Burma April 2010

Trip to Myanmar – April 2010

The aim of our recent trip to Myanmar was to carry the money that the group had raised and to deliver it to an orphanage in Yangon which Burgs had already established ties with.

We also wanted to look into other projects to support and investigate other ways in which we might as a group be able to give assistance – for example providing English teachers – as well as make contact with people on the ground in Myanmar who might facilitate our attempts to provide any support eg assistance with money transfer.

Burg’s aim is to try to provide some help in a country that has given us so much both through the Dhamma and through three great teachers: Pa Auk Sayadaw, Sayaji, and Sayalay Dipankara. It was felt that because of the poverty there, it was somewhere that with not very much, we could make a real difference. Burgs had already visited an orphanage/school in Yangon that was run by the Buddhist monastic community where children in need are housed, clothed, fed etc and taught both a secular curriculum and the Dhamma and meditation. It was also in need of continuing financial support as it has no help from the government. With an introduction from Sayagi, to Burgs it had seemed an appropriate place to start.

We had approx $7000 to take to Myanmar to use as we felt appropriate, and we were going to deliver it by hand as there are very limited international banking facilities.

Situated in central Yangon not far from Swedagon Pagoda, it is a small collection of buildings set back off a main street. There are approximately 120 children between the ages of three and seventeen. Most are living off site with foster parents/guardians or with parents who can house them but not afford food/clothing/education. There are twenty children who live on site. Some children become novice monks or nuns if they want to – im not sure how many have done so. They are schooled here until 17 yrs old (10th grade) when they are able to work and go to college. 10 students just passed their exams into higher education!  Im not sure if some stay on during this phase and help out with the youngsters. By the fact I saw quite a few elder boys around, I rather think they might, as I imagine the community is their family– something to find out. We only had limited time and language was a barrier, so I hope we can learn more as we go.

The daily running cost of the centre is $30 per day on top of what they raise as a community from a daily alms round. This they need to raise independently. That’s $3000 for 100 days to house, feed, clothe, educate and look after 120 children – approx $11,000 for a year .
However this doesn’t help to develop the facilities. They have plans to build a new 3 story block – first floor for education, second floor to house novices and monks and the third floor to accommodate more children. In total it would house approx 100 more children. They estimate its cost at $200,000 which does seem expensive. This is perhaps an area that would need looking into if we felt able to contribute.
Overall, my impression of the place was that it had a nice welcoming feel, but it could do with some funds. That being said, the children were a joy and very happy, and all the adults seemed happy and open. It was wonderful to be welcomed there and be able to contribute to their community which was doing such obvious good work.  We gave about $2200 – about two and a half months worth,  and some replica Manchester united and Chelsea football strips and footballs which the children were over the moon about and went straight out to play with.

We left Yangon and flew to visit Sayalay Dipankara at her meditation centre in the cooler hills northeast of Mandalay near Maymeo. On the way from the airport to her centre we visited a much larger orphanage called The Orphans Training Centre, Doepin Monastery under Sayadaw Ashin Pan Da Wa. There were around 700 boys from 4 to 18 and Sayadaw recognizing the need to keep them occupied was like an expedition leader. He had them all chanting in the main hall, and when we gave dana of $2100 they all chanted as we handed over the money. It was very moving. He then had them all form a cue and he dished out a bit of pocket money to every one of them. They were very chuffed and ran out the hall. Wondering where they had all gone we went round a corner and found them all cueing up at a sweet shop with huge grins on their faces. Just what Id have done.
There was evidence of some quite good sponsorship here. They had just completed a Japanese sponsored school block, and had also been given a spanking new Toyota pick up truck. Because of its size and reputation, boys come from quite a distance. Some of the older boys we spoke to, who acted as our translators with Sayadaw, had come from the Shan states and were residents in return for helping out. Its altogether a much larger and more complex operation which needs a lot of energy and finance to keep going. It had the feel of a boarding school.We liked the Sayadaw a lot, and would have liked to discuss much more with him but we were hindered by the language barrier and time.We wondered if there was such an establishment for girls anywhere in Burma.

The following day Sayalay took us to a wonderful project near to Maymeo – Sayadaw U Nye Ya ‘s School for the Needy Blind. It was established in 1993, and currently has 105 students. They had just got 2 into university and had 3 at High School,but the rest are educated on site. The majority are male , although there are plans to build a new housing block for girls. I havnt got to the bottom of why its predominantly boys, but think it has something to do with monks not being able to look after girls. We asked a lot about any nunneries running orphanages, but so far have drawn a blank. More investigaton is needed.
The aims of the school are as follows:
1.To educate every blind person in Braille
2.To promote the physical and mental fitness of the blind.
3.To provide a Myanmar world standard of education for the blind.
4.To teach every blind person to live in harmony with other people and their environment.
5.To develop physical and mental capabilities of the blind.
Currently to achieve these noble aims, the students are taught to read and write in Braille, and are taught religious subjects, maths, music, massage skills and handicrafts. Im not sure if they learn to meditate as well – Im sure they do, but would like to find out. They are accommodated , fed, clothed and looked after on site. The Sayadaw in future wants to be able to teach High School level subjects, advanced massage skills and various other vocational skills. They need Braille stationary, calculators, typewriters, computers and reading machines. They would like a complete set of western musical instruments for a western style band as well as amplifiers and speakers.They need walking sticks and a talking clock, and they need new classrooms and sleeping quarters to take on more girls. They also need a school vehicle. But when I asked Sayadaw if there was one thing which he wanted which we could help with, he grinned from behind his huge shades and said a Braille computer. These are around $5000 and I said we would try to help him with this. We have been looking into this and its not a simple solution to find whats best suited to their needs, if anybody has experience of Blind education please get in touch.
We both really enjoyed the Sayadaws company and the place itself and really felt to help here. The energy seemed very good with children playing musical instruments around the place. We donated $1600 and gave a promise to help with the computer.

