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!

Preparing for U Goenka's ashes upon Yangon River

This video shows scenes from Dhamma Joti in Yangon, on the night before U Goenka's ashes were scattered by special barge upon Yangon River, November 8th. One can see the care and respect given by many local meditators in honoring the great meditation teacher. One can also view the video here.

Dalla and Pyaw Bwe Gyi: Saya Thet Gyi's Center

For this Shwe Lan Ga Lay excerpt, we have included the introduction to the Dalla region, the gateway leading to the area south of Yangon across the river, and which leads eventually to Saya Thet Gy's village and meditation center further south.
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“Halts are made at every village and the people swarm on board by the hundreds, and great is the haggling, noise, and confusion. It is curious to watch the manner in which this is kept up over every article purchased, until the last warning whistle drives the crowds ashore.” M.M. Shoemaker, Quaint Corners Of Ancient Empires (1899)

Getting to the sites listed below is half the fun, and as the journey takes you over Yangon River it also takes you closer to the rice fields of the low-lying regions of the Ayeyarwaddy Delta, close geographically but increasingly further in culture and tradition than Yangon. This is the river that a middle-aged Sayagyi U Ba Khin rowed across when escaping his government office to learn meditation under Saya Thet Gyi, which at the time would have been filled with ships and junks of all kind dealing in trade. B.M. Croker describes an amusing incident in The Road To Mandalay (1917) where a herd of 60 elephants are encouraged to swim the entire one mile between Rangoon and Dalla, and upon reaching the shore are promptly hoisted onto a ship at the pier one by one. Although it’s not clear if this is a true story, Dalla served as a repository for the Burmese rulers’ elephants, so it is certainly plausible. Long before this, however, Dalla was a place of great importance, and Dagon (the village that stands where Yangon is now built) was known for one thing only: its Golden Dagon (or Shwe Dagon) Pagoda. Although this was almost 1000 years ago, when Dalla was the principal town in the Delta and was located closer to what is modern day Twante. Even as late as the 16^th century it was known, with Englishman Ralph Fitch noting that it “hath a faire Port into the Sea, from where goe many ship to Malacca, Mecca, and many others places,”

When looking to get out here, you can take the long and expensive way, which involves taking a vehicle from Yangon and driving far out of your way to cross the river at Hlaing Thar Yar bridge (and will take you a half day in total and cost as much as 100,000 kyat), or you can go the short and inexpensive way by ferry. To do this, go to Pansodan Boat Jetty. As you walk in the station, you’ll be directed towards the left side and into an office area, where you will be required to purchase your tickets with US dollars (or kyat if you don’t have them). The cost is $2 (or 2000 kyat) per person per way, and you might as well buy for the round trip. Make sure you bring a copy of  your passport when purchasing the ticket. The most you’ll have to wait for a ferry is a few minutes. When one pulls in it will be impossible to miss, as you’ll see a mass exodus of humanity on and off the wooden dock. Once on the boat, you can go to the upper deck, where you have a better view, and sit on one of the small plastic chairs for about 100 kyat. You’ll reach Dalla in ten minutes, but in many ways the ride feels more like 30 years or 300 miles. You’re now at the edge of the Ayeyarwaddy Delta, where the landscape has flattened out and the villages are more rural and poor. 

A Burmese man looks out on his boat across Yangon River, with Dalla stretching across the far shore