Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

  • My heart aches and Tears well in my eyes …

    by Tekkatho Moe War

    Updated : September 2026

    Tekkatho Moe War

    ရင်ထဲမှာဆို့ပြီး မျက်ရည်ဝဲမိသည်.,…

    ငယ်ရွယ်စဉ်ကာလ က ချစ်သူနှင့် ကွေကွင်းခဲ့ရ၍ မျက်ရည်လွယ်လွယ်နှင့် မဝဲ…။

    ရွယ်စဉ်ကာလက မိဘနှင့် စောစီးစွာ ခွဲခွာသွားရ၍ အငိုအရှိုက် မလွယ်ခဲ့…။

    ယခု မူကား…..ဘ၀ နှင့် ယှဉ်လာတော့…..

    ရင်ထဲမှာ ဆို့ ပြီး မျက်ရည်ဝဲမိသည်…..

    အ ကြောင်းမှာ……

    သည်နေ့ မနက် ဘုန်းကြီး ငါးပါး အား ဒံပေါက် ဆွမ်းကပ်၊ ပရိက္ခရာ လှူဖွယ် ၀တ်ထုမြား လှူဒါန်း ပြီး ပရိတ် တရား တော် များ နာယူ သည်။

    ထို့နောက် ပတ်၀န်းကျင် ရှိ မိတ်သင်္ဂဟများနှင့် ဆွေမျိုးတို့ထံ သို့ ဒံပေါက် ဗူးများ အပို့ ခိုင်းလိုက်သည်။

    အိမ်ဆောက် နေဆဲ နေရာ တွင်ရှိနေ သော ပန်းရံ ၊ ဆေးသုတ် ၊ လက်သမား အလုပ်သမား အားလုံး အတွက်လည်း တစ်ယောက်တစ်ပွဲ ကျ ( တစ်ဗူးကျ) ပို့လိုက်သည်။ တ မြန်နေ့ကပဲ အလုပ်သမားတွေကို ကြို တင် မှာထားပြီး သား ၊ ထမင်းဗူး တွေယူမလာ ခဲ့ကြ နှင့်….

    နောက်တစ်နေ့ကျ ဒံပေါက် ပို့ ပေးမည် ဟု……

    အလုပ်သမားတွေက နားမ ထောင်။ ထမင်းဗူး တွေ ယူမြဲယူလာသည်။

    အ ကြောင်း မေးကြည့်လိုက်တော့…..

    မိမိ တို့ရဲ့ သား သမီး ဘယ်တုန်းကမှ ဒံပေါက် မစားဖူး လို့ အိမ်ကိုသယ်ပြီး ကျွေးချင် လို့ပါတဲ့…..။ မိမိတို့ က အိမ်ကယူလာတာကိုပဲ စားကြမှာ တဲ့။

    မိဘ မေတ္တာ ဘာ နဲ့ များ နှိုင်းလိုပါ သေးသလဲ ?

    စာရေးသူ ရင် ထဲ ဆို့ ပြီး မျက် ရည် ဝဲ မိ သည်။

    [မှတ်ချက်။ ။ ၂၀၁၃ခု ဧပြီလတွင် ရေးခဲ့သည့် စာစုအား ပြန်ဖေါ်ပြခြင်းဖြစ်၏ ]

    [ဒု မှတ်ချက်။ ယခုလတ်တလော ၂၀၂၂ခု အနေအထားအရ ဒံပေါက်အစား ကြက်ဥကြော် ၂လုံး ဟူ၍ ပြင်ဆင်ရေးသားလျှင် ပိုမိုအံဝင်မည်လား..]

    Translated by Hla Min

    My heart aches and Tears well in my eyes …

    In our younger days, tears would not fall easily even when one is forsaken by a lover.

    Later, even when one’s parents passed away (especially untimely), one sensed grief and might shed a few tears.

    A few years back (in April, 2013) we told the workers (masons, carpenters, painters …) not to bring their lunch boxes the following day, since we would be offering requisites (robes, medicine, Nawakama, Soon) and that they would have Dan Bauk (Birayani).

    The next day, the workers brought their lunch boxes as usual.

    Asked “Why?”

    They replied, “We want to take back Dan Bauk to feed our children, who have never eaten such delicacy.”

    My heart ached (thinking of the hard lives of the workers and their families).

    Tears were ready to roll down. (There were Tears of Sorrow followed by Tears of Joy – appreciating the metta and cetana of parents.)

    Note for the revised article: Should we substitute Dan Bauk with Two Eggs?

    Editor’s Notes

    Due to the pandemic, the former Rice Bowl of Asia is facing food shortage.

    Due to misdirected policies, the purchasing power of Burmese Currency has declined.

    Thanks to Ko Htoo and Ko Hta, many starving families have temporary relief in the form of Food Coupons (e.g by Mg Mar Ga, Shwe Zin Ma and their supporters).

    I earlier translated Saya’s article about the K1000 (gratitude gift) by his mother-in-law to purchase a bowl of Khauk Swe.

    Feedback

    Saya U Moe Aung wrote :

    Dear Ko Hla Min

    As a matter of fact, I really cherished the article you’ve rendered into English recently. By the way, DanBauk is Briyani or, Birayani, as per your usage above?

    Excellent rendition, cheers!!

