A Dhamma podcast with Ashin Sarana

What a great talk with Ashin Sarana yesterday! We started by learning about his earliest interest in Buddhism and spirituality. Who would have thought that an early fascination with magic and Chinese action movies were the entryway for this Czech monk into the Dhamma. U Sarana went on to describe his (mostly unsuccessful) search for a Buddhist friend in his youth, and his eventual decision to leave his girlfriend in Europe for novice ordination in Sri Lanka followed by a three year degree in Buddhist studies. Now almost a decade in Myanmar, he came just as the internet became available in a country just beginning to open up, and while Facebook was exploding. He joined the social network initially only to make Burmese friends, as a way of practicing his written Burmese ability, and from there began to use the online platform as a way to answer wide-ranging questions on Burmese culture and history, meditation practice, and the Pali scriptures. This unwittingly led to a controversial incident last month in which he found himself the center of attention in his role to speak out against monks touching money, and U Sarana discusses this matter in detail on the podcast. He also mentions a number of other wide-ranging activities, such as his translation of 20 hours of Dhamma talks of Sayagyi U Ba Khin which were recently unearthed, his creation of two picto-dictionaries for English/Burmese/Singhalese/Czech, his upcoming video Dhamma series, his assistance on the Shwe Lan Ga Lay meditator's guide, his new meditation monastery, his search throughout rural Myanmar for a true arahant, and much, much more.

We are finalizing our podcast feed and hope that it will be live in the next few days! Stay posted for more information.

We can only continue to manage the technical costs of producing our Burma Dhamma podcast with the generous support of meditators who find this information valuable. If you'd like to support our mission, please consider leaving a donation at paypal.me/insightmyanmar or https://www.patreon.com/insightmyanmar

Locating the Birthplace of an Italian Buddhist monk

Research has been ongoing to learn more about the fantastic life of the Italian Buddhist monk U Lokanatha. 

A friend of B.R. Ambedkar, Sun Lun Sayadaw, Webu Sayadaw, and Ajahn Pannya, and an inspiration to General Aung San and Dr. Nandamala, his life biography nearly defies imagination. Despite coming from a conservative Catholic family in which several uncles and brothers were priests, his pull towards the Dhamma led him to walk from Italy all the way to India, and he is said to have once repelled a mob in Turkey due to the strength of his metta. He hoped to convert Mussolini to Buddhism as a way of preventing World War II, but was instead imprisoned in a POW camp in India as he was accused to being with the Axis Powers (where, as a prisoner, he underwent a hunger strike and taught Dhamma to the prisoners). 

After the war, he would go on an American tour, describing the Buddha's teachings as the antidote to the nuclear age, and saying he would bring an "atomic bomb of love" to his audiences. He would give Dhamma speeches at such diverse places as Hollywood seances and before Account General office employees prior to the opening of U Ba Khin's IMC, and calling himself the "first Dhamma Ambassador to the West," he also helped to arrange a meeting between Webu Sayadaw the the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, resulting in the offering of precious Buddha Relics to the tiny Ingyinbin monastery, which still has them today.

This picture shows the result of efforts to locate his birth home in Naples. Since a flood in 1999, it has been inhabitable, but appears to be the original building. Supporters would like to see a Burmese stupa constructed here to honor the great monk. 

Why did Saya Thet Gyi Give White Scarves to Meditators?

Marie Byles, Australian author of Journey Into Burmese Silence, visited Maha Bodhi Meditation Center in 1957, and was taught for several months by Saya U Thein, one of the main disciples of Saya Thet Gyi. 

Byles recalls that on at “1 p.m. on Christmas Eve… U Thein placed a white scarf over my shoulders, saying that I was now a Yogi and should always wear the scarf when meditating.” Byles’ description almost seems to imply that the white scarf encouraged a formal spiritual transformation, not dissimilar to a monk’s ordination. 

