| Recollections: Building the Pagoda 1982-3 with the Ven Sayadaw U Thila Wunta  By Thelma Rodgers19 June 2005 Originally written for Dr Steven Aung for a book about the Sayadaw and the Pagodas. For photos of the Pagoda construction and the Sayadaw see the album: Building the Pagoda and for more recent Pagoda photos see here. An ebook of the original Sphere Group biography of the Sayadaw will also be available soon. Dear Steven This will be very disjointed - just a series of notes and recollections - at this distance, and the other side of illness that has left my memory impaired, I have no sense of a coherent story any longer, only flashes of memories like snapshots. I hope it will give the flavour of my experiences, if not an objective account of the event. I had been in contact with Buddhism for about three years by this stage, and had immersed myself in courses and meditation retreats (including two solitary three month retreats) with Namgyal Rinpoché and Tarchin Hearn, but this was the first time that I had encountered any kind of traditional Buddhism, and the customs seemed very strange and exotic. For me the feeling of connection with the Sayadaw began shortly after he arrived. One evening he wished to gather flowers by the full moon for healing and while looking for (orange?) flowers I found a rosary in the rockery. It seemed an omen and was quite a different response from my normal frame of mind - which was usually very scientific and logical. As the days went past I became more and more involved in this alternative way of seeing things, and my sense of self became stretched and detached. The immersion in the long puja and night and morning chanting and offering (and when the Sayadaw heard that it was New Year's Eve he decreed that a double puja was needed to celebrate!) also contributed to this process. Among the group there helping to build the Pagoda that summer were several children who had come with their parents. For me they provided an anchor of normalcy, their routines and play setting all the other unusual happenings in the context of everyday life. They loved the Sayadaw and used to bring him gifts of flowers. It was also a time of weather magic - the Sayadaw seemed to be a nature spirit with extraordinary events such as rainbows and whirlwinds accompanying him wherever he went. I remember one day working on the Pagoda and the Sayadaw was in the tent nearby. He called out “Deva coming, Deva coming” and a whirlwind came up around us, raising the empty concrete bags and dust so that we had to hold on tight to the scaffolding. There were also many rainbows in the valleys that summer, some double or even triple! Although it was past midsummer it was very cold and on New Year's Day it snowed - just a sprinkling of white on the shoulder of the hill above the Pagoda. When the Sayadaw saw it he asked “Flowers?” “No, snow!” we said. The monks had only clothing for warm weather and we quickly gathered up some warm socks and other clothes for them. The Pagoda was shrouded in his “robes” for a few days while the weather was bad. The actual building of the Pagoda was of course directed by the Sayadaw with Mike Elliott as foreman and the rest of us as willing helpers. I seemed to become more involved with the shaping of the form than the laying of the bricks, and preferred to work directly with the concrete mix rather than wearing gloves - to the detriment of the flesh on my fingertips! After losing the skin three times I capitulated and wore thin gloves from then on. Another custom that was unusual was the concept of one taste. People went to great lengths to make beautiful vegetarian dishes for the main meal at midday, only to find that the monks would stir the dishes - savoury and sweet - all together, to the cooks'consternation! And because the monks needed a separate bathroom everyone else, men, women and children, shared the ladies. However the custom that caused the most disruption was the forbidding of the women - and the disabled - to work above the lotus petals on the Pagoda. It was the days of women's lib and the many female workers were indignant and hurt. Reactions ranged from angry to tolerant to disappointment to anguish but we were all disappointed. We also had one man who had lost part of one leg and he too was unable to work any higher. The feelings ran very deep, and it seemed the Sayadaw was unaware of them, but on the last day he gave a discourse on Dana, saying that one of the greatest Danas was the giving up of deepheld opinions and the changing of one's mind. I can only think he was referring to the debate that raged around him. While he was there he made two staffs from branches of the local trees, and he gave one each to James Matheson and me when he left. We had been the two to take vows from him. I still have the staff and am reminded of those days every time I see him with one in a photograph (see above). I also remember the occasion of receiving a name from him - he asked which day of the week I was born on, looked up a list and gave the name Khemari (peace). I had always thought that receiving a name from a teacher was very carefully thought out and special and was rather disillusioned with how arbitrary the process appeared. For many years it remained a memento, a symbol of aspiration rather like the staff, but recently I have started using it and now take great pleasure in it. It only recently occurred to me that the Pagoda at the Wangapeka is known as the Peace Pagoda and that I am privileged to bear the same name. metta Thelma Rodgers . Click here for the printfriendly version of this page About Us / Program / Teachers / Treasury / Buddings / Images / Links / Books / Stay / Contact Us / Members
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