Ashin Issariya aka King Zero recently gave a
series of Dhamma talks on the occasion of the Burmese New Year water
festival “Thingyan”, in Mae Sot. Traditionally the Burmese New Year is
celebrated over 4-5 days and Buddhist devotees produce good merit by
inviting and giving Dhana to monks.
Even though the political situation inside Burma seems to change
slowly, life for ordinary people and the life of the refugees on the
border hasn’t changed yet.Most migrants live without hope for a better future, lacking education and thus lacking confidence. They believe with a donation to a monk in this life they can at least plant karmic seeds for a better next life.
In his Dhamma talks Ashin Issariya emphasized the need for education in this life. “The present time is important. The Buddha told us how to improve knowledge and live a good, meaningful life. When I was young I didn’t know much, I didn’t have much self confidence. I read a lot of books and it changed my whole life.”
He tried to encourage people in his speeches to be hopeful and work for a better future in this life with effort and diligence. “Try to be a good person, everything is possible if you work for it.”
Ashin Issariya criticized the habit of wasting the income on alcohol. Instead people should use it to by books to educate themselves. It is also a habit to give money to famous monks in order to attain merit, but Ashin Issariya advised his listeners to “look closely and consider wisely. Many people get impressed by age or degrees. But even if you give to a monk, it is important to see if the donations are used for the good of the people and the teachings.”
During the Water festival Ashin Issariya also visited several monasteries around Mae Sot where he organized novice and ordination ceremonies for monks.
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