
  =======================================================================
  First published in the //Maha Bodhi//, Vol.92 nr. 7-9 (July-Sept. 1984),
  and the //Light of the Dhamma//, Vol. III, nr. 4 (1984).
  Also published in //Buddhism As a Way of Life and Other Essays//, 1993.
  This DharmaNet edition published February 1995.
  =======================================================================


                      *LEADING VIRTUOUS LIVES AS LAYMEN*
                            by Sayagyi U Chit Tin


  	Ashin Maha-Buddhaghosa discusses virtue (//sila//) in great detail 
  in the first chapter of //The Path of Purification// (//Visuddhimagga//). 
  He discusses in particular the virtue of the Sangha. The Sangha is of 
  great importance as it will keep the Teachings of the Buddha alive. On one 
  level, by Sangha is meant the Community of Bhikkhus that maintains the 
  purity of the Dhamma in the sense of preserving the texts containing the 
  Buddha's discourses (the Suttas), the rules for the bhikkhus (the Vinaya), 
  and the analysis of mind and matter that is the highest expression of the 
  Teachings in the most accurate language (the Abhidhamma); and in the sense 
  of putting into practice those Teachings. On another level, the word 
  "Sangha" refers to all those who have attained one of the four levels of 
  enlightenment: Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami, Arahat. In this sense, 
  laymen are included.


  	Ashin Maha-Buddhaghosa refers specifically to the Bhikkhu-Sangha in 
  most of his discussion. This is because on the human level the Bhikkhu-  
  Sangha is very important in keeping the Buddha's Teachings alive. When he 
  goes into detail on how the rules for the Community of Bhikkhus are to be 
  respected, this does not concern laymen except in so far as they will be 
  more helpful in supporting the Bhikkhu-Sangha if they know the rules. But 
  when Ashin Buddhaghosa discusses how the bhikkhus are to develop in 
  virtue, these instructions can be very beneficial to laymen also.

  	Ashin Buddhaghosa, for example, cites a discourse given by the 
  Buddha on the dangers of immoral actions. In the discourse the Buddha is 
  addressing the bhikkhus but the same dangers exist for laymen as well.[1] 

  	The Buddha described in seven vivid images the dangers of a bhikkhu 
  breaking his virtue and, as an unvirtuous man accepting and using the 
  requisites given by laymen. The unvirtuous man, he said, is evil-natured, 
  of unclear or suspect habits, secretive about his actions, claims to be an 
  ascetic but is not, claims to lead a life of purity but does not, is 
  rotten within, lecherous and full of corruption.

  	(1) It would be better for a bhikkhu to embrace a burning fire that 
  might burn him to death and cause great suffering but not lead to rebirth 
  in a state of woe than to sit down or lie down with a woman, which results 
  in the indulgence of the five cords of sense-desires.

  	(2) It would be better for an unvirtuous bhikkhu to have a strong 
  horse-hair rope twisted so tightly around his legs that it cut through to 
  the marrow of the bone than to consent to letting laymen pay homage to 
  him.

  	(3) It would be better for an unvirtuous bhikkhu to be wounded in 
  the breast by a sharp spear tempered in oil than to consent to the 
  reverential salutation of laymen.

  	(4) It would be better for an unvirtuous bhikkhu to be wrapped in a 
  red-hot iron sheet than to accept robes given in faith by laymen.

  	(5) It would be better for an unvirtuous bhikkhu to have his mouth 
  prized open with red-hot iron tongs and that a red-hot ball be put in his 
  mouth and burn through his lips, mouth, tongue, throat, belly and pass out 
  below carrying with it his bowels and entrails than to use almsfood given 
  in faith by laymen.

  	(6) It would be better for an unvirtuous bhikkhu to be seated or 
  laid on a red-hot iron bed or iron chair than to use a bed or chair given 
  in faith by laymen.

  	(7) It would be better for an unvirtuous bhikkhu to be plunged 
  upside down into a red-hot cauldron than to use a dwelling given in faith 
  by laymen.

