Singapore – Yangon
 

Samiddhodayasukhitarama Daw Nanacari Myanaung Nunnery, Yangon
Chanting by the nuns.  It was so beautiful and powerful, our whole body system was reverberating with it.

Shwedagon Pagoda

Vithakar Nunnery Teaching Women School
Chanting by the children which brought some volunteers to tears

Orphanage (Residential Nursery) - up to 5 yrs old

Hninzigone Home for the Elderly
Impressed by the attitude of the inmates. They meditate 3 times a day lasting an hour each.

Presentation of Scholarships & Penny for School Ceremony
Myanmar Partner: Border Areas Development Association  

Group to Bogalay

School project at Thaman Chuang Village, Bogalay Township

The walls of the single storey school building and the rafters are up.  The school will have 11 classrooms.  A water pump and tank is the next thing required.
 
We were welcomed by the children and the villagers who lined the path on both sides
leading to the school building.  They had been waiting for us from early in the morning. 
The children sang in unison:
“Firefly Mission Group of Singapore, wealthy and healthy, 
Everytime visits Thaman Chaung Village, Bogalay Township.” 
 
When we left, a group of villagers followed us part of the way
as we walked to the village clinic.
 

Zamburatana Buddhist Cultural Course (ZBCC)
Interaction with the students

Naga Cave Monastery
Dana offering to about 1,200 Ven Monks & Nuns

Tooth Relic Pagoda

5-hour journey to Kyaikhto.  Checked into the Mountain View Hotel

Bilin Secondary School

Met the youth volunteers from MCYS who were there on a community project

Bilin Primary Schools

Brought to view the various schools built by Sayadaw U Sanda 

Interaction/dancing with the local people who were up from 3 or 4 am to help in the
cooking of lunch and snack.

Pledge:  A new commitment made for the construction of a secondary school costing
S$30,000.  Some volunteers made on-the-spot pledges to donate towards it.

Seik Phu Taung Monastery / Youth Development Centre

Entertained by dances put up by the children. Our volunteers joined in fun as well.

Thawka Myaung Kyaung, New Generation Youth Parahita Centre, Taungxun

The school now caters to 346 children who are orphans, abandoned or have single parents.   The only help received from the government is 8 litres of rice per child per month. 

Sayadaw U Thika's Monastery, Taungxun

The Dana from the Firefly Mission will go towards building a 1,500 foot bridge joining the school and the monastery.  In his appreciation of the Dana, Bhante proclaimed that “every step made by people crossing the bridge will bring merits to the donors”.
 

Highlights of stay at the Mountain View Hotel

Dhamma talks by Bhante Ashin Thi La Wuntha. Bhante was the owner of the hotel and the estate on which it sits. After handing his business to his son, he obtained his ordination and now spends his time on his spiritual development. He said he was now certainly much happier. He gave us 2 Dhamma talks on Vipassana Meditation, teaching us the method of focusing the mind on the top of the head. He led those of us present at the second talk to make a promise to do Vipassana Meditation for at least 9 minutes a day. He assured us that if we worked at it we would be sure to see results. He himself was made to meditate at least 15 minutes a day when he first started. So it should not be difficult for us to do just 9 minutes. Bhante invited us to drop in anytime we were around the area.

Experience of launching hot-air lanterns

Journey to the Golden Rock 

Toured the area around the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock) and meditation at the Pagoda

Day 7 (Fri) - 15-December

Dawn Offering, Puja and Meditation at the Golden Rock

Journey to the Shwegyin Monastery

Pyinnyar Beikman - Charitable (Parahita) Monastic Education School, Shwegyin
Viewed the progress of the school buildings under construction.

Highlights: 

1  Children in the group were given rides on horse carts to the site. 

2  Saw a small dam that has been constructed to operate a small hydro-electric generator that supplies 3 kWatt of electricity to the school buildings.

Golden Pagoda at Shwegyin - saw a “pin-hole camera” image of the Pagoda in a hut where a rat has made a hole in the door.

Kalaywa Tawya Sarthintaik Monastic Education Centre
 

Henzada Metta Promoter (Volunteer) Monastery Institute
 

Sirimangala Shwebonoo Kyaungtike where FFM has donated funds for the construction of the dining hall.

Installation of the plate inscribed with words acknowledging the donation. It was installed above the entrance to the dining hall

Return flight to Singapore