Rhyme (or Kar Yan ကာရန်) is an essential element of Poetry.
Outer Rhyme
In most English poems, the end of specific lines rhyme. Some Burmese will call them “Ah Pyin Kar Yan အပြင်ကာရန်”(Outer Rhyme).
Rhyming Patterns
A B A B (where the first and third lines rhyme & the second and fourth lines rhyme).
A B B A (where the first and fourth lines rhyme & the second and third lines rhyme).
Rhyming Dictionary
I received “The Rhyming Dictionary” for taking part in the Debate held by RIT English Association.
Sayas Des Rodgers, Sao Kan Gyi (GBNF) and U Khin were the judges.
I gave the book to my mentor Ashin Ananda (Laureate Poet).
Inner Rhyme
Most Burmese poems use the “Ah Twin Kar Yan အတွင်းကာရန်” (Inner Rhyme).
For example,
o o o x o o x o o x o o x o o y o o y o
…
The first rhyme (x) starts with the 4th position in the first line. It moves to the 3rd position in the second line, then to the 2nd position in the third line, and finally hits the 1st position in the fourth line.
A second rhyme (y) can be started in the line where the first rhyme ended.
Differences in Style
Mya Zin
Some poets have their opinions & preferences. They may not strictly follow the rhyming rules. A few tend to use rhymes sparsely or not at all claiming that rhythm and ideas are sufficient ingredients of a Kabyar (poem).
Dr. Nyunt Wai (Victor, SPHS63) wrote that moderate use of Kar Yan ကာရန် is acceptable, but excessive use of Kar Yan can transform a verse or poem into Ah Kar Ah Yan အကာ အရံ (secondary).
Men On The Moon In honor of Apollo 11 mission in July 1969
The Apostle of Non-violence For the Centennial of Mahatma Gandhi
To The Fallen Warrior Scholars who fought for Burma’s Independence
The Ngapali Beach Vacation with friends Vacation with family Guest lecturer at Shwe Wah Gyaing Luyechun Camp in 1988
The Phaungdaw-u Festival Inlay Khaung Daing Luyechun Camp in `1964 Vacation with friends Vacation with family
SAYA PUZAW PWE Written for the First RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe in San Francisco in October 2000
HTAY LWIN NYO Written for an alumnus of RIT and UCC who passed away unexpectedly in San Jose, California
Men On The Moon by Hla Min
The Eagle made a soft descent And perfect rendezvous Does not the module represent A fantasy come true
To travel through that cold void space To have that faith in science To face death squarely in the face Yes, man acted with defiance
Man set foot on an alien world In July Sixty Nine That small step from the bravest man Was a giant leap for mankind
The walk in one sixth gravity Rock samples from the moon Three men who spoke with brevity For science what a boon
No event can ever equal That sublime unique mission The Apollo’s triumph will make the people Extend their own vision
Are we not brothers here on earth So let us all unit There will be heaven here on earth If we all cease to fight
The Apostle Of Non-violence By Hla Min
A man of true principle With spirit invincible He sacrificed his pleasures Faith and freedom were his treasures
No arms did he carry No threats made him tarry No torture or prison Could change his decision
He led all protests Despite threats and arrests All races and creeds Revered his deed
He could not see his dreams come true The whole world grieves his loss too Though he cared not for fame His name will indeed remain In history, O Great Gandhiji
To The Fallen Warrior By Hla Min
You fought your foes not with your bows But with a mighty pen You sang a song and made us long To free this sacred land
“Look at the colonialist tyrants They’ve made a living hell Let’s drive these murderous giants Brothers, fight and rebel
If you have faith in the Lone Star Against the red background I say Independence will not be too far” Why your advice was too sound
But you died somewhere on duty Before Burma blossomed in dawn So you could not share the real beauty Of freedom now that you’re gone
The Ngapali Beach By Hla Min
The intriguing splendor of the East Where the soft wind melts your heart Where lavish nature gives you a feast And a truly cool refreshing bath
Mountainous tides roll in like thunder Then lie helpless on the shore Fishing boats rush out all set to plunder The ocean’s unending store
To sit under a shady palm To drink a cup of juicy milk To see the raging waters turn Into undulating silk
A variety of multi-colored shells Lay on the fine grain sand No place on earth can match the spell Of this enchanted strand
The luring dragons bid you “Welcome” To this real paradise There’s lots of fun, excitement, beauty What’s more there left to advertise?
