The Chainsaw-Wielding Monk of Texas

(Light  Alchemy Productions) Sitagu Vihara Buddhist Monastery

(Pink Floyd) "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" live at Pompeii. 1972. Use a chainsaw, Eugene!

Wandering ascetic in the USA

Sitagu Buddha Vihara, Austin, Texas: Dhamma. 🪷 Behind every great story there’s a chainsaw-wielding Buddhist monk.

Which is to say, what I actually mean is each reporting process is populated by vibrant hidden figures like American Theravada Buddhist monk Bhante Nalaka (born Steven Waite).

He walked me and my family around Sitagu Buddha Vihara in Southwest Austin. I was at the Burmese Theravada Buddhist monastery hunting for a painting by exiled Burmese artist and activist Sitt Nyein Aye, but more on him in a moment.

• TikTok visit to Sitagu Buddha Vihara Buddhist monastery
• Biggest Buddhist temple? : r/Austin

Htein Lin | Mi Let To, the Crocodile Maiden (2017) | Art & Prints | Artsy

 
American Ven. Nalaka received us at the end of a meditation retreat, his voice starting as a whisper and rising throughout our chat.

Born in Massachusetts, he grew up an “Army brat” and has flowed in and out of monastic life since 1981. Ven. Nalaka has spent about three years as a caretaker of the monastery’s 16-acre property, which is crowned by a golden pagoda, the largest in the United States.

What's the meaning of it all, Bhante?

(Maggie Timber Explores)

Stages of Progress on the Buddhist Path

(Buddhist Insights @ Empty Cloud) Stages of Progress with Bhante Nalaka

Profile: Htein Lin, Arts Educator Pitstop

The Buddhist complex has 40 buildings in all, including a treehouse. Ven. Nalaka is eager to discuss his humble inheritance: endless maintenance issues.

“My first year was scraping all these walls” to remove bubbling paint from leaks and humidity damage, he said. In 2023, he chainsawed 13 acres of felled tree limbs after an ice storm. “I had burn piles going everywhere,” he claimed.

Last year, the monks repainted the pagoda’s exterior using a 135-foot crane and “at least 20 gallons” of imported paint. If suffering is the path to liberation, Ven. Nalaka is making progress—and the monastery is looking sharp.

Exiled art of Myanmar in Texas

Artists are artists and will let you know it.

The one feature of the property that Ven. Nalaka didn’t seem to know about was Sitt Nyein Aye’s artwork, a fact that had my nerves running throughout our interview. But after a bit of wandering,

I spotted Sitt’s idiosyncratic line work in a multi-panel painting in the dining hall. This visit closes out my story on Sitt (Exiled artist Sitt Nyein Aye stoked faraway fight for democracy), which can be read about in @swcontemporary (southwestcontemporary.com) today (link in bio).

Idiosyncratic line work on panel at Sitagu, TX

It starts with his tragic death in Colorado and weaves backwards through his revolutionary work in Burma (Myanmar), exile in the Southwest, and late-career artistic projects.

I sought to examine Sitt’s legacy as a member of a “hyperlocal diaspora” -- Burmese artists, including @chaweithein (Ms. Chaw Ei Thein, profile, art blog) and @artisthteinlin (RIP, Artsy), who’ve found refuge in America and craft vivid portals back home.

• Rebirth: Superstition or Truth? with Bhante Nalaka – The Heart of Mindfulness

COMMENTS

• 
  (Logan Royce Beitmen) (37w) Great story!
• 
  (wrappedrockz) (37w) Fascinating. Can’t wait to read more. 🔥
• 
  (Roberthoerlein's) Great story. I didn’t know any of this. Thanks.

