Thank you for the Memory Sayadaw U Silananda you for the Memory Sayadaw U Silananda Sayadaw U...

TTThhhaaannnkkk yyyooouuu fffooorrr ttthhheee MMMeeemmmooorrryyy

SSSaaayyyaaadddaaawww UUU SSSiiilllaaannnaaannndddaaa

Sayadaw U Silananda (Agga Maha Pandita)

(Maha Saddhammajotika Dhaja)

Abbot of the Theravada Buddhist Society of America (Bay Area, USA)

(December 16, 1927 – Aug. 13, 2005)

For free distribution only Compiled for the Serene Joys and Emotions of the Pious

A Gift of Dhamma

CONTENTS

Thank you for the Memory.............................................................................................. 9

1. Introduction: ............................................................................................................. 9

2. The first arrival of Buddhism in Myanmar............................................................ 9

3. The second introduction of Buddhism to Suvannabhumi (Thaton)................... 10

4. The Goldenland where Theravada Buddhism flourishes ................................... 10

5. The first wave of arrival of Theravada Buddhist Monks in the Bay Area........ 10

6. Ven. Taungpulu Sayadaw and his Missionary Monks ........................................ 11

7. Offering of Requisites at Palo Alto Hill Temporary Vihara............................... 12

8. The second wave of Missionary Monks ................................................................ 13

9. The Sacred Dream .................................................................................................. 14

10. U Chit Tun’s pleaded for resident Monk for the Bay Area .............................. 14

A Gift of Dhamma of 16 8/16/2005

A Gift of Dhamma of 16 8/16/2005 05

TTThhheee EEEaaarrrlllyyy MMMiiissssssiiiooonnnaaarrryyy TTThhheerrraaavvvaaadddaaa MMMooonnnkkkss e s

IIInnn ttthhheee BBBaaayyy AAArrreeeaaa

Taungpulu Gaba Aye Sayadaw

(Nov. 1978) For free distribution only

Compiled for the Serene Joys and Emotions of the Pious A Gift of Dhamma


TThheee EEaarrlllyyy MMMiiissssssiiiooonnnaaarrryyy TTThhheeerrraaavvvaaadddaaa MMMooonnnkkksss

Th Ear


Mahasi Sayadaw

(April – 1979) For free distribution only

Compiled for the Serene Joys and Emotions of the Pious A Gift of Dhamma


TThheee EEaarrlllyyy MMMiiissssssiiiooonnnaaarrryyy TTThhheeerrraaavvvaaadddaaa MMMooonnnkkksss

Th Ear


U Silananda & U Kelasa

( July – 1979) For free distribution only

Compiled for the Serene Joys and Emotions of the Pious

A Gift of Dhamma

TO HONOR SAYADAW U SILANANDA

THANKS YOU FOR THE MEMORY The Dhamma you taught

The memory will lingers on…

"In this Dhamma and Discipline the Noble Eightfold Path is found, and in it alone are found also the true Ariyas of the four degrees.

Outside this Dispensation the four types of enlightened individuals are not to be found. The doctrines of others are devoid of true recluses."

(July 1979 – Fremont)

The four Ariyas are to be found only in Buddha’s Doctrine

Stream winner (Sotapanna) Once-returner (Sekadagami)

Non-returner (Anagami) & Arahat.

Cula-Sihanada Sutta


The Arrival of Mahasi Sayadaw and

The Theravada Missionary Monks (April 1979)

At the invitation of Dr Rena Sircar - Morning alms was offered to Mahasi Sayadaw and his Monks – U Silananda, U Zanaka, U Kelasa were among the five monks accompanied Mahasi Sayadaw on April of 1979 at the San Francisco – Vegetarian Restaurant. -


The Arrival of Mahasi Sayadaw and

The Missionary Monks (April 1979)

The First Vihara (U Chit Tun Resident)

U Chit Tun offers his resident as the first temporary Vihara to U Silananda and U Kelasa

(April of 1979)


Thank you for the Memory by

Maung H. Paw (Past President TBSA)

1. Introduction: Thus have I read in Mahavamsa – the Chronicle of Sri Lanka – on the history of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka. In the third century BC, during the reign of King Asoka, the great king convened the third Buddhist council led by MMMoooggggggaaalll iiipppuuuttt tttaaa TTTiiissssssaaa MMMaaahhaa TTThhheeerrraaa (((DDDrrr HHHtttiiinnn AAAuuunnnggg wwwrrrooottteee iiinnn hhhiiisss bbbooooookkk ttt iii tttllleeeddd::: “The Ari Monks and the Introduction of Buddhism that Moggaliputta Tissa Thera was later known as Shin Upagote in Myanmar, famous for his supernatural power in defeating the God Mara and converted him to Buddhism) ” Following the third Buddhist council, the king Asoka sent his son Mahinda Thera and his daughter Sanghamitta Theri to Sri Lanka to establish Theravada Buddhism in the Island of Sri Lanka. The first – Sangha order (Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni) was thus established on the island.

ha

There was then, no written record of the Buddha Dhamma; many of the teachings were recited and committed to memory by monks. Gradually the Buddha teaching were written in Sinhalese, the language of the Island, until the arrival of the Indian (Brahmin) teacher Buddhagosa Thera, the Buddha teachings were then converted to Pali language, which is the direct spin-off from Magadhi dialect. The Tipitaka – Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma.

