|
kamma had not been good, that snake could well have caused my death yesterday evening. But that hasn't happened yet. It was a really close call. Among Sayadaw's students, there have been some who have faced much more critical, distressing situations (than the author). So, undoubtedly, Sayadaw understands deeply that it is necessary to have a car at those kind of moments. In the field of his enterprises for the benefit of others, Sayadaw has probably encountered many situations which, if not a matter of life and death, were at least as close as the author's to becoming critical situations.
Devotees have told Sayadaw time and time again, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly, "Please tell us if you need a car, Bhante. Don't feel bad. Please allow us the honor, Bhante." There are many factors which have to be considered, though. It is evident that he has experienced time and again the many kinds of suffering in life which come of dependence on others. That's why it is Sayadaw's style to say, "Parâdhîna? dukha?; parâyatta? dukha?: Having to be dependent on and subject to others is suffering." It was after the fifth car had been purchased that, looking at [all] the cars, he spoke the words above to the author. Now there are not five, but six vehicles. The various difficulties due to lack of vehicles have now definitely been abated. If I am called a yokel for not knowing the names of the all vehicles, so be it. Not knowing, I had to ask Maung Khin Maung Aye, a kappiya, or lay assistant, and an expert on cars. In spite of his explanation, I didn't remember the English spelling or the Myanmar pronunciation, so I had to ask him to write it out for me. I have copied it just as he wrote it.
When I asked Maung Khin Maung Aye about the benefits of getting these cars, this is what he said,
"I'm comfortable with spending the money and the time. The cost of not having the cars would be many times greater than the cost of having them. With the great benefit we get from using those cars, they pay for themselves in a short amount of time. If we compared the cost of the cars and the money we have saved because we have them, the savings would already be much greater than the original cost. Whether here at Hse Main Gon or in Yangon, if we didn't have cars, I am sure that building projects and such would take much longer. Now, we finish a whole range of projects in a short while. That expediting of projects is the benefit of having the cars.
Compared to how convenient they are, the cars are hardly any trouble at all. Trifling, really. Its just incomparable, how much more convenient it is having the cars. One might think that six cars is getting to be too many, but with the expansion of our field, it's really not. People use them when they need them. There are many uses," he said.
U Dhammâjîvaka, a Sri Lankan monk supervising the cultivation efforts at Hse main Gon Forest Center, said the following regarding the cars, "One has to think of whether these cars are benefiting others and the Sâsana. They are a great benefit. Since
|
|