Monestary in Myanmar

[Dilantha]

Hi Dhamma friends,,

Could somebody advice me if there is a monastery which accepts foreign meditators at the moment in Myanmar .. I know Pa Auk and other monasteries which doesn't allow foreigner due to the situation in Myanmar

Much appreciated

Dilantha

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I would also advise against visiting Burma for monasteries or meditation centres. If you know which style of meditation you want to follow, there are centres in Thailand or western countries where you can do retreats. My knowledge is way out of date, as I have not visited Thailand for forty years, but Wat Tamao in Lampang might be one good option. When I was there, it was a well-run study monastery with a meditation section under construction.

How long to you wish to practice? How much can you afford to pay? Where do you currently live?

[Eko Care]

Given that you don't have a strict choice among the different types of meditation centers, I wonder why don't you look for a one in your own country where there are many branches of Burmese ones, specially at this time.

Anyway good luck with meditative life.

[Dilantha]

I would also advise against visiting Burma for monasteries or meditation centres. If you know which style of meditation you want to follow, there are centres in Thailand or western countries where you can do retreats. My knowledge is way out of date, as I have not visited Thailand for forty years, but Wat Tamao in Lampang might be one good option. When I was there, it was a well-run study monastery with a meditation section under construction.

How long to you wish to practice? How much can you afford to pay? Where do you currently live?

Hi bhante, thanks for the reply.

answers to your questions

1. I have no particular meditation style in my mind. I have done retreats in both Pa Auk and Goenka meditation.. both are good for me..even mahasi style also wouldnt mind.
2. We (me and my wife) planning to go for a long retreat. lets say for about 5 years at least..
3.I can spend arround 5000 dolars for the journey
4. At the moment I live in Sri Lanka ( I know we have centers in my country. But I prefer to go abroad ,just my personal preference with my past experience in the country)


Much Appreciate

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

This website offers Myanmar Travel Advice for UK citizens. It does not look encouraging.

Since you plan to stay for a prolonged period, you need a stable situation. I know from personal experience that things can change without warning. When I was in Burma in the 1980s, all foreigners had to leave, so I spent almost two years in Thailand until I could get a visa to re-enter Burma. I then stayed in Bangkok for a some time at the king's temple, a month or so at Wat Tamao, and over a year at Wat Pah Nanachat (if I remember correctly).

Wat Pah Nanachat is a good place for monastic training, but it is not the same as a Mahāsi meditation centre. In Burma, I stayed at Mahāsi Yeikthā, Chanmyay Yeikthā, and at a Mahāsi branch in Taunggyi, Shan State, to escape the unbearable heat and humidity of Chanmyay Yeikthā, Mawbhi.

Wat Tamao in North West Thailand, or Wat Pah Nanachat in North East Thailand have much better climate than Rangoon or Bangkok.

As Sri Lankans, you may be used to hot weather and spicy food, but you have no experience of 40°C and 100% humidity.

[TRobinson465]

Yes, sadly the worlds Theravada Buddhist nations are mostly under bad conditions (perhaps the work of Mara?). Thailand and Burma under faux democracy military dictatorships, Laos and Cambodia still reeling from communism. Sri Lanka is the only real democracy of the group and they are in a massive crisis from reckless policies of one of its political families. Really hard to spread the Dhamma when you're either trying to survive under hyperinflation or under the rule of brutal tyrants.

From what i understand Burma is the worst of the group, with its military dictator being even worse than Thailand's. Thailand has an election coming up this year but 250 out of the 750 seats in parliament are reserved for the murderous corrupt Thai military so not likely we'll see a change there without some kind of landslide victory (not impossible given how incompetent the military regime is).

If you really want to practice under a burmese tradition maybe look for branches inside your country? If your not a stickler for Burmese buddhism and just want to go on retreat abroad, thailand is pretty open to foreigners, wealthy ones in particular, it just kinda sux if your Thai.

[TRobinson465]

2. We (me and my wife) planning to go for a long retreat. lets say for about 5 years at least..

5 years is a lot. Burma is pretty unstable politically. I'm sure you can find a place but maybe also a good idea to try to do Thailand for the same amount of time completely uninterrupted. Or maybe aim for a center near the border so you can quickly cross into Thailand if needed?

[Dilantha]

This website offers Myanmar Travel Advice for UK citizens. It does not look encouraging.

Thank you very much Bhante... Seems like thailand is the best choice

5 years is a lot. Burma is pretty unstable politically.

Thanks alot.. seems like thailand is the place to go..

[webmystiker]

I will be flying to Myanmar for 10 weeks in October.
I can't name a monastery, but I'll look for one and tell you what I find.
I was in Pa Auk for 3 months in 2017.
What I can tell you with certainty is that Western reports on the political situation often do not reflect the situation well.

Anyone who completely ignores the perspective of China and Russia can receive a painful payment for this ignorance in Myanmar. This has already happened to some Westerners.
hate, greed and delusion...
As someone who grew up in East Germany, I have somewhat better developed antennae for these questions than people from the West.

I would say the situation is dangerous for someone if they are politically and especially geopolitically naive.
Unfortunately, I also read this naivety here in the forum, where I hear from the "good democratic Westerners" about the "brutal, evil military"
I don't want to justify what the military is doing in Myanmar, but anyone who doesn't understand that the USA is trying to wage a proxy war against China, very similar to Ukraine, simply doesn't understand the full extent of the situation.
for a political discussion here - this is not the right place. However, the question of current security in Myanmar requires a certain knowledge of the situation.
If you still want to visit Myanmar like me, please feel free to ask me for more information.
preferably via telegram user joe_schraube