Mindhamma Taung

I first had the honor of meeting Sayadaw U Sanda Thiri while I was visiting Min Dhamma Taung and worshipping at the pagodas and stupas that surround it. From the first time that I laid eyes on his noble features, a feeling of deep reverence was aroused for the Sayadaw.

The Sayadaw appeared to be about 60 years of age, of medium height, with a fair complexion, and a commanding presence deserving respect and admiration. In addition, probably due to his life of devotion to the Dhamma, his face shone with radiance.

I paid my respects to the Sayadaw and proceeded to ask for illumination on the various aspects of his life and Dhamma practice.

“ How long have you been on this mountain? And if possible, could you enlighten us on the nature of your practice of sarana”[1]

“We first arrived on this mountain in January 1956, that is, my elder brother U Nyaneinda and myself. We came to meditate and to find the path to liberation. Before that we resided in Zeya Thukha monastery in Kyimyindine. At that time, the “soon” donor for my brother was U Sein, father of the movie actor U Kyaw Hein. He was the one who made known to us this Min Dhamma Taung in Insein township. He informed us that this place, being very isolated, would be very suitable as a meditation retreat.

When we first came to this mountain, it was densely forested. Human habitation was far away, and there were only bamboo clumps and forests and paddy fields. There were various poisonous snakes such as cobras, viper and nandaw-gyar (a type of snake). Because of the presence of these venomous snakes, very few people frequent the area. The two of us made a clearing for ourselves on the mountain, laid it with straw and we sat down to meditate on top of the straw. We started with the anapana[2] meditation.

From the first moment that we started to meditate we went on a vegetarian diet. We had only soy bean paste that our devotees had given to us in little clay pots, and that we ate this with boiled vegetables like cabbage and rice.

This Min Dhamma mountain is inhabited by supernatural beings, both good and evil. There are spirits guarding the mountain and there are spirits guarding the treasure troves or Thikes[3]. There are apparitions and specters that are meant to put fear into you. For anyone who doesn’t possess the required level of sarana practice, it would be difficult to last on these mountains for even a moment, let alone live there.

When we two brothers first arrived here to practice anapana meditation, there were all sorts of disturbances, menaces, and hostile encounters with these beings. This mountain has a very unusual history. There is a monk who has reverted to a lay life, an old man of over eighty, who as a young man had heard of these stories, and has recounted them to us. This mountain used to be called Naymeindra Mountain. King Okkalapa had once taken temporary refuge on thesemountains and had entered adeikhtan, which he successfully completed. From that time, this mountain had been variously known as Min Dhamma, Minyarzar, and Min Maung Hnama. King Okkalapa was the king who had welcomed the two brothers, Tahpoketha and Balika, the two brothers who had borne the sacred hair relics of the Buddha across the seas, and led them to Theinguttara hill. The sacred hair relics were enshrined in the Shwe Dagon Pagoda that was built on Theinguttara hill.

This Min Dhamma mountain is in a way connected with the Theinguttara hill. It can even be called the second Theinguttara, and can therefore be deemed a holy mountain.

To continue with the tale of our experiences on this mountain, we countered with our metta, all the troubles, and the difficulties that were put in our way by the supernatural beings that inhabited it. And we succeeded in dispelling all these hindrances.

Sayadaw having finished recounting their initial experiences on the mountain, I posed a second question thus: “Could the sayadaw describe the various stages of his anapana practice, and any unusual occurrences he may have encountered?”

“The method I use is not too strenuous nor too refined, but the middle way. I concentrate on being aware of every breath that I take in through my nostrils and on being aware of every breath that I exhale through my nostrils. The point of my concentration is on the tip of my nostrils. Once I attained sufficient samadhi, I could see the breath that I exhaled as clearly as a jet of air that has been picked out by a strobe of searchlights.

When my samadhi is really strong, my whole body feels so light that I seem to elevate and float in the air. After I have achieved sufficient samadhi through anapana meditation I switched to vipassana meditation by contemplation of the Rupa, Nama aspects of Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta. All this is done in the best traditions of the Buddha’s teachings.