Interestingly, Saya U Than wrote about how Ledi Sayadaw had instructed Saya Thet Gyi to wear a white scarf once he became a meditation teacher. Then, later on, many yogis at the International Meditation Center took up the practice of wearing a white shawl when studying under Sayagyi U Ba Khin. Although it is not clear where the garment originates from or its underlying meaning, it may relate to the brown shawl, or yawbut tin thi, that Burmese pilgrims and meditators wear today and that indicates their spiritual intent. However, U Sarana is doubtful about this, for he notes that “the brown scarf for ladies was an attempt to ‘label’ them with a ‘recluse mark,’ thus to differentiate them from the monastery workers and non-yogis.”

Buddhist history may also shed some light on this wearing of white. Dating back at least to the 3rd century B.C.E., the Sri Lankan laity would dress entirely in white to indicate their adherence to following eight or ten precepts. Some monastic traditions request that samaneras dress entirely in white before their ordination, and still in Sri Lanka today, lay yogis routinely dress entirely in white when visiting monasteries for uposatha, during meditation retreats, or on pilgrimages. It is uncertain if Ledi’s preference of a white scarf was contextual to his time, historical, or a unique innovation that he encouraged himself.

Note that the photograph above depicts a statue of Saya Thet Gyi at his meditation center in Pyaw Bwe Gyi, and the painting below shows him wearing the white scarf in a painting at the same site.  In the latter painting he is shown holding beads, suggesting that he may have used this in his meditation practice, as his teacher Ledi Sayadaw was also photographed with beads. 

 

"I Moved to Myanmar with the Determination that I will Attain Nibbana Here Indeed."

"My name is monk Sarana (Ashin Sarana), as a lay person I was known as Jan Šťovíček. I am from Czech Republic, Pilsen City. Born in 1987, at the age of 20 I left to Sri Lanka because I wanted to become a monk, and preferably attain psychic powers. In Sri Lanka I was ordained ca. 6 months later as a novice. I realized that best psychic power that an ardent monk can attain, is Nibbana. The monastery where I stayed supplied me with peace and the most important necessities, so that I could dedicate myself to meditation, calm the mind, develop loving-kindness, get control over subtle greed and hatred, and keep equanimous even in difficult times.

I attended Buddhist and Pali University while staying in a village monastery in Sri Lanka. Thanks to the monastery, I could dedicate my time to the studies, and study not only what was required, but also additional subjects, such as Myanmar language. Because of the peace and freedom I gained in monastery, I was able to learn and understand great portions of Buddha's teachings - and to repay this wealth provided to me by lay people, I taught lay people Dhamma and meditation. Once I had a Dhamma discourse in Sri Lankan TV during the Vesak day, and ca. 10 million people were reportedly listening to my words. It was so successful, that it was repeated again next day in the morning. Also, I tought once loving-kindness meditation to ca. 3000 people, still while in Sri Lanka. In different monasteries I taught loving-kindness meditation to groups of 10-50 people, daily. At a certain period I was appointed to be a chief-monk, to increase moral of a whole village, when I stayed in a monastery where a monk just passed away. I believe the moral of the people increased, and their morality as well.

After four years in Sri Lanka I moved to Myanmar, with the determination that I will attain Nibbana here indeed. A few days after my arrival to Myanmar I gained the higher ordination, I became a bhikkhu. I continued to practice loving-kindness meditation under most positive conditions here in Shwe Oo Min, and with help of Sayadaw U Tejaniya's teachings I was able to penetrate the truth of reality in the way the scriptures praise it. Since then I helped a great number of visiting lay people and monks to understand the nature of meditation, and support them in purifying their views and methods, so that their practice progresses smoothly.

I am still staying in Shwe Oo Min monastery, and next year I plan to move to a true forest monastery, not only to meditate, but also to memorize another great portion of Pali Scriptures. Already here, apart from my meditation successes in Shwe Oo Min, I was able to memorize a great amount of Pali Scriptures and gain knowledge and understanding of both theoretical Dhamma as well as monk's discipline. These days the sayadaws here send the visiting foreigners 'monks-to-be' to see me and attend a basic course of monastic discipline under my guidance. Sometimes I am given the role of 'instructor' during higher ordinations. These then become monks for a short period of a month or so, and become lay people again. Thus by the help of a monastery lay people learn meditation, Dhamma, and themselves taste the peace and purity of monks.

