Emergency Edition: Burning the Midnight Oil

If you reference the Philippines, vipassana meditation practice and Buddhist study are not the first things that come to mind! That is because this heavily Catholic island nation is pretty much the only region in all of Southeast Asia that has had hardly any connection to the Dhamma over the course of the last 2,500 years. So then, why would a podcast based on Buddhist practice, with a specific focus on Myanmar, dedicate a series of episodes to the Philippines vis-a-vis the Golden Land? The answer: although the Philippines has had little connection to Buddhism and Buddhist monasticism, this is now slowly changing, and many Filipinos are becoming more open and receptive to the liberating teachings of the Buddha.We first hear from Tony Fernando, a cellist and psychiatrist at the University of Auckland. He ordained as a monk several times at Chan Myay Myaing Monastery in Yangon, practicing metta (loving kindness) intensively. He’s now introducing compassion into the field of sleep study, and has also begun a mindfulness training at the Mount Eden Correctional Facility. The second guest is Imee Contreras, the founder of Mindfulness Asia and the co-founder of the Philippine Insight Meditation Community. She has also been a mindfulness teacher at Spirit Rock and UCLA.These two guests relate powerful stories that inform the contemporary spread of Dhamma into new areas of our world.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give by searching “Insight Myanmar” on PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, Go Fund Me, and Patreon, as well as via Credit Card at www.insightmyanmar.org/donation.

29 Nov 20202h 4min

Alan Clements’ new book, Burma: Voices of Freedom, is a monumental achievement, a work more than three decades in the making. Alan interviewed hundreds of people in order to examine the intersecting lines between Burmese Buddhist practice and the turbulent history of the country, thus bringing together the worldly and the spiritual in profound ways. He decided to sit for just one full-length interview on his recent publication: here on Insight Myanmar Podcast! In Alan’s own words, the pages of Burma: Voices of Freedom “cover the historic national election of the National League of Democracy (NLD) to Parliament, the Rohingya crisis, the nature of totalitarianism and the efficacy of nonviolence, the radicalization of militant Buddhist monks and the role of Islamic terrorism, interspersed within the jagged landscape of a nation's ongoing struggle for freedom, rule of law, and national reconciliation.” His book explores not only what has taken place in the country, but where things stand now as well as his hopes for where things might go.In our interview, we examine the role of the liberating teachings of the Buddha within the country’s transformation, balanced with the sensitive need to ensure a separation between Church and State, and to welcome the role of non-Buddhist communities in a pluralistic society.Just one technical note, there was a small glitch with Joah’s sound on this interview, but fortunately Alan’s is fine. Apologies in advance, and the issue has since been resolved, so will not impact future episodes.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give by searching “Insight Myanmar” on PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, Go Fund Me, and Patreon, as well as via Credit Card at www.insightmyanmar.org/donation.

19 Nov 20202h 48min

“Having already witnessed first-hand the transformation of mindfulness from mysterious curiosity to commercialized buzzword, going back to read about a time when so much was still so unexplored generated a kind of nostalgia in me. Perhaps this is like when Americans pine for the ‘simplicity’ of the 1950s or the ‘freedom’ of the Old West—it says more about the psychology of the one doing the pining or the state of current society than about those actual time periods.”So writes Carl Stimson after reviewing three books: Journey of Insight Meditation (1978) by Eric Lerner, One Night’s Shelter (1985) by Bhikkhu Yogavacara Rahula aka Scott DuPrez, and The Quiet Mind (1971) by John Coleman. Bringing himself into the study as a fourth character, Carl goes on to tackle wider questions as to what we can learn about the growth and expansion of the vipassana movement from Asia to the West. He covers such themes as an early lack of diversity among Western meditators and teachers, the benefits as well as consequences of greater access to mindfulness teachings, meeting challenges along the spiritual path, and the maturation process of a meditator.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give by searching “Insight Myanmar” on PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, Go Fund Me, and Patreon, as well as via Credit Card at www.insightmyanmar.org/donation.

10 Nov 20202h 42min

The second in a two-part interview, educator and amateur historian Zaw Win Htet continues his stories that weave together his own life, his local region, and some of the most revered Dhamma teachers of 20th century Burma. In this segment, he covers the life and monastery of Mohnyin Sayadaw, the most important monastic disciple of Ledi Sayadaw. He also relays the ancient history of the monkey-run Hpo Win Daung Caves, where ascetics have long come to practice alchemy and where Saya Thet Gyi first applied the vipassana instructions given by Ledi Sayadaw. Finally, Zaw closes the talk on a personal note, discussing his family’s involvement in the Ledi Mu organization, which preserves Ledi Sayadaw’s teachings across the country. He goes on to describe his own work in establishing the Nat Taing Monastic School, which provides a free education to the village’s youth, and his family’s long history of caring for foreigners in a country that until only recently had been closed to them.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give via Patreon at https://bit.ly/2XDPQJo, via PayPal at https://bit.ly/2TPPRIV, by credit card at https://bit.ly/3gBbqGT, at Go Fund Me at https://bit.ly/2XEjw9c, or via CashApp or Venmo by searching "Insight Myanmar."