AUTHOR: obscuratorial (37w) 📷 PHOTOS: 1-3 are by my dad, Mark Eddy. The rest are by me, of Sitt Nyein Aye's untitled 2012 painting at Sitagu Buddha Vihara. The piece depicts some revered Buddhist temples in India. Source

• About Austin Buddhist Vihara (Sri Lankan)
• Mack Tours | The Best Travel Agency in Sri Lanka
• Travel Agents ~ Poland | Discover Kalutara Bodhiya with Mack Tours LK Limited 🌴
• Atlanta Buddhism on Instagram
• Burmese Buddhist temples in U.S. and Europe
• Our new favorite internet monk (Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum)
• obscuratorial, Instagram, Aug. 12, 2025; Bhante Karunananda, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Myanmar Earthquake: destruction, deaths

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Myanmar, Thailand, China 2025 COMPILATION (Part 3)

(Saskia & Mauri) Terrifying experience: We survived Thailand's strongest quake in Bangkok!

Earthquake in Myanmar (Burma) with massive destruction in Thailand, China, people trapped

Where is the fallen Lady Aung San Suu Kyi?

(CINEIST) March 31, 2025: This video details the devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar (Burma) in 2025. It caused significant loss of life and property. The impact of the disaster, the challenges faced by the affected regions, and the ongoing relief efforts are examined.

Corruption, bribes? Only building to collapse was built by China

Apocalypse? Hundreds of millions disappear in China, abandoned villages

What has become of Burmese Pa Auk Sayadaw?

Additionally, insight is provided into the long-term effects on the local population and the role of international aid in the recovery process. The goal is to raise awareness about the struggles of the Buddhist people in Burma and encourage support through this video.

For support and donations and information on how to contribute to the relief efforts, please refer to local and international aid organizations.

Shocking footage: Myanmar-Thailand-China 7.7 earthquake

(Seismic Kiwi) Magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar, Thailand, China (Part 1)

Watch this video to learn more about the Myanmar earthquake and help spread awareness about the challenges faced by those in disaster-stricken areas.

• Pa-Auk Society – International Pa-Auk Tawya Society (IPTS)
• An American monk living in Burma (Ven. Subhuti)

#MyanmarEarthquake #Myanmar2025 #Earthquake #NaturalDisaster #DevastatingEarthquake #DisasterRelief #Aid #Awareness #MyanmarAid #EarthquakeRelief #DisasterArea #NaturalDisasterAid #MyanmarAwareness #RescueOperations #DisasterSurvivorAid #EarthquakeSupport

7.7 quake hits Burma and Bangkok

Two of the most Theravada Buddhist (sometimes labeled "Southern Buddhism") countries in the world, Burma and Thailand, have been rocked by a massive quake with thousands dead from the collapse of buildings and powerful aftershocks.

• 2025 Myanmar earthquake (Wiki)

(The Sun) Up to 100 K feared dead in devastating Burma (Myanmar)

earthquake as Bangkok, Thailand, declared ‘disaster zone’

Earthquake strikes Myanmar, Thailand, destroying buildings in Bangkok

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Burma with damage reported in Bangkok, Thailand | BBC

A skyscraper under construction has fallen

(BBC News) March 28, 2025: A huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake has hit central Burma (Myanmar) with aftershocks, tremors, and damage felt in Thailand and south-west China. The epicenter was located 10 miles (16 km) north-west of the city of Sagaing, Burma, at a depth of 10 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says. Videos show cracks in roads in Burma's new capital Naypyidaw (moved by the totalitarian government from Rangoon/Yangon) and people evacuating into the street in Thailand’s capital Bangkok.

Evening update

UPDATE: Earthquake rescue teams face horror and

helplessness as trapped victims cry for help | BBC News

BBC News, analysis, features: bbc.com/news. #Burma #Myanmar #Thailand #BBCNews

What is to happen to California?

What does this seismic activity portend for San Andreas Fault California becoming an island?

.

What has happened today suggests what California is facing because of its massive San Andreas Fault. Experts warn that the most populated state in the USA is facing similar danger to today's catastrophe. Caltech Lucy is bound to be interviewed. California, most of which is still in Mexico (Baja and Sur), used to be an island (presumably not only because of a myth and misestimation but because of higher sea levels in the past).

