Sometimes a particular event, or even a single moment, can prove to be so complex and layered that it can take days, and even months, to fully process. While our usual interviews focus on the life story of a guest or are organized around a common theme or topic, and often wide-ranging in scope, in this Dhamma Diaries series we go deeply into just one, brief, fateful moment in time.
Episodes in this series first examine the event itself, discussing in great detail what actually happened, as well as the background of what led to the incident. We then go into the implications of the experience, and move on to discuss the deeper meaning and relevance that the incident reveals in helping glean lessons about the Burma Dhamma.
This approach allows us to tease out various strands that weave together into that incident. In this way, we can both analyze these complex situations with microscopic vision while also taking a step back to discuss the context in which they occur. As analysis is always affected by the methods of examination, episodes in this series bring a different lens than usual with its micro-to-macro perspective.
Episodes Include:
From the River Bank of Consciousness: “And then there was a particular moment in the meditation where it was almost as if awareness separated out from the rest of the objects of consciousness.” So begins David Sudar on sharing about one of his most powerful meditation experiences, which occurred during one sitting at Shwe Oo Min Monastery in Yangon. David describes how in this transformational moment, he was able to maintain a clear awareness even as the process of thinking continued, and that this was the first moment he was able to observe his thoughts and feelings without becoming entangled in them. As he goes on to say, “I was just like, oh my goodness, this is what I get fooled by, these tingling sensations throughout the body, these piercing sensations, these impulses. And now, it was so obvious that all of that was optional, that wasn't a ‘given’ in my experience, that I would have to get entangled, or identified, or grasp on to things.” The talk unfolds with David describing this experience in further detail, as well as what conditions led it to arise and how his meditation practice and spiritual awakening unfolded after that moment of insight. We then go on to discuss a wide range of topics, including the personality and methodology of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, the evolution of mindfulness training across traditions, the role of thinking in formal practice, and the prevalence of the Mahasi technique in Myanmar.
An Assault on Faith: Sometimes a single moment can be so profound… or so complex… that it takes hours, or even days, following the encounter to get a handle on it. In the story that follows, that “moment” has been taking years to process. In this case, the actual moment in question is simple enough: Yonie, an African-American vipassana meditator in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, travels to Myanmar to pay homage to the lineage of his teacher and consider monastic ordination. Several days into his stay at a Yangon monastery, he is in the dining hall awaiting lunch, when a long-standing Burmese monk aggressively motions for him to leave, and when he doesn’t, the monastic hauls off and kicks him. This disturbing incident—which in terms of time, lasted no more than a minute—is astounding in its complexity, and poses many swirling questions to untangle and process. Our conversation unfolds with Yonie and I doing our best to explore its many threads, and includes such topics as global anti-racism, how Dhamma practice can inform one’s response to prejudice, the collective trauma of Burmese given their recent history, the indirect nature of Burmese communication, and much more.
Empathy for the Executioners: In 2017, Zach Hessler, then known as U Obhasa, was a forest monk in upper Myanmar. Following in the tradition of monks during the Buddha's time, one day he set out from his forest monastery on foot to wander among the mountains and villages in the vicinity. He did so with the intention of following a set of ascetic practices known as dhutaṅga. But he could not have imagined what would happen next. Unknowingly entering a forbidden area, he and his monastic companion suddenly found themselves surrounded by several dozen men wielding weapons, suspecting that the two bhikkhus were spies. Where some would spin what ensued as an adventure tale of escaping a near-death experience in an exotic locale, Zach instead goes into the Dhamma wisdom derived from that terrifying encounter. His fascinating story explores a range of topics: the conditioning of the mind, modern and traditional forms of monkhood, living in nature, the purpose of the Vinaya, complacency, the value of practice, and what happens within the mind when the concept of death becomes an imminent reality.
A Sobering Experience in Ingyinbin: Joah tells the story of an alcoholic Airbnb guest from Europe who disrupts his Yangon home. Learning that the guest had chosen to stay there as a cry for help in battling his addiction problems, Joah arranges for him to meet two foreign monks to begin to learn about Dhamma, and eventually helps him to stay for several weeks under the care of Ashin Mandala at Webu Sayadaw Monastery in Ingyinbin village, in northern Myanmar. There the guest is given sensitive, personal guidance in meditation and the Dhamma, and his mind starts to quiet down for perhaps the first time in his life. Joah and Zach close by discussing what this anecdote tells us about the possibilities for spiritual practice in Myanmar today, and contrasts this experience with opportunities found in the West.