Dear Sato San,
I think you're more on the side of a free-thinker.
Imagine when you come to encounter with troubles, pains or suffering from illness, sorrow, aging and death matters how would you confront? Would you be looking for helps or accompanies from those network of friends, colleagues, boss, relatives, etc ? With such encounters, sorts of saviours may come into the lives of human beings as a temporary solutions. If the problems were solved, pains relieved, peril averted, lives saved coincidently, the temporary belief on the saviours become traditions and later in the form of religious belief. We, the Asians, named racially as orientals by the westerners, usually have religious guidance from our ancestors at least in the form of traditions. I hope you have it too.
I consider myself so fortunate to be brought up as a traditional Burmese Buddhist. We, most Burmese Buddhists, had grown up like free thinkers. No body forced us to believe in the religion but our parents and relatives taught and guided (not seriously on religion but culture & tradition) us to give respects to the elders and values of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha (monks). For this reason, many of the young Burmese admire the western culture and turn into other religious belief if they didn't find out or explore what their first religion to be is! When I came to understand the values of Dhamma via informations avaialbe from the abundant sources of literature's, voice records, personal in-touchs with venerable monks, my gratitude's and respects grew tremendously in appreciation to our ancestors, both laypersons and monks, for their faith, wisdom and generosity contributed in the Buddha's heritages. I am very proud to say that my faith in Buddhism comes after the satisfactory explanation of doubts. For example, I think there should be no doubt about your teacher. Your doubts should be cleared by questions and explanations about him and what he learnt, practised or experienced.
I'd been interested in vipassana meditation for a decade. Then I learnt and practised it with various teachers and techniques while I was busy with family, social and business matters. As, mentioned in my earlier blog, dhamma makes me want to explore more and more about it. Currently, I came to get acquaintance with a teacher who had practised a technique laid by a venerable monk named "Kanni Sayardaw". Later "MaungHtaung MyayZin Sayardaw" conveyed the technique to date by his disciples and followers. The technique is called "Kanni Method or MaungHtaung MyayZin Method". In Myanmar, there are various vipassanna meditation methods named and adopted after the monks or laypersons who developed that particular techniques.
The "MaungHtaung MyayZin Method", here in after we'd call "MyayZin Method", teaches how to make use of your mind power before Vipassana Section. The concept of this technique (under the name samatha) is to train you so that you're no more a slave of your mind. The modern technology use physical matters (metals/materials, fuel, water, air plus technology) to travel and communicate. We are trained to use our mind and the breaths (air) to travel and communicate. It will teach you to make your mind becomes a slave of you. Can you imagine how fast we can go and how far we can travel with our mind on the breaths? Actually, our interests is to see our insights slaving the mind to achieve our supreme goal - the NIVIRNA. The well trained mind can see dispersing old cells and restructuring new cells (in place of old cells) inside the flesh and veins of your body. Seeing your intestines vividly is not an awesome matter after all.
If you can make available yourself for a 60 days meditation retreat in the method above I guarantee you to see not only your past lives and future lives but also what the heavens and hells are alike, and where-about of your past life relatives are. You may travel beyond this world and even this universe at a speed faster than the light! You may also read other people minds (as you'd know how your mind is behaving). To achieve it, you need to be healthy physically and mentally, and a strong will. We do not mention much about love, kindness and happiness but it is much much more than that. We do not give blessing, but protections and shields for you and those related to you during your practice. It is only you and yourself who have to try meditation with the assistance of good teachers (who followed the teaching of the Buddha). The benefit you would get is worth the PRICE of your LIFE! There are evidences that some incurable diseases or cancer can be vanished after this 60 days retreat. It's just like getting a life time health insurance certificate! This is just a very minor benefits.There are a lot more things to explain about the systematic practice of "samahta" in the course of "vipassana meditation". I admit that even the majority of Myanmar Buddhists do not believe in what I mentioned above. Because, there were miss-uses of "samahta powers" in the past 3-4 decades in Myanmar. So, nowadays, many people think samahta practices are dangerous to vipassana meditation. We still need to correct this misunderstanding.
If you have friends interested in the above please convey this information. I can make arrangement for the retreat. It is preferable that the participants should have some knowledge's on the fundamentals of Buddhist's way of living.
I haven't yet got my opportunity for the 60 days retreat but I am eagerly looking forward to it and preparing for it. Fortunately, I had attended a short course taught by a dhamma teacher (a layperson not a monk) and understood well about the things beyond our very eyes.
I am now involving as an active member establishing a meditation centre intended for oversea Burmese (who'd migrated to oversea) and foreigners alike. We have bought a plot of land in Hle' Gu', a small town near Yangon, in Myanmar. I hope you would have a chance to visit there in future.Hey, by the way, I had given my life to the Japanese government for 10 Months studies as a JICA participant, as they'd sponsored. Appreciate that I learnt the technology and culture of the Japaneses and most of all I had a chance to become an acquaintance with you. In the same way, why not you a Japanese come to visits Myanmar for similar reason of Technology Transfer, or Know-How Transfer? I wish we would have a big dhamma foundation like JICA for the training!We do take care of all your living and accommodation needs on your arrival. Of course, our ways of living is simple and humble compare to Japan, you shall have to adapt everything from weather, costumes to food. For your info, laypersons, scholars, monks and nuns from abroad from different sects and religious beliefs have been visiting Myanmar to explore the vipassana meditation (not yoga). All vipassana meditation centres in Myanmar take care of the food and accommodation of it's participants (free of charge). Most of the centres arranged for transportation! For the above opportunity, you may need to be brain-washed yourself. I advice you to learn Buddhism with opened mind. In Buddhism everything have reasoning of the causes and effects. And, you'd have to find out and see the truth nothing but truth - such as "we are all mortals". As mentioned earlier, Buddha does not pray to relieve pains nor save lives. HE left the teachings of how to face, protect and avoid troubles, pains or death by ourselves.For a buddhist if we practise what the Buddha had taught (or do the same way as HE did), we can attain as good as HE was. That's what I am admire most about HIM!The letters is too long for you. I hope I've conveyed the information you want to know.
Wishing you all the best. Ganbate!
Metta,Soe MinNotes -
The above mentioned words are my own writings and my understanding as a Burmese Buddhist. If there is any misunderstanding or inappropriateness, it is to put the blame on me only.
Myanmar - formerly well known as Burma.
Burmese - Myanmar nationals are called when Myanmar is known as Burma.
Myanmar - Burmese national or Burma
