Category: Book

Holy Discourses
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

U Hla Min

Eleven Holy Discourses of Proection

Subtitle : Maha Paritta Pali

Transliterated and Translated from the Burmese Pali Scriptures (The Sixth Buddhist Council Version) into English

by Sao Htun Hmat Win
M.A; A.M; S.R.F. (Harvard)
Director of Research and Scriptures

Publisher : Department of Religious Affairs, Yangon, Myanmar.
1991

Contents

1. The Author

2. Maha Paritta Pali
- Method of Translation
- Buddhism as Religion
- Apotropaic Buddhism
- Eleven Maha Paritta Suttas
- Textual Resource
- Historical Resources
- Paritta as Bhavana Meditation
- Recite and Work
3. Maha Paritta Pali (The Text of Great Protection)

(1) Mangala Sutta (Discourse on Auspices)

(2) Ratana-Sutta Discourse on Precious Jewels)
A Historical Sketch

(3) Metta Sutta (Discourse on Loving kindness)
A Historical Sketch

(4) Khanda Paritta Sutta (Discourse on the Protection of the Aggregates)

(5) Mora-Sutta (Discourse on the Peacock’s Prayer)
A Historical Sketch

(6) Vatta Sutta (Discourse on the Quail’s Confession)

(7) Dhajagga Sutta (Discourse on the Crest of the Banner)

(8) Atanatiya Sutta (Discourse on Atanatiya)

(9) Angulimala Sutta (The Act of Truth by Reverend Angulimala)

(10) Bojjhanga Sutta (Discourse on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment)

(11) Pubbhana Sutta (Discourse on Good Morning)

4. Maha Paritta Pali
Transliteration

5. Pabbajaniya Kammavaca
Monastic Sanction of Act of Banishment
Transliteration
August 14, 2025
Sikkha
by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

It is rendered as Training or Practice.The Myanmar call it Theik-kha.

Three Sikkha

Buddhist studies describe three Sikkha
- Sila (Morality)
- Samadhi (Concentration)
- Panna (Wisdom)
Pali Sikkha

Mahagandayone Sayadaw (Ashin Janakabhivamsa) authored several texts including Pali Sikkha (Practice using Pali words and phrases).

Mahagandayone Sayadaw

Tharmanay Kyaw Sayadaw (U Dhammika) wrote and taught Paritta Seik-kha (Practice using words and phrases from the eleven suttas) in both Myanmar and English. Sayadaw’s objective is to help people (outside Myanmar who do not have time to study Pali grammar) to read and understand Pali texts such as the Protective Suttas and Dhammapada.

Pali Sikhs
August 12, 2025
TOKM

by Hla Min

Updated : Aug 2025

Book published for his 70th birthday

Memories

Book Presents

Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint (SPHS60) receives books from his former students and from his god-children.

He received a book from Professor Dr. Nyunt Thein.

Dr. Nyunt Thein proposed to have some (if not all) of the examinations for MRCP to be held in Burma.

Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint wrote :

Due to Nyunt Thein’s efforts, all parts of the exam are being conducted in Rangoon and Mandalay.

Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint wrote :

I am so fortunate that books written by my former students are either given to me by the authors or bought for me by my niece Hnin Wit Yee or Min Thet Aung.

I got a signed copy of “The Female Voice of Myanmar” by Nilanjana Sengupta, translated into Burmese, by Myae Hmone Lwin. It was given to me by Ma Thida.

The book consist of articles about and by four eminent lady Burmese writers and activists: Ludu Daw Ah Mar, Daw Khin Myo Chit, Daw Aung San Su Kyi and my “daughter writer” Ma Thida (San Gyaung).

Please do not say that I am biased towards my daughter but I read the articles on Daw Ah Mar, Daw Khin Myo Chit and Daw Sung Dan Su Kyi once only but read and reread the articles by and on Ma Thida about three times or more.

Coming from a family whose members were at different times and at different lengths of incarceration by the military government, each article about Ma Thida in prison brought back sad memories of my own family. I had to pause even in the middle of each article as such memories flooded my mind.