    Book Present from Tekkatho Moe War

  • Four

    Four

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Numeral

    • Hindu-Arablic numeral : 4
    • Roman numeral : IV
    • In Burmese : လေး

    Recent Buddhas of ဘဒ္ဒကမ္ဘာ

    • Kakusandha
    • Konagamana
    • Kassapa
    • Gautama

    Sacca / Noble Truth သစ္စာ

    • Dukkha ဒုက္ခ
      Unsatisfactoriness / Misery / Suffering
    • Samudiya သမုဒယ
      Cause of suffering
    • Nirodha နိရောဓ
      Cessation of suffering
    • Magga မဂ္ဂ
      The Path / The Middle Way

    Foundation of Mindfulness

    Four Foundations of Mindfulness
    • Contemplation of the kaya / body ကာယ
    • Contemplation of the vedana / feeling ဝေဒနာ
    • Contemplation of the citta / mind စိတ္တ
    • Contemplation of the dhamma ဓမ္မ / general objects — not covered by the above three

    Brahma Vihara Practice

    • Metta မေတ္တာ
      Loving kindness / Unbounded love
    • Karuna ကရုဏာ
      Compassion
    • Mudita မုဒိတာ
      Sympathetic joy / Altruistic joy
    • Uppekkha ဥပေက္ခာ
      Equanimity

    Guardian deities

    • Dhatarattha (East) ဓတ္တရဋ္ဌ
    • Virulhaka (South) ဝိရူဠက
    • Virupkkha (West) ဝိရူပက္ခ
    • Kuvera (North) ကုဝေရ

    Mahabhuta

    • Patthavi ပထဝီ
      Earth element
    • Tejo တေဇော
      Fire element
    • Apo အာပေါ
      Water or liquid element
    • Vayo ဝါယော
      Air or wind element

    Miscellaneous

    • Four sided figures စတုဂံ
      Rectangle, Square, Parallelogram, Parallepiped, Rhombus
    • Baseball
      first base, second base, third base, home plate
    • Games
      Four quarters (e.g. Football, Basketball)
    • Rowing လေးတက်လှော်
      Coxless fours, Coxed fours, Quadruple sculls
    • Education ပညာရေး
      Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior
    • April ဧပြီ
      4th month of the Gregorian Calendar

    Posts

    • Computation
    • Digital
    • Number Systems
    • Numbers
    • Numerals
  • Life cut short by misguided Policies

    Life cut short by misguided Policies

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    P-E-T-E-R

    P Peter (NHS Hero) paid a high price for misguided policies and guidelines
    E Envisioned retirement to spend quality time with his extended family
    T Talented Doctor, Gourmet Chef, Sketch and Oil Painter — to name a few
    E Educated and/or entertained aspiring medical specialists far and near
    R Real irreparable loss to patients, friends, family and community

    Tribute to Peter Khin Tun

    P Pote Pote Kyee (see “Cho Cho Hlaing”)
    E Enthusiastic learner and practitioner (see “Aung Jee”)
    T Took care of parents of relatives, patients and friends (see “Min Ko”)
    E Ever smiling and helpful (see “Ye Myint”)
    R Rural doctor with a huge heart (see “Vicky Bowman)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is cherry-85-1.jpg
    85th Birthday of Ma Cherry (Peter’s mom)
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pkt8-1.jpg
    Zoom gathering for offering Dana in memory of Peter

    Sad Loss that might have been prevented

    Dr. Khin Tun (Peter) served as Associate Graduate Dean at Oxford University from 2012 – 2016. He worked at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading for 20+ years.

    Sadly, he passed away on April 13, 2020 due to COVID-19 infection. He was the first doctor from RBH Trust to pass away in the line of duty. Due to misguided Policies and Guidelines, Peter lost his life at the tender age of 62. Thanks in part to interviews by Minko and Ye Myint, RBH Trust initiated an inquiry into the loss of Peter.

    Peter was looking forward to retiring in a couple of years and spend quality time with his extended family.

    His paternal grand mother lived up to 94.

    His father celebrated his 90th birthday in 2019. He used to sit in the garden every evening talking with someone and taking his daily dose of medicine. After learning about Peter’s untimely demise, he was devastated for three days. He no longer had the desire to sit in the garden. He lamented that he had no one to talk to. Ye Myint told his father that he will call from UK daily.

    His mother passed away a few months short of her 89th birthday. She and Peter are both January born. Peter would fly back to Yangon almost every year (for the past decade) in time for his mother’s birthday. They would perform dana together mostly at Chan Myei Yeiktha.

    Three uncles and two aunts are in their 80s.

    Relatives and friends mourn the loss of Peter and miss his compassion, help and smiles.

    Hope

    We cannot get Peter back, but we hope other medical staff in the front line fighting the invisible enemy would not have to suffer the same fate as Peter.

  • Terms used in my posts

    Terms used in my posts

    by Hla Min

    Update : September 2026

    A

    • A : Architecture
    • AAA : Access, Authorization & Accounting
    • ABM : American Baptist Mission
    • AC : Alternating Current
    • ACB : Advanced Communicator Bronze
    • ACG : Advanced Communication Gold
    • ACS : Advanced Communicator Silver
    • ACM : Association of Computing Machinery
    • AD : Anno Domino (In the year of our Lord); CE : Common Era
    • ADC : Analog to Digital Converter
    • AFPFL : Anti Fascist Peoples’ Freedom League (ဖဆပလ)
    • AFAIK : As Far As I Know
    • Ag : Agricultural Engineering (sub-department of Mechanical Engineering)
    • AG : Attorney General; Auditor General
    • AGI : Artificial General Intelligence
    • AGM : Annual General Meeting
    • AI : Artificial Intelligence
    • ALB : Advanced Leader Bronze
    • ALS : Advanced Leader Silver
    • AQ : Adversary Quotient
    • ARAE : Amateur Rowing Association of the East
    ARAE Regatta
    • ASAP : As Soon As Possible
    • Auto : Automobile Enginering (sub-department of Mechanical Engineering)

    B

    • BA : Bachelor of Arts
    • BAPS : Burmese American Professional Society
    • BARB : Burma Astro Research Bureau (later MARB)
    • BASES : Burmese American Society of Engineers & Scientists
    • BBS : Burma Broadcasting Service (မြန်မာ့အသံ)
    • BC : Before Christ
    • BCE : Before Common Era
    • BCM : Boston Computer Museum
    • BCom : Bachelor of Commerce
    • BCS : Burma Civil Service; British Computer Society
    • BE : Bachelor Engineering; Burmese Era
    • BEA : Burmese Engineers Association
    • BEco : Bachelor of Economics
    • BERB : Burma Education Research Bureau (later MERB)
    • BFF : Best Friends Forever
    • BFHA : Bound For Higher Abode
    • BIT : Burma Institute of Technology
    • BL : Bachelor of Law
    • BMH : Base Military Hospital
    • BMRI : Burma Medical Research Institute; later DMR
    • BOD : Board of Directors
    • BPI : Burma Pharmaceutical Industry; Bits Per Inch
    • BS : Bachelor of Science
    • B.Sc : Bachelor of Science
    • BSPP : Burmese Socialist Program Party
    • BTW : By The Way

