Blind Date in Mandalay

The online culture reigning supreme in Myanmar today, there is little material better than capturing a foreigner seeming to behave just below the standards they are deemed to be held to. This includes anything from hand-holding to less than modest dress to picture-taking at various Buddhist sites. Unfortunately, the mirror is rarely if ever held back to careless behavior in the local community. Take this example (https://bit.ly/2Qrzq38), created by the company "Perfect Date For You", in which a Mandalay dating service is charging 5,000 kyat to pair college-aged Burmese singles with one another. The backdrop for this flirtatious fun? Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay, whose 729 marble slabs were meticulously carved in the 19th century under King Mindon, and house the entire of the Tipitaka, the whole of the Pali Canon, thus protecting and enshrining the liberating words of the Buddha. Where the color of one's skin or the flag on one's passport gives or denies license to follow or degrade the Buddha's teachings, there is a fundamental problem. That this dating service is flaunted and promoted so freely online with no criticism to speak, and where a photograph or dress by a foreigner is enough to (literally) threaten their safety and demand their removal from the country, such a double standard is harmful for all followers of the Buddha.

The White Scarf and Burmese Meditation

Marie Byles records that at exactly 1:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, something curious happened at the Maha Bodhi meditation center in Mandalay. “U Thein placed a white scarf over my shoulders, saying that I was now a Yogi and should always wear the scarf when meditating.” Her description almost seems to imply that the presentation and donning of the white scarf was symbolic of a formal, spiritual transformation, not dissimilar to a monk’s taking of saffron robes during an ordination ceremony.

Looking through the lens of Buddhist history, U Sarana notes that references to white garb are found frequently throughout the Pāḷi scriptures, occurring in all five nikayas of the Sutta Pitaka (including thirty-nine times alone in the Majjhima Nikaya). In the scriptures, white is associated with purity in general, and specifically can mean that one is following eight or ten precepts. Interestingly, Saya U Than recalls how Ledi Sayadaw had instructed Saya Thet Gyi to wear a white scarf once he began teaching meditation. Sayadaw U Vajirapani, one of the most senior students of the famous Tipiṭakadhara Yaw Sayadaw, noted that Ledi was adhering to the scriptural reference of seta paribajaka, or “white recluse,” (Also written as setavattha paribbājaka. More information is available in the Khuddakavatthukkhandhakaṃ, from the Vinaya Pitaka.) as well as odata vasana gihi, meaning “person clothed in white.” U Vajirapani suggests that Ledi reduced the practice of wearing entire white garments down to a plain white scarf, asking lay yogis to wear it when they came to the forest to learn Dhamma from him, and then the custom was carried over when meditation-oriented monasteries came to be established in later years. Photos of white scarves from the early 20th century show them as being much larger than merely covering the neck or acting as a kind of sash, as it is worn today, suggesting that it has since been reduced further in size.

 Then, U Ko Lay describes that when U Ba Khin was learning under Saya Thet Gyi, Saya Thet became pleased with his student’s meditation progress, and advised him “to sit in mental culture for seven days, and to wear a white cloth around his shoulders.” Later, when Webu Sayadaw encouraged U Ba Khin to spread the Dhamma, he is reported to have said, “Give [the lay practitioners] a method. Give him the teaching as a layman after having changed to wearing a white cloth.” Later on, many yogis at the International Meditation Center took up the practice of wearing a white shawl. The practice of the white scarf is not very common in meditation centers and monasteries in Myanmar today. However, in other Buddhist countries (such as Sri Lanka and Thailand), some monasteries continue to require a fully white garb for meditation courses and other ceremonies, as do some organized pilgrimages.

Saya Thet Gyi's Method, in Mandalay

This 31-acre site got its name from the sapling of a Bodhi tree that was brought from Bodhgaya in the 19th century. The whole area, in fact, has been known as Bodhigone, or literally “Bodhi table.” This refers to the physical base on which a Bodhi tree is placed or from which it grows, and can also be used metaphorically. Even though the original tree is no longer here, the name remains.

Today Secretary U Win Maung is one of Maha Bodhi’s primary lay supporters. He recalled coming here regularly as a young man and learning under Saya U Thein directly. Upon returning from an extended stay in Singapore to find parts of the center left unattended, he made it his life’s mission to oversee much-needed renovations here. Bhaddanta Karunika Bivantha is the primary meditation instructor here. He spent thirty years learning under Saya U Than, another of Saya Thet Gyi’s important disciples, and today teaches in the tradition of his guru.