I believe that the greatest benefit of existence of monasteries - and with it the support of monks - is that any other people can also become monks (temporarily or undeterminedly) and practice meditation, live in peace and purity. Monks in Myanmar are reported to increase people's moral, morality, happiness, peace, and especially wisdom in terms of non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion."

"It has given me a sense of security and purpose in life which I never thought possible."

Venerable Khema, formerly Rachel, is a British Buddhist nun who spent much time at Dhamma Giri in India, then at The Phyu Taw Ya Monastery in Burma, and now lives in Sri Lanka. In 2007, she wrote this in her meditation journal:

 “Practising Vipassana helps me to experience the law of cause and effect. It shows me that if I am unhappy it is because I am reacting to feelings inside. Things do not happen randomly. Meditation has a powerful effect on my mind which affects the way I behave and this in turn affects what happens to me and the way people act towards me. Meditation has made me more confident and less worried. It has given me a sense of security and purpose in life which I never thought possible. For that I am very grateful.”

Photos of Sister Dipankara's Nunnery in Pyin Oo Lwin

For more on Sister Dipankara's center, Brahma Vihara, see here.

“Sister’s arrival reminds us of the arrival of Venerable Arahant Sanggamittha many centuries before. That incident paved the way for the release from this circle of ‘Samsara’ for the Sri Lanken women. Therefore, your arrival also will be like her great service for the present Sri Lanken women-kind… Many times in my life, I have seen some Buddhist nuns. You are different from them because you are very disciplined. And your solemn behavior not only touches my heart but also that of others, greatly. Also your meritorious smile shows your modesty. Actually you are a great daughter of Lord Buddha.” Letter from a Sri Lankan disciple of Sayalay Dipankara

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on Pilgrimage to Burma

In March 2013 Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and 30 pilgrims visited pilgrimage sites in Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka. While Tibetan Buddhists were extremely rare to see in Burma in previous years, monks can be seen from time to time in more recent years.

The group toured sites in the ancient Burmese city of Bagan, including Mahabodhi Temple, Kuthodaw Pagoda, and Mahamuni Temple.

Notes from Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka

The following message concerns a site that features notes from Sri Lanka's Buddhist and Pali University.

In the words of U Sarana, a Czech monk at Shwe Oo Min monastery in Yangon, "Welcome at the crossroad of education. You will find here notes from Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, First Year. I hope that this site will help you to improve your knowledge (for students) and to make the burden of teaching lighter (for teachers). I sincerely invite you all to point out any improvements that can be done here and especially grammatical and factual mistakes in the notes which I publish here. If the lecturer or submitter of a note is not known to me or if he is wrongly mentioned, then please point it out also....You can download whole the collection of all available corrected notes for the first year at Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka. It was written by me, ven. Czech Sarana. There are also some old notes from previous years and also excerpts from books. You may use as you like. All the things that are not from books, that means all the things that I have written or just the notes, all that is VOID OF COPYRIGHT."

The site may be found here, and there are numerous downloads available.

“There are indeed fully liberated ones living even in this age.”

Although the following story relating to how Webu Sayadaw acquired the Buddha relics has been thoroughly discussed with several people knowledgeable about the event, it must be stated that the circumstances surrounding the event are still not entirely confirmed. The video above shows the relics being wrapped by novices at Kan Oo Monastery in Ingyinbin.

The story begins in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where Italian monk U Lawkanatha was a personal associate of the Prime Minister, who was said to be a devout Buddhist. While several different people confirmed it was in fact the particular Ceylonese Prime Minister in question, the precise leader was not able to be confirmed by name. It is known that Webu Sayadaw visited Kandy in January 1958, and the acting Prime Minister at this time was S.W.R.D Bandaranaike, although one person did indicate they thought it was the previous Prime Minister, John Kotelawala.

As the story goes, the Sri Lankan leader was lamenting the fact to U Lawkanatha that there were no fully enlightened beings left in the world, to which the Italian monk responded, “there are indeed fully liberated ones living even in this age.” He went on to describe his experience in Ingyinbin and with the venerable Webu Sayadaw. The Prime Minister was so impressed that he voiced his wish to have the Burmese monk flown to Ceylon at his earliest convenience. Pictures of Webu Sayadaw’s visit to Kandy give some indication of his stay here, and it was during this trip that he was presented with original Buddha relics, which he brought back to store at his monastery in Ingyinbin.

