Episode #65: The Taste of Dhamma
This is the fourth episode in our ongoing series, “Love Letters to Myanmar.”
As many long-time listeners are aware, the origins of this podcast platform were initially focused on meditation and Buddhist practice related to Myanmar. Following the military coup, however, the entire mission has been shifted in order to this emergency.
This new series is not in any way intended, nor should it be seen, as an escape from the current circumstances in Myanmar… especially for those now listening from places of freedom and safety! Rather, these shows are meant to aid listeners in keeping one’s heart firmly rooted in the Golden Land, while also providing a sense of renewed energy and purpose as one faces the latest developments.
Today’s show takes a spiritual angle, welcoming three foreigners who came to Myanmar as part of their inner journey. So today’s show is a bit nostalgic, as it evokes the content we focused on before these dark days enveloped the Golden Land. The guests—a monk, a nun, and a lay meditator—share how Myanmar has influenced and supported their spiritual paths, and the depth of gratitude they have for the country and people. Their words and reflections are of value to practitioners everywhere.
The first guest is Venerable Canda, a Buddhist nun from England. When she was 15 years old, she felt “this very overwhelming sense of needing first to find the meaning of why I'm actually here, what this life is about, and why there's so much suffering in the world. Also, what the purpose of suffering is, and whether we just suffer helplessly and with no particular reason, or whether there's something we can do with that suffering in order to transform our hearts and find a compassionate response.” Four years later, this query set her on a spiritual path to India, where she attended a ten-day vipassana meditation course in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. The experience was so profound that she knew that the path would be her whole life. Indeed, ten years later she would find herself north of Yangon, shaving her head and preparing for nun ordination. Her preceptor was The Phyu Taw Ya Sayadaw, a monk who had formerly been appointed a teacher in the Goenka tradition. He was renowned for his deep samādhi prowess, and Venerable Canda observed how he “gained very deep insight quite quickly as a result of his strong foundation and of course, a life of virtue, a life of pristine sila, ethics, and virtuous conduct.” Despite the difficulties of climate and food, she found the whole experience like “stepping back into the days of the Buddha.” Reflecting now on everything she received in her spiritual life from Burmese teachers and the wider monastic and lay community, Venerable Canda feels that now is very much the time to give back. Towards this end, she reminds practitioners: “I do believe we have to learn how to bring our practice on the cushion into every aspect of our life.”
The next guest is Bhikkhu Rahula, a Mexican monk currently on retreat in Malaysia. His first vipassana course took place in Japan, also in the tradition of S. N. Goenka, and as with Venerable Canda, it was a life-changing experience. As a result, he and his ex-wife also visited Myanmar, having learned that many meditation traditions originated here and wishing to immerse themselves in monastic life. Choosing to stay at monasteries rather than meditation centers ended being a profound learning experience for him: “I felt I felt a degree of freedom and responsibility. There was no one looking what are you doing, if you're sitting or not. So the teachers give you the responsibility, and you are responsible of your own mind.” Before Bhante Rahula decided to ordain for life, he traveled annually to Myanmar for temporary ordinations, where he visited a wide variety of monasteries and learned under several teachers. While doing so, he came to realize that the spiritual experience in Myanmar was not limited to practice, as he soon devoted himself to studying pariyatti under some of the most renowned academic monks, which brought an even further benefit to his practice. As he says, “The most important thing that I ever encountered in my life, is a gift from Burma. I learned from many teachers and have rejoiced from the generous support of so many people. So it is really beyond words, it is priceless. It is the biggest treasure in my life and something that I'm dedicated to, and I hope I can live up to it and do service for the Dhamma and all the generosity of all these people.” Bhante Rahula also brings a Buddhist perspective to his understanding of the crisis, commenting, “The first thing we must do is become responsible of our own greed, aversion and ignorance. That's the first thing we should do because it's still alive in our hearts.”
Finally, we hear a talk recorded in January 2020 with Breno Liberato. Like our other two guests, he also got his start on a vipassana course in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, attending a center near his home in Brazil. However, this interview is quite different from any others aired since the coup, as it was conducted in person, ijust before the COVID pandemic hit, and a full year in advance of the coup. So although the talk took place relatively recently, ensuing events make it feel as if from a different century. It is bittersweet to revisit this conversation now, as it shines a light on a world that is no longer available, and may never return. Breno speaks excitedly and joyously about his arrival in Myanmar and his plans for further spiritual development at the various monasteries and meditation centers he hopes to visit. At the same time, the talk clearly fits into this current series, as one hears the deep appreciation of a visitor who has benefited from his association, however brief, with the Burmese people and country. Like Venerable Canda and Bhante Rahula, Breno was also deeply moved by his early meditative experiences, and also like them, was motivated to travel halfway across the world to experience the origins of the mindfulness movement. He felt particularly called to try the mettā course of Chan Myay Myaing, and then learn cittanupassana from Sayadaw U Tejaniya. For Breno, it was the call to come that was most important. He says: “Sometimes we have a call to meditate, and we don't really understand why. When it comes to the intellectual side of the mind, it brings a lot of confusion. But oftentimes, we just have an experience in which we see very clearly what we think what we would like to do. It starts with trust in ourselves and in our intuition, our instinct. And that's what I'm trying to do. Just trying to follow the intuition that comes when my mind seems to be more quiet, and that kind of intuition comes clearly. And I think this is a very good thing to do.”