Announcement of new Dhamma course  (10 days)
18th to 28th April 2016 at Thabarwa Centre, Than Lyin, Yangon.

"Analysis of TRUTH"
Applying Pali and Abhidhamma into Vipassana Practice, by Sayalay Cala Theri.
Including meditation, chanting, Dhamma discussion.
18th to 26th April (8 days)
7.30 am-9.00am:Pali*
9.30 am-11.00 am:Abhidhamma *
11.00am:Lunch
12.00pm to 4.30pm:Self-study
4.30pm:Walking and standing meditation at a nearby ancient pagoda (outdoor activity)
5.40pm:Dhamma discussion
6.00pm:Rest/Bath
7.00pm:Basic Buddhism
8.00pm:Sitting meditation
9.00pm:Chanting and sharing merits

* These are intermediate levels. But beginners are welcome to come and listen.

27th to 28th April (2 days) -Meditation retreat

7.30 am: Basic meditation instructions and taking 8 precepts
8.30am:Sitting meditation
9.15am:Walking and standing meditation
10.00am: Sitting meditation
11.00am:Lunch
12.00pm:Rest/walking
1.00pm:Sitting
2.00pm:Walking
3.00pm: Sitting
4.00pm:Dhamma Discussion
4.30pm:Walking at Stupa (outdoor activity)
5.40pm:Meditation Discussion
6.00pm:Rest/bath
7.00pm:Dhamma and Meditation discussion
8.00pm:Sitting meditation
9.00pm:Chanting and sharing merits
Please contact us if you are coming to attend this course.

Volunteering work in Dhamma

Why volunteering creates stress in mind? One helps in Buddhist centre, helping the chief abbot/chief nun, helping other monks/nuns, helping yogis, helping this and that. If one refuses to help, people say one becomes more selfish, more egoist!

I notice a lot of volunteers, whether renunciates or meditators, do not have happy face or cheerful face, but stressed face and tired face. Actually, they suffer from 'compassionate fatigue' or 'volunteering burnout'.
They feel tired, and cannot have time to meditate. When they do sitting meditation, they feel asleep due to tiredness and cannot have mindfulness and concentration on the meditation objects.
They help people to get Dhamma, but they seem to lose the peacefulness and happiness in Dhamma.

Sometimes I wonder, if volunteering work really can bring happiness and peacefulness to the mind!

I also do lots of charity work, Dhamma work. If I work with right people, then things are okay! But if I work with wrong people, people who are demanding, insisting on their way, then I also suffer. Because I feel it is 'not nice' to reject their needs and wishes since they also helping in Dhamma work. Their behaviours create stress in my mind.

What is the meaning behind doing so much volunteering work? Is it to fulfill the parami (perfection)? Or because we really want to help others? Or simply we want to kill the time? or because our 'ego' or 'self' wants to be a useful self in this life? or we need more self-esteem in one self?
The answers can be many, ranging to making this self useful, or simply to really the wish to help people.
As long as we have good motivation or cetana (intention) to help others, this good deed will create good kammic result in this life and next lives.

But if we are overstressed, and our energy is overspent, then we have aversion, anger or even hatred. Then we might even gain unwholesome effect due to our negative minds and emotions. So we get plus points for volunteering, then minus points for our anger and ill-will.

Whatever is it, always be mindful of own intention, energy and wish. We also have to see our level of energy. Sometimes as we get older, our energy become less. Also when we are not healthy, then we get irritated easily.
If we are lacking the power even to save the peacefulness in own mind, maybe it is time to consider if volunteering work is too much.

It is good to 'take leave' from volunteering work. Just simply go to a meditation centre, spend one month in meditation doing nothing by sitting, walking and noticing daily activities, then we might get back our enthusiasm in volunteering or charity work.

Finished teaching 10 days course of Buddhism in Thabarwa Centre

Including Basic Buddhism and meditation for beginners

and Pali and Abhidhamma for serious Buddhists.

Taught by Sayalay Cala Theri,
MA 3rd year in International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University.
BSc Computer (Honors), Coventry University/Inti Colleges and Universities.
Dhamma translator and editor for 9 years.

