Aung Taw Mu Monastery
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Half a mile from the Aungtawmu Monastery outside of Mebegon village there is an auspicious sight in the form of two merged Banyan trees. This is considered to be auspicious because such a happening signifies the remarkable spiritual accomplishment of Botaw Bo Htun Aung. This same location marks the spot where Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita's long life transformation by fire took place in 1974 on the man-made Cave of Victory. To celebrate and commemorate this on the same year a two storey Monastery was built near the cave which today accommodates monks and practitioners.
Two Caves of Victory are to be found near a pond which honors the Mahasiddha Ashin Upagote within the site of the Pauk Kyaung. The Cave of Victory of Wizzado Sayadaw U. Kowida is located at north side of the pond. The Cave of Victory of Weizzar Sayadaw U. Uttamakyaw is positioned on the western side of a pond. A Monastery has been constructed next to each of the caves. The Monastery attached to the cave of Weizzardor Sayadaw U. Kowida is used as a meditation hall and the monastery attached to the cave of Weizzar Sayadaw U. Uttamakyaw facilitate accommodation for pilgrims and practitioners.
The Pagodas and others Monasteries
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From 1973 to 1974 three Pagodas were built; the Aungtawmu Pagoda, the Peace Pagoda (Pyie Daw Aye) and the Fulfilling Wishes Pagoda (Sue Taung Pyie) These buildings are all within the auspices of the Aungtawmu Monastery at Mebegon.
In addition to the three Pagodas during the same period two more buildings were constructed. They were the World Peace Monastery and Country Peace Monastery. Both of these buildings are located at the Eastern side of the Three Pagodas. The whole site offers a place of rest for visitors.
The Monastery
Aungtawmu Monastery is a place of success, rooted with the principles of non-violence, universal loving kindness, peace and forbearance, where all levels of Buddhism are taught. It specializes in Upagote's transmission. The lineage holder of this transmission is the Head Master of Nagama Mountain, Weizzar Sayadaw U. Kowida .
Currently Aungtawmu Monastery is run by volunteers and it provides food to all resident monks and visitors by the good will of donors.
Ordination Hall
In 1999 an Ordination Hall between the Caves of U. Pandita and Uttamakyaw was completed. It is intended to continue to develop this sacred land in a better way. This will be achieved by being able to meet everyone's needs for the practice alchemy, concentration meditation and insight knowledge meditation.
It is our sincere hope to develop the Aungtawmu Monastery so that a larger number of people can benefit from the blessings and teachings. This is very important because it is the same land where the Sayadaw accomplished the long life transformation process by fire and become to be a Sacred Land of Victory.
Aung Pue Festival
The Aung Pue Festival takes place every year at the Aungtawmu Monastery. The exact date is set according to the Myanmar Lunar Calendar in the month of Tapodwe (February-March). The Aung Pue Festival was initiated 30 years ago. It is a celebration that commemorates the success of the transformation by fire process. People from all over Myanmar gather together during this time. Monks chant the Recitation of the Abhidhamma scriptures for five consecutive days without a pause. People receive blessings and teachings. There are many festival activities including alchemy. Alchemy (commonly known amongst all Myanmar people) was uniquely developed at the Aungtawmu Monastery through the transmission of Ashin Upagote.
The successful accomplishment and transformation by the fire process was achieved because of the efforts of the the Most Venerable Sayadaw U. Tillaw Keinda, Abbot of the Aungtawmu Monastery in supervising Wizzador Sayadaw U. Kowida and Weizzars Saydaw U. Pandita and U. Uttamakyaw in safely accomplishing the transformation by fire process.
It is hoped that the Aung Pue Festival will be preserved and continued for the benefit of everyone in the area, and will also remind local people of their own heritage.
The Abbot
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The most Venerable Sayadaw U. Tillaw Keinda, the founder of Aungtawmu Monastery, at the age of 80 years old is a living example of sacrifice and endurance, his path is only matched by the ancient Mahasiddhas.
