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After I caught that cold, I didn't feel very well. I had a bit of a fever. What a wimp! Shortly after showering, we had lunch. Since the donors were Vietnamese, they served us Vietnamese food. They eat rice like in Myanmar. The curries, too, are appetizing to Myanmar taste buds. The bitter chicken vegetable soup, though, was novel. That bitter chicken vegetable soup was definitely a bit undercooked, too. As I was already feeling a little sick, having caught a cold, I just couldn't eat that meal. Sayadaw, on the other hand, with his good digestion, was able to eat quite a bit. His eating was undisturbed. Sayadaw ate everything on his plate.
The author, though, having caught a cold and not feeling well, could not eat well. I just took a taste. There was still a lot left on my plate. Seeing all the food left on mine when they came to clear our plates, Sayadaw gave me the admonishment at the beginning of the chapter. I don't know whether or not dogs there eat the leftovers from someone's plate or not. I am sure the people don't. I think the hungry dogs I've seen in Myanmar would eat them. I think Sayadaw just said, "not even the dogs here eat leftovers," to make it stick in my head.
It was apparent that he was giving me this advice, not to leave leftovers on my plate, in such a way that I would be able to remember and follow it for the rest of my life. I will never forget that piece of advice as long as I live. It is a lifelong piece of advice. I will be able to follow it for the rest of my life. It wasn't that I didn't know already. I did. It wasn't that I wasn't already following it. I was. It was just this once that it happened. That was one of the many wonders I experienced in America.
If Sayadaw had given me those words of advice, that one should not leave leftovers on one's plate, in a normal tone, it would probably not have been that impressive. I would probably have forgotten. The way he said it, though, I cannot forget as long as I live. When I reaches old age, I will be an elder Sayadaw. I will have many disciples. When those students are a little out of line, as the author was, I will be able to use these words of my teacher. Like the author, they, too, will be unable to forget them. These are some potent words of advice.
Sayadaw puts as much as he can eat into his bowl or plate. If someone else put too much in, he puts some back into the serving bowl. Then, he eats all of what he has taken. He takes just as much curry as he can eat. Then he eats all of it. That's one Sayadaw's good habits.
He has his students eat that way, too. In drinking, it is the same. When he wants to drink, he takes just as much he can drink. Then he drinks all of it. One feels sorry if leftovers have to be thrown away. One should just drink it up. It should be put to use. It should not be wasted. It's a very good habit. Sayadaw has many good habits like this in many different areas.
The author and other Myanmar people are quite wasteful. Not only in eating and drinking, but in many areas we need better habits. We must take care that not a single
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