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.
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
Conducts about six long-term meditation retreats per year.
Offers 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.
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.
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.
U Hla Myint
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.
The course in Burmese is available in CD and MP3 tapes.
The course is English is available as a 3-volume book.
Abhidhamma Course (in Burmese)
Abhidhamma (Burmese)
Sayadaw U Silananda gave a course at Dhammananda Vihara (then in Daly City) over several weekends.
Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M60) completed the course.
Some devotees converted the 26 tapes into MP3 format.
Ko Jeffrey (from Fremont) loaded them onto an MP3 player, and offered them as dhamma dana to students taking Abhidhamma courses.
Handbook of Abhidhamma Studies
Three Volumes by Venerable Sayadaw U Silananda
Transcription by Sarah E Marks
Abhidhamma (English)Back cover
Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa
Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa
He succeeded U Silanandabhivamsa as Rector of IMBTU
He taught Abhidhamma in Myanmar and beyond.
Fundamental Abhidhamma Part I was first taught in 1997 at Maryland, USA. The book was edited by Dr. Khin Maung U (First in Burma in the Matric exam of 1963). The second edition was published by the Center of Buddhist Studies (CBS), Sagaing Hills in 2005.
Fundamental Abhidhamma Part II was published by the Center of Buddhist Studies (CBS), Sagaing Hills in 2007.
Fundamental
Fundamental Abhidhamma
Part I
By Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa
First edition : June 1997
Editor : Dr. Khin Maung U
Myanmar-Buddhist Meditation Society, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Second, extended edition : January 2005
revised : November 2005
Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS), Sagaing Hills, Sagaing, Myanmar
Contents
The History of Abhidhamma
(1) Why is it called Abhidhamma? (2) Who is the author? … (8) The role of Abhidhammattha sangaha (9) The role of Vibhavani (10) Ledi Sayadaw (11) Paramatthadipani, the critic of Vibhavani
Ashin Garudhamma teaches two courses at the monastery in Spady, Fremont.
One is Pali.
The other is Abdhidhamma.
Gary dhamma
Abhidamma Newsletter (1999)
Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa was Patron of Dhammachakka Meditation Center, Berkeley, C.A.
Abdhidhamma Newsletter was published by the Abhidhamma Study Group of DMC.
Abhidhamma Newsletter
Abhidhamma Newsletter Volume 1 Number 3 (April 1999) Adviser: Venerable U Silananda Editor: Maung Tin-Wa (Ph.D.) Editorial Board: James Cameron, U Aye Cho, Aung Khin (M.D.). Marc F. Lierberman (M.D.), Yan Naing Lwin (Ph.D.), Sarah E, Marks, Tin Than Myint (M.D.), Bach Dong Nhut, U Han Nyo, Phil Rohrer, Larry Rosenberg, Anna Spievogel (M.D., Ph.D.), Tin Myo Than (M.D.), Hla N. Tin (Ph.D.), Rita Adelman Graphic Designer: Scott Jordan Transcribing and Word Processing: Pat McMahon Published by the Abhidhamma Study Group of Dhammachakka Meditation Center, Berkeley, C.A.
Dr. Ko Gyi Ophthalmologist and Medical Superintendent of EENT Hospital Sons : Aung Khin (SPHS63, DSA, GBNF) and Thein Wai (SPHS63, Fifth in Burma)
Col. Min Sein Dean Spouse : Dr. Daw Yin May (Fellowship for three disciplines) Son : Dr. Thein Htut (RUBC Gold)
Dr. U Maung Gale Dean of the Rangoon Medical College from1959 to 1962. Per Saya Dr. Maung Nyo, “He was our dean, very quiet and peaceful. He translated Grey’s Anatomy to Burmese and he handed over the manuscripts to Dr Norma Saw.”
Dr. Khin Maung Win Pathologist and DG ME. At one time, he headed the Medical Board to examine the people chosen for States Scholar.
Victor Win (Nay Win Myint, ChE66) : Former President and Former Board Vice Chairman (2004 to 2006) of Burma American Democratic Alliance (BADA); Spouse : Daw Jean Gale (Former President of BADAl)
September 2018
Daw Khin Than Win (T70) : 3rd Sep 2018
U Kyaw Min Than : younger brother of Saya Dr. U Win (USA)
October 2018
U Aye Kyaw (nickname : U Thant) 12th Oct 2018
November 2018
U Hla Moe (U Kyin Sein, Phy) : 4th Nov 2018
December 2018
U Khin Kyaw (SPHS 70/EP 76/ex-YCDC) : 18th Dec 2018
Dr. Daw Kyin Yee, spouse of Saya U Kyaw Myint (M64) : Dec 2018
Mother of Ms. Yasmin Vanya, Secretary of BAWA (Burmese American Women’s Alliance)
Spouse of U Maung Maung Latt, President of BADA (Burmese American Democratic Alliance)
Date (?)