Of the two alternative paths to liberation and Nirvana, which are through Samahta Yarnika and Vipassana Yarnika, I have chosen the path of Samahta Yarnika practice. In this way after achieving sufficient samadhi through samahta yarnika, I contemplated on Rupa and Nama , and came to comprehend and be aware of their impermanence or Anicca, their suffering or Dukkha and our lack of control over them or Anatta. As I contemplated the incessant happening and passing away of the Nama Rupa, I began to experience over and over, strong feelings of repulsion and disgust of the human body. Let me stop here at this point, the account of my meditative practices.

We have been practising Anapana Kamahtan[4] and Vipasana meditation on this mountain, while existing on a vegetarian diet for almost ten years now and we are still doing so. When we first came, we had laid straw over the little clearing that we had made and without a roof over our heads or walls around us, we had undertaken the Attbawkarthika Du-tin and practiced the Anapana Kamahtan.”

“ Could you tell us your clerical name, your age and the number of years that you have been an ordained monk.?”

“ My clerical name is Ashin Sanda Thiri, and my age is 61, and I have been an ordained monk for 41 years. I come from Tavoy."

“ Please favor us with an account of how you have developed Min Dhamma Mountain into a habitable and attractive area”

“ After we arrived on Min Dhamma Mountain, we started to cut down trees and clear the forests, and in 1957 we built a cedi of five feet in height named the Maha Cedi.. In 1960, we built the Min Dhamma Marn Aung Cedi, of twenty feet in height, over an existing ancient pagoda which had been reduced to rubble. This work of merit was the concerted effort of film director U Chin Sein and other devotees.

While my brother and I were clearing the bamboo forests, very soon after our arrival on the mountain, right in the middle of a bamboo grove we found a bamboo of about three feet in height, which had ten ridges about five inches apart.

This was the very rare species known as the King of the Bamboo. Because it is very rare and its discovery so unusual, we have fashioned it into a wand for use in religious ceremonies.”

The Sayadaw brought out for us to see a wand of about three feet long which had been gilded and painted red. I found the wand with its ten ridges to be very light and very beautiful.

The Sayadaw continued with his account; “ In the year 1965 on the full moon day of Tabaung ,we built over the original Maha Cedi, a new cedi named the Lay Kyun Set Kyar Sutaung Pye Cedi. A monastery, a dining hall, an Ordination Hall (Thane in Burmese) and Kudis were toilets for monks were built and donated by U Sein, father of the movie actor U Kyaw Hein back in 1959.

Another feature of the development of the Min Dhamma Mountain into a prosperous communal site was the planting of the Bodhi Bo tree that had been propagated from the seed brought from holy Buddhagaya. This plant was donated by U Sa.” This Bodhi Bo tree is now fully grown, with leafy overhanging branches.

“In the year 1966, the Bodhi Pekkhaya Pagoda was built in commemoration of the 37 Bodhi Pekkhaya. The "Dat Panet"[5] or the spiritual foundation stake was driven in by the Yarkyaw Sayadawgyi himself".

The monastery where the sayadaw U Sanda Thiri resides is called the Zeya Bodhi monastery. At this time the whole complex has the appearance of a well-established religious site with its complementary Ordination Hall, zayat, kyaung, Bo tree and Cedi, a far cry from the days when U Sanda Thiri and his brother U NyaNeinda had made a clearing in the uninhabited forest on the Min Dhamma Mountain.

The site where the Sayadaw has his monastery is called the original Min Dhamma hillock and is considered to be a continuation of the Min Dhamma Mountain.

[1] Sarana: religious practice, either samahta or vipassana

[2] Anapana: concentration on the in-breath and out-breath, one of the 40 methods of concentration meditation.

[3] Thike: a treasure trove guarded by spiritual beings of the Satumaharit plane of devas. Some are knowledge troves, some are Buddha troves and some are treasure troves. The person in charge of the Thike is the Thike Khyoke Bodaw or spiritual guardian in charge of the overall management of the thike.

[4] Kamahtan: a method of meditation. It can be either vipassana or samahta.

[5] Dat Pannet: This is a foundation laid by a holy person to make a particular place conducive to receiving the higher spiritual vibrations of the holy devas and sasanapyu weizzars (those weizzars who are doing the propagation of the Buddha Sasana).

