Me: “Sayalay, how many enlightened masters are there out there in the world today?”

Sayalay Bhadda Manika Replies: “Since Buddha’s time it has been prohibited to say whether one is enlightened, only your teacher knows. This is meant to prevent adoration by the public of a particular teacher.”


Me: “Speak to me of the conflicts that arise between pursuing the path to greater conciousness and living with a husband/wife partner, family, job etc…”

Sayalay Bhadda Manika Replies: “This is very much an issue. People who follow the path usually find themselves torn between opposing forces until they enter a community of fellow practitioners. The mundane and the super-mundane worlds are opposites and the more one pursues one path, the more he/she distances his/her self from the other.


Questions I wanted to ask but did not have the opportunity:
- Is it helpful to seek info about one’s past lives?
- What is the path to enlightenment for a mentally retarded person?