Myanmar has produced a bonanza of enlightened beings and wise, discerning teachers, many of whom we called upon when writing the Meditator's Guidebook to Myanmar. However, so few of their stories and so little of their knowledge has spread beyond the border. That is why we have the exciting news that are looking to develop a podcast, in which we can interview many of these great figures straight-away, and bring the content immediately to eager yogis without delay. While the information may be slightly rawer than the book form, it will be immediately accessible for all, allowing us to bring the depths of Burma-Dhamma into the public domain far easier than ever before.
We hope to interview monks, nuns, meditation teachers, historians, scholars, writers, meditators, public figures, and many more. There are so many stories to tell from the background of Dhamma in the Golden Land, and so many paths to explore.
But our one disclaimer, and plea for help: while we may be avid listeners of podcasts, we know next to nothing about producing them! Any yogis with a background in podcasting who would be willing to lend a hand in the set-up would be greatly appreciated, so that we can deliver the best production possible to those who will benefit.
As many readers may know, all the work accomplished by the Burma Dhamma blog and facebook page, as well as the past and upcoming work in creating the Meditator's Guide to Burma (Shwe Lan Ga Lay), has been a volunteer effort made with the pure volition to share hard-to-find knowledge and information about Dhamma practice in the Golden Land. Given the difficulty of finding and verifying information in a country with such a tumultuous history, this has been no easy task. An added challenge is that most volunteers are householders who do not have endless resources to give in sustaining the precious work, and funding for future efforts has long since dried up.
At the moment, the first part of the Meditator's Guide is completed, and Part II is coming out very soon. A much longer and more in-depth look at the rich Dhamma history and geography of Myanmar, it will give unprecedented access to sites and Sayadaws. However, the exhausting work of this piece all but completed, there was no plan on the horizon for how it could continue-- until now.
Out of the blue, a modest donation surprisingly came our way to continue our Burma-Dhamma exploration for the benefit of all readers and meditators. Before, we had realized that one of the challenges with producing the guide was that a very small team was working with marvelous content while the meditator community waited to see what we were so excited about... and waited, and waited, and waited as the process deepened and extended. So the idea came to go a different direction... a lighter, more modern touch by exploring the world of podcasting.
While this donation will not fund the podcast in perpetuity, it will at least allow us to get it off the ground. Our hope is that if the content can be seen as adding value and inspiration to those looking for knowledge on the Buddha's path (specifically as shown in Myanmar), further contributions can be forthcoming and the project can deepen and develop. For now, we are delighted that this new media will soon be brought to yogis everywhere!
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