The daily meditation regimen consists of eight one-hour sittings, with a 30-minute break between. The sayadaw joins the meditators for three sittings daily. Anāpāna is taught according to the four stages of the First Tetrad as described by Ledi Sayadaw (in brief, these are: (1) establishing mindfulness, (2) knowing if the breath is long or short, (3) feeling the whole breath, and (4) becoming peaceful within calm observance.), and Bhaddanta Karunika Bivantha teaches that the student must pass through all four stages before moving to vipassanā. Practically speaking, yogis often follow anāpāna for the first four days of a 7-day course and switch to vipassanā during the final three days. Concerning the kind of vipassanā practiced here, Bhaddanta Karunika Bivantha instructs yogis to become distinctly aware of vedanā and how it is constantly changing. Once the yogi understands that vedanā is anicca, he says, then one can move on to observing the four elements.

Mandalay Dhamma Practice: Fantasy Meets Reality

“I did a solo pilgrimage to Myanmar, and it had a profound effect on my practice, particularly how I saw the Dhamma integrated in everyday life there. One story that brings that to light happened at Shwegyin Monastery. Having been told about the site, I visualized myself sitting serenely on an ancient teakwood veranda as dedicated novices intoned Buddhist suttas, plunging me deeper into concentration and insight. Instead, I found myself meditating uncomfortably on an uneven surface, getting devoured by mosquitoes, awkwardly trying not to get in anyone’s way, hot and sweaty, and amidst the flashing bulbs of cameras aimed by tourists. I was unhappy and couldn’t focus…that is, until I reflected on the fact that I was only unhappy because of the peaceful image I’d already built up in my mind. But the reality was before me! Once I realized that, I let go, and embraced and observed that reality, and Burma taught me yet another lesson.” 

---

American meditator

Webu Sayadaw's Meditation Cave

Before U Kumara (the future Webu Sayadaw) popped up in Kyaukse out of the blue on March 12, 1924, no one was quite sure where he had been spending time. All that was known was that he was in the midst of years of intensive, solitary practice; even his modern biographers and closest disciples have been unable to reconstruct those early years in any detail. And while U Kumara continued his secluded practice here, Kyaukse was also where the next phase of his life began, and from where word about the achievements of the noble monk would spread to the rest of the country. 

The first site of note at Webu Sayadaw Monastery in Kyaukse is Dhat Ma Shaw Well, situated on the right side of the road, between the inner and outer monastery gates. After leaving his formal studies behind at the Masoyein Monastery in Mandalay in his mid-twenties, U Kumara spent some time living in remote caves and forests; perhaps given these hardships, he was frequently afflicted with stomach illnesses. 

One story goes that he was once travelling by train from Shwebo when someone advised him about a well near the Webula Hills that was known for its medicinal qualities. (In one version this was a holy man or pilgrim clad entirely in white. In another, it was a woman who met him before the train, and when U Kumara suggested that he may go home to Ingyinbin seeking a cure, she diverted him instead to Kyaukse) Soon after, he had a dream in which a being directed him to come here and search for a well of clear, bluish water. When he found the well, it is said that the same supernatural being appeared to personally offer him the water, and after drinking it, the monk’s stomach pains ceased. U Mya Thaung wrote that following this event, Webu Sayadaw never again laid down, had a cold, or spit. Those who wish may drink from this well, but note: pilgrims do so at their own risk.

Dhat ma shaw carries a couple of different meanings. Translated literally, it means “the knife falls down,” a reference from the 12th century when King Alaung Sithu is believed to have passed through here, back when the village was known as Paung. At that time, one of the royal attendants accidentally dropped his knife in this well. But when “knife falls down” is said quickly in Burmese, it can be heard as “the diarrhea has stopped,” a reference to the curative effect the well water had on Webu Sayadaw.

The words “ye phyu ye pya,” (or “white water, blue water”) came to be associated with the famous Kyaukse well that healed Webu Sayadaw. The white color refers to the water found naturally throughout these hills, while the curative water in Webu’s story was blue. Located around Webu and Weba Hills, this gave rise to the clever ditty, “Ye phyu ye pya, webu weba,” which references the geography, water quality, and famous monk all at once.

