Saddhamma Foundation - Supporting Vipassana Meditation and Traditional Buddhist Teachings

2008 Dana Mission- continued

Sayadaw U Sasana is now 70 years old and responsible for the education and material well-being of approximately 40 novice monks who live and study at his center. The Panditarama Forest Meditation Center is also home to approximately 40 novice monks as well as 80 other lay and monastic residents.

Nutrition and Water

Saddhamma Foundation donors contributed $12,500 for Sayadaw U Sasana and $200 for the Venerable Sayadaw U Thamanay Kyaw. These monies were allocated toward the four requisites: food, shelter, medicine, and robes.

In regards to food, Saddhamma Foundation gave $3,600 to the Panditarama Forest Meditation Center and an additional $3,500 to Sayadaw U Sasana’s monastery. Since it is very common for Burmese meals to consist primarily of rice and vegetables with minimal or no protein, these food donations were designated for additional protein. The $3,500 provided for Sayadaw U Sasana’s monastery will significantly increase the amount of protein and help the young novices grow stronger throughout the year.

At the Panditarama Forest Center, Saddhamma donated $2,500 to supply the center with bottled water for the next 6 months to a year. Additionally, to begin the initial planning process for a new bottling facility, we created a report, Minimum Requirements for Hygienic Water Purification, and presented it to Sayadaw U Pandita.

Lastly, we collected a list of knowlegeable people in Myanmar who can advise the Panditarama Forest Meditation Center about how to design and build a high-quality bottling facility.

Hygiene

At the Panditarama Forest Center, we reviewed the hygiene regimen with the kitchen staff. These procedures were first established in 1998 when the center opened and they needed to be reinforced. We also presented them with specially made public health education materials based on items common in Hong Kong and Singapore.

We had had these materials translated when we first arrived in Myanmar. Then, we took them to a local graphic art and printing company where the text was illustrated with cartoon graphics and printed on 3ft x 4ft vinyl signs, creating easy to understand hygiene instructions.

Once these posters were completed, we presented them to Sayadaw U Pandita who happily told us he had long wanted education materials just like these. The posters were distributed to five other monasteries including Beelin Sayadaw’s village monastery and Sayadaw U Sasana’s monasteries. Now, countless lay and monastic people, young and old, will see and benefit from them as they will help to ensure a healthy kitchen environment.

In addition to these educational materials, we purchased many new supplies for the kitchens at the Panditarama Forest Meditation Center including additional cleaning products, new kitchen utensils, two hot water heaters, as well as stainless steel sheet-metal to cover work surfaces.

Sayadaw U Sasana and Gant Gaw Myaing Monastery

For many years, Sayadaw U Sasana has been running his monastery with little or no lay staff. The monastic code prohibits fully ordained monks from cooking and driving, and therefore the novice monks have been responsible for the majority of the cooking. To add to his responsibilities, Sayadaw U Sasana has been developing a small retreat center on a small property in a rural area outside of Rangoon which he was given several years ago. While visiting with Sayadaw, we identified four main areas where he needs daily assistance. We estimated we could pay to hire help for a year. To this end, we donated $2500 for:

A driver to drive the center's truck and run errands
A cook for the study center in Rangoon
A laborer to do general maintenance at the rural center
A gardener to attend to the grounds at the rural center

These workers will each receive $30 a month, and the additional money will be used to feed them and pay for their other basic needs such as medicine. We also purchased the most important basics for Sayadaw U Sasana’s study monastery including new sinks, a hot water heater, and new chopping blocks.

Our Work Will Continue in Burma

Sayadaw U Sasana will continue to need our help in order to take care of the novices at his center. In the coming year we plan to help the Panditarama Forest Meditation Center develop a suitable water bottling facility so they will be able bottle their own clean, healthy water.

We will continue to update our website to keep you informed of future dana mission developments.

Thank you again to all who have donated for your generous support!

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!