Editor’s Foreword For Burmese Buddhists, Venerable Ledi Sayādaw needs no introduction, since his fame is legendary. Many Buddhists outside Burma will also have read his Manuals of Buddhism, or at least extracts from it such as the Magganga Dīpanī
or the Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī, which are both published by the Buddhist Publication Society. As the name implies, a Dīpanī is a work that illuminates the subject, so we can call it a “manual” or an “exposition.” The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw is deservedly famous for his expositions, of which he wrote more than seventy. All of them show his deep learning of the Pāḷi texts and commentaries, but this work especially urges Buddhists not to be content with mere devotion or academic
learning, but to take up insight meditation in earnest to gain penetrative knowledge of the Noble Truths. The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw was the “father” of the insight meditation tradition in Burma. Before he became famous, only a few monks practised insight meditation, and even fewer lay people. He lived during the time of the British Raj, when many ignorant Buddhists were converting to
Christianity. At the same time, English scholars were studying Buddhism. The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw replied to some questions in Pāli put by Mrs Caroline Rhys Davids, who was then working on the translation of the Pāli texts into English. The origin of this edition deserves some mention since it has been so long in coming to print. I think it was in 1991 that James Patrick Stewart-Ross,
an American Buddhist, visited me at the Burmese Vihāra in Wembley, England and gave me a stack of computer disks, on which were more than thirty voluminous works by various authors. Many of them were by the Venerable Ledi Sayādaw. Mr Ross had spent many years collecting works by famous Burmese Sayādaws and had made heroic efforts to get English translations made. While living in Thailand, he made many trips into Burma, to search out able translators and typists to help him with this
colossal undertaking. During the following years, I gradually sifted through the works I had been given and picked out a few that seemed most worthy of publication. Among the best were the Uttamapurisa Dīpanī and the Dāna Dīpanī, both by the Venerable Ledi Sayādaw. I edited these two works and printed out a few copies, but I lost touch with Mr Ross. It was not until 1997 that I met him
again in Burma. Meanwhile I had had some correspondence with Bhikkhu Bodhi of the Buddhist Publication Society, and he agreed that the Uttamapurisa Dīpanī was worth publishing. While in Burma, I worked through the entire book several times, removing many Pāli passages that I thought would be too intimidating for most modern readers, and I improved the grammar to the best of my ability. I hope the result will be acceptable. Reconciling the need for simplicity with that for authenticity is
difficult, but I have tried to retain the spirit of the author’s work. At the same time I hope it will now be easier for the non-Buddhist or new Buddhist to appreciate the Sayādaw’s inspiring teaching, which it should be noted, was addressed specifically to a devout and learned lay Buddhist. Those who are familiar with the Pāli Canon will have no difficulty in following the thread of
the Sayādaw’s arguments, since the sources from which he quotes are quite well known. I have therefore not tried to provide a thorough list of references as I might have done for a more scholarly work. The Sayādaw’s central theme is that no amount of academic learning will save one from rebirth in the lower realms, or in hell, if the pernicious wrong view of a belief in a permanent self, soul, or ego is not uprooted by the practice of insight meditation. Several people objected to the frequent references to hell, some said it had “Christian connotations,” even my computer’s grammar checker said it was “offensive.” However, I have resolutely retained it in most places. I think there is little difference between Buddhism and Christianity (or other religions) on this point. Most religions warn of dire consequences for those who do immoral deeds due to their lack of
religious faith. If the readers are apprehensive even at the mention of the word, let them take up the practice of insight meditation to find sure release from the suffering of hell. Let them practise the real Dhamma of the Buddha by trying to comprehend the arising and vanishing of phenomena within their own body and mind. The Buddhist scriptures wholeheartedly endorse the Sayādaw’s opinions, so if you have any doubts, please refer to the Nakhasikhā Sutta, which he quotes. The 1969 Burmese second edition, which I referred to occasionally, was full of quotations from the Pālli texts, commentaries and subcommentaries. Most of these have been removed, leaving only the English translation, to make the book more readable for those who are not scholars. Quotation marks are used, even where the source is not given, to indicate that they are not the Sayādaw’s own words.
Aphorisms coined by the Sāyadaw are indicated by a bolder typeface. In the initial draft, there was some inconsistency in the dates. Working back from B.E. 1359 (1998) 1261 should have been 1900, not 1899 as stated, and the completion date (of 1262) was given as 1901. So I asked a friend to consult a 100-year calendar. It turned out that the Sayādaw received Maung Thaw’s letter on 9th
March, 1900 and completed the work on 28th April, the same year! (The Burmese New Year begins in April). The Sayādaw had indeed been burning the midnight oil for an early reply. I have been working on this edition (among many other works, it must be said) for at least eight years, but the Sayādaw completed it in just seven weeks. |