From a very young age Ma Thida stand out among her contemporaries . A multifaceted person with deep attitudes and understanding of right and wrong, justice and injustice, tears welled up in my eyes reading what she went through in prison, and had to stop reading after going through some incidents described by her in the book.

I am happy and very proud that she can be what she is now, an activist, feminist, author and running PEN Myanmar and many more.

This book must be read in Burmese as in any other language, much would be lost in translation.

August 9, 2025
Contributing Editor of Newsletters
by Hla Min

Updated : July 2025

RIT Alumni Newsletter
- In April 1999, I started sharing news of selected Alumni and Gatherings via e-mail.
- It was called RIT Alumni (Abroad) Newsletter.
- Several readers suggested a more inclusive name : RIT Alumni International Newsletter.
Special Issue for

SPZP-2000

Page 1 of Special Issue
- In October 2000, the First RIT Alumni Reunion & Saya Pu Zaw Pwe (SPZP-2000) was held in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- We published a Special Issue of RIT Alumni Newsletter for SPZP-2000.
Editors
- I was the Chief Editor. Saya U Thein Aung (Met72) and Henry Lim (U Aung Myint) were Editors.
- I wrote “SAYA PU ZAW PWE” poem and the Editorial.
Authors authors
- Saya Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (GBNF)
- Saya U Aung Khin
- Saya Allen Htay (C58, GBNF)
- Saya Dr. Nyo Win (M65)
- Saya U Myo Win (M/Ag65, GBNF)
- Saya Dr. Koung Nyunt (A67, GBNF)
- U Hla Min (EC69)
- Benny Tan (M70)
- Saya U Thein Aung (Met72)
- Dr. Myint Thein (M73)
- Maurice Chee (M75)
- U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76)
Contents

Page 2 of Special Issue

Page 3 of Special Issue

Page 4 of Special Issue

Page 5 of Special Issue

Page 6 of Special Issue

Page 7 of Special Issue

Page 8 of Special Issue

Page 9 of Special Issue

Page 10 of Special Issue

Page 11 of Special Issue

Page 12 of Special Issue

Page 13 of Special Issue

Page 14 of Special Issue

Page 15 of Special Issue

Page 16 of Special Issue

Archives

U Khin Maung Zaw archived the early newsletters in ex-rit org website.

U Wunna Ko Ko archived the later newsletters in RitAlumniInfo website.

Both websites are no longer active.

Contributing Editor

I volunteered as a Contributing Editor for the following newsletters
- RIT English Association Newsletter
- BAPS (Burmese American Professional Society) Newsletter
- Dhammananda Newsletter published by TBSA (Theravada Buddhist Society of America)
July 30, 2025
Abhidhamma Books & Courses
by Hla Min

Updated : July 2025

U Silananda

U Silananda
- Chief Resident Monk of Dhammananda Vihara
- First Rector of IMBTU
- Taught Abhidhamma courses in Burmese and English.
- 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

The Fundamental of Abhidhamma

Chapter 1 : Citta
Chapter 2 : Cetasika
Chapter 3 : Rup (Matter)
Chapter 4 : Pikinnaka (Miscellaneous)
Chapter 5 : Vithi : Mental Process

Fundamental Abhidhamma

Part II
- By Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa
- Version Dec 2007
- Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS)
- Mahadubodhayon Monastery, Sagaing Hills, Sagaing, Myanmar
Contents
- Chapter 5 : Vithi
  Mental Process
- Chapter 6 : Vithimutta
  Passive Mental Process
- Chapter 7 : Paccayasangaha
  Compendium of Causality
- Chapter 8 : Kammatthana Sangaha
  Meditation Subject
Kusalakari Monastery
- 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.
July 23, 2025
SunLun
by Hla Min

Updated : July 2025

Resources

The following is a collection of resources for Sunlun Vipassana Meditation.

