Min Thein Kha - Myan Nwe

( 1 )

One day, I went to the Botahtaung Pagoda as a pilgrim. I sat in the Sunday corner, which is my birthday corner, and paid homage to the great pagoda. After paying homage, I rang the bell in that corner nine times. Then I entered the inner courtyard of the pagoda and walked around clockwise and paid homage again. After leaving there, I went to the turtle pond, fed the turtles and fish, and prayed. Then I sat under a small linden tree near the turtle pond and rested. When I said rested, I was not really tired, but rested. I sat down because I had nothing else to do. At that time, I was only thirty years old, and just walking around the inner courtyard of the Botahtaung Pagoda once was not tiring. Thus, after sitting under the linden tree, he took out a cigarette from his bag, lit it, and inhaled, resisting the cool breeze blowing from the shore. After sitting for a while, it became so cold that he had to take out a sleeveless sweater from his bag and put it on.

At that moment, an old man in his sixties came near me and began to bow down. After bowing down...

"I give the merit of the seven times of the Mano Maya Shwe Adhyadham that I have performed at the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the seven golden pagodas, to my friend Maung Say Thaw. Maung Pe Thaw.. as much... as much... as much..."

He recited. Then the old man sat down next to me. Having sat down like that, the old man took out a cigarette and looked for a lighter in his pocket. But when he couldn't find a lighter, he said to me.

"Give me some fire," he said.

I followed the man with my cigarette. The man lit my cigarette. When he finished lighting it, I said. .

"Wait a minute, uncle. What are the seven golden pagodas you mentioned earlier?"

"He asked. Then the man said, 'What is this?'

“Oh.. Brother Yin, you were listening to me worshipping the Buddha from beginning to end. That means the essence of the flower, the flower of wealth, the essence of gold, the essence of gold that our teacher gave us. At that time, I was in a lot of trouble.”

After saying that, he lit a cigarette.

"What's wrong with you, uncle?"

I asked him a few questions and the man said:

"Brother, I'm not a detective," he said.

"I'm not a detective, Uncle. Why would a detective ask me such blunt questions? He'll learn what he wants to know without you knowing. I'm just a civilian. I'm asking because I want to know. Don't think otherwise."

I said. The man finished. After doing that..

“This is Maung Yin... I was probably about thirty years old at the time. This is what I am suffering from, Maung Yin. There is not just one kind of suffering. There are eight kinds that have come to me.

Problem number (1) is that two workers living in my house stole money from me and ran away. The theft of money is not important. When they both ran away, I lost my job.

Number (2) The problem is my health. The doctor told me I have tuberculosis. I have a bad cough. Don't even mention that I'm tired. It's time to hand over my short life to the Lord of Death.

Number (3) Problem is that I live in Thingangyun. My business can only work in the city. So I want to move somewhere. I don’t have the money to move. I am very poor, and the house I live in is a big mud hut. It is not suitable for my disease at all. So, no matter what, I want to have a clean house of my own. Even that big mud hut is rented by me.

Problem number (4) is that my father in the village is waiting for his death. I want to bury him properly. Even if he dies at that time, I don't have a penny, so I have to wrap the body in a blanket and throw it away. That's why I'm feeling very bad.

Problem number (5) is that it is true that I earned money by working anyway. But I don't save it. I don't have any extra money. In addition to spending money on food and drink every day, I really want to save about 40,000, 50,000 baht in the bank as an extra money.

Problem number (6) is that I have no influence over anyone I meet. At least I have no influence over the skinny dog ​​that I feed at home. If I drive it, it will never go. If someone else drives it, that dog will get up at once. So I want a lot of power and influence. That's true.

Problem number (7) is that I have changed jobs one after another. No job is beneficial to me. The job is not stable. I want a small job. And the place where I live is not stable. I move here and there. So I want a place that suits me. Problem number (8) I am ashamed to say. When I look at my face in the mirror, it is different. It seems ugly. Don't tell others. Even when I look at my own face, my face is ugly in my mind, so how can others see it? So whatever. I want my face to be beautiful. I want them to love me when they see me. "

The old man said.

Then I...

