Thabarwa is a Place
for Everyone!!
“With the aim of
providing opportunities for meditators to do a wide range of good deeds on a
regular basis, I established Thabarwa Center.
Instead of confronting
and solving problems directly by following traditional social norms, I
encourage, train and guide those who come to Thabarwa Center, including the
elderly and those who are facing complex health, social and financial problems,
to solve their problems with the aid of dhamma (meditation practice of
mindfulness and right understanding).
I teach them to enhance
their power of right understanding by listening to dhamma teachings, practicing
insight meditation and performing good deeds as much as possible. Those people
gradually come to realise that their problems were solved due to the merits
they gained in doing various good deeds while staying at Thabarwa Center.”
– Sayadaw Ashin Ottamasara –
Located in Thanlyin Pagoda Hill, Myanmar, Thabarwa Centre, headed by Venerable Sayadaw Ashin Ottamasara, is a non-profit humanitarian organization working for a noble cause. It is established with unlimited access for general benefit and is fulfilling the most crucial needs of the society continually, persistently, dedicatedly, one by one.
Thabarwa opens 24 hours a day, seven days a week without recess. It is the sanctuary which is fulfilling the
requirements of the multitude and the world (loka) round-the-clock without attachment and
craving.
Since its establishment, without limiting the number of residents,
Thabarwa takes on everyone, regardless of age, race, religion, social and
financial condition, health condition, physical and mental state and provides
them with basic necessities of life and medical care for free so that they can
fully concentrate on the pursuit and realization of dhamma. Even on the event of death Thabarwa performs
their last funeral rites and gives them a decent burial.
Today, Thabarwa provides a
peaceful sanctuary for more than 2,400 yogis (December 2015) from all regions
of Myanmar as well as from foreign countries who are seeking refuge for care,
attention and desire to practice Vipassana Insight Meditation under the guidance of
Venerable Ashin Ottamasara. They
include children (orphans), elderly and frails, infirm, the blind, the deaf, the
disabled, psychiatric and mental cases, chronically and terminally ills, abandoned
and neglected individuals, homeless and helpless as well as those who are facing
complex social and financial problems.