What a talk! Thabarwa Sayadaw made a surprise stop by our recording studio at midnight and we talked till almost 4 a.m. Still, there was so much to discuss that we only reached halfway through our topics, so we hope to continue our talk later this month.
The majority of our conversation focussed on the origin story of Sayadaw himself as well as the development of the Thabarwa center and mission. He discussed his difficulties in being from a family of Chinese immigrants in Yangon and his early interest in education and business. While wildly successful in a time in Myanmar when almost no entrepreneurial activity was taking place, it led to a severely imbalanced mind that became dominated by greed and anger, causing him to make several key poor business decisions. Concerned about his deteriorating mental state, this led to an interest in meditation, and he spent several years studying intensively at such centers as Mogok, Thae Inngu, Goenka, U Ba Khin, and Mahasi.
He became a proper teacher in his own right at the time that massive societal and political transformations were underway in Myanmar, and he discusses openly how the the upheaval of his country put his entire center and mission in an existential crisis, not knowing if they were going to be shut down from one month to the next. Ultimately, the advent of a free press by 2014 finally allowed independent journalists to share more widely what his unique meditation center was trying to accomplish, and the resulting stability led to steady growth and today, international renown.
Thank you to Thabarwa Sayadaw and so many close to him that helped make time in his busy schedule. Sayadaw had just flown from the UK on December 31st, and had spent the prior several days driving from one event to the other throughout Yangon, as well as side trips to Hpa An and Mandalay, and is leaving today to Vietnam. So we were really privileged to have access to so much of his time.
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
Some humor from the user dmcdonald5227, who obviously had his mind running during his recent experience on a Goenka Vipassana course, and captions this picture with this line: "Just finished my 2nd 10 day retreat. Here are some memes to that popped up during my sit."
An image of the President of India Ram Nath Kovind presenting Banwarilal Satya Narayan Goenka with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from at the Valedictory Session of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Varanasi. He is the first person of Indian origin from Myanmar to receive this honour.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest honor given to Non Resident Indian (NRI), Person of Indian Origin (PIOs) who have achieved the following:
"Better understanding abroad of India; support to India’s causes and concerns in a tangible way; building closer links between India, the overseas Indian community and their country of residence; social and humanitarian causes in India or abroad; welfare of the local Indian community; Philanthropic and charitable work; eminence in one’s field or outstanding work, which has enhanced India’s prestige in the country of residence; or eminence in skills which has enhanced India’s prestige in that country (for non-professional workers)."
Banwarilal Satya Narayan Goenka is the son of the lay meditation teacher S.N. Goenka, and the only son who still resides in Burma. The sons have played a more controversial role in the organization of late, as debates have taken place and divisions have widened in the final years of the elder Goenka's life and following his passing.
Myanmar has produced a bonanza of enlightened beings and wise, discerning teachers, many of whom we called upon when writing the Meditator's Guidebook to Myanmar. However, so few of their stories and so little of their knowledge has spread beyond the border. That is why we have the exciting news that are looking to develop a podcast, in which we can interview many of these great figures straight-away, and bring the content immediately to eager yogis without delay. While the information may be slightly rawer than the book form, it will be immediately accessible for all, allowing us to bring the depths of Burma-Dhamma into the public domain far easier than ever before.
We hope to interview monks, nuns, meditation teachers, historians, scholars, writers, meditators, public figures, and many more. There are so many stories to tell from the background of Dhamma in the Golden Land, and so many paths to explore.
But our one disclaimer, and plea for help: while we may be avid listeners of podcasts, we know next to nothing about producing them! Any yogis with a background in podcasting who would be willing to lend a hand in the set-up would be greatly appreciated, so that we can deliver the best production possible to those who will benefit.
As many readers may know, all the work accomplished by the Burma Dhamma blog and facebook page, as well as the past and upcoming work in creating the Meditator's Guide to Burma (Shwe Lan Ga Lay), has been a volunteer effort made with the pure volition to share hard-to-find knowledge and information about Dhamma practice in the Golden Land. Given the difficulty of finding and verifying information in a country with such a tumultuous history, this has been no easy task. An added challenge is that most volunteers are householders who do not have endless resources to give in sustaining the precious work, and funding for future efforts has long since dried up.
At the moment, the first part of the Meditator's Guide is completed, and Part II is coming out very soon. A much longer and more in-depth look at the rich Dhamma history and geography of Myanmar, it will give unprecedented access to sites and Sayadaws. However, the exhausting work of this piece all but completed, there was no plan on the horizon for how it could continue-- until now.