"Anyway, Uncle... Uncle, the eight kinds of suffering are quite strange. Tell me, how do these sufferings arise?"

"The old man smiled when asked. After smiling like that,

“I made the adhiththana at the seven golden Buddhas that Maung Yin heard about earlier, Maung Yin. It’s not because I can. Our teacher asked me to do it. The teacher of Kyats is not someone else. We call him Ab Mot. Now he is no longer there. I don’t mean that he is dead. I mean that he is not there anymore,” the man said. Then I . “What do you mean, uncle? Tell me, uncle. Talking to you is like squeezing a toothpaste tube. It comes out once. Tell me from start to finish so I can understand,” said the old man. “Talking is not a waste of time, Maung Yin. It is like playing a big drum, a drum, and a drum. People in Maung Yin’s time talked like this. If you ask a question, they would answer ten times. For example, if you ask them if you have finished eating, you would say that you have finished eating. Now, it is not like this. I have eaten. With chicken curry. At first, I did not eat with chicken curry. My father said that he was sick, so he made him a fried chicken and the remaining half was cooked with three flowers and boiled in water. When he wanted to drink soup, he boiled chicken bones and cooked them with thorn leaves. And then he brought a three-spice fish paste from the Injuju Tothaung Sein from the Lekyun area. Boil. Then I roasted about two tamarinds and put them in the fish sauce, then I added garlic, ginger, and chili powder. Then. I said, "Don't tell me too quickly." I asked one question, but I answered ten. That's why it shows weakness. Or it shows that I don't understand the question. Here, brother.. I'm not a weak person, nor am I someone who doesn't understand the question, brother. If you want to know more, ask again. That's it." He said. Then I threw away my cigarette and threw it away. • "Since it's a big shrimp, I'll answer it one by one, so don't get up, uncle. I'll ask you one by one what you want to know."

"I said, "I put my arm around the old man's waist and hugged him. Then...

"Hey kid. . I'm itchy. Don't touch my waist. That's why I'm still a bachelor. I don't dare to take a woman if I touch my waist."

"The old man said. Then I released my clasped hands. "Come on, uncle.. Tell me what the meaning of the seven golden pagodas is. But there are not eight kinds of suffering like you. I think there are about (80) kinds." When I said that, the old man said.. "I have only heard of (80) kinds. I have never heard of (80) kinds of suffering." “So, uncle. When we talk, we don’t just say suffering as suffering. We talk about suffering as suffering. We understand suffering. What is happiness, uncle?” I asked. The old man said, “The word happiness is not the same as the Pali word. When we talk about happiness, we talk about it as a kind of speech, like a teacher or a teacher, because we don’t want to sound rude. Or, if I understand it, suffering is suffering, and happiness is suffering that comes from happiness. For example, a person who doesn’t have a car has the suffering of driving a car. A person who has a car doesn’t have the suffering like you and me, but they have to fill up their car with gas, and they have to worry about their car getting hit by other people. That’s the suffering that comes from happiness, so they call it happiness.”

"The old man laughed out loud, enjoying his words. Instead of actually saying "giggle," the old man said "giggle" because he was laughing with a cough and a "giggle."

“Come on, uncle. Tell me about your seven golden pagoda vows,” I reminded him. The old man said, “I am not the only one who has taken the vows. I am a companion. Who is the companion? Maung Hla, a clerk in the railway office. Maung Hla has been a junior clerk since he first entered the office. It has been more than ten years. He is not a junior clerk. So he also wants to take the vows. Let him go too, so I will take him with me. The main thing is to pray rosaries at the seven golden pagodas. One day a week. I pray on Wednesdays. The mantra for praying is this.” He began to recite the following mantra.

Veera, Gorthiya, Bogasa,

Ananta Khina Bhogava

Ananta Bajja Pariyo

The knowledge of life

"What does it mean, uncle?"

I asked the old man..

"I can't tell you the meaning. I'll tell you the "meaning". This is what Anat says, I'll tell you one by one. "Vera • Kotsiya Bhos' means having wealth that cannot be stolen or destroyed by the five types of enemies. "Ananta Khina Bhosva" means having wealth that is infinite, endless, and inexhaustible.