Sayadaw has been giving regular teachings and interviews since 1952. In 1973 the Aungtawmu Monastery and Aungtawmu Pagoda were built to commemorate his great accomplishments. At the age of 47 Sayadaw U. Tillaw Keinda received his higher ordination. Since then Sayadaw has continued giving teachings and blessings.
First meeting between Maung Htun Yin and Sayadaw U. Pandita
It was around the time of preparation of the sixth Buddhist Council at Yangon, when other events were taking place in a far remote village of Magway Division of Myanmar.
The siddha Sayadaw U. Nareinda Dhamma Tharmi from Taung Nyo set up a meditation center called "Sasanar Saraparlana" teachings on morality and wisdom, based upon Loving Kindness, Truth, Concentration and Dhamma recitations. This was in December 1951 A.D. (the month of Phyatho, 1313 M.E). Using the body of Miss. Ma Gyan, the daughter of U San Myint and Daw Mhi from Letkhokepin Village, Saku Township, Minbu, he set up the teaching on morality and meditation. In 1952 A.D. (1314 M.E), wishing also to encompass Vipassana teachings, he gave instructions on how to build the Vipassana Center in Yadana Bopyan Monastery in Pegon Village. The number of practitioners was so numerous that the National Buddhist Society gave help in various forms.
The news that the siddha Sayadaw U. Nareinda would give teachings on Satipatthana (3) by (dhatsii-ing (4), using the body of Ma Gyan) at the house of Exercise Inspector U. Nyein and Daw Tin May of Minbu on Monday 30th of June 1952 A.D. (the 9th waxing day of Waso, 1314 M.E.), spread far and wide.
At the same time, about 5 miles north of Minbu, in Mebegon village, a 25 year old farmer Maung Htun Yin and his wife Ma Ohn Shin were feeling miserable. The reason was that after a year of marriage, Maung Htun Yin suffered from a strange disease. His stomach started bloating, he had loss of appetite, coughed incessantly, had shortness of breath and threw up blood, etc.
Hospitalized at the Minbu General Hospital, the surgeon advised that fluid had accumulated in the stomach and promptly suctioned it out. Despite this, the disease got worse and the surgeon said he would have to perform an operation. Maung Htun Yin was afraid of the operation. As a prerequisite in this case, Maung Htun Yin's wife Ma Ohn Shin, had to sign a paper giving consent to the operation. At the surgeon's bidding, Ma Ohn Shin and her uncle, U. Ko Sein, arrived that evening in a bullock cart.
As they had arrived quite late in the evening, the surgeon has already left for home and they had to stay at the hospital till the surgeon arrived the following morning. Reluctant to undergo surgery, Maung Htun Yin discussed matters with his wife and left the hospital surreptitiously during the night. They went to the place where U. Nareinda was teaching. After unyoking the cows they sat at the edge of the crowd. Hearing the teaching but without really listening, his attention was wholly occupied by his disease. Silently, he sought a way to reach the siddha Sayadaw to ask for medicine to cure the disease from which he was suffering.
When Maung Htun Yin saw a Sayadaw and a person in white robes come down from U. Nyein's house, he thought them to be followers of U. Nareinda. He begged for medicine to cure the disease he had contracted. After rejoicing on the merit and saying, "may peace be with you," the Sayadaw advised that although the disease was at an advanced stage, he need not worry because he had met the Sayadaw.
Maung Htun Yin's promise
The only thing the Sayadaw wanted Maung. Htun Yin to promise was that after he was cured, he should allow the Sayadaw to use his body (to Dhatsii him) for five years and help out in the propagation of the Buddha's teaching, just like U. Nareinda, by using the body of Ma Gyan.
The Sayadaw continued that if Maung Htun Yin (today known as Sanathar, Saturday born) agreed, he would be cured in no time at all and in the process gain a lot of merit. As Maung Htun Yin was thinking things over, Botaw Bo Htun Aung, who was dressed in white, urged Maung Htun Yin to consent as the opportunity was only there because the Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita and Maung Htun Ying had accumulated perfections in their past lives. Therefore, there was no point in letting this chance slip away by not agreeing to the Dhatsii teaching propagation.
