Insight Myanmar Podcast #3: Sayalay Piyadassii

Joah connects with Sayalay Piyadassii, a foreign meditator who took up robes in Myanmar, about growing up under the shadow of the old Soviet Union in Lithuania. Her initial enthusiasm for Christianity fizzled away at a young age, and her spirituality was later rekindled after taking several silent vipassana meditation retreats in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. She eventually began spending time in vipassana centers across Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom. That ultimately led her to Burma, where she ordained as a Buddhist nun in 2013, and she has remained in robes ever since. Sayalay Piyadassii is now a full-time student at Shan State Buddhist University in Taunggyi, a new school which was just started by Oxford Sayadaw.

You can listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast player by searching “Insight Myanmar,” or right off the web by going here.

Sayalay speaks openly about the early difficulties of her time as a monastic, during which she felt her spiritual life became unbalanced, with too much time spent in formal, sitting meditation. This ultimately led her to leaving to Burma and residing in a cave in Spain where she practiced mettā full time. When she felt she had regained the physical and spiritual balance she was seeking, she returned to Burma with a clearer picture of how to best construct her time in robes.

In the course of the talk, Sayalay also discusses several themes that have animated her time as a nun. One these was finding a balance between a structured form of meditation instruction on one hand, and being open and flexible to the moment on the other. She also contrasts her experience as a nun in Burmese Buddhist society with the preferential treatment received by monks, and her attitude towards this gender discrimination. Concerning her prior overemphasis on formal practice, Sayalay remarks on the importance of devoting greater amounts of time to study (pariyatti), and the deeper insights that can be derived solely from familiarity with the scriptures. Additionally, having spent so much time now in Myanmar, Sayalay shares how the culture of the country has benefited her practice, and how appreciative she has been overall. This, and much more! She closes by discussing her first year of studies here and the quality of the education.

After the talk, Zach Hessler joins in to discuss the overall themes from the interview. Joah remarks how inspiring it was to hear Sayalay discuss the series of transformations her spiritual journey took, preventing her from ever being “stuck” at any one stage. They note how little even Western meditators know about monasticism in general and the monastic’s life in specific, and how much training is needed for a monk or nun to feel even somewhat independent. Zach notes that the fruits of Sayalay’s practice can be heard clearly throughout the interview, and her joyous exclamation of loving the simple life was one of the overall highlights. They close by reviewing the nun discrimination that Sayalay has faced in Burmese society, and her recent enrollment in the Shan State Buddhist University in Taunggyi.

If you find the Dhamma interviews we are sharing of value and would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give monthly donations on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/insightmyanmar, or one time donations on PayPal at www.paypal.me/insightmyanmar. If you are in Myanmar and would like to give a cash donation, please feel free to get in touch with us.

The Inaugural episode for Insight Myanmar!

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We are proud to present the inaugural episode of the Insight Myanmar podcast! Our host, Joah McGee, will first give a brief introduction about the podcast’s mission and background, followed by short previews of each of the first six interviews we’ve conducted so far. The full-length podcasts will be aired once weekly and feature (in order of appearance on the trailer):

Alan Clements, an American yogi, activist, and author, describes his time as a monk during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Myanmar. Sayalay Piyadassi, a Lithuanian nun, discusses her early years as a nun in Myanmar and her joy in simplicity. Thabarwa Sayadaw, a leading Burmese abbot, shares the stressful early years of trying to establish his monastery and the crises they faced. Ashin Chanda, a Bangladeshi monk, tells how the early heartbreak of losing his mother set him on a path in search of inner peace that ultimately led to his ordination. Sebestien Le Normand, a French meditator, reflects on a special visit to International Meditation Center (IMC) in Yangon. Ashin Sarana, a Czech monk, describes why he is so concerned with the problem of Burmese monks touching money. We invite you to rate, review, and share our podcasts, as every little bit helps.

