Burma Day 12: Diving Into and Emerging Out of the Burmese Silence

To see what you missed, read Day 11. To see how the following pilgrims enjoyed their own day of meditation at Webu Sayadaw monastery during the subsequent month, see here. The following excerpt was written by Kory Goldberg about the Buddhist pilgrimage in Burma.You can also consider joining a later pilgrimage in Burma yourself.

A view of the San Kyaung museum building attached to the central pagoda stupa on the Patipatti side

"Spending the day meditating where a person became an Arahant and passed away into parinibbana is certainly atypical. The pilgrimage's first one-day course was badly needed by all and the site's intensity brought up deep tranquility for some; mind-numbing chaos for others, indicating the diverse and divergent ways in which people are experiencing this tour. The peak of today's evening snack was an intense check-in process that revealed how people in the group are feeling about the pilgrimage and its inner processes. For the most part, people are enriching their contemplative practice, gaining an understanding of the complex Burmese Buddhist context in which our teacher constructed his secular presentation of the Buddha's teachings, and increasing their confidence in the Triple Gem. At the same time, sankharas are spewing out, and for some, spinning out of control as culture shock electrocutes the nervous system. The meeting tonight cleared many of the misconceptions and miscommunications away from the surface, but plunging deeply into radical and honest self-reflection is the only way to dispel the emerging challenges at their base. Onwards..."

For more, click for Day 13...

The old hall where Buddhist festivals and holidays were held, when the entire town and monastery would come to honor, celebrate, and make merit