Who is Bo Min Gaung? He is someone who is on the Path to Nivarna. He is not a man although he used to be a man just like you and I.
He is a special being called a weizzar. Now what is a weizzar? A weizzar is a superhuman being because he has super natural powers. Weizzar is a Burmese word which is derived from Pali. The word weizzar means wisdom. For example, when we recite the Nine Virtues of the Buddha, we say" vija carana sampano". This means that the Buddha has Eight Wisdom powers.
These wisdom powers are:
1. Pubbe Niwartha ... the ability to see previous lives.
2. Deibba Setku ......the Divine eye. The ability to see objects which are far away and objects which are very, very small.
3. Arthe wetkhaya nyana .... the wisdom that arises when a person attains Arahat magga and Arahata palla. There are four stages of magga nyana and four stages of palla nyana. Palla is a Pali word which means fruition. A person who attains Arahat nayna or Arahat wisdom escapes from Samsara or the endless rounds of rebirths and enters Nivarna. (this means that the Buddha is pure and does not have any of the defilements of greed, anger and ignorance.)
4. Vipassa nyana ..... the ability to see mind and matter as they really are. The ability to see the three characteristics of mind and matter, namely impernance, suffering and no-soul. The word no-soul is also translated as anatta. This concept really means that the processes of mind and matter that we see all around us are occurring according to their own process.
5. Saytaw Pariya nyana .... the ability to know the minds of others.
6. Mano Mayeiddi nayna ...the ability to create in your own body another similar body by the power of the mind.
7. Deibba Thawta nyana .... the Divine Ear. The ability to hear sounds that are far away.
8. Eiddi wida nayna ....the ability to fly in the air, the ability to dive into the earth, the ability to walk on water, the ability to create multiple bodies, the ability to be at many places at the same time, etc. In the Hindu tradition the Burmese word "eiddi" is pronounced as "iddi". In Burmese, "eidi" is translated as super normal powers. All weizzars like Bo Min Gaung have one or more of these super normal powers. That is why we say that the weizzars are more than man and equal to or almost equal to devas (celestial beings). The Burmese word "theiddi" is a derivation of the sanskrit word "iddi".
The first time I learnt about Bo Min Gaung was when my father told me about him and I thank him deeply to this day for introducing this holy man to me. Let me make myself clear on one point at the outset. Bo Min Gaung is not an Arahat. That means he has not reached the final step of Arahatship as yet. He has deferred this to a later date and his goal is to live till the day the new Buddha, the Meitreya comes to this world. In Burmese this Buddha is called Arein Meideiya Buddha.
As a boy I was facinated by the movie "superman". One day my father told me, "do you know my son, we also have superman in our culture and tradition". I became very excited and asked my father to tell me all he knew about Bo Min Gaung. My father said, "son, Bo Min Gaung is an extraordinary man. You know, your uncle Bagyi Kyawt has actually met Bo Min Gaung in person. Bagyi Kyawt told me about his experience with Bo Min Gaung."
One day after dinner, our family was sitting on the veranda looking at the stars and drinking Burmese tea and eating laphet. Laphet by the way is pickled tea leaves made into a sort of salad Burmese style. It contains dried prawns, fried garlic, sesemum seeds, peanut oil, salt, fish sauce and sliced tomatoes. It is eaten after dinner.
The sky was clear and we could see the half moon in the sky. I could smell the fragrance of the jasmine flowers from our garden. Sipping my cup of tea, I asked my father, "Pa Pa why do men want to become weizzars?"
"I don't know how to answer this question because I am not too much interested in these things as much as Bagyi Thwin". Bagyi Thwin was my father's elder brother who worked as Inspector of Schools in Mawlamyine. Bagyi in Burmese means father's elder brother. Mawlamyine is a town in southern Burma and is the capital of Mon State.
Thus I got my lead and waited to get the chance to ask this question to Bagyi Thwin. One day I got lucky as Bagyi Thwin came to Rangoon on a visit. The first chance I got I asked this question to Bagyi Thwin. "Bagyi Thwin, why do men want to become weizzars?"
"I will tell you the answer if you will do some meditation", he said.
"Why?", I asked. "What has that got to do with my question?" sounding a little annoyed.
"Well, what I am going to tell you has a lot to do with meditation so that is why I want you to get some training from me." I was in my seventh standard at that time and I was more interested in playing than studying. I studied only enough to pass my exams. I believed at that time that life was more fun playing than studying.
"What do I have to do Bagyi Thwin?", I asked a little impatiently.
"It is quite easy", he said. "You just have to sit still for about one hour".
"What!", my jaw dropped. "One whole hour, doing nothing, just sitting. This is terrible."
"Yes, one whole hour, doing nothing, just sitting still. You will learn to like it", he said.
That was how I got introduced to meditation and all the wonderful stories about the weizzars and the holy men of Burma.
Buddhist saints who flew in the air. Weizzars who could create multiple bodies and heal people.
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with respect sir, what do you think about some beings that westerners called "the accended masters"? are they Weizzars too? and is it possible to communicate with them as they claimed they have?
ReplyDeleteI'm in Myanmar now and i really enjoyed this reading. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(vijjā-caraṇa sampanno • vidyā-caraṇa-saṃpanna)
ReplyDeleteThe above quotation is a line form the famous Gatha called Eti Pitau ,
a verse that expresses the nine virtues of the Buddha, which is well
known to Burmese Buddhists who believe this verse can ward off evil and
misfortune. This may not be a verse from the Pali Canon.
Here's what I have written to my colleagues about Weizars a few weeks ago.
Vijja carana is the knowhow in the ways of vijja, which means the
Buddha has all the knowledge of vijjas.
So, who are vijjas and what are their knowledge?
Vijjas are humans who have acquired the knowledge and power to suspend
their live for a long period. They have the power like that of spirits
and extra-terrestrial beings that can fly in the air, pass through
solid objects and can stay in water etc.. Those who know about ETs and
UFOs are aware of such capabilities by these beings and they have a
way to explain how such a capability can be achieved using science and
physical laws; for instance Dr Steven Greer who is ER surgeon and a
leader of the Disclosure Project.
Vijjas by definition are not
necessarily Buddhists but those who practise this art.
How can one become a vijja?
There are known practices to achieve this goal; e.g. practice using
mantra & ghata; practice using alchemistry; practice using Inn
(arrangement of symbols and numbers); practice using herbal medicine;
etc. One who practises such methods can become a vijja while alive or
become one when he dies.
Vijjas have been mentioned in almost all religions in the history;
they are described in Mahayana; Christianity; Islam; Hinduism etc.
Even present day learned persons believe in such vijjas; for instance
a well known professor of paediatric medicine and a physician in Maynmar (name withheld).......is an acknowledged person who practises vijjayana.
How will you classify such vijjas using Buddhism?
It is most likely that they are humans if they are still alive and are
either devas of Catu Maharajjica Bhumi or Asura depending upon their
virtues.
Not all vijjas are Buddhists and practise five precepts, but they have a common denominator which is having a will to help others and want to be powerful. Depending upon the practice some will become devas when they die or asura (Athuyar) if they had less virtue.
Tin Htut