Playing in the Rain, in the (muddy) footsteps of Saya Thet Gyi

“I was in Yangon when Cyclone Nargis hit in 2008. It was terrible. As soon as I could, I headed to Pyaw Bwe Gyi to see how Saya Thet Gyi’s tazaung had fared. The dock on Yangon River had been torn away but was still—barely—standing. It will sound like I’m making this up but I swear I’m not: passengers literally had to crawl from the twisted wreckage of the dock onto the upper story of the ferry, because there were only a couple feet of empty space where the two came together. When I got to Pyaw Bwe Gyi the tazaung was in fairly good shape, although the village itself was not. The most curious thing was this Spanish yogi who had been there through it all. He hardly seemed to register what had taken place. He was continuing with his self-course undisturbed, and said that he had been taking his morning walk to breakfast when the worst of the cyclone struck. He found it rather amusing that my friend and I were making such a big to-do about the whole thing.” –American expat in Yangon, 2008

Below, village children play outside of Anauk Monastery, where Saya Thet Gyi taught until 1945.

Sayagyi U Goenka pilgrimage: A Visit to Saya Thet Gyi's

A British pilgrim meets children living near Anauk Monastery in Pyaw Bwe Gyi Village, the hometown of Saya Thet Gyi. It was also here where the great lay meditation master began to teach the practice, inviting lay people to come to his zayat to study under him. Although the numbers of students were never very high, he did manage to reach a middle-age government minister named Ko Ba Khin, who would go on to open a meditation center in downtown Rangoon and teach some of the Burmese and Shan elites of the post-war society, along with a number of prominent foreigners. While Saya Thet Gyi began his teaching at the family zayat, a nearby monk later became upset that a layman would dare to teach Dhamma. Not wishing to cause any discord, Saya Thet Gyi promptly left the site entirely and was hosted by the Anauk Sayadaw, whose monastery was found in a peaceful stretch of paddy field on the other end of the village. Saya Thet Gyi actually enjoyed this new site more, as it was much quieter and away from the village's thoroughfare. The very room where he instructed Vipassana, housed a beautiful old teak-style building, is visible today and one can pay respects and meditate in this historic site. While many foreign meditators today come to Pyaw Bwe Gyi to visit his zayat, few know about Anauk Monastery-- another of the benefits of joining a pilgrimage.

To read about the previous year's pilgrimage to Pyaw Bwe Gyi, see here!

An Inspiring Memory

A European meditator who was on the 2014 Winter Pariyatti pilgrimage has recently shared how she remembers the more inspiring memories of this trip. She has made a collage of four important photos from this trip: starting from the upper left and going clockwise, one sees a Shinpyu (or novitiation) ceremony taking place at Shwedagon Pagoda, where a young boy takes on the monks' robes. Next is a photo from Ingyinbin showing Bhante Agga from the Netherlands along with the newly ordained Russell Quinn from New Zealand. Third shows the long line of brown-clad pilgrims making their way to Anauk Monastery in Pyaw Bwe Gyi, where Saya Thet Gyi taught during the last two years of his life. And finally is a wonderful, smiling photo of the Shwekyin Sayadaw and Dr. Khin Maung Aye, who delivered a Dhamma talk to the group.

For those wishing to make such memories of their own, a pilgrimage will take place on January 23, 2015, and spaces are still left... see Muditā Works for more information.

Burma Yatra #2, Day 2: Saya Thet Gyi Day

The scenes of the rural Dalla harbor just after the group has arrived, crossing the same river as Sayagyi U Ba Khin did many years ago. The buildings of Yangon are visible from across the water.

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 see and compare Day #2 of the first yatra, see here. 

You can also consider joining a later pilgrimage in Burma yourself.

"Today was great grandfather day. After a morning group sit at Dhamma Joti, we headed across the river to see several sights related to Saya Thet Gyi.

Getting a group of us tickets, boarded, and disembarked is no easy feat. It says volumes about the organizers that this was all taken care of, mostly behind the scenes. Once we arrived at the other side, a small bus was arranged to continue the journey. 

The group arrives in Dalla

Once we left the ferry terminal, the landscape and feel changed dramatically. Against a mostly flat, stark landscape there were small clusters of trees, with an occasional thatched home nearby.

A typical scene that the group sees from its ride from Dalla to Pyaw Bwe Gyi. Saya Thet Gyi's family was once responsible for 1,000 acres of rice fields, and one still finds such agricultural activity in the area today.

Time seems to have forgotten this small village. Dusty roads and rice mills line the path to the salas, perhaps not dissimilar to what Sayagi U Ba Khin, and perhaps Saya Thet Gyi, might have seen in their days.

The first stop was to the Saya Thet Gyi's first meditation sala. After hearing about Saya Thet Gyi's story (especially moving when one sees the joy and pride radiating from Snow's face in the recounting of this familiar tale...), we sat for an hour in the spot where it is believed that Saya Thet Gyi reached some of his attainments. Very strong...

A dog pauses in the walkway leading to Saya Thet Gyi's center

The group then moved to the second sala. There were beautiful paintings on the walls that, as with the rest of the building, had seen some better days. The last place we went to was Anauk Monastery, a monastery where Saya Thet Gyi taught from for a brief period of time. 

The greeting party at Anauk Monastery, a site where Saya Thet Gyi taught for two years

This side of the river appears materially poorer that their city cousins. It's in such a setting that one can appreciate the physical manifestations of the people's monastic devotion. Compared to the first two places, the last (a monastic setting) appeared much better kept. Even the dogs looked healthier!

The bus parks in a field outside Anauk Monastery, the field looking similar to what one may have found even in Saya Thet Gyi's time. The lay meditation master himself preferred this site for its quiet and distance from the main town area.

As an aside - it looks remarkably challenging to lead these groups. These yatras have been compared to long courses. If so, the group leader is akin to course manager, except they have to oversee a bunch of independent minded, talking students, who wander at their own pace... The balance between letting each individual's 'course' unfold and making sure the group stays on schedule is difficult, and the effort in just getting everyone to show up and/or leave by a certain time is tremendous...

Aside #2: There's a sense of a protective bubble around us, woven by all those involved in our care. The support from them is palpable. The motocoach assistant, for example, has walked into Yangon traffic (no small feat in any Asian country!) to herd us through. How fortunate we are!"

See here for Day 3!