Dhammavijjlaya Centre for Buddhist Studies

Source
Samaneri Uppalavanna Theri

Address
Dhammavijjlaya Centre for Buddhist Studies
Mahsubodhyon Monastery
Sagaing Hills Road
Sagaing
Myanmar

Tel. +95-72-21311

Arrival
From Yangon by night bus to Mandalay or Sagaing city directly (only one line). The journey takes about 16 hours (without breakdowns!) and costs about 5 euros. The train is relatively expensive for foreigners (around 35 euros), Burmese pay only 3 euros. The travel time is comparable to the bus. From Bangkok there is now a direct flight to Mandalay, which is however considerably more expensive than the one to Yangon.
A flight from Yangon to Mandalay costs about 90 euros and takes about 1.5 hours. The two airlines Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways are reliable and recommendable.

Leadership
Sayadaw Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa. The Venerable is an outstanding Pali and Abhidhamma scholar and excellent connoisseur of the Tipitaka. He is considered a luminary in the field of Buddhist studies.

Description
The center for Buddhist studies, which is just being established, is located directly behind the monastery of Venerable Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa in a very quiet location, surrounded by pagodas and a few monasteries.
The primary goal of the center is to offer foreign interested parties a quiet place in a contemplative atmosphere for (self-)study of Pali scriptures (Tipitaka) as well as the implementation of what has been learned into practice.
For this purpose, there will be simple but practical accommodations with attached bathroom and toilet. Furthermore, the center is in the process of building a library where a wide range of Buddhist literature will be made available as reference works. Sayadaw Dr. Nandamalabhivamsa will also organize sutta discussions, Pali and Abhidhamma lessons, and related commentaries upon request.
The center will also support research for writing dissertations in the field of Buddhist studies. Interested parties can contact Sayadaw directly (telephone number see above).
The second goal of the center is to publish suttas or individual aspects of the Dhamma summarized to the essentials as brochures in several languages (English, French, German) and make them available to Buddhist groups in the West. This also includes the translation of well-known texts upon request.

Subjects of Instruction

Abhidhamma, Pali, Suttas, Buddhist studies in their entire breadth.

Course Duration and Dates
At any time as needed and upon request.

Accommodation
So far, no accommodations have been built. This can only happen when sufficient financial support is available. Planned is a building with single guest rooms (including bathroom/WC) on the ground floor and above a hall for teaching or lectures. Currently, accommodations can be organized upon request.
In addition, very nice bamboo accommodations are planned for students who want to stay longer and live in a meditative and monastic atmosphere.

Meals
At the moment not yet current, planned is simple vegetarian food and in the evening in any case self-catering.

Medical Care
Medical care is provided by the Ayudana Hospital on the hills of Sagaing (see Sitagu Intl. Buddhist Academy).

Costs
The center is built and operated exclusively on the Dana principle, i.e., with the help of donations. Any kind of donation is welcome.

Climate
Sagaing is located in central Burma and has quite extreme temperatures. The months of March, April, and May are not recommended, however, as temperatures easily climb to 40 °C (and more). From June is monsoon season, which is moderate and lasts until about September. The best travel time is between mid-October and mid-February, then it is cool and dry. A jacket is absolutely necessary in the evenings.

Note
Ten minutes from the city center (Sagaing) and the business district. Around the center, which lies very quietly between three other monasteries, there are many pagodas. The center itself is very green with many fruit trees and organic vegetable cultivation for self-sufficiency.

The opening date of the center depends on donations.

If you would like to support this project financially and perhaps want to give the installation of a telephone line, the construction of a bamboo hut, or other material or monetary donations, please contact the following address:

Theravada AG
c/o Deutsche Buddhistische Union
Amalienstr. 71
80799 Munich

Tel. 089-28 01 04

Email:

If you come to Burma and want to see the center on site, you can contact Samaneri Uppalavanna Theri (German nun who lives there). She will give you all further information and guide you. There you can also donate things of daily life for the guest rooms, the library, the office, etc. Buddhist books (preferably in English) or original texts (in Pali, Latin script) are also very welcome.