Thanks Htet Phoe & Lynette,

Things are a bit clearer now. However, as Htet Phoe says that Myanmar names
are unique, it is unlikely that the name SHWE ZAN AUNG has the surname as
final, Western style. Or, should it read Aung, Shwe Zan (as indexed in
biblio).

Also I work in an increasing westernized situation here in Singapore, that
is, we have many lay Dharma teachers (incl lay meditation teachers), like
myself. A number of students have asked me how to address a senior lay
teacher (in English, that is). More traditional circles use sifu (Chinese),
or sensei (Zen, Japanese), or "lama la" (Tibetan), or swami (Indian), but
English-speaking Singaporean are in the midst of sinking cultural roots.

One reason for a need of proper address is to avoid caveperson lingo. For
example, when someone wishes to ask a question in class, and is not sure if
they should address me by name (this is Asia!), they would into "Ah.." or
"Uggh.." Then I know I am addressed :)

Half-jokingly, I told them to address me as "Piya" (my Pali name), with
which I feel quite comfortable as it avoids a sense of status in
status-conscious Singapore and Malaysia.

Recently, I discovered that "Piya" in Myanmar actually has a meaning close
to Thai "tahn" (something like "sir"). Apparently, my name comprises two of
the most common polite salutations of Thailand and Myanmar! Or so it seems.

My point is that if "Piya" is a polite salutation meaning something like
"sir," it should be suitable for addressing lay Dharma teachers (like
"Ajahn" in Thailand, which is used for both monastic and lay). Please
remember we are talking about Singapore (or perhaps modern Australian)
scenario with practising Buddhists.

My question is: is "piya" a Myanmar salutation, and how is it used there?

Thanks again.

Piya



On 10/19/06, Lynette Monteiro <lynettemonteiro@...>
wrote:

>
> Dear Friends,
>
> I am new to the group and have been enjoying the exchanges. Thank you.
>
> Burmese names are a unit so there isn't a surname per se. However, the
> "last" name or family connect is placed first. "Aung Shwezan" makes more
> sense as (I think) "Aung" is more likely the surname. "Shwezan" would be one
> unit so I don't think I'd use Shwe as an index.
>
> Metta,
> Lynette
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Piya Tan
> To: Pali Yahoo Group
> Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:10 AM
> Subject: [Pali] Burmese names
>
> Friends,
>
> I hope some Myanmarese (Burmese) viewer could help me here about
> Burmese names. As I do not have the Library of Congress guide to
> book classification rules and guidelines, I am trying to figure out
> how to index Burmese name like
>
> SHWE ZAN AUNG
>
> (1) Do I enter the name as it is, as it is a unique name?
> (2) Or, is the surname AUNG, so that I should index it so.
>
> I notice most biblios index the name under AUNG, though I have a
> feeling it should be SHWE.
>
> Piya Tan
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.408 / Virus Database: 268.13.5/483 - Release Date: 10/18/2006
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]