Black Hole with a Heart of Gold

By Elizabeth Herrera Sabido and Robert Collins

Black Hole with a Heart of Gold is a metaphor that operates on several levels: Burma is a country that has been hermetically sealed to the outside world for many decades, as if it were a black hole on the map. But despite the many years of political and economic turmoil, the Burmese people seem to have found the antidote to the suffering caused by fear, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, in other words, the Black Hole of the human condition.
Black Hole with a Heart of Gold will take you on a magic carpet through the mystical, enigmatic, and vibrant land of Myanmar, and you will encounter along the way magnificent pagodas, lakes, river, legends, the largest book in the world, and caves filled with golden Buddhas.
You will meet a spirit medium called a Nat Kadaw, and also will discover one of the major players in the world’s heroin traffic; and how a general used a widespread belief in astrology to deceive his citizens and bankrupt the entire nation overnight; and all of these wonders will be revealed to you through a series of delightful personalities who radiate their Hearts of Gold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503522947

Elizabeth Herrera Sabido

Two people with different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities met at a European and Balkan music and dance ensemble named Koroyar and their lives became intertwined, combining their gifts to continue exploring life as an avenue of creative expression. Robert Collins has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and has been an educator in the Los Angeles area for thirty years. He studied writing with Joan Oppenheimer in San Diego, with Cork Millner privately, and also in the Santa Barbara Writer's Conferences. Elizabeth Herrera Sabido, at the age of sixteen years, began working as a secretary at the Secretaria de Industria y Comercio in Mexico City where she was born, then she was an educator for twenty-six years, and a teacher of international dance for The Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is a Reiki Master Teacher. Attracted by the Unknown, the Forces of the Universe, and the human psyche, during their lives they have studied several different philosophies. Elizabeth has been involved with various religions, Asian studies, and Gnosticism with SamaelAun Weor, and Robert has explored spiritual healing practices in Mexico, and studied with Carlos Castaneda's Cleargreen and Tensegrity. Elizabeth and Robert start their day at four-thirty in the morning. They enjoy playing volleyball and tennis, and in the afternoons play music, alternating between seven different instruments each. Their philosophy of Personal Evolution has led them to explore over 110 countries between the two of them such as Japan, Nepal, Egypt, Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Philippines, Turkey,Russia, etc.

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AUTHORS’ BIOGRAPHY

Two people with different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities met at a European and Balkan music and dance ensemble named Koroyar and their lives became intertwined, combining their gifts to continue exploring life as an avenue of creative expression.

Robert Collins has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and has been an educator in the Los Angeles area for thirty years. He studied writing with Joan Oppenheimer in San Diego, with Cork Millner privately, and also in the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conferences.

Elizabeth Herrera Sabido, at the age of sixteen years, began working as a secretary at the Secretaría de Industria y Comercio in Mexico City where she was born, then she was an educator for twenty-six years, and a teacher of international dance for The Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Attracted by the Unknown, the Forces of the Universe, and the human psyche, during their lives they have studied several different philosophies. Elizabeth has been involved with various religions, Asian studies, and Gnosticism with Samael Aun Weor, and Robert has explored spiritual healing practices in Mexico, and studied with Carlos Castaneda’s Cleargreen and Tensegrity.

Elizabeth and Robert start their day at four-thirty in the morning. They enjoy playing volleyball and tennis, and in the afternoons play music, alternating between seven different instruments each.

Their philosophy of Personal Evolution has led them to explore over 110 countries between the two of them such as Japan, Nepal, Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, Turkey, Russia, etc.

CREDITS

Erica Meza: Photographer

Erica Meza is currently a Real Estate Agent with a background in the arts. Being an artist herself, she has taught art, music, and dance to the youth of the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also participated in many projects such as The Noah’s Arc Exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center and coordinated mural projects for children. Erica is also a photographer, a world traveler, and is currently the Secretary for the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals.