    C

    • C : Civil; Celsius
    • CA : Chartered Accountant
    • CE : Common Era; Civil Engineering; Computer Engineering; Chief Engineer
    • Ch : Chemistry; Chapter; Channel
    • ChE : Chemical Engineering
    • CHM : Computer History Museum
    • CLC : Calcutta Lake Club
    • COE : Center of Excellence
    • ConBro : Convent & Brother Schools
    • CS : Computer Science
    • CT : Computer Technology
    • CURC : Calcutta University Rowing Club; Cambridge University Rowing Club

    D

    • DAC : Diploma in Automatic Computing; Digital to Analog Converter
    • DC : Direct Current
    • DCA : Directorate of Civil Aviation
    • DCS : Department of Computer Science; Dr. Chit Swe
    • DG : Director General
    • DHE : Directorate of Higher Education
    • DLS : De La Salle
    • DST : Daylight Savings Time
    • DTM : Distinguished Toastmaster

    E

    • E : Electrical; Exponent
    • EC : Electrical Communications; Executive Committee
    • Ece : Electrical Communications; Electronics Engineering
    • Eco : Economics Department; Institute of Economics
    • EE : Electrical Engineering
    • EI : Electrical Inspectorate; Emotional Intelligence
    • EP : Electrical Power
    • EPC : Electric Power Corporation

    F

    • F : Fahrenheit
    • FEARA : Far East Asia Rowing Association
    • FERD : Foreign Economics Relations Department
    • FYI : For Your Information

    G

    • G : Giga
    • GBNF : Gone But Not Forgotten
    • GJ : Golden Jubilee (Shwe YaDu)
    • GWTF : Go With The Flow
    • GWYW : Gone With The Wind

    H

    • HCF : Health Care Fund
    • HIC : Heavy Industries Corporation
    • HMEE : History of Myanmar Engineering Education
    • HSF : High School Final

    I

    • I.A : Intermediate of Arts
    • I. Com : Intermediate of Commerce
    • I.Sc : Intermediate of Science
    • ICS : Indian Civil Service; Institute of Computer Science
    • ICST : Institute of Computer Science and Technology
    • ILA : Intelligence Level Aggregate
    • IM : Institute of Medicine
    • Intake : mostly 1st BE Intake
    • IP : Intellectual Property; Internet Protocol
    • IQ : Intelligence Quotient

    J

    • J : Justice (as in CJ : Chief Justice)
    • JDK : Java Development Kit
    • JIT : Just in Time
    • Jr : Junior

    K

    • K : Kilo
    • KB : Knowledge Base; Kilo Byte
    • KIS : Keep It Simple (formerly KISS : Keep It Simple Stupid)

    L

    • LLB: Bachelor of Law
    • LLM : Master of Law

    M

    • M : Master; Mega; Mechanical
    • M/Ag : Agricultural (sub-department of Mechanical Engineering)
    • M/Auto : Automobile Engineering (sub-department of Mechanical Engineering)
    • MA : Master of Arts
    • MARB : Myanmar Astro Research Bureau (formerly BARB)
    • MASU : Mandalay Arts and Science University
    • Matric : Matriculation
    • ME : Master of Engineering
    • MEHS : Methodist English High School
    • MEHSA : MEHS Alumni
    • Met : Metallurgy; Metallurgical Engineering
    • Min : Mining Engineering
    • MIT : Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mandalay Institute of Technology
    • MOGE : Myanmar Oil and Gas Exploration
    • MS : Master of Science
    • M.Sc : Master of Science

    N

    • N : Nano
    • N/A : Not Applicable; Not Available
    • NASA : National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    • NLD : National League for Democracy
    • NorCal : Northern California
    • NorCal RITAA : Northern California RIT Alumni Association

    O

    • OMA : Old Members’ Association
    • OPA : Old Paulians’ Association

    P

    • PBRS : Private Boundary Road School
    • Pet : Petroleum Production
    • Phy : Physics
    • PPBRS : Private Primary Boundary Road School
    • PSO : Personal Staff Officer
    • PTC : Post and Telecommunications Corporation
    • PTS : Pali Text Society
    • PWD : Public Works Department
    • PZP : Pu Zaw Pwe

    Q

    • Q&A : Question and Answer
    • QE : Queen Elizabeth
    • QMC : Queen Mary College

    R

    • RASU : Rangoon Arts and Science University
    • RBC : Rangoon Boat Club
    • RC : Recreation Center; Regional College; Roman Catholic
    • RGC : Rangoon Golf Club
    • RIP : Rest In Peace
    • RIT : Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • RITAA : RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association
    • RU : Rangoon University
    • RUBC : Rangoon University Boat Club
    • RUESU : Rangoon University Engineering Students’ Union
    • RUSU : Rangoon University Students’ Union

    S

    • Sc : Science
    • SDY : Swel Daw Yeik
    • SDYF : Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
    • SPARK : Society for the Promotion and Advancement of Radio Knowledge
    • SPHS : Saint Paul’s High School
    • SPZP : Saya Pu Zaw Pwe

    T

    • T : Tera; Textile
    • TBA : To Be Announced
    • TBD : To Be Decided
    • TBSA : Theravada Buddhist Society of America
    • TDS : Theravada Dhamma Society
    • TM : Trade Mark; Turing Machine
    • TMC : Tathagata Meditation Center
    • TTC : Teachers’ Training College