The relics themselves rest in an ornamented lacquer stand in the shape of a white lotus flower. Mounted upon a dark wooden base, there is a small central cup in the middle, and the relics are spread out among the lacquer flower petals. This entire object is carefully sealed in a protective box (itself covered with gold leaf) and wrapped in many dozen of layers of fine silken cloths. Anpetu Yamut describes his experience, noting “they brought out what were said to be relics of the Buddha, which looked like very small crystal clear pearls in a ceramic lotus flower for me to place on the top of my head… After each presentation they would offer the container of the relics to me with both hands to place on the top of my head for blessing/inspiration.”

In his day, Webu Sayadaw would very carefully carry these relics with him wherever he went, and a more formal carrying apparatus is on display on the Paṭipatti side. These days, on special occasions, the relics will be carried in a procession around the monastery or village, and at select times may be taken out for devotees to pay their respects and meditate before. Some very fortunate yogis have even been able to meditate while the relics are positioned above their head. Because of the reverence towards these relics, please note that they are not taken out at every visit and should not be requested to be seen directly.

Nuns in Burma

Progress on the Meditator Guidebook to Burma continues. As the guide gets closer to publication, we will begin to share excerpts of what yogis may expect... some sneak previews of what is to come. Here is an excerpt from the the section describing nuns in Burma:

In the 20th century, several attempts by well-respected Burmese monks were made to formally reinstate the bhikkhuni order in Myanmar, but none were successful. U Adicca first tried in the 1930s. The monk used a creative strategy to make his case. When the first 500 bhikkhunis were ordained by the Buddha, they were asked the essential questions demanded by protocol by senior monks. But when increasing numbers of women came to ordain later on, there was a concern that some of these questions were of a private nature, and it was more appropriate for bhikkhunis to question them. The Buddha thus made a new ruling that these questions were to be administered by bhikkhunis, rather than the senior monks. In most cases, when the Buddha gave a new ruling, he explicitly voided the previous ruling. But in this case, he did not do so. A primary reason for not being able to establish a bhikkhuni order in modern times is related to this second ruling: if only bhikkhunis can ordain women, and there are no bhikkhunis remaining, then it follows that no new ones may be recognized. The line is broken. However, U Addica argued that because the Buddha never explicitly canceled the initial rule in which monks played the role of questioner, then contemporary Burmese monks may be able to play this role today still today. However, his attempt was not accepted by others in the Order.

Later, the Mingun Jetawun Sayadaw U Narada (the teacher of Mahasi Sayadaw) attempted again in the 1950s, with the consequence being censured and the banning of some of his works. The Burmese government itself advocated a “Bhikkhuni Sasana” in the 1970s, but this also did not turn out. Theravadin efforts to re-establish the bhikkhuni order can be found outside of Burma as well. In 2007, a pan-Buddhist meeting called the International Congress on Buddhist Women’s Role in the Sangha convened to find a way to encourage world-wide legitimacy of the bhikkhuni order in all Buddhist traditions, a move favored by the current Dalai Lama. Then, in 2009, Venerable Ajahn Brahmavamso, an English monk in the Thai tradition who resides in Australia, ordained four women in Perth, for which he was removed from the Ajahn Chah Forest Sangha lineage tradition. 

There was one well-known case from the 1980s in which a famous Burmese nun went to Sri Lanka to ordain as a full bhikkhuni. (Sri Lanka has a recognized bhikkhuni order that comes from the Theravadin sect Dharmaguptika, whereas in Burma it is traced to Vibhajjavada. Towards the end of the 20th century, an international bhikkhuni ordination took place in India, conducted by various monks from around the world, and ordaining Dharmaguptika bhikkhunis into the Vibhajjavada order, based on an argument put forward by Bhikkhu Bodhi.)  Before doing so, she sent a letter stating her intentions to the Burmese State Sangha, who responded that this was, in their opinion, not in accordance with Burmese Buddhism. When she returned to Myanmar on a visit, she was forced to disrobe, which she did. 

One may also read inspiring testimonials by a German nun at Pa Auk, a Japanese-Australian nun in Mandalay, and a Spanish nun deep in the forest.

