It has been a long time that I have wanted to honor Sayadaw by writing of this One Life's Journey of his. I did not think that it would materialize easily. I was convinced that it would take a long time. Due to good kamma and opportune conditions, I got the opportunity to pay my respects. It gives me great pleasure to honor Sayadaw by writing One Life's Journey. I am immensely grateful to all the people who talked to me about his life and made it possible for me to write.

I can't help but be pleased and astonished that this book was successfully completed during the rainy season I took off to rest for the sake of my health at the Panditârâma Hse Main Gon Forest Center. I did not intend to rest the whole rainy season. Neither did it cross my mind that I would write while I was taking my break. My impossible plan to recover during this rest period saw success at last. When I think about why it was this successful, I can't help but see Sayadaw's kammic influence as the primary cause. If you were to say that to him Sayadaw would not accept it. Nonetheless, I can't but see it that way.

I have written here of Sayadaw's seventy-five years to the best of my knowledge. While I have tried my best not include any errors, what mistakes there are are the author's own. No doubt there is much left out which was out of the scope of my knowledge. Given an opportunity, I would like to continue the effort and publish a second volume of One Life's Journey. This book has been written in a conversational style, with numerous literary sketches. It is my hope that those who read One Life's Journey will find herein things to increase their faith and their knowledge, to emulate and be inspired by, and samvega to motivate their practice, as well as lessons to take with them.

Thâmanay Kyaw
The 3^rd day of the waxing moon of Tansaung,
Myanmar era 1358
(13/11/96)