Editor’s ForewordThis edition of ‘Mahāsī Abroad’ contains the
talks given by the Sayādaw on the foreign missions he made to Europe and America in 1979, and to Nepal in 1981. I was ordained as a bhikkhu with the Venerable Mahāsī Sayādaw as my preceptor when he came to the UK in June 1979. The reader will find here the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, especially on insight meditation. As is customary with learned Burmese monks, the Sayādaw
quotes directly from the Pāli texts, since this adds authority to what he has to say. The reader should not be intimidated by this style, because the Sayādaw always explains any passages quoted. Though Pāli words seem strange at first, if one reads patiently, one will soon assimilate the most common words, which will greatly enrich one’s understanding of Buddhism. That is the best way to learn a language — see the word used in different contexts
and gradually assimilate its range of meaning. Translation is often just an approximation to a word’s meaning in one context, and may not be the right translation in a different context. That is why we are reluctant to translate Pāli words that do not have a direct equivalent in English. I have edited the English to improve the readability, but what remains is essentially the actual
talks given by the Sayādaw on his foreign missions. Bhikkhu Pesala
September 2001 | 