Maung Htun Yin (Sanathar) thought about the surgeon's words that the operation was the only way to save him, and being very much afraid of the operation, agreed to Weizzar Sayadaw U. Panditta's terms, promising to help propagate the teachings of the Buddha for five years, if he was wholly cured.
When the Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita had Maung Htun Yin's promise, he said 'Sadu' (well done) and 'may peace be with you', and gave him medicine to take. Maung Htun Yin (Sanathar) was very happy to find that the medicine was fragrant and tasty. The Weizzar gave him some more medicine to be taken the next day at 5 p.m.
He was also instructed to take the medicine facing in the North-West direction, concentrating on The Three Gems and calling upon U. Pandita. With the words: "May peace be upon you my son. Do not worry, I the Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita, shall look after you" and after blessing him, the Sayadaw (Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita) and the person in white robes (Weizzar Botaw Bo Htun Aung) suddenly disappeared from view. Convinced that these must be all-powerful siddhas, Maung Htun Yin and his wife left feeling very happy and returned to Mebegon Village. A peculiarity of this incident is that while Maung Htun Yin and Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita were talking, nobody else seemed to have noticed what passed between them.
The Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita and Botaw Bo Htun Aung had taken notice of Maung Htun Aung for a long time, which included even lives, but had bided their time.
On Tuesday the 1st of July 1952 A.D. (the 10th waxing day of Waso 1314 M.E.) at 5 p.m. Maung Htun Yin's wife Ma Ohn Shin reminded her husband of the time and method of taking the medicine. Maung Htun Yin was instructed by the Weizzar Sayadaw U. Panditta to drink the medicine. By 7 p.m. that night, Maung Htun Yin was feeling very uncomfortable. His stomach seemed to be growling and churning and without warning he threw up, and in quick succession, out came a large cow's tongue, knots of hair, blood and other unspeakable things. Although he was vomiting all these things he still felt well. By vomiting and excreting, his body was cleansed of all disease and he had a good night's sleep. In the morning, his wife and relatives found him to be completely rid of all disease and ills. They joyfully and thankfully paid homage to the Weizzar Sayadaw U Pandita by thinking of the Sayadaw and kowtowing.
At Mebegon village at 6p.m. on Friday the 4th July 1952 A.D. (on the 13th waxing day of Waso, 1314 M.E), somebody whom nobody seemed to have noticed (Weizzar Botaw Bo Htun Aung) went around the village announcing that starting from 7 p.m. that evening, the Weizzar U. Pandita would be teaching at U. Pan Aung and Daw Phwar Kywe's house (parents of Maung Htun Yin's wife). U. Pan Aung and Daw Phwar Kywe were surprised to hear of the event, particularly when villagers started to arrive at their house in droves.
Soon, the whole compound was filled with people. Whilst almost everybody was wondering about the exact nature of the evening's coming event, Maung Htun Yin's (Sanathar, Saturday born) calm voice suddenly sounded: "Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita dwelling in Nagama Mountain wishes to propagate the Buddha's teaching, for that he has come down here and is going to give a teaching through Maung Htun Yin by Dhatsii (using the body). Maung Htun Yin is like a radio and I am like a broadcasting station." With these words began the teaching, which lasted for about an hour. During that time relics shone and were illuminated.
Since that day, the Weizzars of Nagama Mountain, led by the Head Master Sayadaw U. Kowida, began to spread the Buddha's teaching amongst people in many unique ways, coinciding with the Sixth Buddhist Council held in Yangon, Myanmar.
The Inauguration of the Weizzar Meditation Centre
It was on the 11th of September 1952 A.D. (Thursday evening of the 8th waxing day of Tawthalin 1314 M.E) about 8 p.m., when people from Minbu, Saku and Mebegon villages gathered at the Weizzar Meditation Center which by that time was the house of U. Pan Aung and Daw Phwar Kywe, as previously mentioned. A sound was heard in the sky and the people of the village came running towards the Weizzar Meditation Center shouting "Buddha is coming! Buddha is coming!" All of the people there witnessed the sight of a statuette of the Buddha descending from the sky towards the center. On arrival above the roof of the prayer room, the statuette descended into the room without causing any damage to the roof.