    U

    • UBA : Union of Burma Airways
    • UBARI : Union of Burma Applied Research Institute
    • UCC : Universities’ Computer Center
    • UCSY : University of Computer Studies Yangon
    • UN : United Nations
    • UNDP : United Nations Development Program
    • Update : RIT Alumni International Newsletter Update
    • UTC : University Training Corps

    V

    • VM : Virtual Machine
    • VNW : Victor Nyunt Wai
    • VR : Virtual Reality

    W

    • WP : Word Processor; Word Processing

    X

    • XP : eXtreme Programming

    Y

    • YIT : Yangon Institute of Technology
    • YTU : Yangon Technological University
    • YUBC : Yangon Universities’ Boat Club (formerly RUBC)
    • YUFL : Yangon University of Foreign Languages (formerly IFL)

    Z

    • Z : Zillion

    Alphanumeric

    • 69er : Class of 69++
  • Aung San

    Aung San

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Brief Bio

    • Born on February 13, 1915.
    • Zartar name was Htain Lin.
    • Chose his name to be Aung San to rhyme with that of his elder brother Aung Than.
    Aung San
    • Non-de-plume during the “Thirty Comrades” days was Bo Teza.
    • Editor of Oway Magazine published by RUSU (Rangoon University Student Union)
    Aung San 2
    • Translated “Invictus”.
    Translation
    • Was assassinated on July 19, 1947
    • Spouse : Daw Khin Kyi
    • Children : Aung San Oo, Aung San Lin (GBNF), Aung San Suu Kyi

    Centennial in 2015

    I wrote the following in 2015 for the Centennial Celebration ရာပြည့် of his birthday.

    AUNG SAN
    (Feb 12, 1915 – July 19, 1947)

    AUNG

    A — Architect of Burma’s Independence;
    Signed the Aung San – Atlee Agreement.
    It led to the Nu — Atlee Agreement that gave Independence.

    U — University Student Leader;
    Served as Chief Editor of the Oway Magazine.
    Refused to name the author of “Hell Hound Turned Loose”.
    Was expelled, resulting in the 1938 Universities Student Strike.
    Translated “Invictus”.

    N — National Unity & Solidarity Proponent;
    Organized the Panlong Agreement / Pinlon Sar Choke
    Agreement was signed on February 12, 1947.
    February 12 is celebrated as Pyi Daung Su Nay / Union Day

    G —  Gone but not forgotten;
    General, who promised to step down after Independence.
    Gunned down at the tender age of 32.

    SAN

    S — Showed leadership & personal sacrifice;
    Wore torn uniforms.
    Ate Pebyoke ပဲပြုတ် and Nanbya နံပြား

    A — Anti Fascist People’s Freedom League (AFPFL); ဖဆပလ
    Co-founder

    N — National Planning Advocate;
    Displayed Nationalism and Patriotism by deeds and not words.

    Memories

    Arzani

    Arzani Nay

    Delegation to UK

    UK

  • Visits in 2015

    Visits in 2015

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Invitation

    Ivan Lee (M69) invited several 69ers to get together at his house in New Jersey around June-July of 2015. U Aung Myint and U Sein Tin could not make it to the 2015 mini-reunion.

    Fred Thetgyi (M69)

    Phil 1
    Phil 2
    Phil 3
    Phil 4
    Phil 5
    Phil 6
    Phil 9

    New Jersey

    • Main Host : Ivan
    • Other hosts : Saya U Soe Paing & Daw Saw Yu Tint
    • Ivan took us on a short trip to New York
    • Ivan showed us around New Jersey
    • For several years, Ivan had hosted the RIT-UCC Gathering with Saya Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Soe Paing as Guests of Honor.
    • Photo shows two Sayas and six 69ers — Fred, TAG, HM, Alice, Toung / Tom and Ivan
    New Jersey

    Frederick Thetgyi (M69)

    • Lives in Philadelphia
    • Joined the 2015 mini-reunion
    • Fred drove most of the 1800+ mile trip in Ivan’s Mercedes
    • Except when his batteries went out, he took pictures at the mini-reunion and the trip.
    • He would appear only in a fraction of the photos, when someone else (Ivan, a waiter, or a stranger) took the photo.
    • After the trip to Canada, Fred hosted us at his home in Philadelphia and showed us around. He also took us to Maryland to see my lone remaining uncle U Thein Han.

    Niagara Falls

    • We stopped by on the way to Canada
    • Took photos of the Falls from the US side & the Canada side
    Niagara Fall

    Windsor, Canada

    • Host : Sayagyi U Aung Khin
    • Saya patiently waited for our arrival.
    • Saya let me and my spouse spend the night in his Guest room. Ivan and Fred stayed at a motel.
    • Saya prepared Mohinga and Ah Kyaw for breakfast.
    • He gave us mementos.
    U Aung Khin
    Saya U Aung Khin
    Memento

    Toronto

    • Brief sight seeing
    • Saya Des Rodgers had earlier invited to drop by his house, but our schedule did not have slack time.

    Napean, Canada

    • Host: Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi & Daw Emma
    • Saya drove us around Toronto
    • We spent two nights at Saya’s house.
    Dr. Aung Gyi
    • Took a quick trip to Thousand Islands. Ma Ma Emma bought a gift for my Myee
    Thousand Islands

    Shrewberry, Massachussetts

    • Hosts : Dr. Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69) & Daw Khin Maw Maw
    • Since they were renovating their home, U TAG hosted us at a hotel.
    • Visit MIT & Harvard University
    U TAG
    Dinner

    Trumbull, Connecticut

    • Hosts : U Toung (Tom, EC69) and Daw Khin Myint
    • Visit Yale University
    • Visit Pizza place frequented by the young Bill Clinton
    Ko Toung
    Place frequented by young Bill Clinton

    Philadelphia

    • Hosts : Fred Thetgyi (M69) & Euniceo
    • Dropped by to see Fred’s elder sister
    • Visit Pake Forge and Liberty Bell
    • Visit my last remaining uncle U Thein Han in Maryland
    MD 1
    MD 2
    MD 3
    MD 4

    Update

    • Uncle U Thein Han passed away in late 2025.
    • Aunty Daw Khin Khin Htwe passed away recently.
  • U Tin Maung Nyunt

    U Tin Maung Nyunt

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    U Tin Maung Nyunt (M60)

    U Tin Maung Nyunt 1
    • Born in Mogok
    • Attended I.Sc at Mandalay University
    • Graduated with Mechanical Engineering in 1960
    • Worked for Joint Venture Corporation (JVC) formed by relatives
    • Found an advertisement in a newspaper to apply for a Government Scholarship.
    • Selected to study Agricultural Engineering in USA
    • Received Masters from Virginia Tech
    • Came back to Burma on an Ocean Liner with Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) & U Than Pe. They became close friends on the two-month long journey.

