Discipline at Burmese Monasteries

There are at least two ways that a visitor may be able to glean some insight into how serious and disciplined a monastic school is only moments after entering. 

The first is, are there leaves or dirt on the walkways? At monasteries with good discipline, the morning usually begins with sweeping of the grounds. 

The second question is, what care do monks and nuns take with their shoes when entering buildings? This immediately indicates what they are taught and encouraged by their teachers. 

The following three photos illustrate this. The first is of the monastic school Sasana Won Saung in Hmawbi, the second of Setkya Ditthi Nunnery in the Sagaing Hills. The third is from outside of Mandalay but for our purposes shall be nameless, and shows a mixed (monk/nun lay/monastic) school in which that discipline is clearly not followed.

Chaung Oo Samosa Salad

Chaung Oo samosa salad became famous after a local restaurant named Mya Thida won a national award at a tournament. At first look, their samosa is not too different than the standard Myanmar variety, with such fillings as potato, onion and tomato, all then mixed with bean powder. It is from here the Chaung Oo fare departs from the norm, as the cook, Aung Shwe, assiduously prepares all of the ingredients separately, rather than doing so together as is common practice. This heightens the taste once the foods are combined at the end. Additionally, while the standard samosa can be fairly dry, Mya Thida mixes either a chicken or vegetable sauce within, making it further succulent. Their tournament success enticed other cooks to copy that formula, thus standardizing a regional style here. So appreciated are these samosas that many Burmese who travel through Monywa make a special, cuisine-inspired side trip to Chaung Oo to sample them.

Ledi Sayadaw's Legacy

Ledi Sayadaw was a dynamic figure whose great accomplishments continue to be felt today, even a century after his death, in both the mundane as well as spiritual spheres. As with other great innovators and transformational figures throughout history, the complete extent of his influence (on Burmese society, culture and the spread of Dhamma) is hard to measure. 

However, one can say that many of the subsequent monastic biographies, meditation practices, and contemporary characteristics of Burmese Buddhism were built—either directly or indirectly— upon Ledi’s sturdy foundation.

The photo below shows the Third Ledi Sayadaw at Maha Ledi in Pyinmina, the site where Ledi passed away. The current monk is showing kamawasa written by Ledi and still stored at the monastery today. 

A Book on the Jhanas, by Sayagyi U Ba Khin

Many great Dhamma books have never been translated into English. One of these is Pariyatti a-chay-kham nhin pattipatti a-phyay mhan, which translates as "The foundation of Pariyatti and the correct answer of meditation." The small book was written in 1951 by Sayagyi U Ba Khin with the help of his disciples, and republished in 1965, and then again in 2014 with the biography of the great meditation master by his son U Thein Zan. 

The book deals with all 40 meditation methods of the Visuddhimagga, and discusses the difference between the Jhana consciousness and the supramundane Magga and Phala consciousness, with description of the sequence of consciousness from the Abhidhamma. As one meditator commented, "It is concise, but based on practical experiments of higher aspects of meditation."

Although two drafts of the English translation were made, neither has yet been made public.

In Monywa, They Don’t Meat Their Saviors

Over a century ago, Ledi Sayadaw gave rousing sermons in the Monywa area around the theme that the lives of cattle should be protected from colonial Burma’s burgeoning meat industry. It may have taken over half a century, but since 1985, Monywa residents have taken his advice to heart. Following the Water Festival each year, Aleyat Chantha Gyi Pagoda accepts any oxen that have been labeled with the dreaded “killing license,” meaning they are headed to the slaughterhouses. Individual donors come forward to save these animals, and their donation pays for veterinarinary care (so long as the animals are able to walk, and free from infectious diseases). Through 2017, 207 oxen have been saved in this way, and are now sent to Ingyin Myain Ngwe Taung Monastery in Thabeikkyin township, where pagoda trustees hope to construct a new building to house the oxen. Foreign yogis interested in this cause may give dāna.

Metta-Bhavana Retreat at Chan Myay Myaing

The following information is from Chan Myay Myaing monastery:

"The practice of loving-kindness (mettā bhāvana) aims at the cultivation of a loving, benevolent attitude towards all living beings. Since the time of the Buddha, this form of meditation has been used as a practice in itself, and as a support for the development and deepening of insight.