Maung Htun Yin (Dhatsii-ing) and some village elders welcomed the statuette of the Buddha and reverently put it on a prepared shrine. The people were so struck with awe by this apparent miracle that they could not stifle their feeling of ecstasy and wonderment. Actually, it was the Weizzar Botaw Bo Htun Aung who had brought the Buddha image from the sky without being seen by those present.
Those unbelievers were like in the time of the Buddha, when the Buddha tried to awaken thousands of acolytes by showing astounding things. But they were not convinced by what they saw with their own eyes, and said: "It is true that Gotama power is unbelievably all-powerful but, he is not yet an Arahat like us." With the same attitude they refused to believe in the Weizzar and kept insisting that the feats were done by conjuring tricks.
Fifty-four years ago, where everything started at Aungtawmu Monastery in Mebegon, situated in an oil production area (Yenan Meiay) five miles away from Minbu district town near the bank of Magway Division, Myanmar, the Aungtawmu Monastery was established. Since then, by the patience and Loving Kindness of Sayadaw U. Tillaw Keinda (Sanathar Sayadaw), with great thanks to him and the Head Master Weizzardo Sayadaw U. Kowida, together with the Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita, the Weizzar Sayadaw U. Uttamakyaw and the Weizzar Botaw Bo Htun Aung, has been conducted the Buddha's teaching heritage until the present day, showing to all through evidence and accomplishment, as prescribed by the Buddha himself.
It is in these very days that the natural beauty of Mebegon, in every aspect enhanced by its past and present history, giving the greatest reward in the form of being blessed with powers (siddhi (5)) to give success, enhanced by the fact that Weizzar Sayadaw U. Pandita became a siddha (6) at the victorious ground of Pauk Kyaung (7), 706 years ago, where the banyan gate, stands a pair of banyan trees (Bodhi-trees) merging together at a certain height to form a sort of gateway, which act as the entrance to the victorious cave.
Once a person steps on this ground as in Buddha Gaya (8) in India, the blessing permeates throughout the whole body। Filled naturally with peace and calmness, one may feel free from the yoke of attachments and a feeling of great striving to attain enlightenment. This affects almost everyone stepping onto this victorious ground.
Contacts
Sanathar Sayadaw U. Tillaw Keinda
Aungtawmu Monastery
Mebegon Village, Minbu Township,
Magway Division
Myanmar
'Short poems' of advice to all practitioners given by the Weizzar Sayadaws at Aungtawmu Monastery
| 1. | With future prospects in mind, Each and every disciple, Is urged to acquire, learn and memorize, The teachings of the Weizzar Sayadaws. |
| 2 | Having contemplated and conceived with gratitude, The Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Parents and Teachers, Revere them with palms joined together at the forehead, For the sake of expiration from the evil deed, speech and thoughts. |
| 3. | Keep united with fellow disciples and practitioners, Preserve morality equally among the rich and the poor, Abstain and stay away from revilement and quarrelling, All of you male and female disciples be patient. |
| 4. | Those Dhamma practitioners who come to listen to the religious teaching, Are advised to stay together without becoming strangers, Only when are follow and observe respectfully what has been advised, They may well attain nibbāna |
| 5. | Realizing their respective qualities, one daily pays homage to The Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Parents and Teachers. |
| 6. | It is the loving-kindness of parents, to embrace their children tenderly, Feeding then well ever since childhood. It is the loving-kindness of parents to look after their children constantly, Neglecting regular meals and regular sleep themselves. |
| 7. | The kindness of one's parents is greater than Mount Meru (1), The kindness of one's parents is limitless, Those who revere their parents with awe and veneration, Would become clever benefactors. |
| 8. | Those who revere their parents both father and mother and the Buddha in obedience with palms raising together on the forehead in awe and veneration, performing regular religious duties for days and nights, and those humble and polite persons who feed their parents with good meals can be free from dangers of the three catastrophes: famine, war, epidemic. |
| 9. | Those who revere their parents with palms raised together at the forehead, Those virtuous and upright persons who feed their parents well, Will forever be perfectly looked after by the celestial beings and supernatural beings, Everlasting is the merit due to caring for one's parents. |
