Enlightened Nun to Teach in D.C. Area

Wisdom Quarterly

In a rare opportunity to see a noble Buddhist teacher, a local Dharma advocate has arranged for an extraordinary nun to teach openly. Sayalay Susila will be offering three afternoon Dharma sessions in the Washington, DC area on July 23, July 30, and August 6, 2011. The format for the afternoon is an hour of sitting meditation, an hour long Dharma talk, and an hour of Q&A.

• There is no charge for these sessions; dana will be accepted [which is extraordinarily meritorious]. To attend, register with Fran Oropeza (OropezaF at AOL.com) because space is limited to 45 people. It is wise to sign up early.

July 23, 2011
Sayalay Susila will teach "The Exposition of the Elements" (Dhatuvibhanga Sutra, MN 140). This first session will be held from 1:00-5:00 pm in Meeting Room 104 A/B of the Martha Washington Library. The library is located at 6614 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, VA 22307, (703) 768-6700. Directions: I-495 /Capital Beltway to the Alexandria Exit 177A-177B, U.S 1, South toward Fort Belvoir. Travel on U.S. 1 for approximately 0.2 miles to a slight right fork with a stoplight. (Get in a turn lane to make a 90 degree turn across U.S. 1 onto Fort Hunt Road/State Route 629). Turn left across U.S. 1 onto Fort Hunt Road and go approximately 1.2 miles. Library is on the right.

July 30, 2011
Sayalay will be offer her talk “Conquering the Enemy.” This second session will be held from 1:00-5:00 pm in the George Mason Meeting Room of the George Mason Regional Library, located at 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003, (703) 256-3800. Directions: I-495 /Capital Beltway to Annandale Exit 52, Little River Turnpike, VA - 236 - East. Travel on VA - 236 - East for approximately 1.8 miles. Library is on the right.

August 6, 2011
Sayalay will be teaching about the "Five Aggregates" (constituents of existence). This third session will be held from 1:00-5:00 pm in the City of Fairfax Regional Library Meeting Room A. The library is located at 10360 North Street Fairfax, VA 22030, (703) 293-6227. Directions: I-495 /Capital Beltway to Annandale Exit 52, Little River Turnpike, VA - 236 - West. Travel on VA - 236 - West for approximately 5 miles. Turn right on Old Lee highway and travel approximately 500 feet. Left on North Street. Library is approximately 500 feet on right.

• Bring items needed for sitting meditation, such as cushion for hard floor.

ABOUT THE TEACHER: Fluent in English, Chinese, Burmese, Hokkien, and Malay, Sayalay Susila started insight meditation (vipassana) while pursuing a degree in Mass Communications at USM in Malaysia. Before ordination she was a full-time practitioner for a year and a half. After her ordination in 1991, she practiced under the guidance of U Pandita Sayadaw in Panditarama Monastery, Burma, until 1994. Then she began to practice under the guidance of the great scholar-practitioner Pa Auk Sayadaw at Pa Auk Tawya Meditation Center, Burma. She was born in 1963 in Pahang, Malaysia and ordained at the age of 28 at the Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre (MBMC) in Penang. Beginning in 2000, with the encouragement of Pa Auk Sayadaw, she has taught Abhidharma in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and the US. Her Dharma talks are widely praised as lucid and precise. They have been well received at North American Buddhist centers such as Spirit Rock (California) and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (Massachusetts), and the Bhavana Society (West Virginia). Her publications include Unravelling the Mysteries of Mind and Body Through Abhidhamma in English and The Nine Attributes of the Buddha in Chinese.