Abhidhamma Course at Sitagu during 2014 Rains Retreats

An older female yogi pays respects as monks walk past her

There is a belief in Burma that the Abhidhamma is so important, that when the Buddha's teachings start to disappear from the world, this will be the very first to be lost. Therefore, the need to preserve the Abhidhamma takes on a considerable importance in order to preserve the Sasana.

There is also an old tale, likely more mythology than reality, about a ship carrying the three books of the Tipitika crashing in the waters. Each one was saved, with the Abhidhamma Pitika going to Burma, the Vinaya Pitika going to Thailand, and the Sutta Pitika going to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). This ancient tale is often repeated today in Myanmar, as if to describe the great importance it plays in dhamma practice and Buddhist life in the Golden Land.

Study of Abhidhamma is possible only under the assistance of a skilled teacher, for the material is so dense that many first-time readers struggle to understand its profound meaning. While Abhidhamma study is to be found throughout modern Myanmar, it is rare to find an opportunity to do so in English.

This is where the extraordinary opportunity being provided by Sitagu Academy Rector Dr. U Kumara comes in. For the first time in the Academy’s history, a two month Abhidhamma course will be offered in June and July to 20 foreign meditators.

For more information about this course, and to register, please see here.

Sandals laid out neatly reflect the discipline found among young novices at Sassana Won Saung in Hmawbi

Burma Day 13: Settling In Before Heading Out

The day before can be seen 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.

Pilgrims take a group photo with the Sayadaw at the Patipatti side of Webu Monastery

"Today was atypical as people had the opportunity to really follow their own rhythm. Following meditation and breakfast, most of us chose to take the village and Pariyatti Monastery tour, but some decided to simply take it easy and meditate on their own. Some even followed bhikkhus U Sasana and U Agga on their alms round through the village, getting a glimpse into the 2600 year old tradition in a location that probably does not look like too much has changed since then. For those of us on the tour walking through the village with U Mandala and the visiting monk U Yassa was quite special. Ingynbin's people are renown for their devotion to the Sangha and walking along with these English speaking venerable monks afforded us an opportunity to interact with villagers in a way that seemed impossible the day before when a small group of us went out on our own. The previous day, we certainly got a few brilliant smiles and mingalabas, but with the monks people actually came out to meet us after they had finished bowing in reverence to the monks. 

The group gathers for a photo in front of the magnificent Dhamma Hall on the Pariyatti side of Webu Monastery

When we arrived in the village centre, we came across a large float built to hold a coffin. Venerable Yassa's aunt had recently died and he was back in Ingynbin from Mandalay to participate in the funeral procession and practice the Asubha contemplation. One of the pilgrims asked the monk of 25 rainy seasons how he felt. He admitted that he felt sad, but he did not cry since he had so much Buddhist practice under his belt. He said he felt happy also at this moment, for he had helped to teach dhamma to his aunt and he knew that she had lived a pure and virtuous life. Sharmaji, with full compassion, held the monk's hand, for he too is a human being. 

U Yassa then translated the conversation to the crowd of villagers who stood close by (in a respectful and non-imposing manner, unlike in India when locals are not shy to surround a foreigner and gawk at him as if he were an animal in a zoo). The villagers were all smiling, including Yassa's uncle, understanding that death is just another part of the cycle of life. Yassa continued that his aunt was a dedicated Buddhist whose morality was stainless and her meditation strong, so he was confident that she was bound for rebirth in a celestial plane. He then invited us to attend the funeral and practice the Asubha, a reflection on the fragility of human life and the repulsiveness of the human body. To his surprise, we all accepted with gratitude and excitement to watch a corpse burn to ashes.