Website

http://www.sunlun-meditation.net/

Sunlun Sayadaws

Myingyan Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw U Kavi (ဆရာတော်ဦးကဝိ)

U Kavi
- Biography and dhamma talks
Myingyan SunLun

First KabaAye Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw U Vinaya (ဆရာတော်ဦးဝိနယ)

U Vinaya
- Early devotees of Sayadaw include U Khin Maung Latt, Daw Khin Myo Chit, U Thein Nyunt and U Win Pe
- Wrote a book “The Yogi & Vipassana (Buddhist Meditation : The Sunlun Way)”
- Passed away in his late 90s
Book by U Vinaya

“The Yogi and Vipassana”
BUDDHIST MEDITATION : THE SUNLUN WAY
Author : Sunlun Shin Vinaya
Publisher : Sunlun Buddhist Meditation Center
7 1/2 Mile, Prome Road, KabaAye P.O., Rangoon

CONTENTS
The Yogi and Vipassana (Page 1 – 18)
The Sunlun Way of Mindfulness (Page 19 – 33)
Explanatory Notes for Beginners and Those Proceeding Along the Sunlun Way of Vipassana (Page 34 – 50)

KabaAye Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw U Wara

(ဆရာတော်ဦးဝရ)

U Wara
- U Win Paing won Golf trophies (some with his younger brother U Kyaw Paing).
- Meditated at KabaAye Sunlun.
- He gave away his Golf Set. Entered monkhood after the Final exam for Chemical Engineering in 1970.
- Served as Taik Oke Sayadaw of Kaba Aye Sunlun Gu Kyaung for nearly four decades.
- Succeeded Sayadaw U Vinaya as Chief Resident Monk.
- Passed away on August 26, 2021
- Siblings : Dr. Myo Paing (Medical Research & Malaria), U Soe Paing (RIT EE, UCC co-founder, UN), U Kyaw Paing (Lawyer, Entrepreneur, Champion Golfer)
U Wara

Obituary

Four Paing Brothers

Vipassana Retreats
- KabaAye Sunlun Gu Kyaung
- Kyauk Pa Daung
- Hong Kong
Dr. Khin Maung Win
- Son of U Khin Maung Latt & Daw Khin Myo Chit
- Retired Professor of Mathematics
- Published “Notes on Vipassana meditation”
UCC

Yahan Khan
- In the 1970s, the staff and students of Universities’ Computer Center hosted “Donlaba Yahan Khan” for Thingyan at selected monasteries.
- The initial venue was KabaAye Sunlun Gu Kyaung.
UCC Yahan Khan 1

UCC Yahan Khan 2

Updates
- Sayadaws — U Kavi, U Vinaya & U Wara — have passed away.
- Several devotees — U Khin Maung Latt, Daw Khin Myo Chit, Dr. Khin Maung Win, U Thein Nyunt, Tekkatho Shwe Yee Win, U Soe Myint, U Win Pe — are GBNF.
July 4, 2025
Dr. Khin Maung Win (Maths)
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Family
- Parents : U Khin Maung Latt & Daw Khin Myo Chit
- Spouse : Tekkatho Shwe Yi Win
- Children : Maung Maung Win (Mg Yit) & Mi Mi Win (Junior)
U Khin Maung Latt, Daw Khin Myo Chit & KMW