    M/Agri Saya at RIT

    • Upon his return, he was assigned to Agricultural Institute in Yezin. Before reporting for duty, he visited RIT.
    • Sayagyi U Ba Than (GBNF) asked if he would like to join Agri Sub-Department of Mechanical Engineering. Sayagyi said that some students were not at ease following lectures given by visiting Soviet lecturers via interpreters.
    • President, RIT Thaing
    • Played Defender on RIT Saya Soccer team

    Life after RIT

    • Worked in Thailand & USA
    • Attended RIT Alumni Gatherings in USA
    • Donated $500 for the Training Component of YTU Library Modernization project.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt’s Donation
    • He is a day older than Saya Allen Htay (GBNF). Their birthdays are December 30 & 31.
    • Monthly Breakfast Gathering with Saya Allen, U Ko Ko Aye (GBNF), Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and me.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt & Saya Allen
    • Saya U Soe Paing visited him in Milpitas, California. We had a lunch gathering at a restaurant.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 2
    • He enjoyed Hiking & Tennis, but had to suspend due to Jara and Byadi
    • Volunteer for establishing Taungpulu Kaba Aye Monastery in Northern California.
    • He had operations (one quite early and another a few years back).
    • He listens to selected Dhamma talks.
  • Dhamma Publications

    Dhamma Publications

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa

    • I served as member of the Committee to publish a book to honor Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa.
    • I was a Contributing Editor.
    U Silananda

    Libraries

    Many monasteries have libraries with texts in Pali, Burmese/Myanmar & English. Some have indexed the library collection.

    It is difficult if not impossible to read all the books in a library.

    Libraries in Monasteries (Northern California)

    • Dhammananda Vihara Half Moon Bay
    • Kuthalakari, Fremont
    • Mettananda Vihara, Oakland (formerly at Fremont & Castro Valley)
    • Mudita Shwe Kyaung, Hayward
    • Tathagata Meditation Center, San Jose

    Training and Teaching Centers

    Mingalar Byu Har (မင်္ဂလာဗျူဟာ), Dhamma Byu Har (ဓမ္မဗျူဟာ), Dhammacakka Society (ဓမ္မစကြာအသင်းအဖွဲ့ ), Pathan Sar Thin Taik (ပဌာန်းစာသင်တိုက်) and the various training and teaching centers have helped sustain, promote, and propagate Sasana.

    Theravada Canon

    Theravada means “Way of the Elders”.

    At the First Buddhist Council and at the subsequent Councils, the sacred texts are reaffirmed. The Teachings are not added, deleted, or modified.

    Burma hosted the Fifth & Sixth Buddhist Councils.

    Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa initiated two projects: one to digitize the marble slabs inscribed during the Fifth Buddhist Council in Mandalay, and the other to compile a CD of the Tipitaka texts that were re-affirmed at the Sixth Buddhist Council in Rangoon/Yangon.

    The Pali-Myanmar Tipitaka Dictionary was compiled under the guidance of the Sayadawgyis (e.g. Mahasi Sayadaw) and the [then young] Sayadaws (e.g. U Silananda). Myanmar translations of the Tipitaka texts were published by the Department of Religious Affairs.

    Mahagandaryone Sayadaw U Janakabivamsa

    He wrote texts for both the sanghas and the lay people. They include

    • Ba Tha Thway ဘာသာသွေး
    • Yadana Gone Yi ရတနာ့ဂုဏ်ရည်
    • A Na Gut Thar Tha Yay အနာဂတ်သာသနာရေး (Future of the Dispensation)
    • Ko Kyint Abhidhamma ကိုယ်ကျင့်အဘိဓမ္မာ (Abhidhamma in Daily Life)
    • Shin pone shin kyint wut ရှင်ပုံ ရှင်ကျင့်ဝတ် (rules for the samanera/novices)
    • The Illustrated History of Buddhism (with drawings by Sayagyi U Ba Kyi)

    Dhamma Recording

    Tape Recorders

    In the 50’s and 60’s, the Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS) used mostly Ampex tape recorders for high fidelity.

    The general public used less expensive brands such as Akai, Grudig and Sony for recording.

    Sixth Buddhist Council

    During the Sixth Buddhist Council (1954 – 1956), BBS broadcast the sessions where Mahasi Sayadaw served as the Questioner and Mingun Tipitaka Sayadaw served as the Reciter/Expositor.

    The archives are being offered as dhamma dana in Audio CD and MP3 formats.

    Kudos to those who are trying to preserve, practice, and propagate the Sasana (Teachings of the Buddha).

    Teachings of Sayadaws

    Individuals and organizations have provided access to their dhamma archives.

    Sun Lun Sayadaw

    Recordings (dhamma talks, kammavaca, …) of Myingyan Sun Lun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw U Kavi were made by his disciples. They can be downloaded from the Sun Lun web site.

    Mogok Sayadaw

    U Sway Tin and his team recorded 500+ talks of the Mogok Sayadaw U Vimala. They also transcribed the tapes for distribution as books. The advances in technology make possible the redistribution of the archives as Audio CDs, MP3s, and e-Books.