Cover design and illustration by Sharon Crystal Ruiz

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Copyright © 2015 by Robert Collins & Elizabeth Herrera Sabido.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014921586

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 04/30/2020

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DEDICATION

Respectfully dedicated

to all our Family Members,

all our Friends,

and Enemies:

all of them have contributed

with a small seed of

Wisdom, Motivation, and Strength.

And to Life;

which has given us

the Opportunity

to become Who we are:

And to Death:

with its finality, reminds us

that we are not Immortal,

and therefore, gives Meaning

to every Act that we

Perform.

CONTENTS

Authors’ Biography

Credits

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Prologue Very Important People

YANGON

1 The Black Market Rate

2 The Golden Owl

3 The Dying Position

4 Shwedagon And The Tidal Wave

5 Heart Of Gold

BAGAN

6 Working Like Ants

7 Buddha And The Nats

8 The Tharabar Gate

9 Exotic Hardwood

10 Delicate Subleties Of Flavor

11 The Eyes Of The Buddha

12 Ghosts And Spirits

13 Nat Pwe

14 Sunset Over Bagan

15 Stretching The Senses

16 Rivers

SHAN

17 Two New Ways Of Eating Avocadoes

18 Heaven And Hell

19 Sacred Landscape

20 The Floating Cottage

21 Walking On Water

22 The Right Choice

23 Male Domination

24 The New Religion

25 Life on the Lake, Silver, and Padaungs

26 From The Sublime To The Ridiculous

27 Fear

MANDALAY

28 On The Road To Mandalay

29 Traffic

30 The Gold Pounders

31 The Living Buddha And The Talking Cross

32 The Tripitaka

33 Massage At Mandalay Hill

34 Animal Traffic

35 The Master Of Illusion

36 Opium

YANGON

37 Five Hundred Tons Of Lightness

38 White Elephants

39 No Burmese Allowed

40 Two Philosophical Streams

41 Candle Dance

42 Unity Through Dance And Music

43 Magic Carpet

44 Return With The Elixir

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Black Hole with a Heart of Gold couldn’t have been made without the courage of our guides, and to protect their identity, their names have been changed using the words for colors in the Burmese language:

With appreciation

Awa means ‘yellow.’

Anyo means ‘brown.’

Ani means ‘red.’

And

Asein means ‘green.’

INTRODUCTION

"The secret of our existence doesn’t consist just

in living, but in knowing why we live!"

Dostoyevsky.

Black Hole With a Heart of Gold bridges the gap between a travel book and the pungency of a story. During the course of this trip, voluminous notes and recordings were taken while we interacted with our private guides, and others encountered along the way. The intent of this book was to distill their knowledge and wisdom and sculpt them into the form of a prose narrative.

In our travels we have frequently seen tour guides that drone on and on, giving hundreds of details about when, where, and who: By the time the travelers reach their homes again, they sometimes can’t remember a single word out of all those wonderful, extensive lessons on history, so instead of expanding our senses, tour guides can frequently cause them to contract, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

But what we do remember are the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and most importantly, the anecdotes from our experiences in those exotic foreign lands.

Black Hole with a Heart of Gold will introduce you to a magic land where a mysterious culture is in full bloom like lotus flowers in a lagoon.

Listen to the myths and stories of Burma and discover a subjective knowledge that is not directed to your intellect, but rather to your creative energy.

Experience, at the elegant Mandalay Hill Hotel, one of the most exotic massage rooms in the world.

Yearning to travel, and haven’t done it yet? Find out how to pursue that dream and make it come true!

Discover how the Burmese have an antidote, a pill, to the suffering that causes us to feel incomplete, unhappy, and plunges us into the state of emptiness that plagues the human psyche.

Hear a conversation next to Kandawagyi Lake about two dancers in Argentina who communicate by ardently looking into each other’s eyes, while they entwine together in a passionate tango.

Through our senses is where our life story is recorded.

