U Myint Lwin

OUTWARDLY U Myint Lwin seems like a Buddhist monk – he has a shaved head and teaches Buddhism to anyone who cares to listen.

But U Myint Lwin is not a monk; he is an ordinary man whose life was changed by a 45-minute debate with a friend about vipassana (insight meditation).

“That was the moment when my life began,” said U Myint Lwin about his vivid recollections of that life-changing discussion. Before that, he had followed Chinese cultural traditions but knew nothing of Buddha’s teachings.

“My conscious mind did not accept what was being said to me but my subconscious mind was listening intently,” he said.

During the more than 10 years since then, U Myint Lwin has strived to pass on his knowledge of Buddhism to as many people as possible.

His journey began when he travelled across Myanmar in the footsteps of a team of monks who were teaching vipassana. But after the monks retired, he vowed to continue and picked a name, Thant-Ti-Pwar, which translates as “only if it is pure will it survive”.

Unlike many leading teachers of the Dhamma (the way of truth), the role he chose was not as a monk but as a layperson.

“I wanted to do the Dhamma teachings freely, as a layperson,” he said.

And he is determined to defy all the stereotypes about teaching Buddhism, especially that only monks are qualified to disseminate Buddha’s teachings. U Myint Lwin’s reasoning for this is simple – he does not want to be bound by the rules and regulations that monks live by.

He said there were no limitations on who could teach Buddhism.

“It’s wrong to have biases on who is able to guide others on the path to understanding and following Buddha’s teachings. No one person invented sasana (Buddha’s teachings) – only Buddha taught them but some people misinterpret this. Sasana can’t be pure if we hold beliefs like that,” he said.

But U Myint Lwin shares more with monks than just a love of Buddhism; his mission has involved heavy sacrifices, starting with his family life.

Initially his wife supported his dream when he was cooperating with the monks but when he started teaching on his own, she lost faith in him and said that he would make mistakes.

“I can’t stop what I’m doing because I believe that I must do all that I am capable of,” he told her.

He said that even if he did completely understand Buddhism he would be happy to pass on even a fraction of what he had learned.

That was the end of their marriage.

“I blame no one for that and I would die for sasana. No one can stop me from what I’m trying to do and I’m willing to abandon everything,” he said, turning around to show a poster he made to remind himself of his oath.

It read: “I would not try that hard for my own sake. I would give my life to promotion Buddha sasana that has been passed down by our ancestors. May it be pure to survive and prosper.”

Since then U Myint Lwin has devoted his life to teaching Dhamma throughout Myanmar and in 2005 he established a teaching centre called the Noble Light Academy in Bahan township.

He said he spends all of his time and attention at the centre training students, which provides classes for people of all ages, even those as young as three. Most classes take place at the weekend and attract more than 100 people each.

One participant is 33-year-old U Nay Myo Aung, a taxi driver who started classes after dropping a passenger there one day.

He said it took less than eight months to completely embrace sasana but he rates his improvement as “astonishingly fast” because he has found “a true teacher”.

One unique feature of the academy’s teaching, U Nay Myo Aung said, was the lack of discrimination between experienced and novice members, or rich and poor students.

As an ex-soldier now working as a taxi driver, U Nay Myo Aung has not always had an easy life, but the peace and tranquillity of those at the academy made him decide to try it himself.

“I was just a taxi driver but they made room for me to sit down with them immediately, without any discrimination about what I did for work. I asked them questions and they patiently explained their experiences to me. At one sitting they taught me how to meditate,” he said.

Another unique feature of the academy, unlike other vipassana schools, is that attendees are taught how to pass on the knowledge they gain to others.
Now U Nay Myo Aung goes to the academy as frequently as possible.

“Once you get there you are a host, not a guest,” U Myint Lwin said.

Daw Me Me Aung, a 37 year old who recently resigned from her job of 12 years so she could devote more time to teaching, also spends most of her time at the academy.

Her devotion is obvious: She made a presentation at a recent CD launch event at the academy even though her father had died during that week. She said the teachings made her feel healthier in both mind and body.

Although Daw Me Me Aung has only been practicing at the academy for six months, she has already participated in several teaching excursions, adding that Noble Light is a training ground to spread Buddha’s teachings across the country.

“There is hardly anyone who doesn’t become interested in teaching after joining the classes. … 80 percent of visitors start on that path after they begin coming to classes.

“Those who don’t are too busy doing other things in their life,” she said.
Daw Wai Wai Hlaing is a 35-year-old teacher who recently shaved off her long hair as a sign of her dedication to following Buddha’s teachings. She said many Noble Light students began to spread Buddha’s teachings by speaking with complete strangers – like taxi drivers – and eventually developed the skills and confidence to talk with anyone.

But Daw Me Me Aung said the academy needed more young people to actively participate in their trips because they were more likely to appeal to other young people. Of the 150 active members at the centre, most are 40 years old or above.

Young people can face difficulty in making elders listen but “patience is the key,” Daw Wai Wai Hlaing said.

U Myint Lwin said he was focusing on the training centre at the moment because he wanted to build a strong core of teachers. Once this goal was reacher, he would like to return to leading teaching excursions himself. And would even like to extend his teachings internationally.

“If it is possible I want to travel worldwide. My mission is non-stop and I will keep striving on this path without taking a break.”