Since the ceremony was not for another 90 minutes we returned to the monastery for an audience with the Buddha relics. As I was at Chowse, I was quite skeptical regrading their authenticity, despite knowing that they had been donated to Webu Sayadaw by the Prime Minster of Sri Lanka (Webu Sayadaw had visited Sri Lanka only on the condition that he was given some Buddha relics to bring back to Myanmar). However, as soon as I entered the Sayadaw's darkened room where they were kept I immediately felt that distinct strong activation of the awareness of the anicca along with a coolness flowing through my body, a very unique movement of sensation that I feel only when in the presence of the Tathagata's remains. The 82-year old Sayadaw sat there flanked by some younger monks, and in front of him was an open relic casket. Right there lay before me mustard seed sized pieces of bone in the centre of an ivory lotus flower. Snow had been in the room for some time already, and she called each one of us up to the relics and then placed them on our heads for a direct blessing. Once everyone had had a turn, Yassa translated the Sayadaw's Webu-inspired teaching on practising continuously in order to awaken in this very lifetime. None of us wanted to leave, but this moment too had to come to the end of its life as the funeral ceremony was to soon begin.

The procession itself was neither solemn nor sad, but rather festive with lots of joking and laughter as people banged on the side of the float shouting out the Burmese equivalent to "Grandma, Grandma, come on Grandma." The float was then disassembled, the body removed from the coffin and placed on to the pyre. We then all moved to a nearby site where we were all given lychee juice while taking refuge in the Triple Gem and 5 precepts, followed by an Asubha-based discourse, which fortunately Yassa translated for us. 

Initially, I felt bad that we were given the seats of honour at a funeral of person we did know and that the translations stretched out the event for our sake, but when realizing that all the locals were so pleased to have us there, all such thoughts vanished. As the chanting and discourse commenced, the smell of burning flesh wafted through the air. When the discourse was over, we met Yassa's cousin, also a monk, and uncle who we met earlier. This time, however, the elderly farmer was no longer grinning from ear to ear as the direct realization of what was happening began to sink in. His son, the monk, looked devastated, despite wearing the armour of a bhikkhu. We then walked over to watch the corpse burn and reflect on the vulnerability of life and inevitability of death. To our surprise, most of the funeral attendees skipped out on what seemed to me one of the most important parts of the ceremony. Those in attendance, besides the freaky foreigners eager to see a dead body, were a bunch of young novices with their fingers stuck up their noses, a few teenagers, the calm Yassa, and those responsible for burning the body. Every now and again these guys would use a long piece of bamboo to scrape the flesh and poke at the bones to make sure that every part got consumed by the fire.

Later that afternoon as most people rested, a couple of us completely changed gears as we dove into the mud with the Thai women and a group of novices to work on constructing the mud bricks for the adobe house. We worked out our muscles by mixing the clay, water and rice husks and then carrying heaps of these mixtures over to the frame for shaping the bricks. It was a lot of fun and gave us an opportunity to interact with locals in a completely new and engaging way. Translating words into English, Thai and Burmese while building something useful is a great way to establish communication amidst linguistic and cultural obstacles. After we were done and bathed at the natural hot spring, we came across some young, local farmers playing their end-of-day ritual of chinlone-volleyball. At first we hesitated to join because these guys were amazing, but their skill and positive energy magically raised our bar and we fit in not too badly.

After our evening meditation the relaxation for most continued until bed while some of us went back to meet with Thais to learn more about adobe building and their projects back home. What an incredibly diverse and spontaneous day! The constant surprises and blessings on a pilgrimage can only manifest when their is a willingness to remain flexible and open to change, comfort with not knowing what will pop out around the next corner, and honest about one's needs and limitations. The next step is integrate these pilgrimage lessons back home where every day, every moment is its own little journey."

The next day's entry, when the group goes on to the mystical Sagaing Hills, can be found here...

Burma Day 7: Webu Sayadaw

(To see Day 6, go here!) The following excerpt was written by Kory Goldberg, describing the Buddhist pilgrimage in Burma as it reaches it half-way point. You can also consider joining a later pilgrimage in Burma yourself.

"The day began again with a morning yoga session on the hotel's roof, even though we were all quite tired from a lack of sleep caused by the very loud Burmese independence day celebrations that began around 9pm the night before and continued until around 7am this morning (and now that it is night time again the music has recommenced. The ear sense door senses the sound object--some moments the mind accepts sound is merely sound; other moments the mind is pulled towards aversion of the unpleasant sound object). A few members from our group were too tired to join the group and opted to stay back and rest at our luxurious hotel.


