Open-Heart Serendipity - Myanmar

Sept 18, 2011 – Mandalay, Myanmar

Open-heart Serendipity

This is one of those days when I get that I'm exactly where I need to be. The seeds of the serendipitous goodness were planted yesterday. Yesterday, as I was leaving the uber-fancy XXX Hotel [the ONE place in Mandalay/Myanmar that helped me to access my “plastic” money – yes, at an eye-watering 37%, but much better than a 0$ at 0%- and even that was sort of a covert operation - hence the "xxx"], an unassuming motorbike driver has offered to drive me to my previous super-friendly and {thank God} air-conditioned “residence” of ET Hotel [those of you who know me well – don't laugh ;0P]. On the way, the man offered me to go to the Mahamuni Pagoda.

A Buddha getting a gold-leaf massage

As much as I wanted to hide-out in my air-conditioned haven amidst the brain-melting heat of the rainy-season Mandalay, I figured, ok – though I'm not into checking off the world-famous landmarks from a “to-do” list – I've already seen the 2 arguably “most sacred” ones in Myanmar: the Shweddagon Pagoda

Little me near the Shweddagon Pagoda

 and the Golden Rock.....

so, Mahamumi was the only one “left standing.” Why not [I put some tape on the mouth of the voice that had a sarcastic “your brains will melt” answer to that question]? So, after my hospitable driver has shown me an old monastery on the way [a surprise bonus!] and drove through what I came to call “a street of the Marble Buddhas” - because that's where the statues big and small are carved in clouds of white dust and eye-buckling quantities - I was walking under the golden alcoves of the Mahamumi Paya [a Burmese word for “God” and “Pagoda”].

I found this place to be by far the most authentic and least touristy holy spot in Mynamar. Why holy? Because, like the other two, this last point of the “trinity” [Shweddagon, Golden Rock, Mahamuni] contains some of Buddha's relics. The central chamber's wooden Buddha statue was being massaged with little pieces of gold as the worshipers meditated and prostrated at the 4 entrances into the holy chamber. The holiness decreased progressively as one walked away from the chamber – the two of the 4 entrance halls were thickly populated with jade jewelry [there is one of the world's largest Jade mines next to Mandalay], Buddha statue, jhapa bead shops and Burmese astrologers/palm-readers. In some shops, the things sold in the next ones were actually being made – a good chance to see the process of carving, cutting, polishing the souvenirs of all kinds.

Taking a break at the Mahamumi Pagoda

It so happened that I delved deep into meditation on one of the carpets before the holy chamber. What got me out of the “deep space” was a pigeon pooping onto my head...... Not funny. Fortunately, it was dry and made no mess. I now knew the meaning of someone “pooping into your soul.” I figured – good sign 'tis time to go. A gentle man came up to me as I was in contemplation of a single pigeon perched on some little nail against a ginormous golden wall - It was so beautiful......could that be the same one that “woke me up” a minute ago?

 He asked where I learned to meditate, and we spoke of the vipassana experience. He mentioned that there happened to be a Goenka vipassana center just nearby and asked if I wanted to see it – apparently, a 10 day session was starting in 2 days. He offered to pick me up the next day and take me to the center.

Now, when you meet someone at a holy place after a deep meditation, from which a pigeon unashamedly awakens you, and the person [whose name has the same meaning as yours] offers to take you to a vipassana center amidst the mountains.....you think that might be a good sign to say “yes”? So today, at 10 sharp, my new acquaintance - Aung-Aung [in Burmese that means “winner” - his name and photo used with permission] – was at my hotel. He was on foot. 

Again I had a slight wave of hesitation [after all, I knew I was submitting my system to the sweltering heat when I could just “sit it out” in my little cool haven – I mentally growled at my wandering nature – like “why can't you just sit still for a change?” - to which it argued with “well, when else are you going to be here and it's not getting any cooler in this place anytime soon”]. And so began my one-day odyssey through the alleys and dusty streets of Myanmar's “2^nd capital.”

I did not realize that not only did Mr. Aung-Aung want to take me to a Vipassana center, he also wanted to show me his home-town in the way it's lived by the locals – by foot and by bus.

Quickly I gave thumbs up to my wandering nature. This was to be a unique experience. We wandered by a small alley where 3 intensely hard-working young men pounded 750 pieces of gold into submission at a time to become 750 gold-leaf pieces. Yes, those same pieces that are to later go up onto some Buddha statue or a pagoda monolith. The pounding of their 3 hammers made an intense and beautiful rhythm.... 