	U Sanda Thiri of Min Dhamma Taung
	By Ba Oke Khaing Netkhatta Yaungchi Vol.176, March 2001 I first had the honor of meeting Sayadaw U Sanda Thiri while I was visiting Min Dhamma Taung and worshipping at the pagodas and stupas that surround it. From the first time that I laid eyes on his noble features, a feeling of deep reverence was aroused for the Sayadaw. The Sayadaw appeared to be about 60 years of age, of medium height, with a fair complexion, and a commanding presence deserving respect and admiration. In addition, probably due to his life of devotion to the Dhamma, his face shone with radiance. I paid my respects to the Sayadaw and proceeded to ask for illumination on the various aspects of his life and Dhamma practice. “ How long have you been on this mountain? And if possible, could you enlighten us on the nature of your practice of sarana”[1] The Sayadaw’s answer was as follows: “We first arrived on this mountain in January 1956, that is, my elder brother U Nyaneinda and myself. We came to meditate and to find the path to liberation. Before that we resided in Zeya Thukha monastery in Kyimyindine. At that time, the “soon” donor for my brother was U Sein, father of the movie actor U Kyaw Hein. He was the one who made known to us this Min Dhamma Taung in Insein township. He informed us that this place, being very isolated, would be very suitable as a meditation retreat. When we first came to this mountain, it was densely forested. Human habitation was far away, and there were only bamboo clumps and forests and paddy fields. There were various poisonous snakes such as cobras, viper and nandaw-gyar (a type of snake). Because of the presence of these venomous snakes, very few people frequent the area. The two of us made a clearing for ourselves on the mountain, laid it with straw and we sat down to meditate on top of the straw. We started with the anapana[2] meditation. From the first moment that we started to meditate we went on a vegetarian diet. We had only soy bean paste that our devotees had given to us in little clay pots, and that we ate this with boiled vegetables like cabbage and rice. This Min Dhamma mountain is inhabited by supernatural beings, both good and evil. There are spirits guarding the mountain and there are spirits guarding the treasure troves or Thikes[3]. There are apparitions and specters that are meant to put fear into you. For anyone who doesn’t possess the required level of sarana practice, it would be difficult to last on these mountains for even a moment, let alone live there. When we two brothers first arrived here to practice anapana meditation, there were all sorts of disturbances, menaces, and hostile encounters with these beings. This mountain has a very unusual history. There is a monk who has reverted to a lay life, an old man of over eighty, who as a young man had heard of these stories, and has recounted them to us. This mountain used to be called Naymeindra Mountain. King Okkalapa had once taken temporary refuge on thesemountains and had entered adeikhtan, which he successfully completed. From that time, this mountain had been variously known as Min Dhamma, Minyarzar, and Min Maung Hnama. King Okkalapa was the king who had welcomed the two brothers, Tahpoketha and Balika, the two brothers who had borne the sacred hair relics of the Buddha across the seas, and led them to Theinguttara hill. The sacred hair relics were enshrined in the Shwe Dagon Pagoda that was built on Theinguttara hill. This Min Dhamma mountain is in a way connected with the Theinguttara hill. It can even be called the second Theinguttara, and can therefore be deemed a holy mountain. To continue with the tale of our experiences on this mountain, we countered with our metta, all the troubles, and the difficulties that were put in our way by the supernatural beings that inhabited it. And we succeeded in dispelling all these hindrances. Sayadaw having finished recounting their initial experiences on the mountain, I posed a second question thus: “Could the sayadaw describe the various stages of his anapana practice, and any unusual occurrences he may have encountered?” “The method I use is not too strenuous nor too refined, but the middle way. I concentrate on being aware of every breath that I take in through my nostrils and on being aware of every breath that I exhale through my nostrils. The point of my concentration is on the tip of my nostrils. Once I attained sufficient samadhi, I could see the breath that I exhaled as clearly as a jet of air that has been picked out by a strobe of searchlights. When my samadhi is really strong, my whole body feels so light that I seem to elevate and float in the air. After I have achieved sufficient samadhi through anapana meditation I switched to vipassana meditation by contemplation of the Rupa, Nama