In this special retreat for foreign meditators, yogis will have the unique opportunity to learn the practice of mettā meditation from both a Burmese meditation master and Western teachers. Sayadaw U Indaka (who is renowned in Burma for his skill in teaching this practice) will be joined by Venerable Virañani and Ariya Baumann; together they will offer in-depth mettā instructions and teachings.

The venue for this retreat is the Chanmyay Myaing Forest Meditation Centre not far from Pyin Oo Lwin in Upper Burma; this centre is out of the city, offering natural surroundings that are especially suitable for the practice of mettā meditation.

The retreat is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators. Yogis may register for the first or second two weeks; a limited number of places are also available for those who wish to sit for one month. Registration opens on 1 May 2017, and closes 1 December, 2017.

As is traditionally the case in Burma, the teachings are offered on a dāna basis: donations will be gratefully accepted for the support of the monastery and teachers. A registration fee of 160 US Dollars or 150 Euros guarantees your place in the retreat. Registration fees are non-refundable and are used for retreat expenses and as an offering to the many Burmese helpers who voluntarily support the retreat.

Sayadaw U Indaka (Chanmyay Myaing Sayadaw) studied at the famous Mahagandhayon Monastery in Mandalay and later practiced meditation under Sayadaw U Janaka. In 1999 he founded the Chanmyay Myaing Meditation Centre (CMMC), where he now guides both foreign and Burmese meditators.

Venerable Virañani ordained with Sayadaw U Pandita in 2003, and has been based at the Chanmyay Myaing Meditation Centre since 2006. She teaches mettā and vipassanā meditation in Burma and the West.

Ariya Baumann was a Buddhist nun for 21 years, ordained in Burma by Sayadaw U Janaka. For many years she had been guiding foreign meditators at the Chanmyay Myaing Meditation Centre. She now lives in Switzerland and teaches mettā and vipassanā retreats worldwide."

LEARNING TO DYE - An Offering from the Trees

"It's the beginning of hot season. Trees here are shedding their leaves so much that sweeping the paths is a daily necessity, sometimes twice. I came to this [Nay Pyi Daw] monastery for its healthy Vinaya reputation and to hopefully learn from the monks here how to harvest natural materials for making dye. In Thailand over the new year I had learned how to hand sew and am nearly finished with my first upper and lower robes. Amongst the forest tradition there, some donors offer plain white cotton cloth from which monks sew and dye their own robes. Here in Myanmar I have yet to come across the same practice, but some meditating monks here like to darken the bright, chemically dyed robes with natural hand-made dyes.

There are many woods and barks suitable for making dye but I don't like the idea of asking someone for bark skinned from live trees if there's an alternative. It so happens that there is one tree with large fruit pods that make an excellent dye. And fortunately, my timing couldn't be better as the fruits are falling now. An offering from the trees. Harvesting is as simple as identifying the right tree, a type of Ironwood, and gathering the seedless pods that have fallen to the ground amongst the leaves. They're relatively easy to spot as many of them are bright red and stand out amongst the leaves. The pods open and discharge their seeds by turning inside out. And they seem to curl out after they have already fallen as evidenced by one pod that was wrapped tightly around an old discarded robe and by another that was completely wrapped around the base stem of a plant!


The dye making process is quite a time consuming affair, first boiling the fruits overnight to extract the color, removing the fruits, and then further boiling to reduce the dye into a stronger concentrate. Fortunately, as a monk, I have the time. 

I have made a few experiments dying my under garment I wear over my upper body when not in villages or amongst devotees. The resulting color is a medium brown with a reddish hue. I am trying different ways to get the color to hold fast to the cloth. Currently when I sweat (which is a lot this time of year), the color runs. And I chuckle to think about wearing such a robe in the rainy season. Today I experimented with a tip from one of the monks to fix the color with green tea and salt. Not perfect but there was an improvement. Just the border, corners, and fasteners and the robes will be ready to dye. It's a joy to have this gift from the forests which unfortunately are disappearing fast from this world. I share my merits with the forests and all the beings who dwell there, including an occasional monk living in simplicity, following in the footsteps of the Buddha."

- Bhikkhu Obhasa