  	Ashin Buddhaghosa ends his chapter on virtue in //The Path of 
  Purification// with a list of the advantages of maintaining virtue. The 
  bhikkhu with immaculate virtue gives pleasure and inspires trust in 
  wearing his robes and carrying his bowl. He need never fear self-reproach. 
  He shines like the sun and moon. The colour of his body is pleasing to the 
  Devas -- and even more so the perfume of his virtue, for the perfume of 
  virtue is greater than all other perfumes as it spreads unchecked in all 
  directions. Deeds, no matter how small, done for a virtuous man bear great 
  fruit. None of the intoxicants can plague him here and now, and he digs 
  out the root of suffering in future lives. If he wishes perfection among 
  men or Devas, it is not difficult for him to attain it. But once his 
  virtue is perfected, he seeks only the perfection of Nibbana.

  	"The mind of one who understands thus," Ashin Buddhaghosa says, 
  "shudders at failure in virtue and reaches out towards the perfecting of 
  virtue. So virtue should be cleansed with all care, seeing this danger of 
  failure in virtue and this benefit of the perfection of virtue.[2]

  	We will see through first-hand experience that if we are not firm in  
  our resolution to avoid situations that lead to breaking //sila//, then we 
  will encounter situations that overpower us. As the English saying goes, 
  "He who hesitates is lost." Even though, at times, we may be able to force 
  ourselves to do the right thing, many times we could have avoided the 
  situation entirely. If we associate with people who are going to tempt us, 
  prod us to do things such as killing, stealing, lying, drinking, 
  committing adultery, etc., we will be less likely to be able to avoid such 
  actions. If we frequent places where such people are found, we are more 
  likely to come under their influence. It is useless to pretend we can save 
  such people or that we are there with them so that our good influence will 
  guide them. There are already many difficult situations that cannot be 
  avoided. As the results of actions done in past lives mature in this life, 
  we will find ourselves unavoidably thrown into situations where there will 
  be strong temptations. It is sufficient to confront these situations and 
  use all our energy and determination to do the right thing then. We do not 
  need to put ourselves in such situations on purpose.

  	This is why, on the one hand, the Buddha said associating with the 
  Noble Friend is the whole of the life of the Dhamma, but, on the other 
  hand, he laid much emphasis on the advantages of the life of solitude. A 
  Noble Friend who will help us grow in the Dhamma is not always available. 
  If we cannot be with such persons, we are better off alone. Even alone, if 
  we practise the Buddha's teachings, we will not feel lonely, for at such 
  times we are close to the Buddha, the best of all friends.

  	There are three levels of effort to make: effort with regard to 
  physical actions, with regard to verbal actions, and with regard to mental 
  actions.

  	Here are some examples of making an effort with regard to physical 
  actions. Let us take //not killing// as an example. If our self-control is 
  not very highly developed, we may not even notice our anger until we are 
  on the point of killing. We may be sitting very still, meditating, when a 
  mosquito lands on our hand and starts to bite. We feel the pain and our 
  reaction is so fast, our level of awareness so dull, we do not notice we 
  are about to do a wrong action till our hand is raised, ready to kill the 
  insect. If we //do// become aware at that moment of what we are about to 
  do, we can restrain ourselves.

  	But there are better ways of dealing with such situations. If we 
  reflect before we begin to meditate and realise that there are mosquitoes 
  around and that if we do not take precautions we will probably be bitten 
  by one, then we can look for a place that is protected; inside a mosquito 
  net, perhaps. Or we can look for something to protect us; we can cover up 
  the exposed parts of our body. Or, if this is not possible, we can prepare 
  ourselves for the moment the mosquito will come and resolve that we will 
  not kill it. It can help to review what we have learned of the Buddha's 
  Teachings; that we have gone through countless lives in which we have 
  killed and have suffered for killing. If we are to escape from this 
  vicious circle, we must put an end to killing. No amount of physical 
  discomfort in this life can equal one moment of the suffering that will 
  result in future lives if we do not stop killing now.

