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mavâca with international Pâli pronunciation in Sayadaw's room. There are often foreigners ordaining. There have been many times when the Kammavâca has had to be read in international Pâli pronunciation, both at the Mahasi Sâsana Yeiktha and at Shwe Taung Gon Sâsana Yeiktha. So reading the Kammavâca with international Pâli pronunciation has gotten easy. When foreign monks take the vow to stay at the monastery for the rainy season, and do confession, it has to be recited in international Pâli pronunciation. If it were recited with Myanmar pronunciation, they wouldn't understand. Burmese people, especially the monks, should practice the method of reading Pâli with the international pronunciation. They should be competent with that way, too.
Advice and guidance is given to monks-to-be in English, too. Sayadaw has those students who know basic English practice this as well.
Sayadaw differentiates three types of Sâsana:
- A Dead Sâsana
- A Living Sâsana
- A Strong Sâsana
The saying "Vinaya is the life of the Sâsana" means that if the Sâsana lacks Vinaya (discipline) and sîla is not safeguarded, it is a Sâsana which has died. Thus, a Sâsana without sîla (morality) is called a "Dead Sâsana".
When sîla holds sway, there is life. Then it is alive. Though it is living, if it suffers injury, it does not look well. It is only okay when it suffers no harm. It seems like when monks are committing Vinaya offenses, there is some harm.
The entire Order of monks has yet to become a Strong Sâsana. To have a strong Sâsana, the practices of samâdhi (concentration) and panña (wisdom) must come next. Only then is it a strong and robust Sâsana.
Sayadaw wants temporary novices and monks to have fond thoughts of their time as novices and monks even when they return to lay life. He wants them to strive in their practice of Satipatthâna in accordance with the teachers' instructions so that they will be gratified every time in the future when they think back.
Sayadaw reminds every novice and monk not to let the Sâsana become a Dead Sâsana. He urges them to make it a Live Sâsana. He wants them to make further effort to move it from a Live Sâsana to a Strong Sâsana. If they strive as Sayadaw has advised, every novice will find it worthwhile to have become a novice, and every monk while find it worthwhile to have become a monk. Only if it is worthwhile will they get the benefit of the novice's life or the monk's life.
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