| 10. | The gratitude of grateful parents is incomparable to infinity. Those who support, serve and feed parents will prosper well in peace without any delay and this is the everlasting meritorious deed due to the consequence of those who care for their parents. |
| 11. | Anyone who serves his old and feeble parents, Shall never fall into the lower realms of hell, So day after day, remember the gratitude one owes one's parents, And serve and be grateful to your loving parents forever. |
| 12. | It might be said it is granted, due to the powerful cumulative result of meritorious deeds, to become as the Jewel of children of the virtuous mother, those children can undertake to maintain the propagation and perpetuation of the Buddha's teachings. |
| 13. | When your virtuous acts are not spoiled or decayed, A rain of gold shall fall upon you. You will be prosperous, pleasant and peaceful among people, When you keep your moral conduct. |
| 14. | Those people who are violent and ill-tempered, Shall be spoilt and ruined definitely, and go down to the boiling world. Those who are polite and keep virtuous moral conduct. Can avoid those three catastrophes; famine, disease and war. |
| 15. | Keeping patience is beneficial to our meritorious deeds. Patient minded people are more admired and loved comparatively. Those who keep patience in mind will attain knowledge of the path and knowledge of fruition. Which leads to the three kinds of planes (3) and the attainment of nibbāna. |
| 16. | The quintessence (element) of patience is the noble temperament. Through vigorous effort the patient mind should be exercised and balanced, With the expectation of everlasting goodness, Day after day, keep patience in mind. |
| 17. | The results shall effect rapidly through vigorous effort and active temperance, the deliberately patient mind should be exercised and balanced. |
| 18. | Expecting forever the lasting goodness, mind ever the Dhamma beginning with patience, keep it in mind entirely day after day and recognize it as a fact as the qualities of water. |
| 19. | Having been born during the course of Buddha dispensation, We should keep patience and act accordingly to the three kinds of practice, Moral conduct (4), concentration (5) and insight knowledge (6), You will attain nibbāna only when you implement righteous principles and realize the noble truths (7). |
| 20. | As sons and daughters of Buddha, we should be well united, Keeping the morality of the five precepts (8). Not doing ill to others by deed, speech or thought, Show patience towards everything both internally and externally. |
| 21. | There can be two consequences of good or bad. Whether it happens to be four times of eclipses of the sun and the moon, our Lord Buddha had preached and predicted so. Nobody could foresee or foretell the events which would happen in such an extraordinary year. It would be a noble death in spite of living and struggling with a hard life, only when you have already meditated through insight knowledge (vipassana) very well. |
| 22. | When you keep on concentrating with steadfast mindfulness, You will realize that nothing is stable or permanent. Only when greed, anger and delusion are totally forsaken, Will suffering be extinguished and non-self be realized. |
| 23. | Naming one-self as 'I' or 'me' I, a common conjecture due to being blocked by the dullness of delusion, One should comprehend the reality of mind and matter, The true mode of phenomena as taught by the Mahātera (9). |
| 24. | On account of being deceived by the sixty-two kinds of wrong views (10), Many creatures have been floating along the river of attachment, One should be free from the notion of 'creatures' and 'life', And should learn about the absence of permanent self or ego. |
| 25. | Nine abodes, dominated by attachment, are formed due to the firm conjecture Of ego-self as 'I', 'me', 'he' or 'she' By extinguishing the belief in the wrong views of self, One will be a noble one when the Noble Truth is well realized. |
| 26. | Those who are absorbed in the concept of conjecture of male and female, should look into the elements of mind and matter, It could be the extraordinary dassana (11). Only when you have realized that no one is a male or a female, but just a combination of mind and matter, through the realization of The Noble Truth. 27. There are two knowledges within the Dhamma (12): The knowledge acquired through literature and the knowledge arising through meditation. If you are teaching Dhamma only with knowledge from learning, We may call you a talker, not a doer. |
| 28. | If your preaching and practice are not in balance, And you are lazy in applying insight knowledge meditation, You will simply be a dishonest talker, As you are not doing as you say. |
