From Rio to Rangoon

Emmanuel Flores’ first experience with meditation was in Rio de Janeiro, when he was just nine years old, and his father told him to sit in front of a candle. Raised Catholic, he remembers being curious about understanding God from an early age, and as he grew older, tried to keep his mind positive through much of the day. Yet aside from reflection and reading, he didn’t have much of an actual practice. However, his spiritual journey took an important turn when he was 20, and a friend introduced him to vipassana meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, saying, “It's the best gift you can give to yourself.”

He was deeply moved by his first course, and devoted himself to the practice. Gradually, he began to learn the stories of Ledi Sayadaw, Saya Thet Gyi, and Sayagyi U Ba Khin, key individuals from the lineage. “What an interesting place to go,” he remembers thinking, “how [Burma] produced these kinds of human beings! I'd be curious to know about it more.”

Two events would come together to make Emmanuel’s dream a reality. The first was an encounter with a fellow meditator who had returned from extended time in India and Burma, and raved about his time at Webu Sayadaw’s monastery in Ingyinbin. The second was his uncle being named the Brazilian Ambassador to Myanmar. So he flew out to Myanmar, staying with his uncle at first, and then enrolling in a ten-day meditation course at Dhamma Joti, which a number of monks also attended. “That was very inspiring, meditating together and seeing and observing them,” he recalls. “At the end of the course, I was filled with this inspiration to see how the monastic life actually is.”

When he searched for a monastery that would ordain him, he was amazed to discover how distinct they were; for example, some served their local communities, some only taught novices, etc. He had to seek out which site would be best for his purposes, which included the requirement that he be allowed to continue his vipassana practice as taught by Goenka, and not have to learn a new technique.

When he actually did ordain, he was amazed at how powerful it was to wear the robes. “It's completely different to be lay practitioner and Buddhist monk,” he says. “You have to restrain yourself a lot, and also to memorize these rules. It's not easy, but I also felt that this gave me some kind of protection, and also helped in the practice. The intention became to practice more and more!”

While he had been studying the Vinaya (227 monastic rules) prior to his ordination, there was nothing that could quite prepare him for the experience of actually being a Buddhist monk in Burma. “It made me much more cautious,” he says. “You put on the robes, and then you see yourself as having to represent the Dhamma in some way, so it's a big responsibility… I tried my best to be worthy of so much that I was receiving in requisites, in food, in accommodation, in anything I needed! It was a way to recognize these gifts by focusing and really trying to concentrate on the practice, on developing not only meditation, but developing good qualities as well patience and loving kindness.”

Emmanuel’s understanding of practice opened up further. Since he had only meditated in the ideal course environments that the Goenka tradition affords, he was moved at seeing how fellow monks could maintain their mindfulness even the midst of noise and commotion. He also came to believe that spiritual development should not rely on formal practice alone, but also incorporate study. In his case, that meant not only study of the suttas, but also the Burmese language, so as to better be able to communicate with those around him.

One elder monk became his teacher, and on one occasion, he asked him what lineage he was a part of. His answer remains in his mind: “He said, ‘My teacher is the Buddha… if I have a doubt, I can go to the texts, I have the Pāḷi Canon to direct me. I can go straight to the source!’ This was wonderful to grasp, so I too started trying to study and develop at least a little bit of learning of the suttas and Pāḷi. It’s something I see a lot, many people just focusing on meditation practice, but if they don't understand the teachings, maybe they're doing things wrong, they have might have misconceptions, as I had many.” He was also deeply impressed to witness the memorization prowess of his teacher, which allowed the Buddha’s teachings to reside independently in one’s own mind, without even needing a book to confer with.

Emmanuel was a monk when the military initiated a coup on February 1, 2021. Although he had little knowledge of Burmese politics, his teacher’s reaction told him all he needed know. “Seeing his complexion, his face, well, he wasn't crying, but he was about to cry. And to see to see such a master with that complexion, it was very impactful. I got an idea of what was really happening. And then there was news of the protests and violence of the military in response. People dying in nonviolent acts.”

Although Emmanuel left later that year, his warm memories of his time in the Golden Land remain strong. “I'm left with a thankful feeling, with lots of love towards all the people of Burma that I met, because it enriched my life, and it enriched my practice! When practicing mettā, I always try to remember them… Burma is still in my mind, and I really wish I can go back there again, and learn from that place more.”