Darren Lee (M62) : Attended NorCal RIT AA Picnic; need date of demise
He is a senior, but he is physically & mentally active.
Represented RIT in Swimming, Water Polo, Diving & Basketball.
In 1999, the 69ers organized a Reunion and mini-SPZP for the 30th Anniversary of Graduation. The organizers compiled an address / phone book for the 69ers and also listed GBNF. He was inadvertently listed as GBNF.
Only close friends knew that he was whisked away by Adhamma authorities and sentenced to 20 years in a kangaroo court for his involvement in 8-8-88 related activities. He was released after 17 years when “Lut Nyein Chan Thar Kwint လွတ်ငြိမ်းချမ်းသာခွင့်” was proclaimed.
He was a Tone Kyaw. He suffered losses & relations during and after his imprisonment.
He did not lose heart. He attended 69er gatherings regularly and served as photographer. He tried out camera tricks (e.g. creating twins) and posts the photos on the RIT69ers FB page.
He is active as Leader (“A Pho Gyi အဖိုးကြီး”) for the social & religious activities in the Latha လသာ area.
His birthday is on May 24.
He succumbed to Covid in 2020.
Dr. Tin Hlaing (M63)
Dr. Tin Hlaing
Joined Mechanical Engineering Department in 1963.
His friends called him “Byte” Tin Hlaing or “R” Tin Hlaing, since there was a senior Saya U Tin Hlaing (M59, GBNF) who headed the Agri Engineering sub-Department.
The elder saya passed away untimely because he could not get access to the two dialysis machines (reserved for VIP) and he could not get passport / visa in time to get medical treatment abroad. Those were the days.
Dr. Tin Hlaing moved to Singapore. He co-chaired SPZP-2002.
A few years ago, he became a Tone Kyaw. Another Dr. Tin Hlaing (Marine Technology) passed away in Singapore. A few alumni sent condolences to Saya.
Hla Min
U Hla Min
My name sake matriculated from St Paul’s High School in 1964 and graduated with EE in 1970. He was one year junior to me at SPHS and RIT. He joined UCC as Chief Operator (CO). He taught Programming at Worker’s College.
He appeared healthy and strong, but unfortunately he passed away at the tender age of 30+.
During his hospitalization, he was taken care of by his former classmate Dr. Min Lwin (SPHS64).
Many were not aware that there were two Hla Min (Old Paulian, RIT alumni, UCC employee/saya).
Two government departments — Coop သမဝါယမ Training School, Trade ကုန်သွယ်ရေး Training School, where I had given guest lectures — inquired UCC how they can send “Lwan Thuu Pann Khwe လွမ်းသူ့ပန်းခွေ wreath) for me.
We went to Kyandaw ကြံတော Cemetery for Ko Pauk Si’s Last Journey. He earned the nickname at SPHS, because he would eat Pauk Si ပေါက်စီ from the vendor who had borrowed money from his father and did not pay back in cash.
Moe Hein (Ajala, ChE69, who represented RIT in swimming & water polo) looked at me as if I was a Ghost. He said, “I had taken the day off to bid you farewell. I did not hear any news from your brother (who worked at DI/HIC) and felt sorry for you. If I don’t show up, there might not be people at your funeral.”
Those who are young might not have heard about the Nigerian rabble-rouser / trouble maker named Ajala. Moe Hein, with his loud voice, can overwhelm supporters from other teams in the Inter-Institute tournaments.
Tin Tun & Tin Htoon
This is not a case of Tone Kyaw. It caused some confusion.
A Burmese name may be spelled differently in English. e.g Tun, Htun & Htoon for ထွန်း
Ko Tin Tun, who married U Tin Htoon’s niece (Aye Aye Khin), passed away in Yangon on the morning of May 22, 2020.
Saya U Thein Tan (C64) and Ko Sann Tun Ni (Sushi owner) asked for clarification. They were relieved to find out that it was not U Tin Htoon (Past Captain and Gold of RUBC, Goenka’s devotee / organizer).
SPHS StaffHigh School SayasBro Henry PeterMr. George ChapmanMr. TimsMr. BeatsonMr. Cecil D’CruzU Nyunt MaungMr. Johnny MyoU AyeU Kyaw SeinU San TheinU NgeU Kyaw OoU HtweU Pe Tin Bro Anthony
HlaMin 