Dr. Khin Maung Win

Maths Saya
- As an assistant of Saya Dr. Chit Swe, I worked with several Maths Saya.
- Dr. Khin Maung Win wrote about Maths Curriculum in France for the “High School Maths” project.
- After retirement, he published books on Maths, Education & Vipassana (Insight Meditation).
Vipassana
- His parents were friends and devotees of KabaAye Sunlun Sayadaw U Vinaya. They hosted Meditation retreats in their compound.
- During my visit to Yangon in January and February 2018, I met Saya at Kaba Aye Sunlun Gu Kyaung.
- Mi Mi Win (Junior Win) gave me two of her books (one in English, and another in Myanmar) that she wrote to celebrate the Centennial of her paternal grand parents : U Khin Mg Latt (English saya at Rangoon University & Private Tution, First Chief Editor of Working Peoples’ Daily) and Daw Khin Myo Chit (Award winning author).
- Junior Win took a year to write the book for the Centennial of her grandparents in 2015. Her mother Tekkatho Shwe Yi Win helped with the indexing. Her brother Maung Yit helped with photos and cartoons.
Good & Sad news
- The book won a prize from Tun Foundation. Sadly, Shwe Yi Win passed away before the prize presentation.
- Ko Soe Myint (M72, UCC), who appeared healthy, passed away unexpectedly at 3AM about one and a half months following his elder sister’s demise.
- Life sometimes presents people with both good and sad news.
Updates
- Mg Yit is co-founder of Moemaka. He helped publish several books & e-books (including those for his Twin sister).
- Saya is now GBNF. I received his book on Sunlun Vipassana.
Posts
- Dr. Chit Swe
- Maths
- Sunlun
- Vipassana
- WPD
June 22, 2025
Tin Maung Nyunt
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Education & Work
- Mechanical Engineering from Rangoon University in 1960
- Worked for JVC run by relatives. Read news about State Scholarship
- Masters in Agricultural Engineering from Virginia Tech in the USA
- Paid respect to Saya U Ba Than. Saya asked if he would like to join Agri Dept. (sub-dept of Mechanical).
- Later moved to Thailand & USA
Books
- Saya and I used to exchange books (dhamma and general).
- He told me to keep the ones that I want.
- He bought books. He got books when his dhamma friend Saya U Soe Kaw (Mining) passed away. He got books when a monastery undergoing renovation gave away the old stuff.
- Saya’s books include Ludu Dawlove Ah Mar, Theikpan Maung Wa, Tha Ka Doe, and Kyemon U Thaung.
Ludu Daw Ah Mar
- She took part in the 1936 RU Student Strike.
- Spouse : Ludu U Hla (Writer & Journalist)
- Many journalists & writers worked at Ludu Newspaper founded by U Hla & Daw Ah Mar.
- Saya gave me the book written by Ludu Daw Ah Mar about notable people from Mandalay.
- Daw Oo Zun (founder of the first Lu Oh Yone လူအိုရုံ) and Kyar Ba Nyein (Boxing & Checkers) are some of the Mandalay Thu မန္တလေးသူ and Mandalay Thar မန္တလေးသား featured in the book.
Book by Ludu Daw Ah Mar

Theikpan Maung Wa
- U Sein Tin was an early student who took Burmese Honors.
- Became ICS.
- Co-founded “Khit San Sar Pay” with U Thein Han (Zawgyi) & U Wun (Minthuwun).
- Wrote a journal during his study at Oxford University and published a book.
- Wrote semi-autobiographical accounts featuring Maung Lu Aye မောင်လူအေး and Maung Lu Hmwe မောင်လူမွှေး
- His collection of “Wut Htu Saung Par ဝတ္ထုဆောင်းပါးာwas prescribed as a Burmese text for high school.
- Saya gave me the book written a book by Theikpan Maung Wa about pets.
- Theikpan Maung Wa succumbed as a victim of a robbery (gone wrong).
Memories

Health & Fitness
- President of RIT Thaing
- Member of RIT Saya Soccer Team
- Hiking & some Mountaineering (before having medical problems)
- Had operation
Social & Religious Activities
- Volunteer for constructing the pagoda & monastery at Taung Pulu Kaba Aye (first in the SF Bay Area & later at Boulder Creek)
- Member, Kappiya Karaka ကပ္ပိယကာရက
- Supporter, Team that compiled & converted Mogok Sayadaw’s tapes into CD
- Donated $500 to YTU Library Modernization project
Donation
- Used to have monthly လဖက်ရည် နဲ့ စကားဝိုင်း with Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), U Ko Ko Aye (GBNF), Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and me.
- Visit by Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC). They spent over a month on an Ocean Liner to return home after studying in the USA.
Visit by U Soe Paing
- Saya and U Sein Tun were roommates at Mandalay University in 1955. They met again at a Fundraiser in Newark Pavilion on June 22, 2025.
With U Sein Tun

