A message of desperation
Many foreign meditators who follow the vipassana teachings of S.N Goenka are familliar with Monywa, the capital city of the north-west region of Myanmar. Monywa has been an important site for the development of vipassana practice, and in addition, it also has a long-running importance throughout Myanmar’s politics. Lately, the people in this area have been getting deeply involved in the Spring Revolution of Myanmar. This is a letter from a friend from Monywa, informing us about the situations in his area and surrounding areas.
“Dear friend,
These days, it is both demotivating and inspiring to me at the same time because of the situation I am facing. In this month of April, the villages in the south of Monywa were burned down to the ground by the evil military and its follower-dogs (pro-military supporters). The thing that motivates me even just a little is that the local resistance groups and underground administration committees are implementing schools under their guardianship in Myaung township, so we can give some normalcy back to our children. However, we hear more and more news about villages which are being burned.
An entire village in the south of Monywa was burned down on April 23 and many local news outlets reported it, as over 70 houses burned down in that village. Can you imagine? I contacted my students whom I taught 5 years ago in that village. Most of them could not even be reached. Fortunately, one student, a 13-year old boy, answered my phone call and I learned that he and his family were no longer in their village as they fled. They are staying at a safe place where his relatives are living. His voice was so dull and he told me that four other students’ families are also taking refuge in other places.
When I asked him if they are staying at a monastery or nunnery, he told me another terribly sad story of an abbot who offered the refugees to stay safely in his monastery, and because of his courage in offering this refuge, the Sayadaw was killed by the evil military! Informants told the soldiers, and they in turn came to the monastery to murder the elder monk. He continued to tell me such sad news concerning the surrounding villages. Since the evils were going from one village to another and burned down houses, the local villagers also had to move to other places and into town due to their proximity to the brutality of the evils.
All I heard on the phone were these kinds of totally sad things! My young student said that it was a hell for them on that day. I can’t even imagine. His younger brother, a 7-year old boy, was sick as he landed on a spike while he was running and crossing the fields to escape from the soldiers. On the following days, they were supposed to sleep beneath a bunch of rain trees in the fields. This is a horror we are all living through. Does anyone know it?
I have tried to reach other families of my former students. Fortunately, I eventually found them in a nunnery in the town. Hence, I would like to request you if you would kindly support them for some relief aids, mainly food, to help them and the other refugees who are now running for their lives from these mad soldiers. I am also planning to collect some used clothes from my friends and relatives for them. Anything you can give towards this purpose will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.”