31 Okt 20201h 31min

“My grandmother is the main character of this story,” Zaw Win Htet informs us as he begins the interview. An educator and amateur historian, Zaw shares how the bedtime stories she told him every night animated his life’s journey of discovery. Combining academic study with oral history, lived experience and a family lore steeped in deep Buddhist faith, Zaw weaves together his own life, his local region, and some of the most revered Dhamma teachers of 20th century Burma. The first of a two-part interview, this one covers such topics as the ancient origins of the Chaung Oo and A Myint villages, the intimate relationship between Zaw's family and the revered Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung Sayadaw, and his grandmother’s personal encounters with Ledi Sayadaw.***If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give via Patreon, PayPal, Go Fund Me, CashApp, or Venmo; in all cases, simply search “Insight Myanmar.” You may also give by credit card by going to our website, www.insightmyanmar.org/donation.

21 Okt 20202h 9min

This is the third in our ongoing “Intersections of Dhamma and Race” podcast series. At this time of increased tensions, there is a sore need for personal reflection and introspection, deep and active listening of “the other”, and communication across all boundaries and communities. And when we do this based firmly on the bedrock of the Buddha’s timeliness teachings of liberation, the possibility of living through these difficult days together, while advancing on the Path, converge.On this episode, we are treated to a reflective and introspective look at how Black practitioners have applied Dhamma wisdom through the pain of racism and prejudice. The guests include:· Bhante Panna on the experience of being a Black monk in Cambodia and Thailand.· Tricea Dawkins on starting up a meditation practice while being a medical worker on the front lines of the pandemic.· Esly Caldwell on the wisdom of karma and the power of metta at a time of racial strife and ongoing protests.· AB Johanne on how vipassana meditation helped her develop compassion and awareness.· Keven Porter on how a daily meditation practice has changed his life, and the intersection between economics and race.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give via Patreon at https://bit.ly/2XDPQJo, via PayPal at https://bit.ly/2TPPRIV, by credit card at https://bit.ly/3gBbqGT, or at Go Fund Me at https://bit.ly/2XEjw9c.

29 Sep 20201h 18min

The story of Melissa Coats is a tale of finding balances. It relates to navigating her identity, being half-white and half-Korean, and her practice, going back and forth between being a lay practitioner and Buddhist nun, in both secular and religious communities. It speaks to her life, alternating between progressive enclaves in California and a more conservative Burmese Buddhist life in Myanmar, between a fusion of traditional Chinese Medicine and Buddhist meditation integrated into Western life in the United States, and seeking out their respective origins in China and Myanmar. She talks of beginning her meditation by taking vipassana courses in the S.N. Goenka tradition, and then learning under Ruth Denison and at Spirit Rock before ultimately traveling to Burma, where she has stayed at Panditarama, Pa Auk, Brahma Vihara, and Shwe Oo Min. Melissa’s story also addresses the balance she actively seeks between having male and female teachers. Melissa’s journey has already been a long one for someone so young, and it is still unfolding. In a world where meditation centers and entire countries are shut down due to the pandemic, this talk gives the listener a virtual tour into the meditative and Buddhist world of Myanmar.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give via Patreon at https://bit.ly/2XDPQJo, via PayPal at https://bit.ly/2TPPRIV, by credit card at https://bit.ly/3gBbqGT, or at Go Fund Me at https://bit.ly/2XEjw9c.

20 Sep 20201h 46min

The sixth episode in our “COVID-19 in Myanmar” series, this is the first show in this series in which all the voices are from a single place—in this case, Thabarwa Monastery in Than Lyin. This episode departs from previous ones in more ways than this, however. As some of the interviews were collected right as the world began to shut down because of COVID-19, we realized that while not that long ago in time, they seem eons ago in other ways, as so much has happened since then. So besides their original talk, you’ll hear some updates from guests on how and what they’re doing now. This “before-and-after” approach allows the listener to follow their journey across time and see how their practice and mind have adjusted as the ground continues to shift under their feet... and also to learn what Dhamma wisdom has been gain along the way. The guests include:Thabawa Sayadaw, from an April talk given to foreign meditators on how to overcome accusations and misunderstandings through continuously doing good deeds.Awbur Nyan, a musician and lay supporter of Thabarwa Monastery, on how Yangon has fared through the coronavirus and how Sayadaw’s teachings have helped her.Bhikkhu Varrapanyo on his decision to remain at the monastery throughout the pandemic, and how he is applying meditation instructions from his teacher.Khema Cari, currently residing at the Thabarwa center in Italy, on how centers around the world have managed.If you would like to support our mission, we welcome your contribution. You may give via Patreon at https://bit.ly/2XDPQJo, via PayPal at https://bit.ly/2TPPRIV, by credit card at https://bit.ly/3gBbqGT, or at Go Fund Me at https://bit.ly/2XEjw9c. If you are in Myanmar and would like to give a cash donation, please feel free to get in touch with us.

28 Aug 20202h 8min