Early on the morning of June 19, a group of elderly Buddhist monks, all abbots at their respective monasteries, took an hour-long flight from Yangon to Mandalay.
They were Ashin Munindra, Ashin Gunikar, and Yaw Sayadaw, senior leaders of the Shwegyin monastic order, highly respected in Myanmar for its strict adherence to the Vinaya, the code of conduct for monks in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. They had also previously held top positions in the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, a state-sanctioned body of high-ranking monks.
Despite their advanced years, they were also well known for their continued role in instructing younger monks. Ashin Munindra, the abbot of the important Win Nimmita Monastery in Bago, was the author of dozens of commentaries and textbooks. Now in his late 70s, he was still giving four lectures a day to about 300 monks at his monastery.
The purpose of their. . .