2. The first arrival of Buddhism in Myanmar Thus have I read -according to the legend of Shwedagon Sandawshin Cetiya, the king of Devas (Sakka), in the realm of Tavatimsa, through his supernatural power saw that in the future there will be a Buddha dispensation flourishing at Theinguttara Hill, the little hillock, now known as Yangon, The king of Deva came down incognito to have union with the Mailamu, the miraculous lady born from the Lamu fruit, and between them was born a child who later known to become the King Okkalapa, the founder of Yangon. In commemoration of King Okkalapa‘s mother – Mai La Mu – there was a Pagoda built named after her – Mailamu Pagoda in North Okkalapa. The two merchant brothers Taputta and Bhallika from Okkalapa arrived in India at the time when our Bodhisatta Siddhatta was just awaken from attaining the enlightenment. Their previous lives mother, a Devatta stopped them on their itinerary and directed them to see the Buddha awakened from his forty nine days of meditation. The two merchant brothers offered the Buddha milk and honey and in return the Buddha


gave them eight strands of hair to be enshrined in a Stupa at Theiguttara Hill, now known s Shwedagon Sandaw Shin Pagoda.

. The second introduction of Buddhism to Suvannabhumi (Thaton)

, the Bhikkhuni Sangha order had been defunct in Myanmar for the past ,000 years.

. The Goldenland where Theravada Buddhism flourishes

I went back to Rangoon to serve my obligatory service with the overnment.

entire relatives farewell, when I was about to leave, this as what my sister said to me:

ing to offer you the path to ibbana. In late 1968, I left Rangoon for California, USA.

. The first wave of arrival of Theravada Buddhist Monks in the Bay Area.

a

3 Thus have I read – in Mahavamsa – that following the third Buddhist Council, king Asoka sent in all directions missionary Monks to spread Buddhism outside of India; and the group led by Sona Thera and Uttara Thera arrived in Suvannabhumi to establish – Sangha order (Both Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni) in Thaton, the Mon State of Myanmar. Unfortunately1

4 Thus, since the third century BC, Theravada Buddhism was well established in the Goldenland, in the Mon State region of lower Myanmar. A short time after world war II, Myanmar gains her Independence from the British colonial power, Buddhism was again proclaimed as state religion. The majority of the population of Myanmar is Buddhist. It reminds me of the day in 1958 when I left for USA for my graduate study, my preceptor Monk reminded me to come back saying that this is the Goldenland where I could learn to gain the cessation of suffering and be liberated from the round of rebirths from the Samsara and that the West has no such doctrine. After I finished my study at University of Michigan, G During the interim-government, under the U Ne Win administration, my family had lost all our fortune by the government proclamation of the Nationalization Act. As a result my family was down graded from riches to pauper over-night, I decided to leave Myanmar for good. There, I saw the truth of the law of impermanence (Anicca Taya). Yet, still when I went around wishing myw “Remember, now, this is the land of Theravada Buddhism, where the benefit of practicing the Buddha Dhamma is so beneficial to many Buddhists; and you are leaving this Goldenland – you will regret it”. The West has nothN

5 In late 1968 when I arrived here in Los Angeles, California, there was no single monk. After a short while, Ven. Sayadaw U Panna Vamsa first established his Vihara in Los Angeles. But by that time, I had accepted a Job with Bechtel Corporation to work on


Nuclear and Fossil Power Plant projects. So In 1972, I moved up to the Bay Area. Still

pportunity for us to be graced with the blessing of meeting a dhamma teacher, after almost a decade of being

on.

6. Ven. Taungpulu Sayadaw and his Missionary Monks

there was no single Theravada Vihara in the Bay Area. In late 1978, at the invitation of Dr Rena Sircar of the Asian Buddhist Study of University of California, with her followings, students studying Buddhism, Venerable Taungpulu Gaba-Aye Sayadaw arrived in the Bay Area. Many Bay Area Myanmar families were delighted and whole heartedly welcome the Sayadaw arrival. Each and every one of the Myanmar families had the opportunity to invite the Sayadaw and his disciples Monks to offer alms. Many thought it was a rarest o

separated from Monastic monks, since the day we left Rango

Taungpulu Sayadaw and his chief disciple – Pakukku Sayadaw and group at the alms offering in Fremont.

