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Yangon Shwe Taung Gon Sâsana Yiektha to donate the midday meal on Sayadaw's birthday, so I recognized them. I definitely wanted to ask them about Sayadaw but I was hesitant because I didn't know when they were expecting to go back to Yangon.
While I was resting in my room after the meal, U Nyan Sein brought another man and called at the author's place. The man was a little thin and wearing a reddish-brown jacket. He had a wad of betel stuck in his mouth, too. His gave his name as U Mya Maung. He said he was seventy years old, which made him five years younger than Sayadaw.
When I met people who could talk about Sayadaw, I had to go ahead and ask the things I wanted to ask.
"Devotee, How are you related to Sayadaw?"
"I'm Sayadaw's nephew, Bhante. Just like Maung Hte Myaing. I'm a carpenter, so Sayadaw even asked me to oversee the construction of this center. With my ill health, I wasn't able to do it."
"Devotee, what was Sayadaw's lay name, and the names of his parents?"
"His grandfather called Sayadaw 'Maung Mya Aung'. Most people called him 'Maung Mya Han'. Sayadaw's father's name was U Pe, his mother's name was Daw Chit Su."
"You and Maung Mya Han must have lived together as kids. Won't please tell as much as you remember of your childhood together as nephew and uncle?"
"Sayadaw-to-be Maung Mya Han had a mind of his own. Whether the children were working, playing, or chatting, Maung Mya Han played the leader. He led the playing. He led the conversation. He was really the teacher. He set the program.
Bhante, the place of Maung Mya Han's Birth was Tadahgalay Village. That's the Tadahgalay that you hear about nowadays as the Tadahgalay junction on the road to North Okkalapa. On Kyaukyetwin hill, where we live now, there is a man named U Nyan. He used to be an important person in Kyaukyetwin. He was responsible for village affairs. One of his responsibilities was the budgeting.
One time, Maung Mya Han went to his place to take a look at his bookkeeping. U Nyan told him, "You kids won't understand any of this. Run along."
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