Beside the well is a stone tablet with a Burmese inscription, telling the Phaung Daw Oo story of the magical royal barge that carried King Alaung Sithu by air around the country. The king constructed a pagoda wherever he stopped, and so today many pagodas carry the name Phaung Daw Oo, meaning “the prow of the royal barge.”

Today, only serious meditators are allowed to enter and meditate in this cave, which is still standing today. Below is a photo of an inscription on this cave, with the translation below:

"Follow the tip of the nose - align with mindfulness,
To other object - (mind) should not be let go.
Contact and mindfulness - should be known continuously,
(thus) the difference between body and mind - will be known without fail."
The benefactor Venerable Webu Sayadaw
Champion 1998"

Asaygan Fort

By 1850, King Mindon began to build fortifications along the Ayeyarwaddy River to prepare for the expected skirmishes to come with British troops. In 1885, three forts were built in a triangle in attempt to trap oncoming British soldiers, and were considered the last line of defense before the royal capital of Mandalay. Asaygan was one of these three, designed in the shape of a semi-circle, with walls nine feet high with holes for rifle fire (except for the south-facing wall). In the end, however, the forts were never used because the King and Parliament ordered its troops not to resist when the British did eventually come; indeed, when the advancing Colonel White arrived to disarm the populace, he was given a dinner by the newly surrendered Burmese commander. Sir Herbert White writes in A Civil Servant in Burma, “The fall of Mandalay had been so sudden that it had not yet been realized in rural places, and the forces of opposition had not yet been organized. Very soon the turmoil began. It was then long before officers were able to travel without escort in Upper Burma.”

The inexorable march of tropical greenery has invaded even the innermost fortifications, but amidst this one can find some old cannons and the original walls. On the Sagaing side there are tombstones of British soldiers who died in some minor skirmishes in 1885 in spite of the overall peaceful surrender of Burmese forces.

Obviously, this fort is not really related to Buddhist practice in any way. So unless one is a history buff, it may not be worth the detour, and there are certainly no conducive sites for a sitting. But if one does go, the crows can be quite bad here during the cool season, so a laser is recommended. Admission to the fort is free.

Yedagone Taung

One of the highlights of visiting the Mandalay region is to see the fabled Yedagon Taung. The name means “Waterfall Mountain,” and it’s so called because during the rainy season, the water pours in great amounts down its great sloping hills. It's been a sacred retreat center for centuries for monks to practice Vipassana meditation intensively, away from civilized society.

The area is a microcosm of the tourist boom and the affect it may eventually (and unfortunately) have on religious sites in Myanmar. Recently, it has seen an influx in outdoor enthusiasts, especially those looking for caving and rock climbing. Such heavy tourist activity has almost entirely destroyed formerly religious sites in Thailand, and one hopes that the same will not soon be seen in Myanmar. 

It’s best to go by motorbike from Mandalay. To get there, follow 33rd street east to the T-intersection, and after turning right onto the main road, then the first left. Walk ten minutes on a gravel road, and after one passes a village, the monastery sits atop a hill, with the waterfall just beyond. People in good shape can climb the waterfall cliffs, where one will be treated to one of the best views one can find of Mandalay. You can reach the area by following 19th Street east, either by pickup, or via car or bike.

Sayagyi U Goenka Pilgrimage: Dhamma Mandapa in Mandalay

The 2015 Sayagyi U Goenka Pilgrimage is now underway! Pilgrims descended from such countries as Israel, England, India, the US, and China, and are being led around the sacred sites in the U Goenka tradition.

On this day, pilgrims visited the Dhamma Mandapa U Goenka Vipassana center in Mandalay.

Meaning “Pavilion of Dhamma” and located where the royal gardens once stood, this center affiliated with the Sayagyi U Goenka tradition is actually located within the compound of Bamaw Monastery. In the spirit of mutual respect and honor that characterizes many Dhamma practitioners in Burma, several years ago the present Bamaw Sayadaw offered part of his compound to be used for this U Goenka center, the first to appear in the Mandalay region. As one enters the compound, one sees the bright white spire of the Maha Bodhi monastery, a site in the Saya Thet Gyi tradition, looming up beyond the monastery grounds. In the compound itself, to the right, is a newer Bamar Monastery, and set against a backdrop of palms to the left is the architectural highlight of the compound, the older Bamar Monastery.