The Island of California? History of Lake Cocoran ruined by climate change and agriculture

Then in 2023, with less drought, Lake Tulare returned

Water went up from the Gulf of California (near San Felipe, Mexico) and around to the Salton Sea, to surround part of Alta California, annexed by the USA for its empire, and link up with the ancient Lake Corcoran (to say nothing of Tulare Lake and Lake Manly) that once occupied most of the state until it was drained.

• Earthquake Gifs, Gif-16.gif, Nat Geo; BBC News, March 28, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

The first Western Buddhist monk was Irish

IrishExaminer.com, 1/5/16; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Ellie Askew (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

MOVIE: The Dharma Bum

The first Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk also became a hero in Asia for his radical anti-imperialist campaigning. He was an Irishman [not the Englishman Allan Bennet, aka Ven. Ananda Metteya, who usually gets the credit].

Yet, we’ve never heard of him. John Daly met filmmaker Ian Lawton, who is going to rectify that.

Irishman Lawrence Carroll (,or Laurence Carroll, Laurence O'Rourke, William Colvin), aka Venerable U Dhammaloka, led a colorful life in every sense.

Buddhism in Burma (Burma Dhamma)

A 19th century Dubliner born with wanderlust in his bones became an alcoholic hobo and spiritual free-thinker, who travelled the world by steam ship and cattle car, only to transform into U Dhammaloka — the world’s first Westerner to don the saffron robes of a fully ordained Theravada Buddhist monk.

• An unnamed Englishman then Allan Bennett were the second and third to ordain, but Irishman Charles Pfoundes was already an active Buddhist in London
• Then there was the transgender monk Laura (Lawrence Michael) Maude Dillon who became Lobzang Jivaka

A hero to millions for his outspoken political stance against the yoke of European colonialism across Asia during the late 1800s, Carroll’s extraordinary life story is all the more remarkable for being virtually unknown until relatively recently.

Born around 1850, he spent much of his youth in a transitory existence as a “tramp, shepherd, truckman, and tally clerk” across Europe and the USA, visiting California, before signing on as a stevedore on a steamer bound for China. More

On my way to Mandalay: Buddhist Burma (video)

Seth Auberon, CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Ben the Man (text); Erikssc; Visbeek

Samantha in Pagan/Bagan, Burma, land of Buddhist shrines and temples (Visbeek/flickr.com)

(Erikssc) A tour of the three most popular tourist destinations in Burma: Bagan (Pagan), Inle Lake, Yangon (Rangoon) for those curious about this newly opened Theravada Buddhist country.

.

Mahamuni, Shwedagon Pagoda (1marco1polo)

Bagan, formerly "Pagan," is an ancient Burmese city from the 9th-13th centuries.

It was once the capital of Burma and is currently one of the Southeast Asian country’s main spiritual tourist attractions for adventure travelers.

It was formerly the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, where Theravada Buddhism was and continues to be the main religious tradition in this part of Burma, next to Thailand, China, and Laos.
 

The area, now known as the "Bagan Archaeological Zone," occupies an impressive 26-square-mile area. Marco Polo described Bagan as one of the finest sights in the world. Despite centuries of neglect, looting, erosion, regular earthquakes, not to mention shoddy restoration efforts, this temple-studded plain remains a remarkably impressive and unforgettable vision:

Bagan’s kings commissioned more than 4,000 Buddhist shrines and temples. On a visit to Shwesandaw Pagoda, a Buddhist temple complex that contains a series of five terraces, topped by a cylindrical reliquary (stupa), which has a jewel-studded umbrella. The pagoda was built by King Anawrahta in 1057.
 

During visits to Bagan, bicycles can be rented that allow one to ride up alongside any Buddhist temple. As Bagan’s most famous sunset-viewing spot, Shwesandaw Pagoda is a graceful white pyramid-style pagoda with steps leading past the terraces to the circular stupa on top, with 360-degree views.

