Rangoon/Yangon Institute of Technology Alumni Website
Maung Htin Paw
Phone 510-656-9332, Fax 510-656-9332
e-mail : mpaw1234@ix.netcom.com |
1480 Valdez Wy
Fremont, Ca. 94539-3661
USA |
(by Saya U Htin Paw - CL. 1958 B.Sc.Engg.)
The year was 1958, I was a young Assistant Lecturer at the Engineering Faculty. Electro-technology Laboratory course was assigned to my colleague U Ba Nyunt and myself. Well, those days, student don’t think much of newly minted young graduate: there were some instances where some students even wrote nasty comments when their Laboratory Reports were not graded at the level they expected. Well, they say, maturity takes years to culture, but in my mind I thought I was not good enough to be their instructor, so these happened. Like a young maturing child, I will take up the issues with Saya Gyi U Ba Hli, who will reprimand the subject students. A few months into the faculty we are to find ourselves to apply for foreign scholarship. To my disappointment there were no scholarships allotted for the engineering college. I went to see Saya Gyi and presented my deep interest to continue serving in the Department. That year, there was no budget provision to staff up the college. As fate would have it, I took the scholarship allotted for UBARI. |
Preparation for Foreign Study in 1958
My student year life at BOC College was more of a bookworm. Yes, I did achieved what I aimed for, but I was behind in my social aspect. So my Mum said, now that you have graduated and is leaving for foreign land, I need to fix you up for good to ensure that you would be back at home after your study in USA. Here in Rangoon, I soon found myself betrothed to my present wife. Yes, where is my dream to reach out for the top notch Ph.D degree, I asked myself ? With this marriage knot tied to me, my mind was to get my first graduate Engineering degree and return home. Since I was not to continue with the academic career at the University, my graduate degree would not buy me a good position at the Government Departments. So this was my fate and there was my disappointment in life. |
Years at Graduate School in University of Michigan
My Mum had good intention in starting up my matrimonial career; but did hamper all my drive to go further to completing a Ph.D degree. Although, I could achieve the highest honor in my bachelor years, I found myself not so brilliant in doing my graduate study. Nevertheless, I managed to complete my Master Degree in June of 1960 and returned home to work at UBARI. |
Years at UBARI
In 1960, I started work at UBARI. I was not doing much engineering, then. So I thought I could do some real engineering work. After three years at UBARI, I moved to work for the Department of Electrical Inspectorate in Secretariat, Rangoon. |
Years at Electrical Inspectorate
This department governed the “The Electrical Rules and Regulation“ of Burma. I found Testing and inspecting electrical construction projects to be very challenging. I traveled far into remote areas across entire Burma. I was privileged to be assigned to give a taste of Electricity Rules and Regulations of Burma to the senior year electrical class at RIT. Bringing the graduating year class to get a taste of “National Electric Code“ was a great honor even as a part-time staff faculty member. In 1967, my outlook in life started to change so dramatically.
In some way, the work is a challenge. You do a lot of testing and calibration of protective relays and commissioning of small and large power station. You also do a lot of facility industrial facility commissioning. In addition, you are also chasing electrocution incidents all over Burma. |
Years I met the Holy Man
Soon, the wind of Change blew over my entire outlook in life in the year 1967. I came to the realization that, I could not succeed as a “Wun Dauk Min“ so I was much unhappy and was exploring things that I could find peace and happiness. My mind was separated from science and engineering and divert myself to religion, Buddhism. Well, it was natural for me to look for peace and happiness in Religion, when failures and disappointments overwhelmed me in my engineering career. It must be time for me to meet people in mystical arenas where religion and magic all mingled together. This was the strange world where the rules in science cannot be used for explanations. It all started at a meeting with an astrologer known by the name of "U Lu Min". He was a mind reader, I could ask him any question without spoken a word, stated my question in my mind and I would get my answer in written words from him. It amazed me so much that I was attracted to seeking out for a person who could bestow me with that kind of power. Witnessing him and his act, I recognized and convinced that there is another world other than the practical material world. I was more and more a “Pa Di Ta Mar”. Soon, I was roaming the Shwedagon Pagoda platform with my rosary in my right hand, hoping I too can be like U Lu Min, the Astrologer. Look, you see an engineer in search of truth, the real truth.
One day my wish came true. A stranger approached me on Shwedagon Pagoda platform, the Holy man called me as “My Son“ (Nga Tar)“ and started to narrate to me my present, past and future and then touched my forehead and blessed me. Well, we have saying "seeing is believing" it was in front of me and I was experiencing it and was shocked and look at him in amazement: asked myself, was it my dream or was it real? As an engineer, I was then only a by-stander to any discussions on the topic "Samatha or Vipasana". To me, on hindsight, it must be my fate and destiny that had guided me to me this person. This was the start of my involvement in the mystic world. I do not know what is "Samatha" nor do I know anything about "Vipasana".
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Part III - An Engineer in the Mystic World  |
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Back to the Article List | Part II - Years as an Engineer |