Yesterday, on Saturday, the first day after the full moon of Tawthalin, Sayadaw's first cousins (once removed), U Htay Myine and his brothers and sisters, came together and offered lunch at the Panditârâma Forest Center. U Htay Myine's older sister Daw Ngway Yee, Daw Khin Htway and Daw Pu Sein were all there. Sayadaw's cousin Daw Thein also came to answer the author's queries. Daw Thein was then 83 years old. U Htay Myine, Daw Ngway Yee, Daw Khin Htway and Daw Pu Sein were the children of Daw Thein's younger sister Daw Than, they said. Daw Than had passed away, however. Sayadaw used to call his cousins Daw Thein and Daw Than "Ma Ma Thein" and "Ma Ma Than," they told me.

By 9:00 a.m. the author had bathed and was awaiting the arrival of Daw Thein, to whom he would ask his questions. At about 9:30, an old, slightly stooped lady came to the author's quarters. At the elderly woman's side, supporting her, was a young girl. It happened that I knew this young girl. Her name is Ma Omma Hlaing. She was a university student, one of three sisters who came from Inntagaw to help out at the center. The two of them, young girl and old woman, seemed like granddaughter and grandmother as they approached. With the idea of testing the elderly woman's ears, I said, "Is that a granddaughter and her grandmother coming?"

The two of them entered the author's room. To test the elderly woman's hearing further, I asked her name and age. She seemed to have lost a little hearing. If I had to shout my questions it would be tiring and I would have to ask Ma Omma Hline to repeat my questions. But I didn't have to shout much at all. The elderly woman could hear all right.

I wanted to know whether or not she could see well, so I asked, "Grandmother…please look at me. Is my skin fair, or dark?"

She looked carefully and said, "It's brown." Ha…when I was living in Yangon people would say my skin was average (neither fair nor dark). But staying in this forest monastery I've become brown due to the sun and wind, I thought to myself.

Seeing Daw Thein I remembered my own grandmother, my father's mother. She was just about Daw Thein's age. She too was still alive. For this reason I kept on calling Daw Thein "Grandmother" when I spoke to her. Like own my grandmother, she was over eighty years old and still in good health.

"Grandmother, when you were young did you ever live with Maung Mya Han?" I knew from Sayadaw's nephew U Mya Maung that Maung Mya Han had been Sayadaw's name, so I straight away used Sayadaw's lay name in my question.

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