It’s located roughly midway between Thatbyinnyu and Dhammayangyi temples. The temple allows a view of the 4,000 shrines and temples scattered across the sacred plain. The Dhammayangyi in the center is a very large square, a single-story pyramidal temple with six monumental ascending exterior terraces.

Oriented toward the east, the Dhammayangyi's brickwork is finely crafted -- perhaps the finest in Bagan. More

Trip to Burma? Six years ago, art student Veronika Scott accepted a challenge from her college professor: Design something to "fill a need" in the US, even on Detroit streets (CNN).

.

Obama abolishes last major restrictions on US travel to Cuba

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pres. Obama sent an unmistakable message to Americans ahead of his historic trip to Havana: "Cuba is open for business." Punching fresh holes in the generations-old U.S. embargo, Obama's administration removed the last meaningful restrictions on travel, putting a Cuba vacation within reach for millions of Americans over the coming years. The sweeping changes also clear a path for Cuban athletes to one day play Major League Baseball and other professional sports.

• PHOTOS: Great mysteries of the world
• Ferguson City Council votes to accept Dept. of Justice reforms
• Former Pres. Putin aide died of "blunt force trauma"

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment (sutra)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Piyadassi Thera (trans.), Gilana Sutra: "Ill" on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (SN 46.14); Patrick Dass

Buddhist cave in the forest of Phetburi, Thailand, a Theravada country (huffingtonpost.com)

Theravada novice-monks in Burma read the Dharma by candlelight (Cesar_Losada/flickr).

.

Land of the Medicine Buddha, Soquel

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Rajagaha [the "Royal City" rung by seven hills], in the Bamboo Grove, in the Squirrels' Feeding Ground.
 
At that time Venerable Maha Kassapa, who was living in the Pipphali Cave [pipphali guha, on a nearby hill close to the famous Vulture Peak, named after the shadows cast by the shape of the rocks], was afflicted with a grave illness and was suffering from some disease.

Vulture Peak, a hill where the Buddha often resided in Rajgir, India. The small structure designates where Buddha used to stay. Picture taken from a neighboring hill. The valley below is where the outskirts of the old city of Rajagaha used to be (Griddhraj Parvat/wiki).

.

Then the Blessed One arising from his solitude at eventide visited Maha Kassapa and sat down on a seat made ready (for him). Seated there the Blessed One spoke to him:

Novices in cave with the Buddha (Nadia Isakova)

"Well, Kassapa, how is it with you? Are you bearing up, are you enduring (this suffering)? Do your pains decrease or increase? Are there signs of your pains falling back and not advancing?"

"No, venerable sir, I am not bearing up, I am not enduring. The pain is very great. There is a sign not of pains decreasing but of increasing."

"Kassapa, these Seven Factors of Enlightenment are well expounded by me and are cultivated and fully developed by me. They conduce to perfect understanding, to full realization, (of the liberating/ennobling Four Noble Truths) and to Nibbana. What are the seven?"

How will we engineer our awakening?

1. "Mindfulness, the factor of enlightenment, Kassapa, is well expounded by me, and is cultivated and fully developed by me. It conduces to perfect understanding, to full realization, and to nirvana."

2. "Investigation of [phenomena], the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."

3. "Persevering-effort, the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."

4. "Rapture, the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."

5. "Calm, the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."

6. "Concentration [the first four absorptions, or rupa jhanas, constitute the right-concentration of the Noble Eightfold Path], the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."

Woodland animals can sense peace.

7. "Equanimity, the factor of enlightenment, Kassapa, is well expounded by me, and is cultivated and fully developed by me. It conduces to perfect understanding, to full realization, and to nirvana."

"These seven factors of enlightenment, Kassapa, are well expounded by me and are cultivated and fully developed by me. They conduce to perfect understanding, to full realization, and to nirvana."

"Most assuredly, O Blessed One, they are factor of enlightenment. Most assuredly, O Welcome One (Sugata), they are factors of enlightenment!"