Loving-kindness and Forgiveness

Recently in Feb 2016, I was teaching in Thabarwa centre to a group of foreigners who were travelling in Myanmar. Most of them were happened to stay in this centre for a few days. I was thinking, I tried to share the essence of Dhamma, without dwelling too much on ritual or superficial side.
I taught them loving-kindness combined with forgiveness. The reason was that I read lots of psychology books and realised people living in modern technology and stress society are not able to slow down, enjoy life and forgive one’s mistakes. I started with the normal way to radiate loving-kindness, and combine with forgiveness practice. I was quite surprised to hear the feedback at the end.
At first, I started with ‘May I be well and happy’ as a loving-kindness practice.
The usual way is wishing us in four ways:
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from mental suffering, - no stress, no sadness, no depression, no unhappiness
May I be free from physical suffering - no body problem. no cancer, no heart problem, no eyes problem…
May I take of myself happily.

  [Click here to read more]

Dhamma reflection in poem

When the dream doesn’t come true!

I had a big dream of going overseas,
To further my studies, to improve my knowledge
Days and night, I planned with my sister,
We discussed and thought many times.

We had big dreams and high hopes,
Happily we lived in our dream,
My dream was her dream,
And her dream was my dream.

Then I received the news,
The scholarship is for others,
The dream was burst,
All plannings came to naught.

We were in surprise,
and couldn’t believe at first.
How we cherished the dream!
How we loved that dream!

But then this bad news was good news.
Now, we have finished that dream,
And realized the emptiness of that dream.
It was daydreaming and night-planning.

If the kamma is there, it will be fulfilled,
If the kamma is not there, it will not be fulfilled.
Though we do things with diligence and effort,
But maybe ‘fate’ prefers us to stay in Myanmar.

Now, we get on with our lives in Myanmar,
We move to next planning in charity works,
Maybe we continue to dream more,
But dreaming makes us happy.

Whatever fulfilled or unfulfilled dreams,
We have many hopes for the future,
Even though some hopes left unfulfilled,
But least we have beautiful hopes!      

Impermanence

Dhamma reflection: Dialogue between a boy with a mother on the topic of impermanence and appreciating life.

Supposing a little child has broken a cup, he will be afraid his mother will scold him. However, if the mother is wise, she will give him such advice as below.

[Boy said:]
Mum,mum, Come here and look.
The cup is broken by me.
I am so sorry about it.
I really apologize for it.

[Mum said:]
It is alright, boy.
No problem, boy.
The cup is made of glass,
So, it will be broken easily.

[Boy said:]
Why are you not angry with me?
Why do you not scold me?
Normally, you always get angry,
When I break any things, mum.

[Mum said:]
Today I realize the nature of things,
Things are impermanent,
Transient in nature.
Things get broken, sooner and later.

As long as we treasured it before,
Have used it before,
Really appreciated it before,
So it fulfilled its purpose.

We see things in positive way, son,
We see things in useful way, son,
We have used the cup to hold the water.
We have used the cup to drink from it.
It lets our body be cool and without thirst.

The cup has finished its function.
So, we are happy with it.
Now, the cup is broken.
Never mind, the cup has done its duty.

Let's us buy another cup.
Let's us appreciate another cup.
So also, we live in this moment, appreciating what we have.
Therefore, We live in this life, appreciating each other.

Impurity of the body

Beauty is only skin deep.

This is the truth, but who wants to know?

We spend money on clothes, decoration,

To beautiful this body.

It looks beautiful on outside,

It is really ugly inside.

Full of impure things,

urine, feces, sweat, snot.

We need to take care of it,

Bath it, feed it, groom it.

Taking care of it every day,

Day and night.

Yet it lets us down

By aging, sickness and death.

Not so say we should ignore it,

Because we still need it.

Just as the boat carrying passengers to other shore,

So also the body carrying us to the truth.

From the body, we learn the truth:

Impurity, impermanence, suffering and non-self.

Though it shows us this truth,

We choose to ignore it.

Welcome to the truth,

If you really like the truth.