"The Sasana has some Life in it."

"Worker putting the finishing touches on the repairs to the zedi and the hti that crowns it. Sometimes the zedis actually look more picturesque before they are repaired and repainted. But one thing that's really great is that they get repaired at all. It shows these Buddhist iconic symbols are still important, still part of a living tradition. In that sense, the repairs themselves are a sign that the Sasana still has some life in it. May the Buddha's liberating teachings be available for a long time to come."

--Bhikkhu Obhasa, American monk, Kalaw, Myanmar

"The Only Thing that I was Missing was to be Reborn as a Man."

The following narrative continues the story of a Mexican meditator who has been in Burma for many years. This is the tenth entry, with her story starting here.

"Difficult aspects in Myanmar and how it helped the practice and understanding of the teachings, the religion and the culture."

One of the most difficult aspects of Burmese culture is the difference in treatment between genders. Many factors contribute to this experience. One of these factors is that I was educated in the most liberal side of Mexico City. So among this sector of people in Mexico, it is considered very low ethical conduct to make any distinction within gender, religion (or non-religion, race, and among some people today, sexual preference as well). So among these people and this community, I have never encountered strong discrimination in gender.

A second factor was that I came to the study Buddhism believing that the practice was the solution for all the problems. With this I believed that all Buddhist people were bestowed with the qualities of being aware, kind, loving, and knowledgeable. In short, I had the idea that Buddhist communities were perfect. But Buddhist communities are like any other community in the world. With compassion, kindness, wisdom, craving, aversion, and delusion. So I came to Burmese Buddhism with a lot of expectation and a lot of craving! When my expectations were not fulfiled, then I experienced aversion. I was experiencing (here in Kalaw) what U Tejaniya calls the pendulum. The same amount of greed will lead to the same amount of aversion if the expectation is not fulfiled.

A third aspect that increased this aversion was the system of hierarchies. Myanmar is organized by a system of hierarchies where the monks are at the top and young lay people at the bottom. So the treatment is very different between the level of attention that monks get and the level of attention that everybody else gets. The religious organizational system is a patriarchal. Burmese Buddhism believes that the lineage of nuns called Bhikkhunis have died out, so by law one is prohibited to ordain women as monks here. Women are allows to take robes as Seminaries or Sayalays. They have eight precepts or ten. The majority of the nuns take eight precepts, the same as any yogis or lay people. So the level of attention and support that Sayalays get from lay people is much less than the monks in Myanmar. The first time I came to Shwe Oo Min Yangon I was surprised to see the difference in treatment among monks and Sayalays. Sayalays spend much of their time taking care of monks: they clean, cook, organize the monastery, and take care of the female yogis. They offer all the time things to monks and from an outsider’s point of view, or at least the way I saw it, Sayalays role’s is more like been at the service of monks.

Also, some Myanmar monks (but certainly not all of them) do not recognize other kind of Bhikkhunis from the Mahayana tradition because they consider it as another religion. So sometimes the Burmese Sayadaw will tell their students to see Bhikkhunis as they were Sayalays. Bhikkhus need to follow a lot of rules if they encounter a Bhikkhuni. For instance they cannot be together without a third person. They cannot ask a Bhikkhuni to do domestic service and they also cannot accept food from one of them. I believe this also applies for seminaries nuns. However, in reality in some monasteries Sayalays are cooking and cleaning the monastery continuously and they also give every morning food to the monks.

For me this radical treatment among men and women, not only in the religious environment but also sometimes in daily life, was radically new. I was told by a lay Burmese man that I have all the conditions for the practice, the only thing that I was missing was to be reborn as a man. In some Buddhist commentaries, this Burmese men continued, it said that one of the conditions for enlightenment is to be a man. So therefore, according to him half of the population of the world cannot get enlightenment! As a good Latin women, I immediately reacted and told him that he was wrong and he need to prove those statements before saying them. After that he told me that then I should see by myself, I was the only one who could have the answer for that questions. Finally, here was something that we can agree on! Some others scholar monks mention that a women can never become a Buddha. They also say these statements without any evidence whatsoever.

I also have the experience that sometimes some monks—again, not all of them-- pay more attention to what monks said than yogis. Sometimes I have felt that lady yogis are completely ignored. It happens many times that local people would like to introduce a group of foreigners to their own Sayadaw and some of this monks will only talk with the monks and lay men, completely ignoring the lady yogis who are present. Then again, some other monks will treat everyone equally and with the same amount of respect and caring. It depends very much on the level of kindness and awareness of the monk.