Posts
- Agricultural Engineering
- Agricultural Research Institute (ARI)
- Mechanical Engineering
- RIT Sayas
June 21, 2025
Dhammapada
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Prelude
- Collection of Pali verses (that refer to Buddha’s teachings).
- Translated by several Pal Scholars.
- Some Dhammapada books also cover short stories related to the verses.
Narada Thera
- The Dhammapada
- Subtitle: Pali text & translation with stories & notes
- Author : Narada Thera
- Preface
Chapters
- The Twin Verses
- Heedfulness
- Mind
- Flowers
- Fools
- The Wise
- The Worthy
- Thousands
- Evil
- The Rod or Punishment
- Old Age
- The Self
- The World
- The Buddha
- Happiness
- Affection
- Anger
- Impurities or Taints
- The Just or Righteous
- The Way or the Path
- Miscellaneous
- Woeful State
- The Elephant
- Craving
- The Bhikkhu or the Mendicant
- The Brahmana
Venerable Buddharakhitta

The following verses are from the book by Venerable Buddharakkhita.

Verse 182

Hard it is to be born a man;
hard is the life of mortals.
Hard is it to gain the opportunity
of hearing the Sublime Truth,
and hard to encounter
is the arising of the Buddhas.

Verse 183

To avoid all evil,
to cultivate good,
and to cleanse one’s mind —
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

Verse 184

Enduring patience
is the highest austerity.
“Nibbana is supreme,” says the Buddhas.
He is not a true monk
who harms another,
nor a true renunciate
who oppresses others.

Myanmar & English
- U Thittila’s Translation (in Burmese)
- Venerable Buddharakkhita’s Translation (in English)
Frequently Quoted Verse
- The following Dhammapada verse is frequently quoted by Sayadaws and writers.
“Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind, – this is the Teaching of the Buddhas.”
- It seems simple (at the basic level), but it also has a deeper meaning (at the metaphysical level).
- The explanations may refer to Abhidhamma to expound what “kusala” (wholesome deeds) and “akusula” (unwholesome deeds) are.
- References may also be made to the three “Seikhas” : sila (morality), sammadhi (concentration), and panna (wisdom).
- Bhavana practices such as samatha (tranquility meditation) and vipassana (insight meditation) are needed to calm and purify the mind.
U Lokanatha – Italian Buddhist Monk (1897-1966)

U Lokanatha
- Chemical Analyst in the US
- Received a book from his supervisor as Christmas present. The book had a chapter on Dhammapada.
  After reading the verses, a deep impulse (which resonated with his scientific inquiring mind) led him to pursue Buddhism & become a Buddhist monk.
- He was from a devout Catholic family. His elder brother was a Priest.
- Sayadaw spent considerable time at the Bawdigone monastery (donated by my paternal grandmother) on Windermere Road, Rangoon, Burma.
- He practiced Dhutanga.
- He also preached. Sunlun U Vinaya was interpreter for some of the talks.
- Dhamma Dhuta missions to India and Ceylon
- His booklet, “Why I became a Buddhist”, had considerable influence on the leader of the “Untouchables” in India.
- His dhamma duta work can be found in the articles in Wikipedia and some Buddhist web sites.
June 19, 2025
Visuddhimaggarasa
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Vissudimagga

ဝိသုဒ္ဓိမဂ္ဂ
- The Path of Purification
- Translated from Pali into English by Bhikkhu Nyanamoli
Vissudimaggasara

ဝိသုဒ္ဓိမဂ္ဂသာရ
- The Essence of the Path of Purification
- It is an abridged version of Vissudimagga
- By Dr. Ottara Nyana
THE PATH OF PURIFICATION
- Vissudhimaggarasa
- An abridged edition of Bhikku Nyanamoli’s translation by :
- Dr. Ottara Nyana
- Head of the Birmingham Buddhist Vihara, UK
- Publisher : Triple Gems Publication
- First edition : 2011
- PART I : VIRTUE (Sila)
- Chapters 1 – 2
- PART II : CONCENTRATION (Samadhi)
- Chapters 3 – 13
- PART III : UNDERSTANDING (Panna)
- Chapters 14 – 23
- Index
Posts
- Buddhism
- Dhamma Books
- Pali
- Sayadaws
June 18, 2025