We spent most of the day at Webu Sayadaw's first monastery in Kyaukse (pronounced Chowse, so I have no clue why the English spelling is the way it is--this is quite common and none of the old Burma hands can adequately explain the disconnect between the way it is spoken and written). When we arrived the bhikkhus were out on alms round so we immediately headed towards Webu Sayadaw's first kuti (where Sayagyi U Ba Khin first met the venerable one) and meditated there for an hour while playing a rare recording of Webu Sayadaw and Sayagyi U Ba Khin chanting together. The powerful contemplative atmosphere, not only here but the entire compound, made concentrating on the in-coming and out-going breath easier than usual. After our session we made our way to the dining hall where we met Webu Sayadaw III, whose role as abbot, I imagine, is not only an honour but a challenge to fit into the gigantic shoes (or rather, bare feet) of the previous two Webus who were not only strict dhutanga practitioners but also purported to be Arahants. After a brief question and answer period that focussed primarily on the original Webu Sayadaw's interpretation of Anapana and the practice of eating one meal a day in one sitting from one bowl, we offered the Sangha robes and the day's meal. While the nuns ate their meal we took a walk up the mountain to Webu Sayadaw's second and bigger kuti which also served as a dhamma hall for instruction. While meditating at this site we were in the presence of what are believed to be the Buddha's relics (given to Webu Sayadaw by the president of Sri Lanka). The relics are in Webu's bowl that is wrapped in a white cloth, and we were able to have the bowl placed on ours heads as we meditated. To be honest, I am a little skeptical about this claim given that the bowl is just displayed there out in the open without any sort of protection whatsoever, so anyone cold steal them if they so desired. however, given that we are in such a strong dhamma atmosphere where the people are really concerned about there ethical integrity, it seems highly unlikely that anyone would imagine committing such a crime (and the long-term kammic consequences of doing so would be so much worse than any punishment dished in this lifetime). Also, I cannot truthfully say that I felt anything really special, as I have on other occasions while in the presence of the Bhagawan's relics; although this might also be because the whole atmosphere is really charged, making it difficult for a gross oaf such as myself to detect such subtle nuance. After our lunch, we walked up and along another trail leading to the cave that Webu Sayadaw used to live in for several years before his lay disciples built him a kuti so that he would be more accessible to reach for dhamma instruction. Since the cave only holds about half a dozen meditators at a time, we took turns sitting in there while the rest sat on the small verandah just outside the cave. Sitting quietly was a real pleasure as the tranquil and quiet atmosphere and the gentle breeze cooled our hearts and minds, releasing travel- related stresses, strains and fatigue. After we all had a turn in the cave, we slowly made our way back down the hill to the bus, stopping briefly at the water well whose healing waters were said to have cured Webu Sayadaw's long time dysentery. Some of us followed the Sayadaw's lead and drank some of the musky water. My tummy had been slightly upset, so I decided to take a risk and make a dedication of truth and take a swig of water, thinking that at best it would either relieve my discomfort and increase my faith in the mystical or worsen my digestive woe. Eight hours later and so far so good.


On our way back to Mandalay we stopped in at Dhamma Mandala for a tour of the centre and a group sitting. Once again our Burmese yogi kin were delighted to see us and showered us with their Burmese hospitality, even though it was Day 0 of a 20-day course. Unlike in the West where centre management tends to be stiff and rule-oriented, the Burmese are way more relaxed, nourishing visiting meditators and even allowing them to meditate in the pagoda between courses. Our final stop before a light dinner at Ma Khain's was at the late Monle Sayadaw's meditation centre where his bone, brain and heart relics were on display for public viewing. The body of this inspiring arahant who passed away in 2010 was left out in the open for 7 days so that devotees from around the country could pay their last respects to the great master. Whereas corpses generally stiffen quite quickly and begin to smell rotten after 2-3 days, Monle Sayadaw's body remained limp and odorless for the entire week leading up to the cremation. We had the good fortune to be blessed by the Sayadaw's robe that had wrapped his corpse. the rare robe, which had been woven by lotus fibres, had not been washed after being on the corpse and it remained clean and fresh. This great master of meditation and Abhidhamma lived a humble and simple life, and served as example of freedom in the truest sense of the word."

The journey continues through to Day 8!