Pa-Auk Forest Monastery Information for Foreign Meditators

Pa-Auk Forest Monastery

Information for Foreign Meditators

Pa-Auk Forest Monastery (“Pa-Auk Tawya” in Burmese) is a Buddhist monastery in the Therav da tradition, with emphasis on the teaching and practice of both samatha (tranquillity) and vipassan (insight) meditation. The number of residents varies seasonally from approximately 700 to 1,500 (during festival times) - this includes
more than 130 foreign monks, nuns and lay practitioners, coming from more than twenty different countries. All are here to practise meditation under the guidance of the Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw, the abbot and
principal teacher at this monastery.
This document provides you with an outline of the monastery's basic requirements and services, plus it tells you how to get here. For more detailed information on the teaching methods and rules of the monastery, please visit the websites listed in our Resource Guide (see page 4). You may also write directly to the monastery.
Arrival
- Pa-Auk Forest Monastery is divided into the Upper, Middle and Lower Monasteries. Upon arrival, foreigners must register at the following locations: male residents- the Registration Office for Foreigners in the Upper Monastery; female residents - the Lower Monastery Office. Please be sure to obtain and read a copy of our “Rules for Foreign Meditators,” which you can pick up at either office.
In General
- Meditators must strictly observe the fourfold purification during their stay here. This purification consists of:
(1) The 227 rules of the P timokkha for Therav da monks; the 10 precepts and 75 Sekhiya (training)
rules for novices; and the 5, 8 or 10 precepts for laypersons and nuns
(2) Restraint of the six sense faculties -of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind
(3) Purification of livelihood (Right Livelihood) - livelihood that accords with the precepts
(4) Reflection on (and moderation in) the use of the four requisites - food, shelter, clothing and medicine
Meditation
- Everyone must attend the group sittings at their respective meditation hall. Group sittings are held at the
following times: 4:00-5:30 am, 7:30-9:00 am, 1:00-2:30 pm, 3:30-5:00 pm and 6:00-7:30 pm.
- Interviews with Pa-Auk meditation teachers are an important aid to one's practice. New arrivals should come for an interview every day (or make a suitable arrangement that accords with their meditation teacher's
schedule).
- Meditators must practise according to the instructions of their meditation teacher.
Smoking, Drinking and Drugs
- Smoking, drinking, chewing tobacco or betel nut, and the use of recreational drugs are strictly forbidden. If you use any of these items, please dispose of them before entering the monastery.
- There are no exceptions to this rule. If you break this rule, you will be asked to leave.
Diet and Pindap ta
- Meals are offered in the Pindap tas la (alms hall). Please arrive for pindap ta at the following times:
• Breakfast - 5:30-6:00 am (depending on the time of dawn)
• Lunch - 10:00-10:15 am.
- The kitchen prepares a vegetarian diet only; no special diets are offered.
- Boiled and filtered drinking water are available at various locations throughout the monastery.
Attire
- Therav da monks and novices should wear only allowable robes, slippers, etc. Robes must be kept clean. Highly colourful robes (red, bright yellow, etc.) are not acceptable.
- Lay practitioners should dress modestly at all times:
Men - no bare shoulders, no bare calves, no bare knees; no shorts, no sleeveless shirts, vests or undershirts; no ripped or otherwise improper attire.
Women - no bare shoulders, midriff, calves or knees; no short skirts, no shorts, no sleeveless shirts or blouses; no thin, transparent, tight, revealing, brightly coloured or otherwise improper attire.