Out of the blue, a modest donation surprisingly came our way to continue our Burma-Dhamma exploration for the benefit of all readers and meditators. Before, we had realized that one of the challenges with producing the guide was that a very small team was working with marvelous content while the meditator community waited to see what we were so excited about... and waited, and waited, and waited as the process deepened and extended. So the idea came to go a different direction... a lighter, more modern touch by exploring the world of podcasting.
While this donation will not fund the podcast in perpetuity, it will at least allow us to get it off the ground. Our hope is that if the content can be seen as adding value and inspiration to those looking for knowledge on the Buddha's path (specifically as shown in Myanmar), further contributions can be forthcoming and the project can deepen and develop. For now, we are delighted that this new media will soon be brought to yogis everywhere!
A Western couple sponsors a meal for the revered Pa Auk Sayadaw.
With the country opening up, discussions are now ranging from democracy to capitalism, from investment to trade, and from city planning to trash management. However, one area not explored to the same depths is the Buddhist act of inner contemplation. For the opening up has also meant a renewed interest and ability in foreigners being able to access the Burma Dhamma!
In past years, even those coming for purely Buddhist reasons were looked on with suspicion for being undercover agents, and some Western monks were forcibly disrobed and forced on the next plane out. Even Sayagyi U Ba Khin lamented that the military government would not give visas longer than 7 days, if that, preventing him from teaching meditation in English to those with clear eyes and full hearts and who couldn't lose with such instruction... and yet lose that precious opportunity they did, as the doors were closed to them. But this couple, like so many others, now has that very opportunity to come not just for days, not just for weeks, but for literally months and years, with meditation visas easier to attain and more and more practice centers and monasteries only too happy to sponsor. So... what's holding you back?
Wunna Nyunt kindly shares the following story:
"My two grand fathers. My dad's father U Chit Shein (left) Commissioner of Taxation - Burma and my mum's father U Chit Tin (right) CEO of UBSC (Union of Burma Buddha Sasana Council) who was also a meditation teacher.
Never met U Chit Shein who passed away before my parents were married. But I've been told both men were upright men who valued honesty, integrity and hard work.
They both worked under Sayagyi U Ba Khin and were both meditation students of Sayagyi.
Such big shoes to fill - both in terms of work achievements or the religious achievements.
Grandpa Chit Shein
The memorable story that dad told me about grandpa was - even as the Commissioner of Taxation, grandpa had to borrow money from some of his relatives when times were tough. They called him "akhun mingyi" - double meaning of his title - loosely translated as "hollow or empty commisioner" and grandpa just simled at their teasing.
That sorry reminded me of a story I've read in Burmese history where a high ranking government official passed away and didn't have any family to inherit his estate. So his assets were catalogued and repossessed by the King. After looking at the asset list, the King asked his wiseman how it was possible that a man of such station owns very little. The wiseman answered - those who work for the crown that do not take bribes and work with integrity live modest lives even if they held the high position through multiple generations.
In those days, Commissioner of Taxation reports to Accountant General's office where Sayagyi U Ba Khin was the first Accountant General of Burma after its independence in 1948.
As Sayagyi was holding meditation courses for members of his office staff, Grandpa Chit Shein sat a meditation course taught by Sayagyi at IMC Yangon.
I am sure there are stories about his interaction with Sayagyi U Ba Khin, but I don't know very many people alive these days who could recount them.
Grandpa Chit Tin
When we were growing up, my best memory of Grandpa Chit Tin was how he tries to be the peacemaker between the rebellious grandchild and a grandmother who expects all her grandchildren to behave properly at all times. Eventhough a strict person himself, many a times where Grandpa would give me a light reprimand and shooed me away before Grandma truns her attention to me. Of course something like that sticks in a kid's memory. 😉
Grandpa worked as an accountant at the Accountant General's office and that was how he met Sayagyi.
He worked under Sayagyi as the Chief Accountant at the Sixth Council known as Chatta Sangayana (Sixth Recitation) which was held from 1954 to 1956 in Rangoon. Union of Burma Buddha Sasana Council (U.B.S.C.) was the main planning body for the Great Council.
He was one of the three office staff who underwent the first meditation course taught by Sayagyi at his office in 1951 - before the founding of IMC Yangon.
He was also a founding member of the Vipassana Research Association formed in 1951and a member of the Executive Committee of the Vipassana Association of the Accountant General's Office, which established and operated the International Meditation Centre (Yangon).
Once IMC Yangon had established, he and Grandma lived mostly at IMC assisting Sayagyi in various capacities. After Sayagyi passed away, they continued Sayagyi's work of spreading Buddha Dhamma at IMC Yangon. They left Burma in 1978, at the request of Western students, to teach Buddhist meditation to westerners."
