"Meditation Center: of courtesy and quiet, please be considerate."

Those are the words of a conspicuous sign at the Shwe Taung Gon Sâsana Yeiktha. It is indicative of the way things are at the center. It gives a reminder that when one speaks at this center, one must speak quietly and courteously. It urges one to be considerate, too. At this center, local and foreign yogis are meditating. The meditation yogis should not be disturbed. When people are speaking loudly, Sayadaw often gives them a reminder to speak quietly with a hand signal. He puts his index finger to his lips to show them. As there are also local and foreign students at the center, he has them study quietly. During the Buddhist Culture Course, he takes special care that the studying is done quietly. In order no to disturb the yogis, he wants doors to be opened and closed gently. He wants showering and washing to be done so that they are not noisy. I have seen Sayadaw give reminders many times not to be noisy in washing and showering. There are people who come who are not familiar with meditation centers, or who are familiar but don't have an understanding of them, as well as children of those who donate meals. I have seen many times Sayadaw give reminders to them when their voices get loud and noisy to speak quietly and gently. When speech gets discourteous, Sayadaw is not lenient nor is he shy. He is apt to speak rather bluntly.

The Buddha himself had a great desire for quietude. If the quiet was broken, the Buddha was apt to speak bluntly, too. He was neither shy nor lenient, I guess you would have to say. Once when five hundred newly ordained disciples of Sâriputta and Moggalâna were speaking noisily in the monastery, the Buddha expelled Sâriputta and Moggalâna along with their five hundred students. Didn't he show leniency at least to his right and left-hand disciples? I guess the Buddha was giving these two a lesson that noisiness was undesirable. Well, he must really have been one who liked quietude.

Only if they have quiet is the yogis' insight likely to progress. Thus, it is absolutely necessary that they do have quiet. Quiet and a Sâsana Yeiktha are a pair that must always go together. A Sâsana Yeiktha without quiet indicates that it does not have a good leader. Without quiet, a Sâsana Yeiktha does not have grace. It does give cause for rapture nor serenity of mind. A Sâsana Yeiktha must be so quiet that people who come say, "This Sâsana Yeiktha is peaceful. It gives cause for rapture. It makes one very happy." Sayadaw is working to make sure his Sâsana Yeiktha has that kind of quiet. So when Sayadaw comes by where some people have got to talking loudly, they often remind each other, "Sayadaw is coming. Talk quietly."

Here the words the Tittis said when the Buddha was coming come to mind. "Masters, the monk Gotama is coming. Master Gotama likes voices to be soft. He does not like clamorous speech. So don't make noise. Be quiet."

The Tittis had the habit of speaking loudly among one another. That is why they

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