On some occasions I thought that perhaps there were a degree of Moha (ignorance) in what I was conceiving, but I asked some female yogis and they agreed with me. Some Burmese female yogis even believe that this gender hierarchy is the main problem of Burmese culture, and they consider it to be against basic human rights. However, they only admit these things when they feel very comfortable and secure, and will not say things like this in a public space where men or monks are present. Some of these ladies privately conceive that be born as a woman is a bad kamma and so they needed to obey monks and accept that they could not become one of them in this life. Still others were interested in re-establish the bhikkhuni lineage. Many Burmese women want to become Bhikkhunis. However, in the public space these same women will always look very religious and respectful to monks. They will obey, give rise every morning and pay respect to them. Even some of these women that admit they do not feel confortable; they still have a lot of appreciation towards monks and mainly the teachings of the Buddha. Some others young ladies said they were interested in learning more about gender inequality, however they noted that in Myanmar there is not much information and opportunities to do so, and some wanted to go oversees.

For me all this aspects were incredible shocking. I was very surprised that Buddhism was so violent regarding gender aspects. I find it a massive contradiction because it is against the teachings of compassion and Metta. It also against the teachings of non-self. Why should the form matters if in the core there is no form? The process that happened in the mind are the same.

Also I found it surprising because I was expecting that monks will be the most humble people in the country. But the culture treats them so well and takes care of them so well that even local people said that they can become a bit arrogant. Sayadaw U Tejaniya mentioned that is important to watch the mind continuously, when this knowing mind is not present, many defilements can come. He mentions ones that when people did not bow to him and offer things to him first, he could get angry if he was not mindful. So then, he recognizes and let it go. Unfortunately, not all monks are practitioners, so not all of them are as skilful as U Tejaniya. So defilements like arrogance and pride are some times recognize by lay people in monks. “It should also be noted that monks should not give the teaching desiring worldly benefits such as receiving homage, and it is an offense (pācittiya 24) for a bhikkhu to accuse another bhikkhu of doing this.” (Sujato, 2010, p. 57)

Fortunately, this happens with some monks but not all of them. Some other monks are very humble, helpful and caring and they tried as much as they can to embody the teachings of the Buddha. However, these teachings are not that easy to embody. So it takes long time, a lot of patient and it need a very good motivation to keep practicing. So one of my main problems in Myanmar have been aversion to this situation. Mainly because I did not expected and I have never felt it so close to me."

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

Shwebo: A Place of Resistance and Dhamma

Some of the royal forces’ best fighting men hailed from the Mu Valley, particularly the old districts of Hladau, Tabayin, Tazfe, and Ye-O. Soldiers from this region were distinguished by a special vermillion tattoo on the small of their back. Given this history, it was not surprising that some of the last skirmishes between colonial troops and the Burmese resistance took place in the Shwebo area after the Burmese king was deposed in 1885.

One Shwebo-born rebel was the infamous long-haired U Yit, who had served the king and then fought the British after annexation. Seeing that further resistance was futile, he fled to Tadahgalay Village with his Shan wife. The area was at that time a dense jungle that they had to clear in order to farm (and which by now has morphed into Insein, an urbanized suburb of Yangon). So many Shwebo rebels settled here that for a time the area was called Shwebosu. U Yit lived to be over 100 years old, ultimately becoming better known the beloved grandfather and role model of the future Sayadaw U Pandita, the famous Mahasi disciple, than for his resistance exploits.

In the years that followed the king’s removal, dacoit gangs roamed the land, prompting the colonial government to engage in extensive “pacification” campaigns here. While the old British Gymkhana Club in Shwebo is no more, there is a small British War Cemetery honoring soldiers killed in these battles.

Spiritual striving and worldly gain often appear on opposite sides of the spectrum, but this is certainly not the case at Aung Myay Monastery. Its name translated means “Ground of Victory,” and refers to an episode connected to King Alaungpaya. (This is aung myay. Bate Mann refers to a religious building or holy place. Throughout history, other kings have proclaimed their own “Ground of Victory,” but this one associated with King Alaungpaya is one of the more famous in the country. In contemporary Myanmar, Burmese may declare their own “Ground of Victory” to motivate themselves in accomplishing a difficult task.) 