The Phaungdaw-u Festival By Hla Min
Phaungdaw-u, oh Burma’s grandeur Can truly make our hearts sublime Its mystic charm and rhyme-less splendor Have firmly stood the test of time
It lies deep in the heart of people It gives them courage and inspiration No wonder this festival has no equal It promises joy and veneration
On board the Karaweik so scintillating Stood the four images of Lord Buddha For the Noble Truth are we vindicating? What lies deep under the completed tour?
But one statue was left behind Because in writings we do find That should it ever leave the shrine There will be thunder and storm Thus a happy reunion on the morn of the full moon of Thadinkyut
From floating islands the leg rowers came To take part in the race With their muscular frame, with might and main Their oars flashing at a rapid pace
Festivities last all night long Dances to the company of ozi and gong Oh, prayers that fill the cool evening air May loving kindness prevail everywhere
SAYA PUZAW PWE By Hla Min
Seems like it was only yesterday At our alma mater in a land far away You taught us to work, play, laugh, even cry And coaxed us, forced us to aim for the sky
Problems in real life, lab, computation, survey Understand concepts, design, display, … Zeal, zest, ardor, grit, passion to make it “our day” Architects, engineers, we’ve come here to say We honor your metta, your cetana — we fully can’t repay
Presently we meet, alum from five decades we greet With memories true, fond, sweet Ecstatic yet sad that the GBNF could not join this memorable fete
HTAY LWIN NYO By Hla Min
Tribute to Dr. HTAY LWIN NYO (ex-rit, ex-ucc) Part-time Professor, EE, SJSU (1951 July – 2000 April)
He was a genius, a researcher, a friend Teaching was his passion to the very end A jack of all trades, a doctorate of one You name it, he knows it! there’s a lot he has done
Long ago he gave away a patent for a dollar With a heart so big and true, real worthy of a scholar Invest, movie script, cook, paint, car repair, … Never showed off wealth and prizes; he’s a gem so rare
News of his death — alone at home — rocked throughout the land Young, old were shocked, but they all flocked to give a helping hand On this day in May of Y2K we pray from the bottom of our heart
“Htay Lwin Nyo, we’re proud to say that though you’ve passed away you’ve done a huge part to unite kindred spirits your legacy is here to stay.”
My Poem from the commemorative Sar Saung for SPZP-2007
S ingapore-2007. We’ll gladly come. W e’ll puzaw sayas, meet friends, have fun E njoy Swe Daw Yeik Sar Saung, that’s second to none.
D azzling displays, beauty, elegance, grace A h Nyeint, duests, jokes, dances, …, spectacular plays W ill bring back fond memories of the [RIT] Swe Daw Yeik days
Y oung alums bear torches of mentors wise and old E nergetic, international family members — more precious than gold I nnovators, entrepreneurs, …, philanthropists, we are told K nowing how to strike rich and share wealth as opportunities unfold.
Note
In my later posts, I use Swel Daw instead of Swe Daw.
Wrote the article “BOC College Student” for RIT Alumni International Newsletter
Business Manager for the publication of Rangoon University Engineering Students’ Union Annual Magazine in 1952-53.
Graduated in 1954 with Civil Engineering
MS from MIT as a recipient of the “Twinning Program” proposed by Saya U Ba Hli
Attended SPZP-2000 held in San Francisco. He requested to be seated with Sayagyis.
Letter in 2012
My dear Ko Aung Gyi:
I tried to e-mail you several times in the past few months but they didn’t get through. I was wondering where have you been and how were you doing.
By the way, as I am unable to attend the great Reunion myself, I have two important proposals for you to consider and, if you thought appropriate, present to the Reunion Organizing Committee:
(1) That at the start of the reunion the whole body of attendees should pay respects to Sayagyi U Ba Hli and Dr. Murray P. Horwood from MIT who were instrumental in getting scholarships and admissions for Burmese graduates and students to MIT, Harvard (San Tun Aung and Nelson Chin graduated from there), Cornell (Kyit In [Min Wun] and Kyaw Win), Michigan State, Ann Arbor & East Lansing, Lehigh, even UCLA (my R.U. College of Engineering classmate graduate Ohn Ghine went there) etc. As you know, Dr. Horwood headed the team of professors from MIT to RU Eng. College back in the 1950’s – – that’s how it got started for the Burmese boys like myself to come to the U.S. for further studies.