To read about last year's visit to Dhamma Mandapa, see here. Also, please note that while the 2013-4 pilgrimages were sponsored by Pariyatti, the 2014-5 pilgrimages going on now are being run independently by Compassionate Travels Myanmar. For upcoming pilgrimages, see Muditā Works.

More photos from Sangha Dana at Wei Har Ree Nunnery

Ma Khaing has shared more photos of their Sangha Dana on October 16 at Wei Har Ree Nunnery in Mandalay, in honor of Ko Kyaw Ngwe. More information can be found here about the event.

Ma Khaing and family sort through offerings prior to giving them to the Sangha. Bhikkhu Agga can be seen standing on the right side

Ma Khaing stands at the head of a line of nuns as her daughters look on while smiling

Ma Khaing gives a collection of requisites to a young nun as her family looks on

Ma Khaing and her daughters prepare to offer requisite bags to nuns

Photos of Sangha Dana at Wei Har Ree Nunnery

Ma Khaing has shared photos from the Sangha Dana that was given in memory of our dear Dhamma friend Ko Kyaw Ngwe, and as was described by Bhikkhu Agga, who attended. Following are photos from event:

Ma Khaing presents robes to Bhikkhu Agga

Ma Khaing's family follows the traditional yay sat ceremony of pouring water at the end of the monk's Dhamma discourse

Bhikkhu Agga mindfully eats the Sangha Dana that was presented to him

Ma Khaing wanders through the nuns' hall refilling their food 

Sangha Dana at Mandalay Nunnery for Kyaw Ngwe

Bhikkhu Agga was in Mandalay and able to participate with the family in Ma Khaing as they offered dana at Wei Har Ree Nunnery in Mandalay, in memory of Ko Kyaw Ngwe. He offers his reflections on the event, to share with all those Dhamma friends who were there in spirit, if not body:

"I don't know what I can tell that might be interesting, everything went almost exactly as it should have gone :) 

Ma Khaing was nicely in control, without much stress, having time to meet and check up with everyone.

There were about 30 laypeople, 60 nuns, and 6 monks.
Monks were offered food at 10:30 a.m., a few minutes later the nuns, and when the monks finished their first course, the food was served to all the lay people in attendance. Around 11:15 the lay people took refuge in Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha) and then took the five precepts, followed by a Dhamma Desena (or Dhamma Talk by the Sayadaw), after which some more requisites were offered to the monks and nuns. When this all was done, merits were shared in U Kyaw Ngwe's name, and the visitors slowly departed.

One thing which struck me, was that even though the whole event was organized to share merits with U Kyaw Ngwe, it felt that in a way it worked also the other way around: it was because of U Kyaw Ngwe's good actions (kusala) in his human life, he was able to get now all these people together to get merits. Because of that, I there was a lot of Mudita and gratitude towards him :)"

Sangha Dana at a Mandalay Nunnery for Our Dhamma Friend Ko Kyaw Ngwe

In two days time, Ma Khaing and her family will donate generously at a Mandalay nunnery in honor of our dear Dhamma friend, Ko Kyaw Ngwe. He passed away on October 16, 2013 after a long battle with cancer. Ma Khaing wishes to inform meditators around the world so that they can do any of the following

• Join the ceremony on October 16 in Mandalay 
• Contribute to dana that will be given on this day 
• Send metta and keep their family in your hearts and mind on this day 
• Share stories or photos of Ko Kyaw Ngwe

May all beings be peaceful, happy, and liberated.

We remember Ko Kyaw Ngwe

A reminder that October 16 is the one year anniversary of the passing of Ko Kyaw Ngwe, a dear Dhamma friend of so many of us around the world. Those that wish to give dana to the Mandalay nunnery may do so via Ma Khaing, as details here explain. Meditators may also remember his family in their meditation and send metta on this important day.

Lunch at Zabu Mingalar Monastery

The venerable Zabu Mingalar Sayadaw of 99 years of age

Lunch is served at Zabu Mingalar Monastery to the senior Sayadaw, who is 99 years old and has been in robes in the Sagaing Hills for more than seven decades! Still agile and quick of mind, he leads the younger monks and novices in the typical Buddhist recitations prior to the meal. The table setting is also unique, in that it is set in a circular fashion with a Lazy Susan in the middle. As the Sagaing Hills are perhaps the most fascinating and important place in Burmese Buddhist history, one can only wonder what knowledge and experience are stored inside the venerable Sayadaw's head. The Zabu Mingalar Monastery are on the hills above the Ayeyarwaddy River, offering a breathtaking view of Mandalay to one side, and the pagodas and stupas of Sagaing to the other.

