The Stone Library of Ledi Sayadaw

The only remnants of the lost forest refuge may be those represented in the full-scale diorama in Ledi Thein Ma Taw Gyi, or as it is known in English, the "Maha Ledi Edifice." This blue, circular building is located to the right of the arch, and also displays a number of items relating to Ledi’s life. 

Further reminders of the great monk’s work in this world are exhibited in the form of hundreds of marble slabs, in fact 806 of them to be precise. Completed in 1925, just two years after Ledi Sayadaw’s passing, most of the engraving is comprised from 89 of his dipanis. Seven additional texts are credited to his disciples Ledi Pandita and Ledi U Kavi, so marked by a giant board meticulously recording the titles, locations, and other pertinent details of each work. Most are in Burmese (Others are in Pali and Nissaya, or a word-for-word translation of Pali into Burmese), following Ledi’s innovation in making them accessible to the common person, so that any wanderer may read and contemplate the Dhamma. Some were damaged during World War II, but have since been restored. Walking freely through this garden of scholastic monuments is a living and nearly breathing testament to Ledi’s contribution within the field of pariyatti. Even these slabs, however, do not constitute the totality of Ledi’s writings. A current project is now underway in Ledi Sayadaw’s birthpace of Sain Pyin Gyi Village to complete the stone engravings of his remaining volumes, thus preserving the entirety of Ledi’s words for future generations. Or as Linda Chang, an American yogi commented, “meandering amongst these large slabs was literally 'going through' his works!” Found within these slabs and reached via a narrow walkway is the main Buddha shrine.

Entering the Wild Ledi Forest

The Lower Chindwin Valley monk Ashin Nyanadhaja had made a brilliant display in the royal capital of Mandalay— often as an ascendant shining star, while at other times as a transcendent lightening rod— but by the early 1880s he had seemingly given up this cosmopolitan life, choosing instead to wander alone into remote Ledi Forest in Monwya. This act gave the world Ledi Sayadaw, and gave Monywa Maha Ledi Monastery, an active pariyatti monastery on the very grounds where Ledi made his initial retreat into the wilderness.


A city has since built around it, and any trees left in the area have been intentionally planted to ease the urban landscape. Today it is the home of over two hundred monks and novices, and every year Ledi Sayadaw’s birthday is celebrated with a great Saṅgha Dāna feast and ceremony. It goes without saying that Ledi left very large shoes—or rather, sandals—to fill, and this duty currently goes to Sayadaw U Aindarwantha, also known as the Tenth Ledi Sayadaw. While foreign yogis are generally not permitted to stay overnight, one may ask permission to meditate on the compound and pay respects to the sites associated with the great founder’s life.

The Caretaker monk of Ledi #1 cave in Monywa

Shwe Taung Oo Pagoda features two caves. One is where Ledi Sayadaw spent much of the period from 1900-1902 in meditation at night, after studying and teaching throughout the day. It was to this more secluded pagoda that he retreated from the increasingly busy Maha Ledi Monastery. In those days, carnivorous animals and poisonous snakes were common, and if the villagers were to be believed, ghosts and other hideous creatures as well. Still, the venerable monk was not entirely separated from human contact, as he continued his teaching duties and went on to write and publish several more books that were composed while he dwelt in these caves. Biographer Erik Braun also writes, “It is during this time that he began to formulate through his texts a vision of meditation that would be appropriate on a mass scale…his presentation of meditation to lay people… [was] a practice that did not require any jhāna cultivation at all.” 

Past the main pagoda stupa, keep walking towards the field beyond, where you will soon see a red sign indicating the two Ledi caves, one to the right and one to the left. The more relevant cave is to the left, being the one where Ledi spent most of his time. An elder monk acts as the caretaker, and he has been here for twenty years. The cave is well ventilated and filled with natural light, and is a comfortable place for meditation. It can fit perhaps six to eight people comfortably. Several golden Buddha statues are inside, as well as an image of Ledi in sitting mediation to the left. Due to the high pilgrimage traffic, it’s not recommended to plan to sit here for longer than an hour or two, as there may be a fair amount of comings and goings and accompanying chatter.

Burma Yatra #2, Day 9

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 the first pilgrimage group's experience on their own Day 9 towards Monywa, go here. To learn about current pilgrimages you can join, see here.

Today was Ledi Sayadaw day.

Hotel Chindwin, where the pilgrims stayed in Monywa

The shrine at Hotel Chindwin, where the yogis stayed in Monywa

After a morning group sit at the local center (complete with monkeys just outside the front gate), we headed to a couple of caves where Ledi Sayadaw had spent some time.

Upon emerging from one of the caves, we were greeted by a wizened old Sayadaw and his attendant. The Sayadaw had a multihued pile of cats and kittens contentedly sleeping on his feet...

