Mahasi and U Pandita Traditions: No Authorized Western Teachers
There was truly never a dull moment in the first talk I had with Alan Clements. I think you can pull a five minute excerpt from any part of that interview and have hours of content to reflect upon and process. That’s why I’m thrilled that we have another full length interview yet to be released, and a third one scheduled for the next week concerning his new book, Burma’s Voices of Freedom. But as for below, he shines a light on how the great Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita viewed the possibilities of Western teachers within their respective traditions.
“Anyone who’s teaching in the so-called Mahasi system is doing it against what they’ve been told by Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita!”
“In my experience, stating the obvious, having had numerous hours and months and years of dialogue, primarily with the late venerable Sayadaw U Pandita, [with whom I] spent decades discussing Dhamma… did a book with him before he died, "Wisdom for a World in Crisis." I had thousands of hours of dialogue with him. And Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita, the principal two senior Nayaka Sayadaws in that tradition. Maybe it was Silananda to some extent, but he really wasn't a meditation teacher. U Lakkhana to some extent, but primarily Sayadaw U Pandita, who became the ovata saraya of Mahasi when he passed away.
The principle vipassana satipattana teachers, they made it adamantly clear that they never have sanctioned a [lay] Westerner to teach in the system. So anyone who's teaching in the so-called Mahasi system is doing it against what they've been told by Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita! He's been adamant about that.
Even Westerners I've been told, who've gone to see him asking for, 'can I be sanctioned in your tradition under you?' And he'll say, not only 'No!', but 'I would ask you to cease teaching! Share what you know from your direct experience, but don't use the word teach.'
Very different. And so that's one thing is that there are no Western teachers that have been accredited, so to speak, including me! I don't I don't teach 'Buddhism.' I don't teach 'retreats,' I ceased using the word.
I simply share my experience of how I meditate and lead group discussions by those who want to come and reveal how I've lied to myself how I've deceived myself, the insights, the fears, their proclivities, the experiences, but don't follow me. Think for yourself, you know, follow the Kalama Sutta.
Do that which liberates and be very careful about assessing what liberates from that which you think liberates.”