| 29. | Having got an opportunity; one should practice insight meditation, For one cannot foresee when the time of death will come. If one does not practice when circumstances are favorable, Nothing can prevent oneself from eventually encountering suffering. |
| 30. | Mental processes are engaged with defilements and bad deeds, Making the mind confused and causing suffering, The mind needs to be purified and made to become wise, So that physical processes can follow peacefully. |
| 31. | Those with the sixty-two kinds of wrong belief (13), Will be attached to their desire, and never escape from the cycle of existence, If wrong belief can be eradicated, one will see impermanence, Which leads to nibbāna, through seeing the doctrine of cause and effect. |
| 32. | It is due to ignorance and desire that one is forever going through, The different planes of existence forever arising with the five aggregates (14), When one can see the truth with the light of wisdom, Free from wrong views, one will attain enlightenment. |
| 33. | If a man understands only conventional, and not ultimate truth, He will be attached to conventional things like wives, sons, daughters ,money, jewels. Unless he finds ultimate truth, he has to face the suffering of existence. He should know this suffering is due to his desire. |
| 34. | One must realize that He is not male or female, according to ultimate realities, It is only mind and matter that go to compose a person. Insight knowledge will give you the light of wisdom leading to ultimate reality. And you will become a holy being, with freedom from all kind of sufferings. |
| 35. | Desire is the root cause of suffering. And ignorance is like a blind person, By not knowing, one will cling to property, lovers and the like, It is like grasping heated metal with one's bare hand. |
| 36. | The rumors are that a Saturday born person will appear to support Buddha's teaching, This is said by the wise, and should be understood for the future. |
| 37. | The old man and lady are attached to their properties with great desire, Moving about and enjoying sensual pleasure, At death their properties will become useless for them, Because at that time they cannot be taken with them. |
| 38. | The living person will be remembered by their dear relatives. Because they will receive wonderful medicine from the siddhas in the future, The benefits of the medicine are long life and freedom from disease, So practice Dhamma accordingly, sending loving-kindness to all beings. |
| 39. | The world is full of disaster because beings are covetous, attracted by worldly richness with the eye of greed, anger and delusion. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. One should analyze it carefully, think it over again and again. It has been foretold that the three kinds of disaster will take away sins. One would not know where one will be at such a time. Therefore, one is urged to do meritorious deeds concerning generosity, morality and meditation, so that Botaw Bo Htun Aung will be able to save those at that time, and thousand of practitioners will be liberated from suffering and disasters. It is warned by Botaw Bo Htun Aung that the world is full of disaster, As beings are looking for worldly riches with the eye of greed, anger and delusion, Nobody knows what will happen in the future, Carefully think it over again and again. |
| 40. | Learning, practicing and realizing are three very important things in the Buddha's teaching. Buddhist doctrine was shining like the sun and moon twice in Myanmar. The first time during the Bagan period and the second time since the middle period of the length of Buddha Gotama's teaching, which will last five thousand years. Like the fisherman holding his fishing nets, catching hold of the fish from the bank of the river, Botaw Bo Htun Aung is gathering the people with supernatural power and Dhamma, to save them at the time of crises. This will be the time when all sorts of bodies will appear. We are expecting the sunset to encounter such danger. On that occasion, Botaw Bo Htun Aung will take his disciples away from danger. Like a fisherman holding his nets, The sun will soon set, the night will soon arrive, |
| 41. | As one does not know when the time of death will take place, one is happy with worthy richness and also proud of it. According to one's own deeds, one becomes willing to do so, sometimes successfully and sometimes at a loss. When one is successful, one is ever smiling, but with failure one cries. Due to ignorance, one is making the wrong path, sometimes with hate, and sometimes with loving-kindness to others. All of you are a family making good shows and bad shows. If one is wise, they will understand his/her situation. When one is born, one will die. During the transcourse of one's existence, one will encounter happiness, sorrow and lamentation. Therefore it is the time to find out the real peace keeping away all troubles and sufferings. All the richness that one has obtained will burn you, therefore one is urged to know and understand illusion and delusion, and one should try to escape from all dangers. Wealth and property obtained by one's own labor will become like a prison. One has to watch it carefully, and think it over. One is urged to know how to escape and find out the way of Dhamma, which can lead one to realize the ultimate realities and attain enlightenment. One is only happy and proud with worldly riches, All the riches you have obtained will burn you, |