T

Requesting Pakukku Sayadaw for Ordination and Noviciation (this was a common scene at the temporary Vihara in Palo Alto Hill)


Samaneras or novices and some full upasampada ordination (Temporary Monk) was the common scene on almost every week-end. They would remain in robes for about a week, in accordance with the Myanmar custom of temporary ordination. It is considered essential for every Buddhist male to become a samanera as a boy and a bhikkhu as a man at least for some short period of his life, and to earn a very high kind of merit.

7. Offering of Requisites at Palo Alto Hill Temporary Vihara

At Palo Alto Hill – Offering of the requisites to Monks and Novice was a common scene


8. The second wave of Missionary Monks

Mahasi Sayadaw - Leader of the Missionary Delegation (April 1979)

U Silananda and U Kelasa in Fremont (Invited to alms offering at my home)


U Silananda and U Kelasa in front of Fremont home (After the meals)

9. The Sacred Dream This is the time for me to reveal the secret that I hold on to myself of my dream on the day of Mahasi Sayadaw arrival with his missionary Monks in San Francisco. In the early hour of the morning, on the day of the Mahasi Sayadaw arrival with his delegation, I had a strange dream: A voice in my dream telling me to go to the Bruce’s Vegetarian Restaurant and meet Mahasi Sayadaw. When I woke up, I was in a quandary what to do, because I do not have Bruce’s address and there was no way I could get there without the address. A voice told me to go and I would be directed to Bruce’s Restaurant. The three of us took off to Bruce’s place in San Francisco where the morning alms was supposed to be offered to the delegation. We arrived at the Restaurant rightly so and a little bit early. 10. U Chit Tun’s pleaded for resident Monk for the Bay Area.


After the meal, we all approached Mahasi Sayadaw and sat on one side and U Chit Tun touched my hand and said, “he was too emotional to utter any word; and asked me to plead with Sayadaw on his behalf – to leave behind two resident Monks in the Bay Area. So I thought, this must be my part to play and I pleaded with Mahasi Sayadaw by presenting U Chit Tun’s intention: that his wife and him will serve and attend to the resident Monks should Sayadaw be kind to leave two of the Monks using U Chit Tun’s resident as temporary Vihara. To my knowledge, this delegation has no intention of leaving any one behind to do any permanent missionary work in the Bay area. We first pleaded for U Zanaka (Chanmyay Sayadaw) his looks and demeanor seem very attractive. Since, U Zanaka has already been committed to start his own retreat center in Yangon, Sayadaw said that on his return from East Coast, he will decide on the matter. On their return from the East coast, Mahasi Sayadaw decided to leave behind – U Silananda and U Kelasa as the first resident monks in the Bay Area. After all has been said and done, U Silananda was given the assignment to remain in the Bay Area. After going through many difficulties, with patience and diligent and perseverance, U Silananda, with the strong support from the community, was able to offer him the permanent Vihara at Woodrow Street property in Daly City. The first permanent Monastery in the Bay Area – Theravada Buddhist Society of America – TBSA – the light of the Theravada Dhamma dawns in the Bay Area.


To Ven. U Silananda Sayadaw, I dedicate this article Thank you for the memory

Yes, as Buddha said in the Cula Sihanada sutta – “The shorter Discourse on the Lion’s Roar “ –

Your teaching will forever lingers on in the Bay Area Thus have I read -

Buddha declared: - He tells his monks that they can boldly declare that "only here" (idh'eva) -- i.e., in the Dispensation of the Enlightened One -- is it possible to find true recluses. The expression "recluse" (samana) here refers elliptically to the four grades of noble disciples who have reached the stages of realization at which final deliverance from suffering is irrevocably assured:

the stream-enterer (Sotapanna), the once-returner,(Sekadagami) the nonreturner (Anagami) and the arahant.

The Buddha, He declared:

"In whatsoever Dhamma and Discipline the Noble Eightfold Path is not found there, one cannot find true recluses of the four degrees of liberation. But in whatever Dhamma and Discipline the Noble Eightfold Path is found, there one can find the four types of true recluses."

The same was imparted by the Buddha, in Mahaparinibbana sutta, to Subhadda that was important for him to know:

"In this Dhamma and Discipline the Noble Eightfold Path is found, and in it alone are found also the true recluses of the four degrees. Outside this Dispensation the four types of enlightened individuals are not to be found. The doctrines of others are devoid of true recluses."

May you, through the power of your training practice in the past and the present, attain the true Ariya’s stages of a true recluse, gets closer and closer to your liberation. Thank you for the Memory Upasaka – Maung H. Paw (Past President of TBSA)


Thank you for the Memory Sayadaw U Silananda you for the Memory Sayadaw U Silananda Sayadaw U...

Documents

Transcript of Thank you for the Memory Sayadaw U Silananda you for the Memory Sayadaw U Silananda Sayadaw U...