Daer friends,
Suan Luzaw wrote this letter about the Myanmar sayadaws to the Dhamma Study
Group and gave his kind permission to forward it. I was greatly impressed by
the amount of centers of learning and thought that this was not widely
known.
Nina.
Suan wrote:
<I studied Pali at the Mandalay University briefly before transfer to
a university in Yangon. The student hall I stayed was not very far
from the eastern wall of the Mandalay Palace. So it is called Nan
Shaet Hall (Nan = Palace, Shaet = East). And it is also within a
walking distance of about one hour or so away from Manadalay Hill. So
in the evenings, I usually organized walks with other students to
visit Mandalay Hill, Kuthodaw (Kusala Royal), Historical Monasteries
in the suburbs between Nan Shaet Hall and Mandalay Hill. As those
places are historical places and buildings, I had a feeling of being
relocated in a different time and place.
I did not have a chance to visit Mahagandhayon (Mahaa gandha
aaramma.na). But, I regard the late Mahagandhayon Sayadaw, Ashin
Janakaabhivamsa, as my textual guru because he wrote modern Nissaya
texts on all the commentaries and subcommentaries on Abhidhamma
Pi.taka, which I study and consult all the time (I have them in
Canberra). I also use his Nissaya text of Kaccaayana Pali Saddaa
(Pali grammar).
I haven't been to Pagan either. I will surely visit Pagan when I
visit Myanmar. I have no doubt about going to have a feeling of
relocation in even more distant time and place.
I also hope that the natural environments in Myanmar remain as long
as possible. No need to destroy them in the name of development.
Yes, study of Abhidhamma, commentaries, and subcommentaries, study of
Pali saddaa texts the old way, writing of new works and new Nissaya
texts on Pali Tipi.taka will remain intact through the thriving
learning centres in each region of Myanmar such as Mandalay
Monasteries, Sagai Monasteries, Pakhukkuu Monasteries, Pyi
Monasteries, Yangon Monasteries, Pegu Monasteries, Myaungmya
Monasteries, Mawlamyaing Monasteries and the like. The above are
large cities with established famous unique monastic learning
traditions of their own. Needless to say, new works keep being
produced from those regional monasteries generations after
generations.
And it is customary for Myanmar Sayadaws to seek out and learn from
monateries from other regions even after they have passed all the
prescribed monastic examinations.
The late Mahagandhayon Sayadaw Asin Janakaabhivamsa had studied at
Monastries in Mandalay (Upper Myanmar), Pakhukku (Middle Myanmar) and
Myaungmya (Lower Myanmar) to gain richer learning, teaching and
interpretative techniques. He was a very prolific writer, too.
By the way, U Pe Maung Tin used Pyi Sayadaw's Nissaya texts on
A.t.thasaalinii and Visuddhimaggo (Pyi in Middle Myanmar) when he
translated them as "The Expositor" and "The Path Of Purity". I have
Pyi Sayadaw's Nissaya texts On A.t.thasaalinii in addition to
Mahagandhayon Sayadaw's modern Nissaya texts. Pyi Sayadaw's Nissaya
texts are called "Old Nissaya Texts". I would like to know what it
feels like having Pyi Sayadaw's Nissaya texts on Visuddhimaggo.
Nissaya texts are study aids for students of Pali and convenient
reference works for Pali scholars.