The next stop was Maha Ledi monastery. Although it was no longer dense jungle, it was sweet to be able to sit where Ledi Sayadaw had spent so much time. There were multiple marble slabs engraved with the writings of the prolific Sayadaw - meadering amongst these large slabs was literally 'going through' his works!

Just some of the Pali-carved tablets at Maha Ledi Monastery

In the building where Ledi Sayadaw used to practice walking meditation, a previous visit by SN Goenka is honored

The afternoon brought a bit of a change in pace. The activities were optional, and had a distinctly different feel than the places we've been to so far. It was a study in the extremes. The first was a pagoda with hundreds of thousands of Buddha statues. The colors/decorations were more like those one might find in India than in Burma.

We passed by an area where someone planted thousands of Bodhi trees, some with their own Buddha statue at the base.

The last stop of the afternoon was to a place with the largest standing and reclining Buddha statues in Burma.

The day wrapped up with several big changes. Our bus had broken down earlier in the day (fortunately while no pilgrims were in it), and was actively being fixed along the side of the road.

(What the Burmese can do with old vehicles and limited resources is pretty amazing...)

A few pilgrims did not feel good, so a change in travel plans had to be made.

As always, anicca (anatta, dukkha)...

One of many statues of the great monk

For more photos of the visit in Monywa, see here. To read about the next stop, Ingyinbin, go here.

Burma Day 9: Returning to our Roots

For Day 8, go here, and to read about the February pilgrims' experience on this day, go here. You can also consider joining a later pilgrimage in Burma yourself. The following excerpt was written by Kory Goldberg and Jorn Materne about the pilgrimage in Burma:

Pilgrims meditating in Shwe Taung Oo Pagoda, where Ledi Sayadaw spent two years around the turn of the 20th century

"The early morning kicked off with an offering of breakfast to about 500 monks. It seemed as if all of Monywa’s monks came out to accept our offering. It was cold and dark out, but all appreciated the unique experience. The group interacted with local lay people and we introduced ourselves with our Burmese names in the Burmese language. Che no nameh Ko Pyo Bah. Che Germany Gabah. They loved our efforts and found our jumbled attempts at communicating hilarious.

After a nice rest at the hotel and treat of real Italian coffee we headed over to the Maha Ledi Monastery to. This monastery is where Ledi Sayadaw, the root teacher of our lineage and perhaps the most important figure in modern Buddhist, spent most of his years studying, writing, teaching and meditating. The monastery houses 815 marble slabs containing 115 books of his books, about two-thirds of his work. The rest of his works will soon be engraved on to marble slabs at the monastery in Sain Pyin Gyi, the village where the great master was born and ordained as a teenager. We had the good fortune to offer robes and books to the current Ledi Sayadaw and to eight other local Sayadaws. The current Ledi Sayadaw’s jolly face impressed everyone in the group. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, he exemplifies the fluid integration of Pariyatti and Patipatti, intellectual and experiential insight. After the participatory experience of offering food, the Sayadaws led a brief ceremony where the merits of the offerings were transferred to water. In turn, people from our group were then offered the chance to take the water and offer it to the roots of trees outside so that the merits are then transferred to the Earth (or something like that, I’m not entirely sure--editor's note, see here for more details on the origins of and rationale for this Buddhist custom). Most of us have never experienced such a ritual, and many felt a little strange, even uncomfortable as this sort of behavior seemed to be quite opposed to how the Dhamma had been taught to us. Nevertheless, some seized the moment, either out of curiosity for a new experience or to “save face,” as they say in Burma. Afterwards we took another stab at introducing ourselves in Burmese resulting in roars of laughter and good times. Both pilgrims and monks took loads of pictures of each other on their iPads and Smartphones. Who knew that Apple and Samsung would help build these cultural bridges amongst the global Dhamma community!

On the way back to the hotel for our much appreciated rest period we visited a couple of pagodas and had a great spontaneous meeting with a group of 300 college students. Unlike the stereotypical partier college students in the West, this bunch of kids was gentle and child-like and infused with Dhamma—so much so that they wanted to take refuge in the Triple Gem and recite the Five Precepts together!

The day concluded with a group meditation with Goenka’s local students at a nearby monastery. Once again, connecting with people whose social, cultural and economic lived are entirely different, yet whose spiritual lives are deeply familiar. Sitting in silence not only with practitioners of the Buddha’s teachings, but with those who are in the same lineage, yet who have been raised in a different world, is a touching experience that reveals an intimacy unknown in any other context. We have never met, yet we are brothers and sisters who have lived together forever. A spiritual family reunion!"

Click here for day 10!

Burma Day 10: Prophecy Fulfilled

If you missed Day 9, go here. The following excerpt was written by Kory Goldberg about the pilgrimage in Burma. You can also consider joining a later pilgrimage in Burma yourself.

