My revered teacher [Sayagyi U Ba Khin] fully lived the ideals of Dhamma. He was a senior member of the civil service, where it was commonplace to amass fortunes through fraudulent practices. But Sayagyi was ripened in Dhamma. He worked in this corrupt environment and emerged without any stain on his character.
Sayagyi refused to accept even a penny from his students. Whenever we would offer him something after a course, he would call for the centre manager to insist that the donation go to the centre and a receipt be duly issued. He was equally scrupulous about accepting loans.
Sayagyi owned a small house that was in poor condition. Before he retired, he wanted to repair it so that his children could live there. The builder named a price that I knew was beyond Sayagyi’s means but for me it was a trifling sum. Sayagyi would never ask for financial help, so I politely offered him the amount as a gift. Without hesitation, Sayagyi refused, saying that it would be highly improper for a Dhamma teacher to accept even a small amount from a student; donations must be to the centre, for the Dhamma. “Very well,” I said, “let me give you a loan. You can pay me back at your convenience.” Reluctantly he agreed and the builder set to work.
While Sayagyi was still working, he repaid me from his salary. When he retired, a small amount was still owing and this could be repaid only from his modest pension. Whenever he received a cheque, he would send me the full amount without keeping any money for himself. To accept this money was very painful to me; after all, his financial need was much greater than mine. But the principles of Dhamma had to be upheld, and I reluctantly accepted the repayment even though it meant that Sayagyi was without income.
At that time my adopted mother was approaching death. She had practised Dhamma under Sayagyi’s guidance for seven years and he was very fond of her. As a last act of charity, she decided to make donations to many charitable institutions and wanted to include Sayagyi himself in the list of recipients. I was very pleased at her thoughtful act, which would free my teacher of debt. But when I handed the money to Sayagyi, he blessed my mother and sent for his assistant, telling him to invite bhikkhus the next day and give my mother’s gift as Saṅgha dāna (donation to the monks). What could I do? With a heavy heart, I had to keep accepting the full amount of Sayagyi’s small pension as long as the debt was outstanding. Today I remember the high ideals of this great man and I feel inspired. What a rare example he set of fulfilling ethical standards!
Praiseworthy is Sayagyi U Ba Khin, my truthful and righteous teacher! I feel very fortunate to walk on the path shown by him. Praiseworthy is the Dhamma and so is the ideal of Dhamma practice that he gave us!
Sayagyi refused to accept even a penny from his students. Whenever we would offer him something after a course, he would call for the centre manager to insist that the donation go to the centre and a receipt be duly issued. He was equally scrupulous about accepting loans.
Sayagyi owned a small house that was in poor condition. Before he retired, he wanted to repair it so that his children could live there. The builder named a price that I knew was beyond Sayagyi’s means but for me it was a trifling sum. Sayagyi would never ask for financial help, so I politely offered him the amount as a gift. Without hesitation, Sayagyi refused, saying that it would be highly improper for a Dhamma teacher to accept even a small amount from a student; donations must be to the centre, for the Dhamma. “Very well,” I said, “let me give you a loan. You can pay me back at your convenience.” Reluctantly he agreed and the builder set to work.
While Sayagyi was still working, he repaid me from his salary. When he retired, a small amount was still owing and this could be repaid only from his modest pension. Whenever he received a cheque, he would send me the full amount without keeping any money for himself. To accept this money was very painful to me; after all, his financial need was much greater than mine. But the principles of Dhamma had to be upheld, and I reluctantly accepted the repayment even though it meant that Sayagyi was without income.
At that time my adopted mother was approaching death. She had practised Dhamma under Sayagyi’s guidance for seven years and he was very fond of her. As a last act of charity, she decided to make donations to many charitable institutions and wanted to include Sayagyi himself in the list of recipients. I was very pleased at her thoughtful act, which would free my teacher of debt. But when I handed the money to Sayagyi, he blessed my mother and sent for his assistant, telling him to invite bhikkhus the next day and give my mother’s gift as Saṅgha dāna (donation to the monks). What could I do? With a heavy heart, I had to keep accepting the full amount of Sayagyi’s small pension as long as the debt was outstanding. Today I remember the high ideals of this great man and I feel inspired. What a rare example he set of fulfilling ethical standards!
Praiseworthy is Sayagyi U Ba Khin, my truthful and righteous teacher! I feel very fortunate to walk on the path shown by him. Praiseworthy is the Dhamma and so is the ideal of Dhamma practice that he gave us!
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