We walked on to the street where pagoda “hat” spare parts were cut out of tin – since more pagodas are constantly being built in this profoundly devout Buddhist country – and teak wood is not getting any easier to come by. 

So, most pagoda “hats” are now made out of tin. It is on this obscure streets that the precious tops are first fashioned out of tin, then assembled and gold-leafed – the better to shine in the bright Burmese sun.

After a few kilometers of Mandalay sights, we did end up at the City branch of the Goenka center. There, a group of new students – nearly all locals – was gearing up to go to the main grounds out of town. The leaders have invited us to come with. Mr. Aung-Aung explained that many locals sit vipassana for 10-14 days at least once a year – especially during the Burmese New Year time – around mid-April. For me, that was easy to believe, looking at these gentle, quiet, peaceful and heart-centered people.

We fueled up with some mouth-watering Shan rice noodles [the yummy goodness with veggies and crushed peanuts] at a nearby food stall and jumped into the back of a truck full of meditators-to-be. We landed 10 miles out of town on a tranquil spot surrounded by green pyramidal hills studded with golden payas and crowned with white, sparkling monasteries, one of which had an ascension path bordered by something like 1000 “ascending monk” plastic statues – a spectacular sight from below. That is where the family that runs the center chose to build their simple wooden dorms and welcoming meditation halls some 5 years ago. I could see why they chose the spot. The crystal-clean air, several nearby monasteries engulfed by the green lush, the hills – how could one NOT meditate here?

The kitchen maidens have generously invited us for dinner. After scoping the grounds, I wanted to see the nearby golden pays and the surrounding monastery that seemed to be “in our backyard.” The road there turned out to be longer than we thought, so, about half-way, I felt my system overheating and asked a woman at a road food stall if I could pour some water from her cooler onto my head [drastic times – drastic measures ;o)]. What I actually wanted to do was more like to climb into a freezer and stay there until sunset. No freezer at sight, though. So I stood by the side of the road and poured semi-cold water from a cooler onto my head. The woman invited me to sit in her chair a bit. Mr. Aung explained that Myanmar people never see this kind of behavior – not ever from tourists [that are far and few in this neck of the woods] and consider having wet hair in the sun dangerous. I asked him to assure her that for me that was quite normal behavior – it was the only quick way I saw to cool off. As I recuperated in the comfy bamboo chair, Mr. Aung asked if I wanted a neck massage. That's my weak spot. And I was in a “melted” configuration, so, YESSSSS, OF COURSE! As Mr. Aung gave me a lovely neck massage, the lovely shop-keeper, Mollie, has offered to join – and together, they spontaneously gave me one of the best massages ever – thus reanimating me.

As I opened my eyes, I saw that Mollie's eyes were full of tears. Mr. Aung has translated that she felt sisterly love for me and was asking if I thought we may have met before in a previous life. She also was inviting me to stay over with her family. He said he felt the same way yesterday in the Mahamuni pagoda and that's why he invited to show me his town. I sat there absolutely awash with their wonderful heart energy, smiling like a child and loving these kind, open-hearted, vividly sincere people. I could see that every world coming from them was real – it was in a language before there was languages as we know them. A language of no words that we all understand as humans. I knew there and then that I was exactly where I needed to be at that moment.

As we hugged goodbye, Mollie stopped a woman bearing garlands of jasmine from the monastery, and bought a few strings. She tied them together and gently placed them on my head......

THAT is Myanmar as I shall remember it. THAT is what I will come back to some day.

It was dark when we got back to the city – Aung-Aung helped me weave a path through the night streets of Mandalay by foot – past the magnificent train station, past the candle-lit “roadside picnics” some poor locals do, past the giant woks sizzling on an open fire of the street stalls, cooking up steaming chapati........As we said “goodbye,” I put Mollie's jasmine strong around his neck. He hid it under his shirt and smiled. I promised to leave two pictures of us all together at my hotel – for him and Ms. Mollie – he said he would give that to her.

And that's the thing about Myanmar people. Aung-Aung has never met Mollie before.......but he would go back for an hour out of town to give her our picture because he knows it would bring her a smile. And he would spend a couple more days showing a virtual stranger [me] around the interesting nooks and cranies of his beloved town because his heart felt good about it. These people live as a family – a country-sized one. They see with their hearts before their eyes. And I don't think any junta is changing that anytime soon.

A public bus