"Impermanent are all compounded things, and every moment on this trip is a living testament to this wise teaching of the Buddha. From cycles of health and illness, joy and misery, luxurious beds to hard wooden floors we have experienced anicca in all its forms. After two nights in a comfortable hotel, we now find ourselves sleeping on a dusty floor in a decrepit building with a freaked out barn owl wondering where all these strange humans come from. It doesn't really matter though because the despite the extremely rustic conditions that no one in our group is accustomed to we are at a very powerful sacred site that is hardly known today, either by foreigners or Burmese.

Ingyinbin Monastery, translated as Sal Tree Monastery (also known as the "Patipatti side"), is the second founded by the first (and most influential) Webu Sayadaw. Not only is this the site where he was born into this world and passed away from it, but it is also where the legendary monk fully awakened to the truth of ultimate reality. For students of Goenkaji and Mother Sayama, it is also an important, yet barely known, site as it is here where Sayagyi U Ba Khin ordained as a bhikkhu for 10 days in 1965 in order to engage deeply in meditation and as some rumours have it to teach subtle analytical points of practice to a group of celestial beings (apparently the only humans who could take on this unimaginable task are monks).

On our way to this special place we stopped in Sain Pyin Gyi, the small village where the Venerable Ledi Sayadaw was born in 1846 and ordained as an adolescent. As with Ingyinbin, we were the first group of foreigners to ever visit. The villagers were so excited for our arrival that they had even send a convoy to come meet us on the road to make sure that we didn't lose our way. Our visit began with a meeting with nine local Sayadaws (two of whom were smoking cigarettes when we arrived, a shock to some, amusing to others) and which was overseen by hundreds of villagers. The Sayadaws led us in a chant of homage to the Triple Gem and of undertaking the precepts. Once again our pilgrimage group fumbled the Burmese pronunciation and many of us had a good laugh, either outwardly or inwardly. Following our meal offering and partaking (we were served equally as well, if not better, than the monks) we were given a tour of the site by one of the monks learning English and an English teacher (and were followed around by everyone else--monks, farmers, mothers, children and everything in between). 

Legend has it that when the Sayadaw-to-be was born a rainbow formed between the birth spot and a nearby Tamarind tree, symbolizing that the baby would grow up to be a great master of knowledge. We were taken to both these spots, as well as to the place where he was ordained and the monastery he lived in. The old teak monastic building had a functioning refrigerator that was powered by kerosene, apparently one of five left in the whole world and which was donated to Ledi Sayadaw almost a hundred years ago by the Pali scholar C.F. Rhys Davids. After the tour, we were served even more food and told about their project to produce 220 marble slabs inscribed with Ledi Sayadaw's books that were absent from the Maha Ledi Monastery in Monywa. The people were so proud of their village, and having us global travellers visit their home was a highlight not only in their day but in their life. Even the party-crashing police and immigration officers suspicious of these foreigners (this village also happens to be the place where the military government attempted to assassinate Aung Sang Su Chi many years ago) fell into the good vibes and could not hold on to their negativity. The atmosphere was festive and joyous with smiles, laughter and games all around.

We left the pleasant vibe and hit the bumpy (and literally, rocky) road so that we would reach Ingyinbin before dark. Driving slowly through the country side, passing rice paddies and intricate irrigation canals, fields of sunflowers and cabbages, villages and markets, all dotted with teak, neem and palm trees was relaxing and pleasant. Farmers and road workers were all smiles as we passed them shouting "Mingalaba" out the window. The Burmese are not only happily surprised to see foreigners ( especially in these remote parts), even more so when we wear their clothing and attempt their language.

The foreign pilgrims have some fun in acting out the painting of Webu Sayadaw's prophecy (shown above them)

Shortly before Webu Sayadaw passed away he predicted that one day people from around the globe would visit this monastery in Ingyinbin. There is even a painting on the wall of a shrine room depicting Europeans, Indians, Asians among others, all dressed in their cultural attire marching through the monastery. However, once the great monk left this world, the monastery which once attracted several hundred monks, nuns and yogis gradually fell into disrepair. When we arrived, we intentionally wore our clothes from home to fulfill the prophecy and bring smiles to the faces of the local population still supporting the Sangha here. To be honest, I expected a large crowd of locals to come greet us as we had at Sain Pyin Gyi and other places along our tour. Needless to say, but I was completely wrong--in fact, no one had come to greet us all, and by the dirty state we had found our accommodations, it kind of seemed that we weren't expected, or perhaps, wanted at all. However, our brief meeting with the Inginbyin Webu Sayadaw dispelled any such thoughts by the way he later greeted us and offered English reading material as a gift. I guess there are diverse ways in which Burmese show their hospitality. In any event, the prophecy, whether made into a showy event or not, is fulfilled and the legacy of the legendary monk continues."

To keep reading on, Day 11 can be found here.