  	Once, during our teacher's time, the Venerable Abhidhaja Maharattha 
  Guru Masoyein Sayadaw, Senior Abbot of Burma and President of the Chattha 
  Sangayana, the Sixth Buddhist Synod, visited the shrine room of the 
  Accountant General's Office, Yangon, on the occasion of a //swoon-kway// 
  (inviting for a meal) hosted by Sayagyi U Ba Khin and his disciples. The 
  //swoon-kway// was, in fact, the //dana// from two Indian students, 
  Messrs. Venkataraman and Natarajan, who became Buddhists after meditating 
  under Sayagyi. On this occasion, the Venerable Sayadaw was accompanied by 
  an attendant who happened to notice Mr. Venkataraman in a state of deep 
  meditation with rigid body and tight limbs, and who asked whether the 
  latter would move if someone were to prick his body with a pin. To which 
  Sayagyi replied, "Sir, we wouldn't attempt it, being afraid of Ariyarupa- 
  antaraya if he is an Ariya.[3] But one thing I'm very sure of, that he 
  could sit without moving in this hall at night with no covers on the body, 
  just as he sits during the day. He can enter into this state at will for a 
  predetermined period of time. Here, at the back of this building, there is 
  a Hindu hotel which is very filthy. Workers throw all the rubbish and 
  dirty water out the back where thousands of mosquitoes thrive and come up 
  at night when students are sitting in the hall. It is a real hardship for 
  the students, but Mr. Venkataraman can enter into states at will and can 
  remain in one posture for three hours without moving."[4] 

  	In later years, Sayagyi liked to recount this event, and he added 
  some other details to the story. He told us that Mr. Venkataraman's 
  father-in-law died in India in the late 1950s and he and his wife had to 
  travel by boat to Calcutta. As he suffered from high blood pressure, Mr. 
  Venkataraman had to be careful of his health and he usually got seasick on 
  such journeys. So Sayagyi explained to him how he could overcome sea- 
  sickness by going into deep meditation for three hours. Three times in 
  succession, after a full and hearty meal and with the knowledge of his 
  wife, he did this and the method worked.

  	When Sayagyi met Venerable Webu Sayadaw in 1941, while visiting the 
  Sayadaw at his centre in Kyaukse, he reported that the venerable monk came 
  out of the door of his hut followed by a swarm of mosquitoes. Sayagyi's 
  attendant, a railway assistant station manager, wondered how the Sayadaw 
  could meditate inside his room with all the mosquitoes. At least 
  meditation could help one to forbear such disturbances.[5]

  	Now let us look at an example of wrong speech. Perhaps out of 
  ignorance, when talking to other people, we speak in favour of killing 
  mosquitoes. We may say something like, "I can't stand being bitten by 
  mosquitoes. Just the sound of them buzzing around is enough to drive me 
  crazy." In speaking in this way we are admitting our lack of control, 
  implying that we will not try to learn how to control ourselves, and we 
  will be encouraging the taking of life. What we say may be used by the 
  other person to feel justified in killing mosquitoes himself. And the more 
  we speak in this manner, the less inclined we will be to make the right 
  effort ourselves.

  	Right effort for thoughts is the hardest of all. We must have the 
  highest level of concentration for this. But if we train ourselves to 
  recognize as soon as possible the wrong thoughts that precede killing the 
  better we will be able to avoid such actions. Whenever we begin to think 
  of mosquitoes, we will tend to have negative thoughts if there is no 
  control. But if we can recognize this as it happens, then we can begin to 
  train ourselves to come back to the breath below the nostrils and the 
  touch of the air coming in and out. Or, if this doesn't work, we can 
  remind ourselves of the Buddha's Teachings, as we mentioned before.

  	The greatest aid in our daily lives will be learning to control the 
  senses. This means exercising as much control as possible over the things 
  we pay attention to. The more we control what we see, hear, smell, taste, 
  touch, and think, the better we will be able to lead moral lives. This in 
  turn will help us to concentrate better and appreciate //anicca// more 
  fully. It will mean that our lives will be happier.