Long before ascending the throne, he passed this spot as a simple village hunter, afterwards claiming that he saw a frog eating a snake and deer chasing away a tiger there. Modern monastery artwork depicts this scene. U Sarana suspects that whatever King Alaungpaya actually saw was repackaged to evoke Jātaka Tale 77, in which King Kosala saw this identical scene as one of 16 symbolic dreams. The Buddha interpreted this as illustrating the perverse character of distant future times, when the less skillful would rule. In later years during the colonial period, some Burmese would interpret British rule and the country’s attendant social breakdown as fulfilling that prophesy. The Burmese typically learn about King Kosala’s dreams as children, so this land, the pre-colonial Burmese past, and this particular Jātaka Tale are culurally linked together in a powerful, symbolic resonance. Many years later when he was preparing for war against a stronger foe, he chose this auspicious spot as his “Victory Spot” because he had twice witnessed a weaker animal conquering a stronger one.

When the British annexed the country, they recognized the symbolism of this patch of ground, and that it represented past Bamar military might and nationalism. So they tried to deliberately render the grounds inauspicious, first by hanging prisoners there and then by converting the entire area into a British cemetery.

This British posturing evidently did little to dissuade Webu Sayadaw, however, as he decided to establish his third monastery here in 1940, eventually spending his Rains Retreats here after the invitation from a female doctor from Rakhine State who was concerned about his poor health. The compound spans thirty-two acres, with an inner, perimeter track that is a nice way to get a feel for the grounds. These dirt paths run parallel to an ancient wall and pass by some neighboring communities living just outside the monastery.

The photo shows the Victory Spot of Webu Sayadaw today.

Syriam: from Orwell to Ledi Sayadaw, where the Great Game met the great Dhamma practitioners...

Than Lyin-- across the river from Yangon, and known historically as Syriam-- is a place combining such dynamic figures as Philip de Brito, Mahasi Sayadaw, George Orwell, Ledi Sayadaw, the Burmah Oil Company, Mohnyin Sayadaw, etc. Following tells how these all happen to come together in this unlikely place...

Way back in 1897, George Bird was already recording (in Wanderings in Burma) that “beyond the ruins…nothing now remains of the once flourishing European settlements [of Syriam].” Now, over a century later, there are very few European footprints left in the sand here anymore, either. These include a ruined Portuguese church from 1750, some Armenian tombs, and parts of the old wall of the city. And at nearby Henzada village, a small pagoda bears the inscription of the apparent descendants of the Portuguese (and anti-Buddhist) warlord Philip de Brito, (a somewhat ironic twist of Dhamma that one of the few remaining testaments to the existence of that foreign pagoda-destroyer in Burma would be…a pagoda, and built by his own descendants to boot).

Syriam was certainly not known for its beauty during the Colonial period, during which time the Burmah Oil Company set up a refinery here, although it was later destroyed in World War II. George Orwell was posted here from 1924, where he worked as an Assistant District Superindentent. It was a toss-up as to whether the rough town was better known for its frequent murders or acrid air at that point. It seems that Orwell spent much of his days reading what British literature he could acquire from nearby Rangoon bookstores. According to Keith Ferrell in George Orwell: The Political Pen, Orwell “lived in a house that lacked all the amenities to which Europeans were accustomed: there was no running water, toilets, or electricity.” Today, Than Lyin’s port—Thilawa—is the largest port in the country, building on its status as the port of choice for European ships during the Colonial era.

But on more of a Dhamma note, the area does have some significant Buddhist past. Small Gonnyinsu Village is where the deeply revered Mohnyin Sayadaw was born in 1873, and who went go on to become one of Ledi Sayadaw’s most important disciples. And yogis today can attend a course at the Saya U Than Kammathan Center, which offers teachings in the tradition of Saya Thet Gyi. Mahasi Sayadaw arrived here just one year after Orwell, in 1925, after leaving his hometown of Seikkhun and prior to his intensive study in Mandalay and Moulmein. Finally, Ledi Sayadaw practiced the jhanas here in 1895 following his Indian pilgrimage. 

The photos seen with this text are from a monastic education monastery in Than Lyin today.