| 42. | Unless one attains Nibbāna one should face with suffering, out of the three kinds of planes; sense sphere plane, fine material plane and formless plane (15). They are always appearing and disappearing or happening and ending. One may have wealth according to one's deeds, these properties and riches are not permanent. One day one has to depart from all dear relatives and loved ones. One may live long but will not escape death when the time comes. After three days of death when the body becomes decomposed with a foul smell, even the lovers stay away from a dead body and will neglect you. At last, one will be sent to the country away from one's residential town, forsaken by all relatives and friends, in one's own coffin. One should reflect on it. as any human being will encounter it throughout one's life. It is the appearance and disappearance of nature. Now is a very valuable time to practice insight meditation (vipassana) to gain wisdom, so one will attain Nibbāna ultimately through the Noble Eightfold Path (16) of Dhamma, as expounded by the Buddha. Even if one lives long, one cannot escape when the time of death comes. Alone, in one's own coffin, |
| 43. | It is now a very valuable time to practice insight meditation, For you are encountering the priceless period of Buddha's teaching. If you systematically practice morality, concentration and insight meditation, step by step, You will attain nibbāna. |
| 44. | There is no old age and death within Nibbāna, Which can be attained by systematically practicing, morality, concentration and insight meditation. Finally reaching enlightenment after going through the ten stages of wisdom (17), The four paths, and the four fruitions (18). |
| 45. | If a person is mindful, He will see everything as impermanent, So that he will be able to remove greed, anger and ignorance, This can be accomplished due to the practice of insight meditation. |
| 46. | At the present period of all living persons who are left worried, yearning and longing for dead people, the wholesome medicine that can heal and bring freedom from the suffering of the old and the harmful, is to be fed and nourished by Indra, (the King of the celestial beings). Also by the siddhas for human beings, who may drive out the dangers, to get away, and allow human beings to live longer life spans, for hundreds or even thousands of years. Being in a state of difficulty in writing, even by the well experienced writer, to pick out the excellent facts, you are reminded that since Brahmā's realm is endless, to act and live righteously according to the principles preached by the Buddha. The wholesome medicine that can heal the suffering of old age, |
Reference: Ashin Kunsal Kassapa & Dr Sein Yi "The Light of Mebegon Village"
Notes
- Mount Meru; in a traditional depiction of the main features of the Universe. Mount Meru is located at the center of the universe. And at the top of Mount Meru which reaches Tusita Deva world, is kept the hair of Siddharta from the time that he renounced worldly life.
- Hell; Niraya, on of the four types of lower planes of existence (apāya) in which one can be born through deeds caused by anger, greed or delusion, there are found eight kinds of hell, namely: 1. Sa¸njiva, born because of anger, cruelty and wickedness, 2. Kālasutta, born because of tormenting and murdering spiritual men, hermits and monks, 3. Sanghāta born owing to the wrong belief that merits and moralities are fruitless, 4. Rorura, born because of killing living beings by putting them into flames, boiling water or oil, 5. Mahā Rorura, born because of destroying and stealing the properties of The Three Gems (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha), 6. Tāpata, born by royal bodies who break up the country and make people disappointed, 7 Mahā Tāpata, born by owing to wrong belief that merits and demerits have no effects, owing to the wrong belief not merits and demerits should not be practiced, since there is no cause and effect. 8. Avīci, born by committing patricide, matricide, murdering of Arahat's, wounding a Buddha, creation of schism amongst Sangha, and causing destruction to the Bo-tree and Buddha images out of anger.