You can subscribe to the Insight Myanmar podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or however you get your podcasts; or, you can listen and download right off the web at https://insightmyanmar.captivate.fm/. If you cannot find our feed on your podcast player, please let us know and we will ensure it can be offered there. We would also like to take this time to thank everyone who made this podcast possible, especially our two sound engineers, Martijn Comes and Thar Nge; Zach Hessler, content collaborator and part time co-host; Michael Alahouzos, who assisted in our fund-raising efforts; and Ken Pransky, who helped with editing. Finally, we are immensely grateful for the donors who made this entire thing possible. We also remind our listeners that the opinions expressed by our guests are their own and not necessarily reflective of the host or other podcast contributors. If you find the Dhamma interviews we are sharing of value and would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give monthly donations on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/insightmyanmar, or one time donations on PayPal at www.paypal.me/insightmyanmar. If you are in Myanmar and would like to give a cash donation, please feel free to do so.

Former Myanmar President U Thein Sein now Buddhist Monk in Pyin Oo Lwin

The Irrawaddy magazine reports that former Myanmar President U Thein Sein has revealed he is now a Buddhist monk at Dhamma Dipati, a part of the Dhamma Sahaya Sasana Center of Institute of Dhamma Education (IDE), run by the highly esteemed Dr. Nandamala (also known as Pa Chote Sayadaw, or “Professor Sayadaw”).  The article reports that Sitagu Sayadaw highly encouraged U Thein Sein, while still President, to take robes at his first opportunity. Apparently, the former head of state has done just that, leaving aside his lay clothes and worldly responsibilities just days after turning over the reigns of government to the democratically elected NLD party.

Dr. Nandamala also has centers in Sagaing and Yangon. His English in excellent, and his method of teaching very accessible to meditators, as he designs his teaching based on the level of the student and his/her needs. There are many kutis for students who come to learn pariyatti from him. Abhidhamma courses are offered regularly to foreigners, and more information is posted on Dr. Nandamala’s website. There is a beautiful Dhamma Hall on site, and accommodations are two per room when filled. It is not a meditation center, and is primarily open when lectures or study courses are offered. The center teaches a variety of courses, such as the Visuddhimagga, and the Maggāmagga-ñāṇadassana-visuddhi (Purification by knowledge and vision of what is Path and Not Path), and Kankhavitarani-visuddhi.

Lithuanian nun Sayalay Piyadassii stayed at the center for some time, and comments on her experience studying Abhidhamma here:

“After staying in Myanmar for more then a year it was inevitable that the mind became curious about Abhidhamma teachings. Slowly, slowly, reading a little bit here, a little bit there, listening Dhamma talks from one teacher and then another, some knowledge started to arise. And the mind became more and more fascinated with the topic. Especially when the information that slowly was being gathered started to make more and more sense, and even more than that, it brought a lot of clarity and understanding into the actual practice of the Dhamma. But it was not until the day when I had a fortune to join Ven. Sayadaw's course on the most deep and profound Abhiddhama book, Patthana, did the mind ever tried to understand that last, but most fascinating topic of relationships between different ultimate realities. While I was studying on my own this field always seemed so high, that I literary never thought I'd be ever able to comprehend even the 'ABC' of it. But believe it or not, after just two weeks of attending the classes which Sayadaw gave, I could say, 'Actually, it is not that difficult! At least the basics, we can understand!'…And it so rewarding!

But, I would like to give one warning to anyone who is considering to plunge into this most interesting field of Buddhist philosophy: if you learn Abhidhamma, the field of your Dhamma studies will narrow down a lot. And it is very much likely that the teachings that are not touching the roots, not touching the ultimate realities, will appear shallow. Mind will find it difficult to find satisfaction in such shallow teachings. And that will direct the mind towards the practices which actually deal with the Dhamma on a level of ultimate realities. The choice of where to go to practice in such case narrows down significantly, but there are places, and the experience of this deep and profound teachings is nothing that the words could possibly describe. Try it if you dare!”