INTRODUCTION If the practice of Lord Buddha’s vipassanæ dhamma spreads all over the world, many people will become free from craving, hatred, ignorance, conceit and other defilements and so there will be universal peace and harmony among mankind. Motivated by this hope and conviction, the members of Buddhasæsananuggaha Association headed by Thadothirithudhamma Sir U Thwin invited the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw, the pre-eminent teacher of vipassanæ meditation to Sæsana Yeiktha in Yangon in 1949 just after Myanmar’s attainment of independence. Since then the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw has been residing at Sæsana Yeiktha and teaching the Satipa¥¥hæna vipassanæ practice to both monks and lay yogøs who come from all over Myanmar. With implicit faith in the Ven. Sayædaw’s spiritual virtues and wisdom many bhikkhus and lay disciples practised vipassanæ correctly under his guidance and returned to their native places where they became instructors in the Mahæsø technique of vipassanæ meditation. So according to the report read on the recent anniversary of the Mahæsø pþjæ and admonition day, there are now 321 meditation centers in all parts of Myanmar and over eight hundred thousand yogøs who have practised vipassanæ meditation. Since 1952 the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw has occasionally gone abroad for the propagation of the Buddha-dhamma and there are now Mahæsø Satipa¥¥¬æna meditation centers in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Indonesia and other Asian countries. Some foreigners too have visited Sæsana Yeiktha and practised vipassanæ under the guidance of the Ven. Sayædaw. Among them the German bhikkhu Ñæ¼aponika and Rear-Admiral Shattock practised to their entire satisfaction and after their return to their countries they wrote books describing their spiritual experience and attainment of inner peace at Sæsana Yeiktha. The Mahæsø way of meditational practice has now become well known all over the world. Many people of various nationalities have come to Myanmar, practised vipassanæ at Sæsana Yeiktha and some foreigners have even become bhikkhus and nuns. The Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw’s missionary work has made much progress since 1970. His books which are now over eighty in number have been published and distributed by the Buddhasæsananuggaha Association and some books have now come out in English translations. At the invitation of Dr. U Revatadhamma (London), Mr. Joseph Goldstein and Mr. Jack Kornfield (America) and others, the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw and some disciples left Myanmar on world missionary tour. He spent altogether 118 days abroad, visiting nine countries, viz., Thailand, Japan, U.S.A., England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Holland and Germany. The Ven. Sayædaw prepared the following five talks for foreigners before he went abroad on missionary tour. (1) The
Noble Teaching of the Buddha There are English translations of these talks. The Ven. Sayædaw read them in English in all the countries he visited. The Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw went to England on 29-5-80 for the second time at the invitation of Dr. U Revatadhamma, U Myat Saw and others. The Ven. Sayædaw formally opened the Mahæsø Meditation Center at U Myat Saw’s residence in Oaken Holt, Oxford and gave instructions for long-term vipassanæ practice. He returned to Yangon on 23-7-80 after spending 56 days in England. Now the lay yogøs of Nepal where the birthplace of Lord Buddha lies have invited the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw to visit their country for the dissemination of the Dhamma. In 1960 the Nepalese nun Daw Sudhammavatø came to Myanmar and practised vipassanæ at Sæsana Yeiktha. When she was back in Nepal she and a Myanmar nun Daw Gunavatø started Theravæda Buddhist missionary work and gave instructions in Satipa¥¥¬æna vipassanæ as taught by the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw. Moreover bhikkhu Suma³gala, bhikkhu Ñæ¼aponika and other Nepalese bhikkhus came to Myanmar and practised vipassanæ under the guidance of the Ven. Sayædaw. Therefore Mahæsø vipassanæ practice is now fairly well established at the capital Kathmandu, Lumbini and other place in Nepal. The Nepalese bhikkhus and lay devotees have often come to Myanmar on pilgrimage and practised vipassanæ at Sæsana Yeiktha. The largest group was led by the nun Daw Sudhammavatø and including a bhikkhu. They practised vipassanæ at Sæsana Yeiktha for a month. They told the Buddha Sæsananuggaha Association that they would like to invite the Ven. Sayædaw to Nepal in summer. Moreover, the President of the Lumbini Development while on a visit to Yangon requested the Ven. Sayædaw for the favour of visiting Nepal on the occasion of the foundation-stone laying at Lumbini. The Ven, Mahæsø Sayædaw has kindly accepted the invitation of the Nepalese Buddhists and the following are the talks prepared by him for the people of Nepal. (1) The
Teaching of the Buddha These talks were translated into English by U Nyi Nyi, E.C. member of Buddha-sæsananuggaha Association and bhikkhu U Agga Dhamma. The talks will be translated into Nepalese and published in Nepal by the Nepalese bhikkhu Ñæ¼aponika who is doing missionary work in England. In response to the wishes of the Nepalese Buddhists the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw will open a meditation center in Nepal and teach vipassanæ practice for about twenty days. May the light of the Buddha’s vipassanæ meditation spread all over the world! Ma³galæ
Aung Myint |