    Dhammananda Sayadaw

    Recordings of Sayadaw U Silananda (Abdhidhamma, “Words of the Buddha”, …, dhamma talks given at the meditation retreats) were made by his disciples at Dhammacakka Center, Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA), Tathagatha Meditation Center (TMC), and Zen Buddhist Temple. Some works are available as Audio CDs, MP3s and books. I was honored to edit the dhamma talks (transcribed by Sayadaw U Osadha) before presenting them to SayadawU S ilananda for final review and editing. The book was published in 2003 by the Malaysian yogis organized by Pauline Chiong.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-a.jpg
    Taya Oo

    TMC Publications

    Tathagata Meditation Center

    • TMC was founded by the Vietnamese disciples of Sayadaw U Silananda.
    • TMC is located at 1215 Lucretia Avenue, San Jose, CA 95122
    • It’s web site is
      http://www.tathagata.org/
    • Conducts several long-term meditation retreats per year.
    • Used to offer two week-end retreats for months when there are no long-term retreats.
    • Holds summer classes : one for children and the other for young adults.
    • Published several books for Dhamma Dana distribution.
      They include teachings by Mahasi Sayadaw, U Pandita, U Silananda, and books to study Pali.

    Pali

    • For the past few years, U Dhammika-bhivamsa (Tharmanay Kyaw) taught Pali courses using selected Suttas to interested yogis to have an appreciation of Buddha’s teachings without delving into the details of Pali grammar.
    • The course materials were prepared by Som Tu (Director of TMC, Retired executive in Technology) under the guidance of Thamanay Kyaw Sayadaw.

    Reference Books

    • I used to volunteer as Translator/Interpreter for Meditation Retreats at Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC).
    • Beelin Sayadaw U Pannadipa (then Resident Sayadaw at TMC, currently Padana Nayaka Sayadaw at Panditarama Shwe Taung Gone in Yangon) gave me the book “A Pali Myanmar-English Dictionary of the Noble Words of the Lord Buddha”.
    • The book was compiled by U Myat Kyaw (Myanmar Sar Ah Phwe) and translated into English by U San Lwin.
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_20190910_0001.jpg
    • TMC gave me the book “Buddhist Dictionary” by Ven. Nyantiloka.
    • It is subtitled “Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines”.
    • The first edition was published in 1946.
    • The third revised & enlarged edition was edited by Ven. Nyanaponika in 1970.
    Intro to Pali
    • U Hla Myint, who had passed Dhammacariya & several monastic exams as a monk, gave me a PDF version of his manuscript “An Introduction to Pali” for study and review. The book is available as Dhamma Dana distribution from TMC.
    • He studied Pali under the guidance of Mahagandayone Sayadaw U Jananabhivamsa (one of the greatest Pali scholars in the 20th century) and with the outstanding teachers U Vijaya-lankara and U Dhamika-bhivamsa (with pen name “Thamanay Kyaw”).
    • He studied English under the guidance of Sayadaw U Pandita-bhivamsa and with the eminent teachers such as U Aung Myat Thut, U Aye Maung and U Hla Maung.
    • He has written, translated and edited several books for TMC.

    Triple Gem Publications

    Founder Members

    • Harry Than Htut (Canada)
    • U Htay Aung (Victor, Australia)
    • Dr. Maung Maung Lwin (UK)
    • U Tin Htoon (USA)
    • Daw Tin Tin Myint (Emma, Singapore)

    Sample Publications

    • Emptying the Rose-Apple Seat
      A day-to-day guide to Buddhist meditation methods as taught by a renowned meditation master
      by Aggamahapandita Bhaddhanta Dr. Rewata Dhamma
      Foreword by Joseph Goldstein
    • The Buddha’s Prescription
      A selection of talks and essays by Dr. Rewata Dhamma

    Inward Path Publisher

    Background

    • IPP is in Penang, Malaysia.
    • Aims at disseminating the noble teachings of Wisdom and Compassion of the Buddha to a wide segment of readers through the printing of Dhamma books and booklets.

    Dhamma Dana

    Inward Journey Books (free Dhamma books) include the following :

    • One Truth Only
      A Compilation of Passages from Mahasi Sayadaw’s discourses
    • The Way to the Happiness of Peace
      Understanding the Basics of Insight Meditation
      By Sayadaw U Pandita
    • Paritta Pali and Protective Verses
      A Collection of Eleven Protective Verses & An English Translation
      By Sayadaw U Silananda
    • Volition
      An Introduction to the Law of Kamma
      By Sayadaw U Silananda
    • No Inner Core
      An Introduction to the Doctrine of Anatta
      By Sayadaw U Silananda
    • Idriya
      The Nine Causes which Sharpen the Controlling Faculty of a Vipassana Meditating Yogi
      By Sayadaw U Kundala
    • Vipassana Bhavana
      Basic Principles of Mindfulness Meditation
      By Sayadaw U Kundala
    • Time and Priceless Treasures of Thabyekan Sayadaw
      Compiled by Tharmanay Kyaw

    Triple Gems Publications, in collaboration with Suki Hoti Publications, have made available dhamma dana books. See the relevant postings.

    Theravada Web Sites

    Thanks to the websites (such as those listed below), the Teachings of the Buddha and His disciples can easily be studied, practiced, and propagated.

    • dhammadownload.com (Ko Kyaw Lwin and team)
    • nibanna.com (Dr. Maung Maung Lwin and team)
    • several other Theravada web sites
  • Tathagata Meditation Center

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Overview

    • Founded by devotees (mostly Vietnamese) of Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa (GBNF)
    • Located at 1215 Lucretia Street, San Jose, California, USA
    • Sayadaw U Silananda gave a talk “The ten meanings of Tathagata”
    U Silananda

    History & Activities

    For the history and activities of the meditation center, please visit

    http://www.tathagata.org/

    TMC Dining Hall

    • In the dining hall, there is an album about Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa’s early years in the US (e.g. meditation retreat at a church, dhamma classes at a Zen Buddhism Temple).
    • There are also photos about the Summer Camp for children and young adults.
    • There are two cabinets of books: one for dhamma dana distribution, and another for sale.