  	We should do our best to control our senses the way those who have 
  attained at least the first stage of enlightenment do. In the Burmese 
  commentary on the //paramis//, the importance of being mindful is pointed 
  out.[6] Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, taking intoxicants and lying 
  are all actions which lead to the lower planes of existence. Those who are 
  Ariyas, who have reached at least the state of Stream-winner, never do 
  such acts. Even if their lives are threatened they will not do such acts 
  for they have eliminated the root of the tendency (//anusaya//) to do 
  immoral acts. Observing the five precepts, which means abstaining from 
  such acts, is necessary for all those who become Buddhists.

  	A layperson such as Mother Visakha, who was a Stream-winner, may 
  have lawful sexual relations, eat after noon, dance and sing, etc., and 
  use high and lofty seats and beds. But we should not take this to mean it 
  is possible to indulge in such behaviour indiscriminately. To do so would 
  mean that we would do so more and more and cultivate wrong view (//miccha- 
  ditthi//). Ariyas do not use material things soliciting sense desire 
  (//vatthu-kama//) in the same way an ordinary person does. In the 
  commentary to the //Anguttara-nikaya// (The Book of the Gradual Sayings), 
  it is said that the Ariyan disciple approaches agreeable formations 
  (//sankhara//) like a clean brahman who seeks safety in a dung heap from 
  an elephant in rut. For the Ariya, the burning fever (of desire) is 
  subdued, calmed. Ordinary people, on the other hand, generally enjoy 
  sensual pleasures with wrong view.

  	The quicker we are able to turn away from things which provoke 
  unwholesome reactions and actions, the better off we will be. In the world 
  today, we are constantly surrounded by sights and sounds, etc., which 
  encourage us to react in an unwholesome manner. Advertising can serve as a 
  good example. On the most direct level, we may be encouraged by 
  advertisements to kill. This would include ads which tell us to buy a 
  certain insect spray in order to kill insects or a poison to put on plants 
  in the garden. In more subtle ways, ads which romanticize hunting and 
  fishing or being a soldier are an encouragement to killing higher forms of 
  life, including human beings. Even when people think they are acting out 
  of compassion for other people's suffering by advocating euthanasia, they 
  are encouraging killing. The Buddha pointed out that trying to predict 
  where a person who dies or is killed will be reborn is like trying to 
  predict exactly where a stick that we throw up in the air will land. We 
  cannot say that we have reduced anyone's suffering through ending his 
  life.

  	The more we give attention to such advertisements the more our 
  thoughts will be filled with the idea of killing. We will not be able to 
  lead a normal life as laypeople and avoid all contact with such ads. But 
  we can give them as little attention as possible. We can turn away from 
  them whenever possible.

  	We are less likely to find encouragement to steal in advertisements 
  in magazines, on the radio or on television. But more and more novels and 
  movies today represent the heroes as being able to steal and get away with 
  it. This may be justified in the film by depicting the hero as a sort of 
  Robin Hood who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, but even that 
  is not often the case. The hero steals to make himself rich. We can 
  usually get a general idea in advance of the subject matter of a book or 
  movie before we read it or go to see it. So, it should be easy to avoid 
  exposure to such immoral propaganda.

  	One of the major themes of advertising is sexual indulgence. This 
  powerful force is used by businesses to sell almost any product: cars, 
  newspapers, cigarettes, alcohol, perfumes, jewelry, etc. Almost any 
  product can be directly or indirectly associated with physical 
  attractiveness. Our eyes will be constantly coming into contact with 
  images which will arouse our sexual desires. The songs we hear will rarely 
  have any other theme than sensual love with all the attachment, craving 
  and suffering that it involves.

  	Advertisements will also set us a very bad example when it comes to 
  right speech. Exaggeration is the rule rather than the exception. 
  Implications which are not directly stated, and so can be excused as not 
  being direct lies, get across the message the seller wants us to believe. 
  If we use a certain product, we will be beautiful, stay young, etc.

  	Among the biggest advertisers are the makers of alcohol. Even though 
  doctors tell us that alcoholism is one of the leading diseases of mankind, 
  very little is done to combat this disease when compared with the efforts 
  made to encourage taking intoxicants. Even if we think that we are immune 
  to temptation, exposing ourselves unnecessarily to the attractive image 
  presented of taking alcohol will subtly break down our resolve or at the 
  very least create tensions in us.

