Appreciate Sugestions For Meditation Centers In Myanmar

[Grego]

I´ve been practising meditation for some years, and did about 6 months of committed practice last year in Thailand, in different centres mainly around Chiang Mai...

The last course I did was a 10 day Goenka, and really appreciated the hole thing...

The technique, the lack of distractions and the general commitment of people...

Now, I would like to find a place in Myanmar where I can practice that technique (or something very similar), but where I could also have something like a "temple stay" for 2 or more months...

If someone has any suggestions about that I would appreciate.

Thank you

[sabaijai]

U Ba Khin Centre in Yangon practices the 'Goenka' technique, which in fact originated with U Ba Khin. I have practised at the original centre there in an individual (private) retreat. The staff were very amenable to that purpose.

There are so many other meditation centres throughout Myanmar. Here is a partial list:

http://www.buddhanet.net/medburma.htm

A few months ago I visited Sayadaw Pa Auk Meditation Centre at Pa Auk Forest Monastery in the Mon State and found it suitable for intensive practice. The instructors work with the jhana or concentration states as well as satipatthana vipassana. It's probably better suited to someone who has already practised vipassana for a considerable time and is looking to expand on that or sharpen concentration in general.

http://www.paaukforestmonastery.org

I have also stayed at the well-known Mahasi Sayadaw centre in Yangon, which is on the list at the first link (as is Pa Auk).

[sabaijai]

Correction: the Mahasi centre does not appear on the list linked to above. Here's the website:

http://www.mahasi.org.mm/yeiktha.html

[Sheryl]

The U Ba Khin Center is not affiliated with SN Goenka nor taught in the tradition associated with him, although there are of course many similiarities since U Ba Khin was Goenka's teacher.

There are 6 different centers in Myanmar which offer instruction in Vipassana meditation "as taught by SN Goenka". http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/ap/mm.shtml

[sabaijai]

Correct, Sheryl. There is not a huge amount of difference in the actual techniques and order of instruction, which trace back to Ledi Sayadaw, but one of the more significant differences between U Ba Khin and Goenka retreats, perhaps, is that U Ba Khin centres don't use tapes or videos for instruction but only live instruction. Or at least that was the case in Yangon. That centre appears to accept only Burmese yogis nowadays except for private/individual retreats but there are U Ba Khin centres in many other countries now.

An inspiring book written by one of U Ba Khin's early Western disciples, John Earl Coleman. is The Quiet Mind, published in 1971. It was the main inspiration for my move to Thailand a few years later. Goenka himself sent students to study with Coleman in the USA when he wasn't able to travel there..

[jamles]

Correction: the Mahasi centre does not appear on the list linked to above. Here's the website:

http://www.mahasi.org.mm/yeiktha.html

I hope to be able to do a 10 day or more vipassana retreat very soon. Can someone with experience with both practices please explain how the Goenka centers and practices differ from the Mahasi Sayadaw centers and practices? How do centers in Myanmar compare with centers in Thailand, Cambodia or elsewhere?