After leaving Sayalay’s wonderful hospitality and the cool air and serenity of her centre, we flew to Bagan and temperatures of 45! We spent a wonderful few days traveling around by horse and cart (our horse was called Madonna!) visiting many sacred places meditating and tuning in to some very old and familiar energies. Because of a strong sense of connection with the past here, we were very keen to find a project we could help support. We were still interested in finding a nunnery and after many enquiries had drawn a blank. However, after meditating in an ancient cave at a hilltop temple sight, we bumped into a traveling Sayadaw who told us of a monastic school that looked after both boys and girls from the surrounding area.

The Zay Tawun Buddhist Monastic Education Centre run by U Ar Deik Sa Sayadaw is in an area of old Bagan quite close to the Swezigon Pagoda – the first and original pagoda to be built in Bagan and a sister temple to the enormous Swedegon in Yangon. It is not so much an orphanage as it only accommodates a few children on site, it is more of a monastic school for poor and needy children in the area. So mainly it is just those that want to become novices that stay on site, with the other children being looked after by their real parents or by foster parents. We noticed a very peaceful and good energy as we arrived. The site was very clean and neat and tranquil. The Sayadaw was charming and fortunately there was a local restaurant owner there who was able to translate. There are 6 children who are novices in residence and about 240 children who attend the school daily. He  explained how quickly the scool has grown – 150  two years ago, 240 now, and the expectation of 350 by the middle of next year.
Because it was school holidays we looked at photographs of the teaching staff and the children and saw very happy and nice looking faces. They have had an American lady staying teaching English, and although they would like to continue with it, Sayadaw explaned that at the moment the political climate in the lead up to democratic elections meant that it was not a good idea. This was the only place we visited where we saw other western donors -  a couple from the Uk – and the impression is that because its Bagan and an international tourist destination, they probably have more access to tourist donations. Nevertheless, we both liked it very much and because of personal connections with Bagan as well as the co-ed situation, we are very happy to be a part of its speedy success and growth. Here we made a donation of $1100.

Both Burgs and myself came back from our trip very happy with how everything had worked out. We felt we succeeded in all our aims and more. It was a real honour to be in Myanmar representing our lay community and be the front of the arrow as it were with all your good energy and support backing us up – no doubt the reason why everything went so smoothly! I loved being able to deliver all the dana that had so generously been given by all of you. I felt very moved when actually in the process of handing over the money. All of our community’s good energy -  the paramis of generosity -  being expressed in our bowed gesture with the beneficiaries chanting behind us. There is nothing like it. It was probably one of the great real highs of my life and one I really recccomend . They say you should enjoy the energy of dana before during and after and I really made a point to do that during the little ceremonies. Tuning in and connecting back to everyone who had given and to all the beings we were helping. I hoped in some way that you were all feeling it in some way too  – this force of goodness – im sure you were. Now as I write this I am overwhelmed again, so I am fulfilling that instruction and enjoying it after as well. I can only say that I know the good your help is doing and I hope you feel that through what I am writing. You cannot imagine how little support there is for these enterprises, and how much we can make a difference. I would encourage everyone to make a resolution to go to Myanmar, to tune into the sacred there, and to give what help you can. Being a part of our collective goodwill in a place that has so much more inherent goodness and wisdom yet so much less worldly goods and comforts I experienced a wonderful exchange which contrary to appearances I feel I benefited from far more than they. We went out there to give our worldly support and along the way my sense of respect and gratitude for what I had already received deepened. Actually our gifts seem as nothing compared to what has already been given to me and yet I travel home to you with their deep gratitude and a profound sense of simple goodness imprinted in my heart that I hope all of you share in too. It’s a no brainer really. Lets keep giving as much as we can. No matter how little or great it seems it all makes a difference. Weve made some good inroads into establishing a support network in Myanmar emanating from our lay Sangha back here and  it would be wonderful for anyone to be a part of it. Lets continue to raise funds here imaginatively and energetically and give generously. Lets go out there and give what we can, expanding the network there and our understanding of how we can help. I hope all of us shares the profound experience of this dana: giving freely to something that has great merit and the feeling of goodness and peace that finds its way into all of our hearts as a result.

I want to thank Burgs and all of you and all of the people we met in Myanmar for this wonderful opportunity,
May our field of merit grow,
May all beings be happy.

If you wish to donate towards our Burmese Orphange fund then please use the Paypal link below.