  	All these examples appeal to the six senses. Even when we are not in 
  contact with such advertisements, we will find our thoughts turning to 
  them. The better our ability to be conscious of the fact that the mind is 
  indulging in unwholesome thoughts, the better we will be able to detach 
  ourselves from them. We will be able to dismiss such thoughts and come 
  back to the in-breath, the out-breath and the touch of the air below the 
  nose.

  	We must make a conscious effort to minimize our exposure to all the 
  encouragement around us to lead immoral lives. We can be more selective in 
  the sorts of newspapers and magazines we read, in the books we read, the 
  television programmes we watch and the movies we go to. We can avoid going 
  to places where such temptations are found and we can avoid being with 
  people who encourage us to break any of the precepts. This does not mean 
  becoming sanctimonious or "holier than thou." We have friends and family 
  for whom we are responsible. For them we can make every effort to be a 
  good friend -- one who sets a good example and who encourages others to do 
  good. But in situations where we are not responsible for other people, it 
  is best to remember that in the ultimate sense each individual is 
  responsible for his own actions. It is better to go our own way than to 
  interfere and provoke ill will and agitation in ourselves and in others. 
  On the other hand, we may find ourselves confronted with a situation we 
  cannot avoid when we would be compromising the Dhamma if we did not speak 
  out clearly and firmly. In such cases, we must stand steadfast.

  	We will sometimes find ourselves in situations where it seems 
  impossible to avoid breaking one of the precepts. Even a Bodhisatta may 
  decide to do such actions as going to war to protect the citizens of his 
  country. Such decisions are very difficult to make, and we must be very 
  clear and able to think correctly if we are to make a wise decision. 
  Whatever we do we must never excuse ourselves, thinking that a good action 
  can cancel out an immoral action. No matter how justified an immoral 
  action may seem, it will result in future suffering. The Buddha said that 
  even if we are being tortured to death, if we feel ill will towards those 
  who are torturing us, we will suffer for it.

  	Studying the teachings of the Buddha can help us to avoid finding 
  excuses for ourselves and help us to take responsibility for all our 
  actions. The better we understand the Dhamma, the better we will be able
  to learn from our mistakes. We will stop blaming other people or 
  circumstances for our wrong actions.

      Bhikkhus, what is right effort? Bhikkhus, with regard to this the 
  bhikkhu makes a resolution and an effort, mobilizes energy, concentrates 
  and vigorously applies his mind in order that evil and inappropriate 
  mental processes that have not yet arisen may not be produced. He makes a 
  resolution and an effort, mobilizes energy, concentrates and vigorously 
  applies his mind in order to expel evil and inappropriate mental processes 
  that have already arisen. He makes a resolution and an effort, mobilizes 
  energy, concentrates and vigorously applies his mind in order that skilful 
  mental processes that have not yet arisen may be produced. He makes a 
  resolution and an effort, mobilizes energy, concentrates and vigorously 
  applies his mind in order that skilful mental processes that have already 
  arisen may be stabilized, gain clarity, reach full growth, development and 
  completeness.


                                                 Digha-nikaya (II 3l2)[7] 


  Sayagyi U Chit Tin



  FOOTNOTES:


  [1] GS III 185f.

  [2] This discussion is an extract from //The Perfection of Virtue//,   
  Dhammadana Series 4 of the publications by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial 
  Trust, U.K.

  [3] //Ariyarupa-antaraya// can be translated "endangering or causing harm 
  to an Ariya." See pp. 14ff. in the biography of U Ba Khin by U Ko Lay. 
  Also see "Men Seeking God" by C.P. Mayhew, MP, Great Britain; his Buddhist 
  programme was televised by the BBC on the night of March 5, 1954 for half 
  an hour. The then Chief Accounting Officer, Myanmar (Burmese) Embassy, 
  London, reported to Sayagyi, in his letter dated April 5, 1954: "As a film 
  it was excellent. However the time allowed was only 30 minutes (as for 
  other religions) and I must say he could touch only the barest outline of 
  Buddhism. The majority of Burmese residents in London saw the programme 
  and were very impressed."

