stay and practice. For more information, contact Sayadaw U Indaka, the current abbot overseeing the center. As this is off the normal meditator-circuit, it is truly a special place to spend a day-- or many more-- silently pursuing one's meditative practice.
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| Standing statue of Mohnyin Sayadaw |
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