Medical Care
- There are quarters for the sick and a clinic, with a resident doctor. A local doctor trained in Western medicine visits once a week; another trained in traditional Burmese medicine visits once a fortnight.
International Mail
- Excessive correspondence can disturb meditation. Please keep your correspondence to a minimum.
- Outgoing mail should be left in the Outgoing Mailbox at the Pindap tas la; incoming mail can be picked up on the table next to the Outgoing Mailbox. It is best for important incoming and outgoing letters to be registered. - International parcels must be picked up in Yangon. Please check at the Lower Monastery Office to see if they
can suggest someone to do this for you.
- To protect incoming parcels against loss or damage, all international parcels should be insured. Ask the sender to mail you a copy of the insurance form.
- Be aware that parcels are subject to customs formalities, censorship and duties.
International Telephone Calls
- You can use the telephone in the Lower Monastery Office for incoming calls - service is intermittent and low quality. You will need to go outside the monastery to make outgoing calls; international calls are expensive and must be paid in US dollars.
E-mail/Internet
- Permission to send/receive e-mail is granted on a case-by-case basis.
Monastics and Money
- Therav da monks, novices and 10-precept nuns are not permitted to use, handle or possess money in any form, including: cash, credit cards, cheques, electronic transactions, gold, silver, jewellery, etc. Monastics who carry their own funds must relinquish them PERMANENTLY before taking up residence in the monastery. There are no exceptions to this rule. (For those monastics with allowable requisite funds, see below.)
- Monastics with allowable requisite funds must arrange for the proper transfer of requisites from their previous location to the Pa-Auk kappiyak raka (steward; hereafter referred to as “kappiya” for short) or other such
person. Transfer of funds MUST follow the prescribed procedure in the Vinaya (please refer to the P timokkha, Nissaggiya P cittiya rules 10, 18, 19 & 20).
- If you come to the monastery as a layperson and decide to ordain, you must make proper arrangements for your funds before ordination; this can be done through the monastery kappiya.
Visa Application/Extension, etc.
- If you plan to stay at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery for more than one month, you will need to apply for a Myanmar
meditation visa, as a 28-day tourist visa and a 28-day entry visa can no longer be extended. Check with the
Myanmar Embassy in your home country to see if they will issue a meditation visa to you (preferably for three-
months or longer). If this is not possible, you may wish to check with another Myanmar Embassy - for
example, the Embassy in Singapore - to see what type of visa they will issue to you. To apply for a meditation
visa, you will need a Pa-Auk Sponsorship Letter, which can be obtained through a Pa-Auk Contact Person or by
writing to the monastery, attention: U Kundadh na or U Candim . For the latest news on visa applications and
extensions, please contact Daw Amy at attbbpp@myanmar.com.mm. Contact information for the Myanmar
Embassy in Singapore and a listing of international contact persons can be found in our Resource Guide on
page 4.
- Once you get to Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, you can apply for a three-month, six-month or one-year visa
extension (stay permit). Payment for your extension can be arranged through the monastery kappiya. He will need 9 passport photos plus sufficient requisite funds in US dollars. Dollar bills must be in good condition: worn, torn, nicked marked or questionable bills are unacceptable.
- Please be aware that visa extension regulations and costs are subject to change. Current cost of a one-year visa
extension is US$90. The visa extension should be applied for as soon as possible after your arrival in Myanmar. After that, applications for further extensions should be made at least two months before the expiry date of the
visa extension.
- If you are a Therav da monk, novice or 10-precept nun, the monastery will try to cover your expenses, but if
the fees are in US dollars, the monastery's Burmese d yakas (donors) will be unable to pay. So, to be safe, it is best for a d yaka of your own to make arrangements with a local kappiya to handle the financial side of the
extension fees.
- If you stay longer than three months, you must obtain a Foreigner's Registration Certificate (FRC), and when you leave, a Departure Form. Please apply for the FRC at least one month in advance.



Sponsorship
- A sponsorship letter grants permission for you to reside at this monastery - nothing more. All financial
requirements (including medical, dental, transportation, visas, FRC, departure forms and other requisite items)
are your personal responsibility. Please arrive with SUFFICIENT FUNDS (IN US DOLLARS) for the duration of your
stay.
- If your visa (or visa extension) was obtained with a Pa-Auk Sponsorship Letter, this means you have agreed to stay at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery for the visa's duration. To use an entry/meditation visa for sightseeing and tourism would constitute an abuse of the privilege granted to you by the Sponsorship Letter and could create problems for the monastery.
Suggested Items to Bring
- The following list of suggested items was compiled by foreign meditators here: 10-12 passport photos; vitamin and herbal supplements; herbal teas; light, comfortable, easy-to-wash clothing; dental floss; toiletries; towel;
talcum/medicated powder; large umbrella; earplugs; water resistant sandals; torch/flashlight; battery-powered
alarm clock; mosquito repellent; yoga mat (if you practice yoga); spare glasses and copy of your prescription;
get dental work done before coming. Most everyday-items can be obtained locally, name brands excluded;
voltage here is 220V.
Climate
- There are three seasons in Myanmar: a hot season (March-May); a rainy season (June-Oct.); and a cold season (November-February). Temperatures range from 15° to 40° Centigrade (59° to 104° Fahrenheit).
How to Get to Pa-Auk Forest Monastery from Yangon (Yangon ® Mawlamyine ® Pa-Auk ®Mudon)
- Mawlamyine is 301 kms (187 miles) southeast of Yangon, and the monastery is another 14.5 kms (9 miles) southeast of Mawlamyine. Air-conditioned overnight buses to Mawlamyine/Mudon depart daily from the
highway bus station in Yangon. You can buy tickets along the south side of Aung San Stadium, opposite the central train station. Note: If you take the Mudon bus, ask the driver to let you off at “Pa-Auk Tawya” (the bus goes right past the main gate of the monastery on the way to Mudon).
- Travel options include a weekly flight to Mawlamyine and a new train service that goes direct from Yangon to Mawlamyine. If you take the train, be sure to go “upper class.”
- Contact persons in Yangon can help you get to the monastery. For a listing of contact persons, please check our Resource Guide on page 4.