  [4] Abhidhaja Maharattha Guru Masoyein Sayadaw took great interest in the 
  work of Sayagyi's teaching meditation to Westerners and visited IMC-Yangon 
  several times. When he visited in 1960, he saw the many letters of 
  appreciation written by Western students regarding the practice of the 
  Buddha-Dhamma and the fruits gained by coming to the centre, and he told 
  Sayagyi that when these appreciations and experiences described by the 
  students were published in the Maynmar language (Burmese) he would write 
  an introduction, which he subsequently did. 

  [5] Webu Sayadaw was reputed to be an Arahat. He learned the scriptures 
  under the above mentioned Sayadaw in Mandalay and then retired to the 
  forest to practise meditation. He was given up for lost and his family was 
  not able to trace him until he was seen in a forest near Kyaukse, forty 
  miles south of Mandalay at a place popularly known as Webula Hill. He then 
  took up residence at that place after the lay disciples in the vicinity 
  built him meditation huts. Later on, they built him a meditation centre 
  with many monasteries. He became known as Webu Sayadaw. Later his father 
  came to visit him and asked him to return to his birth place, Ingyinbin 
  village, where he afterwards founded another meditation centre.

     In his earlier years, after he had learned the scriptures, he resided 
  for a time in Shwebo, where another story of some interest occurred. The 
  presiding monk in this place was older than Webu Sayadaw and for some time 
  had been occupying himself with the question of who would be the best monk 
  to take his place as the presiding abbot of his monastery. This monk, who 
  also practised meditation, was impressed with Webu Sayadaw's behaviour and 
  his scrupulous observance of the Vinaya rules. The old monk decided to 
  hand over the monastery to Webu Sayadaw and retire into the forest to 
  practise meditation more effectively. But the day after he made that 
  decision the abbot was approached by Webu Sayadaw early in the morning and 
  the latter requested permission to leave the monastery and retire into the 
  forest himself. "Well, monk (//avuso//)," the abbot replied, "you are 
  quicker than I to decide to retire into the forest. What can I say? Please 
  help yourself. May you gain the Deathless."

     After he founded the centres at Kyaukse and Ingyinbin-tawya, Webu 
  Sayadaw was approached by the lay disciples of Shwebo, sixty miles north 
  of Mandalay, who asked him to honour them by taking up residence in their 
  city, as he had spent his early days there. The Sayadaw agreed and founded 
  a third large meditation centre at Aung Mye Yeikthar in Shwebo. He 
  customarily spent four months at each of the three places mentioned, but 
  he always spent the rainy retreats at Kyaukse. After Mahapavarana, the 
  full moon day of Thadingyut, his period of residence at Kyaukse ended and 
  he would leave for Shwebo to reside and teach meditation there for the 
  next four months. Then he would go to his birthplace, Ingyinbin-tawya 
  village, another twenty-five miles north of Shwebo, where he spent the 
  last quarter of the year teaching lay disciples and monks who came from 
  all over the country.

     In 1953, he was invited by Sayagyi U Ba Khin to give blessings and 
  preach the Dhamma at IMC, 3la Inya Myaing Road, and he came with some 
  monks and some of his relatives, both nuns and laymen to reside for seven 
  days in June before the Buddhist lent. Beginning in 1954, the following 
  year, he was invited annually by the lay disciples of Yangon and Lower 
  Myanmar to visit the capital and many other cities of Lower Myanmar. He 
  became very famous as he was already reputedly an Arahat. He was also 
  well-known for the simplicity of his Dhamma teaching, which could be 
  understood by ordinary laymen and laywomen and which, in fact, appealed to 
  everyone who heard it. See pp. 213ff. in the biography of U Ba Khin by U 
  Ko Lay.

  [6] See //The Perfection of Virtue//, "Virtue as two kinds(a),"pp.11-14.