55071.png

Everything has a reason to exist and to disappear.

This book will give you a glimpse of a fleeting moment in history of a pre-industrial country, where the people still work in close harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Cultures around the world are disappearing as fast as the Amazon rainforest. Extinction is not a parable, it is not a legend, but is more real than we realize.

In Burma, skyscrapers will grow like weeds, and its unique culture will begin to disappear under the relentless advance of the golden umbrella of consumerism.

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man!

Heraclitus

PROLOGUE

Very Important People

Sounds of fellow travelers echoed hollowly in the cavernous interior of the terminal at Bangkok International Airport.

A man with glasses and sandals wearing saffron robes came over to the bench where we were sitting and smiled. Putting his hands together close to his chest he bowed, taking a seat next to us.

My name is Robert, I said, taking his hand, and this is my wife.

Pleased to meet you. My name is Elizabeth, she said, not offering her hand, knowing that monks are not supposed to be touched by women.

Nice to meet you both.

Where are you from? I asked.

I am from Myanmar, and I’ve just returned from a trip to London. I’m bringing a Buddha back, would you like to see it? he said with a humble smile, reaching into his colorful woven shoulder bag and taking out a heavy-looking black velvet sack closed tightly with a silk drawstring. He opened it and removed a statue of Buddha fashioned of green translucent stone, sitting in the lotus position, and showed it to us.

This is exquisite, said Elizabeth. It is carved out of jade, isn’t it?

Yes, and it is very ancient. People from the Mandalay Division made it hundreds of years ago, a place that is famous for its stone carvers. Not only does it have spiritual significance because it is an image of Lord Buddha, but also, to Asians, jade is one of the most precious stones; it symbolizes serenity, knowledge, and perfection, and some believe that it has the power to cure and to bring good luck, which is why it is worn by so many people.

After putting the Buddha statue back into his shoulder bag, he lowered it carefully onto the floor next to him, then turned to us and smiled.

Do monks frequently have the opportunity to travel? asked Elizabeth.

Not all monks do, only the ones with higher ranks. See this? he said, showing us a card. With this, I can go anywhere in the world. It has given me the opportunity to visit many places in Southeast Asia, the United States, England, and Europe.

We looked at the card. It was a photo-ID identifying his elevated stature as a Buddhist monk.

But you need a passport also, don’t you? I asked.

Of course.

I have a question, and you don’t have to answer it if you think that it is inappropriate, asked Elizabeth.

That depends on the subject.

Are you in any danger in Myanmar as a monk?

As far as I am concerned, I am in no danger. I feel very privileged and secure in the life that I lead.

Do monks have freedom of speech in Burma?

Well, I have heard of some monks that ended up in prison, he said.

Why would a religious leader be put in prison?

Do to the fact that some monks have gotten involved in politics, they have ended up in trouble. In the Rakhine State, there was a monk who was educating people about democracy, so the government closed the monastery and arrested him.

What are the consequences if a monk gets arrested?

They are imprisoned, defrocked, and sometimes even tortured, but most monks are good, and our mission is to help humanity, and ourselves to achieve enlightenment.

Would you like your country to be democratic? I asked.

"Well, that depends on what democracy would do to our culture. Because democracy is like an octopus that wants to spread its tentacles everywhere, trying to change the mentality of the people to their own convenience, making richer the people who already are.

"If Myanmar becomes democratic, the most likely thing that will happen is that the monks will start pursuing wealth and leave the monasteries. Right now, we have free food to eat, a free place to sleep, and free education.

We Burmese are concerned with the condition of our souls because that is where true peace and harmony reside. Democracy is a Western institution and we are an Eastern country with a very different culture and philosophy. And you will witness the difference at first hand. Myanmar is an enchanting country with much to offer for the tourist. I think you will love it! Well, I must be going, in a few minutes we will be called to board.

I wish we had more time to talk, said Elizabeth.

