Expert - Pansavaggi

Five-fold

My teacher and I were on a large boat that sailed westward across the vast ocean. At that time, monks and laypeople like me who wanted to travel from one country to another, whether for trade or for the affairs of kings and queens, had to travel in boats and ships.

Before our time, in ancient times, there were monks who traveled from country to country for the three religious purposes of Pariyatti, Paripatti, and Pati Veda. In the time of these monks, there were hardly any boats or ships like in our time. Therefore, in those times, monks who traveled from country to country for the benefit of the world and the religious purpose had to cross vast forests and mountains repeatedly to reach their destination, facing the danger of their lives. During such travels, many monks lost their lives due to natural disasters and the dangers of wild animals.

In our time, since the communication between countries has improved, there is no longer any need to cross vast forests and mountains and risk one's life to travel. Especially now that our journey is by sea, there are ships that travel between countries. If we follow a boat or a ship that is traveling with us for the purpose of buying and selling goods, we can reach our destination safely.

I am a monk. My native village is Sappada, and I am also called Sappada, as my original name has been lost. I am of the Mon tribe. Now, call me

My teacher, Uttara Jivama Thera, is also of the Mon lineage. My teacher, Uttara Jivama Thera, resides in Bagan.

When King Anawrahta returned to Bagan after defeating Thaton, he brought with him monks from Thaton. When these monks arrived in Bagan, they settled in Ngampittaung, Myungkapa, Tumayin, and Tamani. The monks who settled in Ngampittaung were called the Ngampittaunggyi sect, the monks who settled in Myungkapa were called the Myungkapagyi sect, and the monks who settled in Tamani were called the Tamanigii sect.

My teacher, Uttara Jivama Thera, who brought me here, was the head monk of the Ngampittaung sect. Uttara Jivama Thera was the third head monk in Bagan after Shin Arahan, the first head monk.

At the time of Bagan's peak of development, the country where Buddhism flourished and spread was the country of Lankadeepa and Siyol. Buddhism is like a river. From that main river, two tributaries split and flowed in two directions. However, the two tributaries reunited at one point and became one. From Zambudipa Island, the main river of Buddhism split into two branches and flowed. The one who opened the way for one of the tributaries of the river of Buddhism was Maha Mahinda. One branch of the river of Buddhism flowed from Zambudipa to Siyol Island. The other tributary of the river of Buddhism split and flowed into Suvannabhumi, Myanmar. The ones who paved the way for that tributary were the Venerable Sonama and the Venerable Uttarama.

The two branches of this religion met at one time, one after the other, and then met again. During the reign of King Anawrahta of Bagan and King Vijayabahu of Lanka, the Myanmar religion sown by the Venerable Sonam and the Venerable Uttarama met with the Lanka, Lanka, founded by Maha Mahinda. During the reign of King Anawrahta of Bagan, at the request of King Anawrahta, the Tooth Relic sent by King Vijayabahu of Lanka was worshipped in the pagodas and temples of Bagan. King Anawrahta also sent the copies of the Pitaka scriptures and monks he had received from Thaton to Lanka.

Taking advantage of the growing bilateral and political ties between the two allied countries, the head of the Ngampittaung Buddhist sect in Bagan,

The Venerable Uttarajivama Thera set out on a journey to Sithol Island. The monk who had gone to Sithol Island before Uttarajivama Thera was Pandasaku Thera. However, Pandasaku Thera had a disagreement with King Narathu, who was ruling Bagan at that time, and so he went to Sithol Island, so he did not receive the honor of “the first traveler to Sithol Island.” But now, the Venerable Uttarajivama, who has set out on a journey to Sithol Island with me, has received the honor of “the first traveler to Sithol Island.”

At the beginning of the journey, the Venerable Uttara Jivama Thera arrived at the port city of Pathein. Before setting sail, the Venerable Uttara Jivama Thera came to my village. At that time, I had already attained the ascetic ordination. When the Venerable Uttara Jivama Thera met me, he asked me if I would go with him to the island of Siyaol. At that time, I was happy to be a monk and enter the religious order. I was already teaching the asceticism and the scriptures. When the Venerable Uttara Jivama Thera asked him if he would go to the island of Siyol, I, who was eager to go to the flourishing land of Bagan and teach the scriptures, was told that I would go to Siyol, not only in Bagan but also overseas, where the flourishing land of Siyol was. I did not want to miss this great opportunity that had caught my attention and I promised, “I will go to Siyol, wherever your disciple, the Venerable, calls me.”

The Venerable Uttara Jivama Thera wanted me to become a disciple on his journey to Sithol Gyun, and because he hoped that if I studied the scriptures with the monks of Pariyatti Akya Amaw Sayadaw in Sithol Gyun, I would become a monk who would be of great benefit to the Pagan religion in the future, he asked my parents and teachers for permission to take me on his journey to Sithol Gyun as a disciple.

Our boat, which left the coast of Myanmar, has been traveling at sea for many days. Our boat is getting closer and closer to Sithol Island. Today, the waves have subsided, and our journey is calm and peaceful. However, no matter where we look, we can only see the horizon and the vast sea. During our journey, we spend a lot of time

When the Venerable Uttara Jivama, who was meditating on a boat, reached a place above the sea, he paused for a moment and spoke about something.

"My lord Sappada, as I arrived at this sea, I remembered an incident that had occurred many years ago in this sea, something extraordinary, and which I had heard about through word of mouth."

When Venerable Uttarajivama Thera began to speak in this way, I became intensely interested in hearing about the incident, as it had happened on the sea where we were currently sailing.