  [7] DB II, p. 344. Our translation is based on Rune E.A. Johansson's 
  //Pali Buddhist Texts// (Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies, 2nd ed., 
  1977), pp. 84f. We prefer "vigorously applies" rather than "forces" for 
  //pagganhati//.


                         Worldwide  Contact Addresses
                    in the Tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


  *AUSTRIA*:  International Meditation Centre, A-9064 St. Michael/Gurk 6,
              Austria;Tel: +43 4224 2820, Fax: +43 4224 28204
              Email: CIS, IMC-Austria, 100425,3423

  *EASTERN AUSTRALIA*: International Meditation Centre, Lot 2 Cessnock Road,
              Sunshine NSW 2264, Australia;
              Tel: +61 49 705 433, Fax: +61 49 705 749

  *UNITED KINGDOM*: International Meditation Centre, Splatts House,
              Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 OPE, England;
              Tel: +44 380 850 238, Fax: +44 380 850 833,
              Email: CIS, IMC-UK,100330,3304

  *USA (East Coast)*: International Meditation Centre, 438 Bankard Road,
              Westminster MD 21158, USA;
              Tel: +1 410 346 7889, Fax: +1 410 346 7133;
              Email:  CIS, IMC-USA, 74163,2452

 *WESTERN AUSTRALIA*: International Meditation Centre, Lot 78 Jacoby Street,
              Mahogany Creek WA 6072, Australia;
              Tel: +61 9 295 2644, Fax: +61 9 295 3435

  *CANADA*:   IMC-Canada, 336 Sandowne Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, N2K 1V8,
              Canada; Tel: +1 519 747 4762, Fax: +1 519 725 2781

  *GERMANY*:  Sayagyi U Ba Khin Gesellschaft, Christaweg 16, 79114 Freiburg,
              Germany, Tel: +49 761 465 42, Fax: +49 761 465 92

  *JAPAN*:    Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, Komatsuri-Cho 923,
              Kishiwada-Shi, Osaka-Fu, 596 Japan, Tel: +81 724 45 0057

  *THE NETHERLANDS*: Sayagyi U Ba Khin Stichting, Oudegracht 124, 3511 AW
              Utrecht, The Netherlands,
              Tel: +31 30 311 445, Fax: +31 30 340 612

  *SINGAPORE*: Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Association, 9 Penang Road #07-12,
              Park Mall, Singapore 0923
              Tel: +65 338 6911, Fax: +65 336 7211

  *SWITZERLAND*: Sayagyi U Ba Khin Gesellschaft, Greyerzstrasse 35, 3013
              Bern, Switzerland;Tel: +41 31 415 233, Fax: +41 61 271 4184;
              Email: CIS, 100256,3576

  *USA (West Coast)*: Contact Address: IMC-USA c/o Joe McCormack,
              77 Kensington Rd., San Anselmo, CA 94960,U.S.A.
              Tel: +1 415 459 3117, Fax: +1 415 459 4837

  *BELGIUM*:  Address as for the Netherlands, Tel: +32 2 414 1756

  *DENMARK*:  Contact Address: Mr. Peter Drost-Nissen, Strandboulevarden
              117, 3th, 2100 Kopenhagen, Denmark. Tel: 031 425 636

  *ITALY*:    Contact address: Mr. Renzo Fedele, Via Euganea 94, 35033
              Bresseo PD, Italy.  Tel: +39 49 9900 752

              --------------------------------------------------
      Published by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, United Kingdom
               Address as above, registered charity no. 280134
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                            DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
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  TITLE OF WORK: Leading Virtuous Lives as Laymen
  FILENAME: LAYMEN.ZIP
  AUTHOR: Sayagyi U Chit Tin
  AUTHOR'S ADDRESS: n/a
  PUBLISHER'S ADDRESS: International Meditation Centre, Splatts House,
              Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 OPE, England
  COPYRIGHT HOLDER: The Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, U.K.
  DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1984
  RIGHTS & RESTRICTIONS: See paragraph below.
  DATE OF DHARMANET DISTRIBUTION: February 1995
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