- Celestial beings plane and brahmā plane; Among the 31 planes of existence there are found 6 celestial worlds and 20 brahmā worlds of existence. See chapter 2, Planes of existence.
- Moral conduct; Sīla. It is a training which begins with five basic precepts of morality and can be extended according to commitment.
- Concentration; Samādhi;, tranquility achieved by withdrawing attention from the chaos of physical and mental stimulus. There are forty types of techniques prescribed by The Buddha, including concentrating on 'one's own breathing.'
- Insight Knowledge; it is the knowledge which arises through direct experience by practicing vipassana meditation, and it is by its arising that wisdom takes place, called in Pāļi pa¸n¸nā. There are ten kinds of insight knowledge to be experienced which will lead one to the attainment of enlightenment as; 1. Knowledge of comprehension, 2. Knowledge of rise and fall of formations, 3.Knowledge of dissolution of formations, 4. Knowledge of dissolving things as fearful, 5. Knowledge of fearful things as dangerous, 6. Knowledge of disenchantment with all formations,
- knowledge of desire for deliverance, 8. knowledge of reflecting contemplation, 9. Knowledge of equanimity towards formations, 10. Knowledge of conformity.
- Noble truths; expounded by the Buddha since his first discourse after attaining Buddhahood, Namely: The Four Noble Truths, they are 1. The truth of suffering, 2. The truth of origin of suffering, 3. The truth of cessation of suffering and 4 The truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.
- Five precepts; daily kept by a Buddhist practitioner. They are: 1, Restrain from killing any living being, 2. Refraining from taking what is not given. 3. Refraining from sexual misconduct, 4. Refraining from telling lies, 5. Refraining from intoxicants which cloud the mind. There are also eight precepts which are kept by practitioners during Sabbath days, as full moon or moonless days, or when they do a specific practice; the eight precepts include the above five mentioned. 6. Refraining from taking food at the wrong time, 7. Refraining from dancing, singing, music and unseemly shows, from the use of garlands, perfumes and unguents and from things that tend to beautify and adorn (the person), 8. Refraining from using high and luxurious seats and beads.
- Mahātera; an elder of the ordained Sangha, within the Buddhist Order.
- Sixty-two kinds of wrong view, mainly enumerated by Myanmar Buddhism, However, there are found within the Buddhist Canon regarded as a Wrong view; the Wrong belief; consisting of natthika di??thi; the belief that no action, good or bad produces any result either here or hereafter: ahetuka d??thi; the belief that there is no past cause, that the present is not the result of the past: and akiriya d??thi; the belief that there is no good or bad action as such.
- Dassana; seeing. Vision as knowledge.
- Dhamma; as Buddha's teaching.
- Sixty-two kinds of wrong belief; see note 11
- Five aggregates; Khandhas, namely: 1.The aggregate of body (materiality), 2. The aggregate of sensation, 3. The aggregate of perception, 4. The aggregate of consciousness, 5. The aggregate of Dhammas. Among them the first is regarding matter and the rest of the four are regarding the mind. See chapter 9, 'One's as his own refuge'.
- Formless plane; called as well, immaterial planes. See chapter 2, Planes of existence.
- Eightfold path: 1.Right understanding, 2. Right thought, 3. Right speech, 4. Right action, 5. Right livelihood, 6. Right effort, 7. Right mindfulness, 8. Right concentration.
- Ten stages of wisdom; See note 6
- Four paths and four fruitions; Within each stage of the Ariya path, there arises a type of consciousness as a path (magga) and another type of consciousness as fruition (phala), therefore it is mentioned in the four paths and four fruitions regarding such types of consciousness which arise only within the stage of stream-enterer (Sotāpana), once-returners (Sakadāgāmī), non-returners (Anāgāmī) and Arahata.
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