The fourteenth Shwegyin Sangha meeting was held in Yangon, at the big Shwegyin building near the eastern gate of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda. Sayadaws of the Shwegyin sect came from all over the country. At that meeting, U Vimalâbhivamsa of the Kan Kyi Pariyatti Monastery in Nyaung Shwe was given the title "Possessor of the Sâsana." Together with him, U Supi?ñinda, Sayadaw from the Patama Gandâyone in Sagaing, was also named "Possessor of the Sâsana." It seemed that the most important function of this meeting was the naming of the two "Possessors of the Sâsana." When they were holding a meeting to plan for this meeting, Shwe Taung Sâsana Yeiktha Sayadaw took me along. When the big meeting itself was taking place I also accompanied Sayadaw. The government undertook whatever was necessary for this big meeting. (underwrote the cost of whatever was needed for this meeting). On the opening day, I noticed important officials coming to make offerings. Sayadaw went for the first day.

That day, Sayadaw donated two books to all the Sangha who came - Sayings of Mahasi Sayadaw and Thabyekan Sayadaw's Answers to Shwe Taung Sâsana Yeiktha Sayadaw's Questions. The donor's name, however, was listed as "Shwe Taung Sâsana Yeiktha Dhamma Family." Sayadaw wanted to donate one copy of the latter book to each Sangha who attended, but he ran out of books and he wasn't able to do so. At the close of the meeting, nuns and laywomen from the Yeiktha presented the books to the Sangha for Sayadaw. At that time, Sayadaw was standing nearby with some devotees who were making offerings to him. He was talking with Sangha who came to greet him.

After Sayadaw had finished talking with the Sangha, he spoke with a layman. This layman had a very nice, clean appearance. Sayadaw and he were talking comfortably in a very friendly way. While they talked, I was wondering who this layman was. I couldn't guess, as I hadn't seen him before. I was the only one who didn't know him, for he was a well-known writer, I learned later. He was known as Dhammâcariya U Aye Naing, I heard. He was a major author who wrote articles for religious magazines. His writing was good and his knowledge of the scriptures quite broad. Formerly he had been a monk at Shwe Hinthada Forest in Nyaung Don. He had belonged to the Shwegyin sect, hence his coming to this meeting.

It seemed that Sayadaw and this layman had known each other since their student days. They were discussing the situation at hand with regard to the Shwegin Sect and the Sâsana. Apparently, Sayadaw wanted to know how this man saw the situation. The man mentioned being satisfied with the condition of the Shwegyin sect. Sayadaw, however, didn't appear to be satisfied.

"Devotee, within the Shwegyin sect is the Sâsana going forward, standing still or declining?" Sayadaw asked. The layman didn't want to say, "The Sâsana is declining," or "the Sâsana is standing still." He said something to the effect that the Sâsana was progressing.

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