aspects of Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta. All this is done in the best traditions of the Buddha’s teachings. Of the two alternative paths to liberation and Nirvana, which are through Samahta Yarnika and Vipassana Yarnika, I have chosen the path of Samahta Yarnika practice. In this way after achieving sufficient samadhi through samahta yarnika, I contemplated on Rupa and Nama , and came to comprehend and be aware of their impermanence or Anicca, their suffering or Dukkha and our lack of control over them or Anatta. As I contemplated the incessant happening and passing away of the Nama Rupa, I began to experience over and over, strong feelings of repulsion and disgust of the human body. Let me stop here at this point, the account of my meditative practices. We have been practising Anapana Kamahtan[4] and Vipasana meditation on this mountain, while existing on a vegetarian diet for almost ten years now and we are still doing so. When we first came, we had laid straw over the little clearing that we had made and without a roof over our heads or walls around us, we had undertaken the Attbawkarthika Du-tin and practiced the Anapana Kamahtan.” “ Could you tell us your clerical name, your age and the number of years that you have been an ordained monk.?” “ My clerical name is Ashin Sanda Thiri, and my age is 61, and I have been an ordained monk for 41 years. I come from Tavoy." “ Please favor us with an account of how you have developed Min Dhamma Mountain into a habitable and attractive area” “ After we arrived on Min Dhamma Mountain, we started to cut down trees and clear the forests, and in 1957 we built a cedi of five feet in height named the Maha Cedi.. In 1960, we built the Min Dhamma Marn Aung Cedi, of twenty feet in height, over an existing ancient pagoda which had been reduced to rubble. This work of merit was the concerted effort of film director U Chin Sein and other devotees. While my brother and I were clearing the bamboo forests, very soon after our arrival on the mountain, right in the middle of a bamboo grove we found a bamboo of about three feet in height, which had ten ridges about five inches apart. This was the very rare species known as the King of the Bamboo. Because it is very rare and its discovery so unusual, we have fashioned it into a wand for use in religious ceremonies.” The Sayadaw brought out for us to see a wand of about three feet long which had been gilded and painted red. I found the wand with its ten ridges to be very light and very beautiful. The Sayadaw continued with his account; “ In the year 1965 on the full moon day of Tabaung ,we built over the original Maha Cedi, a new cedi named the Lay Kyun Set Kyar Sutaung Pye Cedi. A monastery, a dining hall, an Ordination Hall (Thane in Burmese) and Kudis were toilets for monks were built and donated by U Sein, father of the movie actor U Kyaw Hein back in 1959. Another feature of the development of the Min Dhamma Mountain into a prosperous communal site was the planting of the Bodhi Bo tree that had been propagated from the seed brought from holy Buddhagaya. This plant was donated by U Sa.” This Bodhi Bo tree is now fully grown, with leafy overhanging branches. “In the year 1966, the Bodhi Pekkhaya Pagoda was built in commemoration of the 37 Bodhi Pekkhaya. The "Dat Panet"[5] or the spiritual foundation stake was driven in by the Yarkyaw Sayadawgyi himself". The monastery where the sayadaw U Sanda Thiri resides is called the Zeya Bodhi monastery. At this time the whole complex has the appearance of a well-established religious site with its complementary Ordination Hall, zayat, kyaung, Bo tree and Cedi, a far cry from the days when U Sanda Thiri and his brother U NyaNeinda had made a clearing in the uninhabited forest on the Min Dhamma Mountain. The site where the Sayadaw has his monastery is called the original Min Dhamma hillock and is considered to be a continuation of the Min Dhamma Mountain. Translated by: Wai Theingi Yangon, April 2001 Edited by Kyaw Myaing [1] Sarana: religious practice, either samahta or vipassana [2] Anapana: concentration on the in-breath and out-breath, one of the 40 methods of concentration meditation. [3] Thike: a treasure trove guarded by spiritual beings of the Satumaharit plane of devas. Some are knowledge troves, some are Buddha troves and some are treasure troves. The person in charge of the Thike is the Thike Khyoke Bodaw or spiritual guardian in charge of the overall management of the thike. [4] Kamahtan: a method of meditation. It can be either vipassana or samahta. [5] Dat Pannet: This is a foundation laid by a holy person to make a particular place conducive to receiving the higher spiritual vibrations of the holy devas and sasanapyu weizzars (those weizzars who are doing the propagation of the Buddha Sasana).