Lunch before it is served

Fruit is served to visitors as monks eat their lunch

S.N. Goenka at Maha Myat Muni Pagoda in Mandalay

Following is an image of the Burmese pilgrimage leader showing pilgrims the most revered Buddha image in all of Burma, at Maha Myat Muni Pagoda. This pagoda has significant importance for the pilgrims, who practiced in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, for the great meditation teacher's earliest Buddhist experiences were at this temple.

            

Sayagyi U Goenka has frequently shared his memories of going to Maha Myat Muni pagoda as a young child of eight with his grandfather. He admitted that his primary motivation in going at the start was the electric tram he got to ride to the pagoda, and once there he wanted to play in the open courtyard. But his grandfather would instead instruct him to walk around the temple three times before they sat quietly together for half an hour. Incidentally, there is nothing wrong with such playfulness at a pagoda; Khin Myo Chit writes that the young boy “is allowed to roam freely, playing or munching his snacks. Very little restraint is put on him—so long as he keeps away from the older folk doing their contemplation.” 

In any case, the young Goenka relates being bored for the first five to seven minutes, but soon after noticing that “the entire environment was very peaceful.” Having been born in Mandalay, U Goenka has referenced this early life experience as one of his first encounters with dhamma practice. He would later say that “the pure vibrations in the tranquil air of the ancient Maha Myat Muni Buddha Temple caused a thrilling sensation throughout the body and filled the mind with rapture. It was extremely enchanting and pleasing.” He notes, “I continued to visit the temple even after my grandfather’s death… The peace and cleanliness of Buddha’s temples attracted me. I knew nothing about meditation then, but whenever I visited Maha Muni temple I felt very calm.” 

When U Goenka sat his first course under Sayagyi U Ba Khin, “these childhood memories of peace and tranquility were awakened” and he recalled how it was here that the seed was initially sown in his mind. His grandfather’s example would continue to be a positive influence on his life in the years to come, as he would attribute his ethical business dealings and future itinerant life of traveling for the spread of dhamma to lessons he learned from childhood.

"Shi Par Thi Lar: Eight Precepts"

A hillside path leading to a pagoda in Sagaing

“ 'Why are you taking 8 precepts' ”? 

I was asked by one of the Assistant Teachers (ATs) while serving a 20 day course at Dhamma Manadala just outside of Mandalay. As Dhamma servers we were only asked to take 5 precepts; to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants. The 6th 7th and 8 precepts involve abstain from taking meals after noon, physical decoration/sensual entertainment and sleeping on luxurious beds.

'To help me to develop in Dhamma, to develop my Paramis and to observe craving' I answered her.

The supportive atmosphere of the meditation center aided me in my strong determination to take 8 precepts for those 20 days. As other servers around me took their dinners I noticed a strong desire for the fruit juice and jaggery candy that I ate because they were permitted to those observing eight precepts. This desire seemed to vary from day to day but steadily dwindled as the end of the course neared. At first when offered food by the generous kitchen staff and the other servers I felt embarrassment and tension as I refused their kindness. I quickly learned how to express to them in Burmese “Ship ba thila” (“8 precepts”) and they seemed to understand well. They had a lot of respect for this sort of practice and quickly the tension evaporated.

Following the course I seemed to have a strong desire to continue this practice. I discussed it with my husband and we agreed to enjoy dinner together that night and then to refrain from evening meals from then onwards.

As at the center when offered food in the evenings I would explain briefly and was relieved that from the average Burmese person I would receive the similar understanding and respect as during the 20 day course.

I was able to practice developing my Paramis throughout the remaining 2 months in Myanmar. I experienced many benefits and noticed my objective understanding improving. I seemed to gain a subtler experience of the eight fold noble path.

I now feel such gratitude for the inspiration and support from the Dhamma that is so strong in Myanmar."

-- Sonya Griffin, Canadian Yogi practicing in Myanmar for six months. To read about an Australian yogi who becomes a Burmese nun, read here.

Two novices in the Sagaing Hills