Thus said the Buddha, and Ven. Maha Kassapa, glad at heart, approved the utterances of the Buddha. Thereupon, Ven. Kassapa recovered from that affliction, and that affliction, of Ven. Kassapa disappeared. [The same is recounted for Ven. Maha Moggalana, foremost in psychic powers].

Even when the Buddha got physically sick
Wisdom Quarterly English translation (SN 46.14), Bojjhanga Paritta, a summary of the Gilana Sutras on "Illness" and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, a "protective chant"
(Buddhist Devotion) Bojjanga Piritha, devotional protective chant of the Maha Kassapa and other bojjhanga sutras.

Tibetan novices gather round Medicine Buddha

Having known by direct experience the seven kinds of dharma called the "Factors of Enlightenment" that destroy ALL suffering and rebirth for beings who wander through this Wheel of Life and Death (samsara), they defeat the army of Mara, the Killer [who obstructs awakening and keeps one cycling in ignorance through the planes of disappointment and suffering], these excellent persons were liberated from endless wandering through the "three spheres" [Sensual Sphere, Fine Material Sphere, and Immaterial Sphere, the kama-, rupa-, and arupa-lokas]. They have realized nirvana and gone beyond all rebirth, aging, suffering, death, and danger.

O, good people! Let us recite this Bojjhanga Sutra, which is endowed with the aforementioned attributes, which gives not a few benefits and which is like medicine and a mantra.

These seven factors of enlightenment -- namely, mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, effort (energy), rapture (joy), tranquility (serenity), concentration, and equanimity, which are all well-expounded by the All Seeing Sage -- promote, when practiced consistently, penetration of the Truth, cessation of suffering, and direct knowledge of the path to enlightenment. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness for you.

Once the Buddha saw Maha Moggalana and Maha Kassapa physically ill and in pain. He had them bring to mind the Seven Factors of Enlightenment.

Light streams into Buddhist cave in faraway Mandalay, Burma (huffingtonpost.com)

 
Having rejoiced at hearing the discourse reminding them of these liberating factors, they were immediately freed of their illness. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness to you.

Once when the King of the Dharma was himself oppressed by physical disease, he had Ven. Cunda recite the discourse respectfully, and having rejoiced at the Truth of this discourse was himself immediately cured of that physical disease. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness to you.
 
The diseases of the three Great Sages that were eradicated reached the stage of never occurring again like the mental defilements eradicated by the (magga-) path. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness for you.

Beautiful Buddhist Cave Temples (photos)

Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; HuffingtonPost.com (Religion)

Khao Luang Cave Temple, Phetburi, Thailand (Punjest Rojanapo)

  

Dawdawtaung (MyanmarVisa)

After seeing these stunning Buddhist temples located inside caves, we want to drop everything we are currently doing and visit them. The isolation of these sites serves to intensify the spiritual connection experienced by tourists and devotees. While some places of great veneration use architectural height to draw attention to the heavens (akasha deva loka or celestial worlds of great beauty and ease), these cave temples highlight the value of spiritual treasures that lie within. More

 

Datdawtaung Cave Temple, Mandalay region, Kyauk Sel, Burma (Leopard)

Ajanta Cave Temple Complex miraculously cut into solid stone, India (iloveindia.com)

Yungang Grottoes, Shanxi, China (Timothy Allen/Getty Images)

Jan. 25, 2014, Burmese Theravada Buddhist monks and tourists visit Kawgoon Cave, Pa-An township, Kayin state, Burma amid protective devas (Khin Maung Win/AP).

(SMS) A visit to Kaw Goon Cave, Burma, with this Mon language inscription: "This Buddha image was built while I, the queen of Mote-ta-ma, was staying in the town of Duwop. All Buddha images in the town of Duwop and its rural regions were built by me and my fellows." More

Dambulla Cave Temple, Dambulla, Sri Lanka (Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne/jetwingeco.com)

Batu Caves in formerly Hindu/Buddhist peninsular Malaysia, Gombak (Laurie Noble/Getty)