Among the first Westerners with Mahasi Sayadaw
Connecting with Alan and hearing about the early days of being one of the first Westerners in Burma at a time when the country was a dictatorship and closed to almost all foreigners was truly revelatory. Alan was blessed to be in such rare company with some of the most revered Burmese monks of the 20th century— and he knew it. I learned so much from this talk and reflect on it often when thinking about our experience as foreign meditators today.
“So there was nothing to go back to. I’d made a lot of money, I’d been in a long term relationship. It wasn’t sex and money. I was well educated, I read, I painted, I was creative. I played music.”
“I just love the spirit of the Burmese people, the people of Burma, not only the Burmese... to be in a culture so driven by dana... generosity, unconditional giving, was in itself all-inspiring. An impoverished country terrorized by authoritarian totalitarianism-- that [the Burmese] sought after this giving as a vocation in their life, the dignity rode on that wave. That was very empowering for me to see.
I won't go into the details, but I loathed American culture.... America is a killing machine. Not to say it's the only country in the world, but I feel grateful that I feel repulsed by violence.
So there was nothing to go back to. I'd made a lot of money, I'd been in a long term relationship. It wasn't sex and money. I was well educated, I read, I painted, I was creative. I played music, right. Okay. I had all the things that people longed for.
I was in intimate company, if you will, with the leading Sayadaws at the Mahasi Center. Mahasi Sayadaw, one of the chief people at the Sixth Great Buddhist Council, certainly, you know, the Mahasi Yeithka is considered the home, the birthplace of the worldwide mass lay meditation movement. I had access to him in dialogue. I had access to them, in behavioral apprenticeship, watching them: how they talk, relate, share, listen, look. Sayadaw U Pandita became one of my closest teachers and friends after Mahasi died in 1982.
And these monks, at the time, being that I was among the first Westerners, I was told, ever to ordain at the yeiktha in modern times... they delighted in talking to this young novice. And so we had an endless lineup of translators. And I had unlimited questions about the nature of consciousness and meditation and life, theoretical questions, I'm sure they found me, you know, barely tolerable. But the delight of that Dhamma dialogue, if you will, was radically inspiring.
And I just simply loved the regularity of monastic life, the idea of meditating a lot. It wasn't ever an issue of ‘a lot.’ I actually enjoyed meditation. And so the last point was, I may not be a quick learner, but I'm a very diligent student. And I listened very carefully. And so I listened to their instructions. I know that I didn't know. And I had great faith and competence that they did know. And so I put aside my own opinions and listened carefully to their instructions and followed them. And it turned out to be very valuable to do that... a very valuable approach to meditation. Just set your own mind, decide your own thoughts, your preferences, be mindful if you need to be mindful of them, but by and large, just surrender and listen and do. And I did that and the results were remarkable.
And so I said, ‘Why would I ever want to return to lay life when the results of focusing concentration and effort and mindfulness on the nature of mind leads to this level of insight and joy?’ I said, ‘forget it’.”