(2) I believe that this similar kind of arrangement with MIT or other institutions could and should be made with the Myanmar govt and RIT now for Myanmar to catch up with the world. If you have a chance to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, please tell her about this proposal. Education and higher education, esp. technical and medical, is extremely important for Myanmar students and graduates and for the country, and no one should overlook this.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration of the above.
My best wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you and your family and all our Sayas, colleagues and friends at the Reunion, in Myanmar and overseas. Please take a lot of pictures at the reunion for me!
Aw Taik Moh
1954 B.Sc. Civil Engineering, R.U. Eng. College
M.C.P.(City Planning) M.I.T. 1957
P.S. Since I attended the last reunion in San Francisco many years ago the RIT Committee lost contact with me, otherwise I would have contributed something to the “Book” they are now publishing about the history of the university (which I heard of from Dr. Chris Lee). I want to let you and the Committee know that I have an original copy of the R.U. Engineering Students’ Union Magazine, published in 1953 – in both Burmese and English – for which I was a Business Manager when I was a 3rd year engineering student. It has the photos of Sayagyi U Ba Hli and the entire faculty and Dr. Horwood and all the students.
Updates
RUESU published six Annual Magazines
Saya U Moe Aung was Editor of the magazine for 1960 – 61
During our RIT days, he was a super energetic organizer and a prime mover. As a member of the Gold Flake Cigarette Family, he inherited business acumen and organization skills.
Co-founded “Set Hmu Thadizin Zin စက်မှုသတင်းစဉ်”. Typing and drawing on stencil paper were not easy, but he spent time crafting the stencils into the revered weekly Thadinzin.
Vice President, RIT Mechanical Engg Association. Co-founded Magazine for the Association.
Suggested to name the main gate as “U Lu Paw Gate ဦးလူပေါ ဂိတ်” after the famous cartoon character from “Burma Star”.
Organized mini-festivals for freshers and junior students.
Graduated in 1967 with Mechanical Engineering
Worked for Sittaung Paper Mill and PCIC.
Founded “Ya Tha Cho”.
Did not live long enough to see SPZPs, SDYF, RITAA, HMEE & Shwe YaDu.
Remembering U Win Thein
The following remembered his contributions well.
U Tin Maung Aye (M69) : Member of RIT Ah Nu Pyinnya Troupe, Member of RIT Annual Magazine & Co-worker at PCIC. He gave us two photos of U Win Thein (one at RIT, one at PCIC)
U Aung Min (M69) : Chair of 69er Health Care Fund & Organizer for the Class of 69
U Thein Swe (EP69, GBNF) : 3rd BE Luyechun & Organizer of EE69er Gatherings
U Maung Maung Kyi (Dip Ing, Wales, GBNF) : Co-worker at Sittaung Paper Mill & PCIC
Sayama Daw Tin Tin Myint (Emma, ChE70, Singapore) : Co-founder of Dana Sri Lanka, Minthamee, Organizer of Singapore Pon Chan Chan Group
U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) : Super Fund raiser for RIT-related activities including SPZPs, YTU Library Modernization Project; Patron of RITAA
U Win Thein Zaw (Wai Lu) wrote : နာမည်ချင်းတူ၍သိခြင်း။ ကျောင်းသားချင်း Tuition ပေးခြင်း။ စစ်တောင်းစက္ကူစက်အုပ်စုဖြစ်ခြင်း။ မန္တလေးကုန်စည်ဒိုင်သို့ဆရာဦးလင်းနှင့်ရောက်လာခြင်း။ နေမကောင်းစဉ်ရန်ကုန်အိမ်တွင်တွေ့လိုက်ရခြင်းများကိုသတိရလျက်ပါကိုဝင်းသိန်းရေ
Updates
Mechanical Newsletters for 1968-69 to 1973-74 were scanned and archived in a CD by U Kyaw Thein and Daw Than Than Mu (1974 batch)
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.
HlaMin 