    Newsletter

    • The “Dhamma Bell Newsletter” was edited by volunteers (U Theikdi & Maureen O’Brien).
    • It was published quarterly.
    • It featured dhamma talks given at TMC and also recipes (e.g. vegetarian spring rolls).

    Sayadaws

    Panditarama Sayadaw

    Panditarama Sayadaw
    • Sayadawgyi conducted Annual Meditation Retreats.
    • Later, he assigned Sayadaws to conduct the Retreats on his behalf.

    Beelin Sayadaw

    Beelin Sayadaw
    • Spent over a decade as Chief Resident Sayadaw at TMC
    • Back in Myanmar, Sayadaw resided at Hse Mile Gone and Panditarama
    • Passed away on June 18, 2025.
    • TMC held a ceremony on July 19, 2025 to honor Beelin Sayadaw.

    U Dhammika (Tharmane Kyaw Sayadaw)

    • Sayadaw taught Pali courses at TMC
    • He wrote “Pali Sikkha ပါဠိသိက္ခာ” (Practicing Pali) texts.
    Pali course

    U Thuzana

    • Current Chief Resident Monk of TMC
    U Thuzana
  • 1963 – 2026

    1963 – 2026

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Events

    Many events are covered in my posts & Newsletter Updates.

    The following are some highlights for 1963 – 2026.

    • I spent five years studying at RIT.
    • I have spent 27 years paying back to my alma mater and my mentors.
    • Thanks to my family members for their support.

    1963

    Matric Exam

    • Took Matric Only exam in May
    • Stood 7th in the whole of Burma. Honored at a ceremony at St. Paul’s High School.
    7th in Burma
    • Won the Collegiate Scholarship of 75 kyats a month
    Scholarship Winners
    • OPA invited us to the Annual Dinner on June 30.
    OPA Dinner
    • A newspaper clipping describing the Dinner is shown below. From R to L : Khin Maung U, Min Oo, Myo San, Nyunt Wai, Thein Wai, me & Maung Maung Kyi
    • SPHS had five in the Top Five, seven in the Top Ten and ten in the Top Twenty in the Matric exam of 1963. Myo San (Freddie, 3rd), Maung Maung Kyi (11th) and Aung Thu Yein (13th) are now GBNF.
    • Our SPHS teachers are GBNF. Saya Beatson, who became a monk, was the last saya to pass away.

    Inter A

    • Attended the last ever I.Sc.(A) classes at Leik Khone.

    Rowing

    • Joined Rangoon University Boat Club with fellow Paulians Maung Maung Kyi (GBNF), Kyaw Wynn and Willie Soe Maung (GBNF). Our crew was Runners up for the Senior Novices. We were awarded Full Green.
    • Citing Security Concerns, the RUBC 40th Anniversary Regatta was canceled. Following the 7th July Anniversary protests, the University courses except Medicine & Engineering were suspended. The hostel students were ordered to return to their homes.
    • Sithu U Tin (President, GBNF) decided not to cancel the RUBC 40th Anniversary Dinner at Orient Hotel in Kandawgyi. Several members are now GBNF.

    1964 – 1969

    • The I.Sc(A) exam was held at the High Schools.

    RIT

    2nd BE
    • Attended first ever 2nd BE class at Rangoon Institute of Technology in November 1964.
    • I was admitted as the Top student based on the I.Sc(A) exam marks.
    Luyechun

    Luyechun

    • Selected Luyechun in 2nd BE. Attended the Inlay Khaung Daing Camp in the summer of 1965 along with Ko Sein Shwe, Ma Khin Than Myint Tin and Ko Zaw Min.
    • The Luyechun program was started in the summer of 1964 with students from 7th to 10th Standards. In 1965, the program also included students from Universities & Institutes.
    • Some Luyechuns — Kyaw Sein Koe (IM1), Khin Aye Than (Chemistry), Tun Naung (Dental), Than Sit (Sagaing) and Aung Kyaw Nyunt (Myingyan) — are now GBNF.

    Associations

    • Served as Joint Secretary, Secretary & Magazine Committee member of the RIT EE Association
    RIT EE Association
    • Served as the last ever officially elected Treasurer and Vice Captain of Rangoon University Boat Club. The higher authorities abolished the Bye laws and prevented me from becoming RUBC Captain.

    Writing

    • Started free lance writing (article, poem, translation …)
    • Published the poem “Men on the Moon” in Guardian newspaper in July 1969. Mr. Hall (Information Officer, USIA) sent a copy of the poem to NASA and the astronauts.
    Men on the Moon

    Graduation

    • Graduated with B.E (EC).
    • Kyaw Soe, Aung Thu Yein, Chit Tin, Oo Kyaw Hla and Sai Aik Yee are now GBNF.
    • Hla Min, Tun Aung Gyaw, Ko Toung and Tin Tin are in USA. Win Boh is in Australia. Than Lwin, Ye Win and Maung Ko are in Myanmar.
    EE69

    1970 – 1998

    Work

    UK
    • Universities’ Computer Center (UCC) : Computer Engineer, Sr. Systems Programmer, Business Application Manager ko
    UCC Course
    • Department of Computer Science (DCS) : Senior Lecturer
    • Institute of Computer Science and Technology (ICST) : Associate Professor
    • Tech Companies in the Silicon Valley : Member, Senior Member & Principal Member of Technical Staff

    Publications & Projects

    • Articles & translations in Guardian, Working Peoples’ Daily (WPD), Forward Magazine, Veda ဝေဒ Magazine, and Pan ပန် Magazine.
    • Assisted Saya Dr. Chit Swe’s projects including High School Mathematics, Children’s Treasury of Knowledge (CTK), Team of System Specialists (TOSS)
    • Wrote Computer Science, Programming & Lecture guides and UCC manuals with Saya U Soe Paing and Saya U Aung Zaw (GBNF).
    U Soe Paing
    • Per request from U Myint Sein (Principal, BARB, GBNF), I assigned Ko Win Latt and Ko Zaw Tun Veda projects and supervised them. Their programs are used by Veda sayas, students & practitioners.
    With Veda Sayas