PA-AUK RESOURCE GUIDE
Websites
Malaysia www.Dhamma-s.org (text is in Chinese) Singapore www.paaukforestmonastery.org
USA www.paauk.org
Myanmar Contact Information

MEDITATION CENTRES

Pa-Auk Forest Monastery
Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar
Tel: (95) 57-22853


International Buddhas sana Meditation Centre Pa-Auk Tawya Branch
Thilawar Road (near Kyaik-Khauk Pagoda) Payargon Village, Than Lyin Township, Yangon Tel: (95) 56-21927

PERSONAL CONTACTS
Mr & Mrs Yip Seng Foo
No-69(A), University Avenue St
Tel: (95) 999-23570 / (95) 704314
Bahan Township, Yangon
E-mail: bluestar@mptmail.net.mm
Daw Amy (Ms. Amy)
66 A, Sayarsan Road, Bahan Township, Yangon Tel: (95) 1-548129 / (95) 1-556355
E-mail: attbbpp@myanmar.com.mm
U Aung Pyone (Mr. Aung Pyone)
No (32), Kwet Thit St, Yay Kyaw (7th Qtr, near YMBA) Pazundaung Township, Yangon
Tel: (95) 1-293847 • E-mail: uap@mail4u.com.mm


International Contact Information

China
Mdm. Liang Xinxin
Attention: Ms Ah Min
Guangzhou, Peoples Republic of China Tel: (86) 20-84232438
E-mail: kaixinhuanzhaonin@126.com
Japan
Myanmar Therav da Buddhist Association Attention: Ko Ye Tun, Tokyo, Japan Tel: (81) 90-22209886
Singapore
Cakkavala Meditation Centre
E-mail: cakkavala_sg@yahoo.com.sg
Tel: (65) 98488384 - Dr Ng Wai Chong
Visuddha Meditation Centre
107 Jalan Langgar Bedok, Singapore 468559 Tel: (65) 90101663
E-mail: visuddha77@yahoo.com.sg Teoh Soon Seng
E-mail: teohss@singnet.com.sg
Taiwan
Buddhist Hong Shi College
No. 121-5 Ta-Tung Village, Guan-Yin
Tao Yuan, Taiwan, Republic of China


Singapore

Sri Lanka
N Uyana ranya (monastery)
Pansiyagama 60554
Tel: (94) 37-5677328 / (94) 60-2379036
E-mail: nauyana@gmail.com
Dhammika Ashrama (nunnery)
Angulgamuwa, Pansiyagama 60554
Tel: (94) 37-5671258
E-mail: dhammikashrama@gmail.com
United States of America
Roland Win
15 Palmdale Ave, Daly City, CA 94015
Tel: (1) 650-994-3750
E-mail: RolandRexEntps@aol.com
Brian Johnson
29 Anton Way, Novato, CA 94945
Tel: (1) 415-328-1709
E-mail: upasako@paauk.org
Kim McLaughlin
568 Arlington Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707
Tel: (1) 510-527-7625
E-mail: kimmcl@pacbell.net


Other Addresses

Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
15 St Martin’s Drive, Singapore 257996
Tel: (65) 67350209 • Fax: (65) 67356236
Open: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, Monday - Friday