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.)
Since the day I had my first experience and my link to my spiritual guides, I was instructed to keep my body clean of "Red Meat", "Pork in specific", in my daily diet. Early on in my teen, I did have a constant feeling of hair standing on ends or some feeling of goose bumps now and then, but I never thought of attributing that to the existence of my spiritual guides. Even on some instances, I dreamt of the future events which I later came to the realization that the events had been duplicated in the same fashion as was in my dream. Ever since I got linked up with my guides in the most discernable manner, I have a strong feeling of goose bumps whenever I was to receive messages from them (in other words, "Dat See Ti1"), being in the spiritually charged mode. Spiritually charged mode is different from a person in the state of trance2. Knowing of their presence round the clock, I have no choice, but follow the strict diets, which by now has become to this day my daily routine. In fact for the past thirty some years, abstaining from red meat in my diets, count my rosary and paying homage and praying have become part and parcel of daily routine. |
| Abstaining "Pork" in my daily diets was at first looks pretty hard, as Pork being a delicatessen in my younger year. Three layers pork meat was my favorite dish "Wet Se Dhon". However, with some one watching me what I should and should not eat, I have given up eating Pork and other red meat, already for some thirty odd years. The year 1968 I started a new life in a new land where I was told my missionary work should begin. Before I left Rangoon, I still have the apprehension of not being able to fulfill my duty to my spiritual guides. The instruction to me was for me to do whatever humanly possible and obey strictly to their guidance and the rest they will take care of it. So I hold my son on one hand with the other holding my wife we left Rangoon. We left home practically penniless. I was a poor pauper with only twenty dollars in my pocket and plane tickets which will take us to Los Angeles, California by Pan Am. I was indebted to my good friend (Mike) who had advanced me the plane fairs for the three of us. With a loadful of old clothing in our suitcases we landed in California. Well, our lives begin here in this new land, the land of milk and honey, so people said. |
Looking for Work in the New Land
A young couple with a toddler starting a new life in this land of "milk and honey" was in practice not an easy thing to do. I was penniless and so I must look for work to put daily breads on the table for my family. This was an adventure; I have never thought I would ever go through in my wildest dream, I asked myself, would I ever go through it again? My answer to that, on hindsight was, yes, I have no choice, that was what I wished for in my past life. My guides told me that I had been to this land in my past life, in the life time when I was a monk in the land called "Gan Dar Ya Rit Taing" and I was only revisiting to refurbish the temple I built and to reunite with the disciples from my past. Great, I said to myself, normal people have to worry about the daily living chaos and I have an extra burden to worry about friends and relatives from my past lives. |
| Day in day out, I roamed the street of Los Angles and went through all employment agencies. I have nothing except my degree certificates to present to potential employers and that I was most willing to work. The time, then was 1969 and not 1960, times has changed a lot, a new dynamic industrial requirements had set in since the year I graduated from college. I realized that I was an obsolescent engineer and must adjust to the new paradigm. I knew that this was my task, a worldly task of struggle for a livelihood. I could not rely on my spiritual guide's help; all the time and that I must do my part dutifully. Well, this was not to say my spirit guides have abandoned me in my rat race; they just let me do my part and they will do their part in keeping me aligned to the real mission. After a month of search, I found work as a designer with a consulting firm. My employer said I have a good academic degree but I lack local experience to be of asset to the company. I have my graduate degree in Electrical Engineering and A.M.I.EE (UK), but I do not have a license to practice here in California. Knowing the bottom line was to put the bread on the table for the family, I kept myself adjusted to the situation and bear with it. |
My Struggle in the New Land
Some may be wondering why I was struggling when the spiritual guides could simply help out? This was a good question. Yes, the whole family was struggling. My son cannot speak a word of English to start his Kindergarten class at Ramona Elementary School, in Alhambra. My wife cannot work, since we cannot effort to pay for a baby sitter to attend to my son while both of us go to work. I knew in the back of my mind what my mum said to me when I was young : "Pyin Nyar Shwe Oo Lu Ma Khao". So my wife and myself concentrate our effort to keep my son streamline on a path to receive good education. I have only one son and if he fails, I lost it all. That means I will be supporting him for the rest of my life. My son never had to do paper route like the neighborhood kids; work at McDonald for extra pocket money, nor as a bus boy at a neighborhood restaurant. We have had him streamlined towards getting the best education. I told my son to use Dr. Freddy Ba Hli, my old Saya of BOC College days, the only engineer with a doctorate degree in Burma in 1952 as his role model. My son took my guidance to his heart and true to my gene he works very hard. I said to him "Be a physician if you want to have a good living in this country". You do see, in general, a physician with a M.B.B.S qualification would always surpass an engineer economically in a given time. I said to him look at how your Dad was struggling for a living. After all anywhere you go in this world, you need to work hard to enjoy good living through the "Right Livelihood ".
Under constant teaching, he was so determined to become a physician rather than an engineer. I am happy that he eventually received his M.D. and a PhD degree both in 1992 from UCLA, school of medicine. He then went to Boston Children Hospital, Harvard Medical School for his residency, fellowship and his post-doctorate and is currently an attending physician at Boston Children Hospital, Harvard Medical School. |
1 Dat See Ti - a person can be totally in trance or a person can be partially possessed with full consciousness. In the process one or all three of his wisdom channel or channels may be activated . The three channels are " Hearing "-Ah Kyar Dat , " Seeing " - Ah Myin Dat and Eye of Wisdom,"Ma Naw Dat" Intuition
2 Trance - a person totally possessed by spirit. He or she is totally unconscious |
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Part V - The founding of Burma Engineer Association  |
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Back to the Article List | Part IV - Instruction from Spiritual Guides |