    1999

    Newsletter

    Newsletter
    • Started “RIT Alumni International Newsletter”
    • It started with the news and photos of some gatherings back in Burma. (a) 30th Anniversary of the Graduation of the Class of 69 — reported by Ko Daniel Tint Lwin and Ma Saw Yu Tint (Alice)
      (b) Mini-gathering with Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi and other sayas and senior alumni — reported by Saya U Soe Paing

    2000

    SPZP-2000

    SPZP-2000
    • First RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in San Francisco, USA in October 2000
    • Commemorative web pages (thanks to KMZ)
    • Commemorative Issue of the RIT Alumni International Newsletter by me and team
    My Poem
    • 64 Countdown to the Reunion posts
    • 36 Post-Reunion posts

    2002

    SPZP-2002

    • Second RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Singapore
    • Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung”
    • by Saya U Moe Aung and team
    • Reprinted my “SAYA PUZAW PWE” poem as Back Cover

    2004

    SPZP-2004

    • Third RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Yangon
    • Mild earthquake did not rattle the attendees

    2006

    Three Gatherings in Sydney

    • Visited Sydney, Australia to attend three gatherings
    • RIT Alumni Dinner organized by Saya U Hla Myint, Saya U Myo Win (GBNF) & team
    RIT Gathering
    • UCC Alumni Gathering hosted by Saya U Aung Zaw (GBNF) and Daw Kyawt
    UCC Gathering
    • BOB Gathering at Olympic Park organized by Dr. Thann Naing (Bonnie Kywe)

    2007

    SPZP-2007

    SPZP-2007
    • Fourth RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Singapore
    • Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” by Saya U Moe Aung and team
    • Contributed a poem “SWE DAW YEIK”

    UCC Gathering

    • UCC gathering in Yangon hosted by Saya U Soe Paing & Daw Saw Yu Tint
    • Ko Soe Myint & Ma Nge are now GBNF.
    UCC Gathering

    2010

    SPZP-2010

    • Fifth RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Singapore
    • Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” by Saya U Moe Aung and team
    • Contributed an article : Sad and short clip — EE sayas

    2012

    SPZP-2012

    SPZP-2012
    • Sixth RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Yangon
    • True “Home Coming” in the Gyogone Campus
    • Special publication : History of University Engineering Education in Burma/Myanmar by Saya U Aung Hla Tun & team (Ko Ohn Khine & I compiled the CD supplement for the book)
    • Publication: Selected RIT Cartoons
    • Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Magazine” by U Saw Lin & team
    • Limited reprints of 23 RIT Annual Magazines

    2013

    SDYF

    SDYF
    • Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
    • Contributions for various projects
    • Health care for the sayas and sayamas

    Soon Kyway

    • For our Golden Jubilee
    • Gifts from Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ), Zaw Tun & Kyu Kyu

    2014

    RIT Shwe YaDu

    GJ of Admission
    • 50th Anniversary of the opening of RIT in 1964
    • Planted 50 Swel Daw Bins
    • Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Magazine” by Saya U Moe Aung & team (Contributed an article : “Recollections of a 69er”)
    • Paved Shwe YaDu lane and set up Swel Daw Yeik benches
    • Translated Saya U Moe Aung’s Shwe YaDu poem

    2016

    SPZP-2016

    • RIT/YIT/YTU Alumni Association
    • Seventh RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Yangon
    • 10000+ attendees
    • Free food and fun (all day and all night long)
    • Platinum Jubilee for the Class of 69
    • Hosted by some 69ers for their friends (in their sunset)

    Appreciation Awards

    • Soonkway at Half Moon Bay Monastery (organized by U Maurice Chee)
    HMB
    • Received Alumni Appreciation Award from alumni worldwide
    Award 1
    • Annual Dinner by Northern California RIT Alumni Association
    NorCal RITAA
    • Received plaque signed by Saya U Myat Htoo (Chair, BOD, GBNF), U Kaung Kaung Oo (Gordon, President), and U Thaung Nyunt (Secretary)
    Award 2

    Gatherings

    • Attended SPZP-2016 and Platinum Jubilee of the Class of 69
    SPZP-2016
    Ovada

    2017

    Post-SPZP

    • Attended Post-SPZP2016 Gatherings

    DTM

    • Awards : Distinguished Toastmaster

    2018

    UCC & ICST

    • Attended 5th Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of ICST/UCSY
    • Memories of UCC : 40+ posts
    • Trivia : 2000+ posts
    • Archived and revised posts in hlamin.com

    2019

    69er GJ

    • Golden Jubilee of Graduation of the Class of 69

    ILF

    • Panelist, 5th Irrawaddy Literary Festival

    2020

    • PSA Tour in Jan 2020
    • After announcement of pandemic in Feb 2020, many social activities were paused.

    2021 – 2023

    Visits

    • Short visits (e.g Singapore, Malaysia)

    NorCal RITAA

    • Some social activities were resumed.

    2024

    Visits

    • Short visits to Thailand and Laos
    • Attended EE85 Reunion as Guest of Edward Saw (Yu Ket).

    Celebrations

    • NorCal RITAA celebrated Centennial of Engineering Education in Burma & 60th Anniversary of RIT
    • Saya U Nyunt Htay, Mg Mar Ga & team organized the recording of video messages of some sayas & sayamas. They can be accessed from YouTube channel & website of NorCal RITAA.

    2025 – 2026

    Hla Min
    • Still have good physical & mental health.
    • Updating posts in my website
    • Posts for RIT Updates
    • Posts for Old Paulians
    • Posts for Old Burma Group

    Thanks

    • My ancestors
    My Beloved Father
    My beloved parents
    My parents & Mother-in-law
    • Family members
    • သင်ဆရာ၊ မြင်ဆရာ၊ ကြားဆရာ
    • Benefactors