Liberation through the Kanni Method of Vipassana and Samatha

The following was written by Dr. Khin Maung Win, describing his experience at Bodhi Aye Nyein Yeiktha. They teach within the tradition of Kanni Sayadaw, who taught Sayadaw U Wayama, the famed presumed Arahant of Prekhemma Monastery in the Sagaing Hills. Kanni Sayadaw 

was also a younger contemporary of Ledi Sayadaw, and a meeting between the two great monks is memorialized in a statue exhibit in Kanni village.

“I practiced the Insight meditation by means of the mindfulness of breathing. At the first stage, I had to practice to comprehend the nature of materiality. The observing mind penetrated the body. The brain, the skull, the heart and the spinal cord and ribs where burnt [sic] and destroyed, the skull became a fine gauze, the skeleton was broken down. When the observing mind pin-pointed at the toughness of the body, the feeling of pains disappeared and the mind knew that the materiality was subject to decay.

Then I practiced to comprehend the immateriality. The observing mind highlighted on the severe pain. It was composed of many small pains. Each small pain showed their own nature of pricking, hotness, numbness, coldness, hardness, and each of which were in flux. The whole body became minute particles and then disintegrated. Only the observing mind was left in the sense of knowing.

When I pracied to comprehend the condition factors of mind and matter, the whole physical body changed to the particles, some of which were in tremendous motion and some in slow motion. At that stage, the last eleven past extensces were seen in my mind’s eye. The first four existences were a tiger, a horse, a goat, and a cow. The fifth was a woman. That woman reverended [sic] a high priest and did a lot of wholesome deeds with the intention of becoming a monk in the future life.

As a result of good deeds the next life was a monk. That monk trained himself and followed the disciplines and rules for monks. The seventh life was a god. The successive life was an acestic who took delight with sensual pleasure. The next was a pig. That pig wanted to be free and wished to run like a rat. So, the tenth life was a rat. It was afraid of cats and wanted to be a cat. The eleventh was a cat. That cat lived in a monastery. It was familiar with the Triple Gem and never chased the rats. The wholesome deeds done in the monk’s life reinforced to be reborn in the human wold.

One day, when that cat suffered from the disease of ageing, a lay woman came to the monastery and made donation. Soon after the woman went back hom then the cat died and followed the woman. That woman became my mother in the present life.

During the practice of Insight meditation, I saw the blood flowing thorugh every nook and corner of the body, and everything in the body were in flux. More than that I saw the dissolution of all parts of the body. The whole body was seemed to be [sic] a fearful disaster or a great enemy. I felt weariness of living with that socalled body. I wanted to liberate [sic] from that pyscho-phyiscal aggregates.

I kept on practicing with steadfast mindfulness to observe the phenomena of mind-matter processes in all four postures. I encountered the intense light beams, more brilliant than the light image, appeared in me and I felt the great rapture.

Once the physical body transformed into particles and disappeared while the observing mind rapidly moved to a far distance… I observed the rise-fall phenomena for half an hour, then I was in void, and enjoyed a peaceful feeling. When the observing mind reappeared, I observed the nature of impermanence.”

45-Day Course in the Tradition of Saya Thet Gyi

The "tazaung", referred to by modern yogis as "meditation center", is where Saya Thet Gyi began teaching Dhamma in small Pyaw Bwe Gyi village across from Rangoon River. One of his students was the future Accountant General U Ba Khin, who became Goenkaji's teacher. 

Every year, a 45-day course is offered at this tazaung by Anauk Sayadaw, in the tradition of Saya Thet Gyi. The Anauk monastery in Pyaw Bwe Gyi has a long history with Saya Thet's teachings. Foreign practitioners may be able to attend the annual 45-day course offered here, a unique opportunity to receive meditation instructions in the Saya Thet Gyi lineage, and in the very place where he lived and taught. 

The course consists of ten days of samathā practice in which the yogi observes the in and out breath (the first three days of which bathing is prohibited), and vipassana therafter. During this period, the meditator alternates between postures, with long practice periods taking place in the sitting, standing, and lying down postures. Yogis first focus on body feelings, and later instructions direct the practice to the Four Elements and the mind base, with encouragement to remain in one’s posture for longer and longer periods. Instructions initially lead yogis in scanning the body, and later, concentrating more deeply on specific areas, such as feeling the different parts of the skin, bones, blood, etc. As the practitioner is asked to observe the body, he is instructed to keep in mind the Three Characteristics. Monastics who successfully complete the course are eligible to lead seven-day retreats in this technique for other yogis.