Webu Sayadaw

Category: Patriarchs of Buddhism

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Webu Sayadaw (1896-1977) was a highly respected monk in Myanmar, who taught the way of liberation, 'anapana' in the simplest of terms. His real name was U Kumara (Bhadanta Kumar Kassapa). Webu Sayadaw is a title meaning the holy teacher from Webu, given to him after he became an established teacher.

He became a novice monk at the age of nine and underwent the usual monk's training in the Pali Canon. After his ordination at the age of twenty, he then spend some time for higher studies of Buddha-Dharma at the Masoyein Monastery of Mandalay, where it was noticed that he was more bent on the practical aspect of Buddha's teachings. In 1923 (seven years after his ordination), he left for the valley of Webula and Webara hills near Kyaukse where he spent many years striving ardently for the realisation of the Nirvana through Anapana-sati (awareness of breathing in and out) or meditation.

Although he preferred solitude, his reputation spread rapidly. His retreat was known as Webu Chaung (Webu Valley). At this place he used to stay from July to December, from January to March at Aungmye Yeiktha-shwebo & from April to June at Ingyinbin village. Sayagyi U Ba Khin, one of the most famous meditation teachers in Myanmar, became Webu Sayadaw's disciple.

Biography

U Kumara was born on the sixth day of the waxing moon of Tabaung of the Burmese year 1257 (17 February 1896) in Ingyinbin, a small village near Ma daunghla railway station in Khin U township, near Shwebo in upper Burma. He was ordained as a novice at the age of nine and was given the name Shin Kumara. At the age of twenty, he was ordained as a full member of the Sangha, and was thereafter addressed as U Kumara.

U Kumara went to Mandalay to study at the famous Masoyein monastery, the leading monastic university of the time. In the seventh year after his full ordination, he left the monastery to put into practice what he had learned about meditation. After leaving the Masoyein monastery, U Kumara spent four years in solitude. Then he went to his native village of Ingyinbin for a brief visit, where he taught the technique of meditation he had adopted. "This is a shortcut to Nirvana," he said, "anyone can use it. It stands up to investigation and is in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha as conserved in the scriptures. It is the straight path to Nirvana."

Webu Sayadaw undertook pilgrimages to the Buddhist sites of India and Sri Lanka. He passed away on Sunday 26th June 1977 at 7.30 pm in the meditation center at Ingyinbin, his native village.

Teachings

Among the thirteen practices called the dhutanga, which are often taken up by monks living in solitude to combat laziness and indulgence, is the practice of never lying down, not even to sleep. Monks taking up this particular practice spend the nights sitting and meditating to rid themselves of sleepiness. The Webu Sayadaw is said to have followed this practice all his life. He taught that effort was the key to success, not only in worldly undertakings, but also in meditation, and that sleeping was a waste of time. I was told by one of his disciples that on the occasion of his ordination under the Webu Sayadaw, he had a mosquito net and a pillow, in addition to the monk's requisites. The Webu Sayadaw, pointing at them, asked him what they were.

"A pillow and a mosquito net, sir."

"Are these part of the monk's requisites?"

"No, sir." and the newly ordained monks decided to give these "luxuries" back to his family.

Webu Sayadaw emphasized the practice of meditation as the only way to bring the teachings of the Buddha to fulfillment. The study of the scriptures, though helpful, is not indispensable for the realization of Nirvana. The technique of meditation taught by the Webu Sayadaw is one of forty techniques mentioned in the scriptures for the development of samadhi or concentration. It is called anapanasati and requires one to be aware that one is breathing in while breathing in, that one is breathing out while one is breathing out, of the spot or area which the stream of air touches while one is breathing in and out. In the Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa describes sixteen ways of approaching this meditation, but the Webu Sayadaw kept reminding his disciples they needn't know about all of these; all they really needed to know was the reality of in-and-out breathing.

U Hte Hlain, the collector of some of the discourses contained in this book, writes: "The Webu Sayadaw preached sometimes five, sometimes ten times a day. Seven main points were always included in his discourses. If Webu Sayadaw gave 10,000 discourses in his life, then these points were expounded by him 10,000 times. He always included them, even if he had to repeat them again and again. He always explained the teachings in simple terms, so that the ordinary man could understand. He tried to explain the Dharma in such a way that the most difficult thing became easy."

The seven points are :

1. One can only expect the fulfillment of one's aspirations if one is perfect in morality.
2. When practicing generosity in the religion of the Buddha, the mental attitude and volition involved are very important.
3. Believing in the law of karma, one should always act with an upright mind.
4. One should not aspire to any happiness of either the human or celestial worlds - which are impermanent - but only to Nirvana.
5. Because of the arising of the Buddha we have the opportunity to practice right conduct (Pali: carana) and wisdom fully and thereby to benefit greatly.
6. From the moment we are born to the moment we die, there is the in-breath and the out-breath. This is easy for everybody to understand. Every time we breathe in or out, the breath touches near the nostrils. Every time it touches we should be aware of it.
7. While we are walking, working, doing anything, we should always be aware of the in-breath and the out-breath.

Most of these discourses were given before large audiences during the Webu Sayadaw's travels in lower Burma. The person or persons answering the Webu Sayadaw are lay-people sitting up front and close to him.

Some of the discourses are translated from a collection compiled and introduced by U Hte Hlain and published by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Burma. Others have been transcribed from tape by the translator and then rendered into English. The titles of the discourses have been added and were not assigned to them by the Webu Sayadaw himself.

Because they were delivered extemporaneously the discourses are repetitive and were edited slightly so that they lend themselves better to reading. Care was taken, however, to edit only obvious repetitions and only when they had merely rhetorical value. The reader may still find the discourses repetitive, but with some patience and "mindfulness" he will discover in them many insights into practical Buddhism.

Webu Sayadaw was not a scholar and his discourses do not cater to the intellectual who prefers the study of Buddhist Philosophy to the practice. His refreshing simplicity, his patience, his lovely sense of humor, and his humility - illumine a side of Buddhism which cannot be perceived by reading treatises and texts. Moreover, the statements of the people in the audience offer us a glimpse of how Buddhism is practiced in Burma today.

Bibliography

• To Light a Fire