Than Than Tint - After bathing, you will be beautiful.

Take a bath and then relax.

My parents died when they were over 60 years old. My father died 30 years ago, and my mother died 28 years ago. Even though the years have passed, I have not forgotten both of my parents. I miss them. I miss my mother more.

Every morning, the sound of my mother's prayers filled the house. My mother's voice was so soothing and pleasant. It was so good to listen to. It seemed like it was coming from the radio.

Mother offers flowers, cold water, food, and oil lamps every day. She always washes the drinking cups to keep them clean and clear. She offers flowers to the Buddha in a beautiful and elegant manner. If there are not enough flowers, there will be no strength, and the Buddha will not be able to bear the burden.

Every Saturday during the three months of Lent, the whole family went to the monastery that my mother's parents had built to observe Lent. We didn't go to any other monastery. We had to do as my mother wished.

The monastery that her parents built, and the monks who taught at that monastery, U Pyin Sin and Ko Yin, were her monks, her U Pyin Sin and her Yin, her mother was obsessed with.

She often invited her relatives and friends to her monastery to observe the fast. Mother always said that those who came to the monastery were her relatives, and those who did not come were not her relatives. In that regard, Mother had faith without knowledge. She was a person of simple faith.

On the day of the fast, they make an effort to arrive at the monastery early. They clean the monastery's prayer room. They offer flowers, water, alms, oil lamps, and offerings to the Buddha. They prepare tea and cakes to feed and entertain the fast-dwellers. They prepare alms ceremonies to offer to the monks and to receive precepts.

They distribute bread to those who come down from the school after taking the vows. In the sensory room, they welcome the fasting people with tea and bread. Mother is cheerful and enthusiastic. She invites them to come on the following fasting days as well. This is a duty that Mother does every day during Lent.

The monastery is more than a mile from the city. People come to the monastery with rice bowls to observe the fast for the whole day. The rice bowls of the fasters are full of various dishes. The food and drinks are also full.

Since it is a monastery in the forest, there are many kinds of food. Dumplings, palm fruit cakes, chicken leaf salad, and tamarind leaf salad are very delicious. They share them with each other.

We don't eat dessert until 12 o'clock after dinner. After eating, we take a nap. After waking up, we go to the monastery grounds to pick mushrooms, vegetables, and flowers. We usually go home in the evening.

When we got home, we were hungry. So we went to bed early. We didn't listen to the Dhamma, we didn't do any work, we didn't even worship the Buddha.

Our family's observance of the fast was like going to a monastery and having a picnic. We were very happy. My mother's face was also full of smiles.

We have memorized the Buddha's teachings, the Mangala Sutta, the Mettasa Sutta, the Dhamma Sutta, the Sambuddha Gatha, the Pathanamthitta, and the Itipita Arahantship since childhood. We perform the arhatship without knowing the meaning.

He did not even call the status of an arahant a Buddha, but only called it a modest one.

I didn't know the meaning of Buddha, the meaning of the Sarnagon, the origin of the Sarnagon, and what it meant to be a Buddhist. I didn't even know much about the Buddha's existence. I had very little knowledge about religion.

They did not truly know the religion they practiced, but only believed that the mixed paths were true.

My mother is generous in her food provision.

"Cook extra rice, so that you have something ready to eat when guests suddenly arrive," he often says.

The mother, who was fond of applying Thanaka, arranging flowers, and singing, did not observe the precepts of Malaganda even during the fast days. She did not practice listening to the Dhamma or meditating.

We have a coconut tree in our house. There is also a picture of the goddess Thurasati riding a chariot. Religious ceremonies are held regularly. We also often place nine Buddha statues.

"If I ask, 'Can I ride a horse?' If Surasati is a goddess, why does she have to wait for the three books of the Pitaka?" my mother doesn't like it.

When I asked, “What is a religious festival?” my mother shouted, “Communist.” Children take exams

My mother was busy with work. A religious ceremony was held. Flowers and water were offered to the goddess Surashati. A coconut was also given to the king of the house, Mahagiri. A fortune-telling was done. The pilgrimage was conducted according to the fortune-telling.

I was not impressed by what my mother did. The exam depends on one's luck, intelligence, and diligence. I believed that one could succeed only by relying on oneself and working hard. However, those who perform rituals, perform rituals, and chant mantras cannot be true devotees of the Buddha.

Only by accepting and building the three foundations of the Dhamma is one a Buddhist. If a Buddhist devotees to any other deity, deity, traditional deity, or deity other than the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha as their true objects of worship, the Dhamma will be void.

Even if it is said that the offerings are made for the sake of profit and success in exams, the traditional offerings are withered and worn out.

Mother did not know the true reason for attaining the worldly benefits of the one who abides in the Saranagon, such as freedom from danger, attaining the blissful realm, and attaining the fulfillment of life. She did not know either. I did not know clearly.

After I got married, I lived in another city, far from both my parents. I only went to one temple. I worshipped only the Three Jewels.

Those who say we shouldn't abandon tradition and encourage people to worship spirits even come to my house and teach me practical ways to worship and practice. But I didn't do it.

I am not satisfied with the fact that my parents and grandparents were Buddhists and I became a Buddhist without knowing the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha properly. I want to know about the religion I practice. I want to worship with my conscience.

I read Buddhist literature out of curiosity. I studied. After retiring from teaching and living in Yangon, I attended Buddhist Dhamma courses. I studied. I read Dhamma Ramthi, Dhamma Yadana, and Dhamma magazines every month. I came to understand Buddhism. I was extremely happy. My vision became clear and my mind became clear.

I want others to be as pure as I am in my own mind. It is because of this desire that I strive to study and write literature that will provide religious awareness and knowledge.

My father was a high school teacher. He not only taught his students at home, but also fed them with all the food they needed. He worshipped the Buddha every night. He recited the 11 Suttas. Although he did not perform any rituals or religious ceremonies, he did not refrain from asking for fortunes. He also performed fortune-telling and fortune-telling.

A retired teacher plants shade trees himself. He plants them in the monastery grounds, school grounds, and roadsides. He earns merit through his work. He plants them with the intention of keeping them cool, regardless of their merit, wealth, or status.