It is difficult to learn by theory. I had to learn by practice as a monk. As a new monk, there were many things I didn’t understand, so also there were many things I was unable to do and solve. What I understanding was how to keep the mind to be stable and pure. That’s meditation. I taught people about meditation. In the beginning, I can teach only meditation. I was unable to teach Buddhist literature and Vinaya because I had learned only for my knowledge, not to teach the others, so I didn’t remember the details. I might remember only the most important disciplines or the most important teachings of Buddha. Besides, I know about education and business by my own experience but I don’t have my own family, wife, children as a layperson; therefore, I didn’t know how to solve the problems between wives and husbands. I was interested in medicine but I was not skillful and I was not a doctor but I had to concern with many people in the society as a meditation teacher.
As a monk, I became the leader of the layperson not only for meditation but also for mostly everything. The Buddhists rely on monks and nuns, so they rely on me. Therefore, I can not avoid making decisions even for the things I don’t understand. The way of ending about making decisions was simple, just paying attention to the making decision of people. However, there were many wrong decisions, so also bad results. But as a monk, I don’t have problems with business, family life, education, politics… That’s why I can learn, I’m free. I am unable to make decisions as a layperson. As a patient or as a parent, I cannot make decisions freely like this. Besides, I am able to learn freely, not as a layperson. But no need to learn intentionally, I was invited by many people for lunch and for teaching. As a monk, I am not the same as the laypeople, that’s why many Buddhist people are opened to the monks and nuns. They may not open to the layperson, but they may open freely to us. In this way, I can learn. They may tell their story, what they have done, and what they are doing for what happens. That is teaching me about making decisions and the consequences of those decisions. I have to learn all the time and I have no time to read Buddhist literature but I have been busy with the problems and diseases of the laypeople. It is possible if I don’t involve in their problems but most of the laypeople are helpless and hopeless. They know nothing to do. They cannot solve by themselves, the doctors, the judges, the government cannot do anything for many cases. So I make decisions to emphasize guiding and helping them in the cases which are difficult to be solved.
On the other side, I have been solving the problems concerned with meditation. On the side of meditators, it is the same. They are meditating but most meditators have difficulties. They cannot find the Middle way and correct traditional mistakes. That’s why I do good deeds on both sides of meditation and social activities. I have to be patient doing like this from 2002. Teaching meditation, answering questions, asking the questions… are the same. At that time I was just a student, I had not much chance to make decisions. I decided to be a monk and I decided to teach. That’s all, not many decisions on my side. That’s why I am skillful in making decisions also, but I have to make decisions before the people who meditate and who are friendly with the meditators. They also had many problems in society, so I choose to solve these problems. Therefore, I have to learn about the problems between wives and husbands, among family members and among friends. I don’t need to learn deliberately, I can learn naturally. People may not think I am learning but I can learn all the time. It’s learning directly, not by reading and thinking, just by teaching. In this way, I can understand many wrong decisions and only a few right decisions. That’s why I make decisions to make my own meditation centers and when I can go back to the center in Yangon. I can allow the people to let them stay at the centers and then to let them do what they want.
People are not free in the society and they don’t have much chances to do. Therefore, they are needed to be free. Because of much control, most of the people including me have not many abilities. They can understand but only by knowledge, not by their experience. Not only the people, I myself need to be free. That’s why I have to establish Thabarwa centers and I give them chances to do. Because if I am controlling everything in the center like the traditional ways, people are not free, so they dare not do freely. It is easy to misunderstand, if we emphasize disciplines, people may grasp: “this center is really strict with a lot of disciplines!”. In this way, they may not try to do freely. If they accept the disciplines, they may reject freedom. If they accept freedom, they may reject the discipline. This is the nature of the people. Most people are like this, so as not to lose freedom, I don’t emphasize discipline. People know that Thabarwa center is free, so that’s why more and more people come and stay, they do what they want to do. Some of them may think they are free to do whatever good or bad in Thabarwa centers, that is the wrong view but difficult to explain. If I explain, they may misunderstand in other ways. In other places, they are not allowed to do even a small mistake. In that way, they may go away. Because it is difficult to avoid small mistakes. In public view, there are many mistakes and misunderstandings. It is difficult to correct but I try to correct these mistakes. It is possible but it needs time.
Because I have been doing with many people, I have a chance to change their minds. Therefore, I have to emphasize the natural law. If I do what is bad, I’m sure to get bad results. If I do what is good, I am sure to get good results. Only our actions now and before are the causes of good and bad results. It is natural law, so I have to fully rely on that natural law. I emphasize not to do mistakes by myself to correct my own mistakes and to do good deeds by myself. I give opportunities to do good deeds but if they don’t want to do, I will not think of them and I will try to do by ourselves. Giving freedom is the cause, getting freedom is the effect. Because of giving many people freedom to do good deeds; even if they cannot do, I am able to do it. I get many opportunities from the others and that is learning from cause and effect directly. That’s why I continue to use this method. If we see from the side of the layperson, I am responsible for the people staying in the center. However, I am responsible not for all, just to guide them about what is right, what to do, what they want to do. I am responsible to give them to do good deeds which I do. Most of the people may not understand my way even if I explain that they are grasping the wrong view. That’s why even if I explain about Thabarwa centers and about my way of doing good deeds, they may grasp their knowing and they may not accept it at that time. Therefore, I continue doing good deeds by myself and also I continue giving them a chance to do good deeds. Like this trip to Vietnam, I go to Vietnam for this nine-day meditation retreat. That is clear, so who wants to follow they must do good deeds and they have a chance to visit. It’s simple and clear so people can understand what they must do and what they must not do. If they can do, they can get good results. If they cannot do, they cannot get good results. This cause and effect really work. I am not responsible for them in everything. In this way, I do good deeds all the time not only by traveling but also at Thabarwa centers, so people who are staying at Thabarwa centers are busy all the time to do good deeds. Some may not do and some may not understand but that is nature. We cannot reject mistakes by doing bad things, so we just need to educate about what is right and what is wrong. Also, they will teach us what are the bad results and we just need to do. Learning from their rejecting. That’s all. That’s why it is really effective. We don’t emphasize much in disciplines.
Not many disciplines in Thabarwa centers, but I try to be fully emphasized the cause and effect or the natural law, so we accept it and we see the natural law by our experience. More and more people also believe in this theory. That’s why this theory is true. The power of believing in this theory becomes stronger and stronger in Thabarwa centers. In this way, It really works. In the beginning, the power of believing is weak, so It cannot work very well, but in a long time, It can work very well.
Sayalay Pañca Khandha transcribes