Don’t worry, you will most probably visit a monastery as you travel around Myanmar, so you will have the opportunity to talk to other monks.

By the way, are there children in your monastery? she asked.

Yes, there are many young, intelligent novitiates.

Would you like to take this to them? she said, taking out a box of pens, pencils, notebooks, books and candies from her bag brought along for just that purpose.

Thank you, thank you. The students of the monastery will be very appreciative, he said, standing and bowing respectfully.

Now I would like to give you a blessing, he said, motioning for us to stand and come closer to him.

"I imagine that you have waited a long time for this day to come. And now that it is here, remember these words, from the poet Kalidasa, in my own version:

Yesterday was only a dream, tomorrow will be a vision, but today is the triumph of a thought fulfilled.

"And principally, as Lord Buddha taught us, live each moment intensely, moment by moment."

Finally, he put his head close to ours and murmured a prayer in a language I did not recognize.

We thanked him, bowing, as he folded his monk’s habit over his left arm and walked away to join a group of other monks all in saffron robes, then turned to us and waved.

What powerful words, said Elizabeth. I think this trip is going to be magical.

Meeting him was a good sign, and we are going to need some luck, I said. From what I’ve heard, Myanmar can be a dangerous place. Almost all the governments of the world have broken off diplomatic relations with them because they have the reputation for massive abuse of human rights. And just because we are Americans doesn’t mean that we have any form of protection. It is a politically unstable place, and even a revolution could occur at any moment, and we could get caught in the middle. That’s why not many people travel to Myanmar. It is a black hole on the map of the world. This trip, like you said, is either going to be magical, or it could be the end of our lives!

The call came over the loudspeaker that the flight was ready to board. We watched with surprise as the monks were called up first, the flight crew bowing with reverence as they passed.

Did you see that? The monks are treated like VIPs. They must be very important people in Burma, Elizabeth said.

What a difference from our culture in the West, where people venerate rappers and movie stars. Myanmar must be a place where spiritual leaders are the heroes.

YANGON

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The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.

attributed to

Gautama Buddha

1

The Black Market Rate

Reflecting brilliantly in the distance, perfectly aligned along the horizon, three clouds shaped liked pagodas floated on a thick sea of cotton.

Breaking free of the clouds, the airplane began its descent. Cut by a wide silver river, a vast landscape spread out below, and as tires squealed against tarmac, a thrill of electricity coursed through me.

Here we are, said Elizabeth. In the mythical and enigmatic country lost to the knowledge of the modern world.

Passing through the usual formalities of arrival, a dark skinned man with wavy black hair, dressed in a white shirt and wearing a sarong-like garment, shod with sandals, was waiting and holding a sign with our names on it.

With a pleasant smile he said, Welcome, Elizabeth and Robert. My name is Awa. And I will be your guide as long as you are in Yangon.

Nice to meet you, we answered, looking at each other with relieved expressions.

"You might be wondering why I am wearing this garment that looks like a skirt, but it is a longyi, a piece of cloth that we wrap around ourselves that covers us from the waist to the ankles; very comfortable especially in summer when the weather gets extremely hot and humid. And it is the traditional and official dress of Myanmar that everyone wears here, both men and women."

It is unusual for us to see men dressed that way, but it seems to be comfortable, and it is very distinctive looking, said Elizabeth.

Green trees, rusted tin roofs, and old crumbling walls sweltering in the heat and humidity flashed by outside as the driver of the aging Toyota negotiated the traffic of downtown Yangon.

Let me give you an introduction into the geopolitics of Myanmar, said Awa. "The old name of ‘Burma’ was given to the country by the British, but it is a corruption of the word Bamar, which is the name of the largest racial group in Myanmar, which is now the modern name of the country. Most of the place names were changed by the government in order to stop using the artificial names created by the British and to distance themselves from the colonial era."

Holding up a map and pointing to the southern part of the country, Awa said, We have seven states and seven provinces in the country and you are here in the capital city, which also gives its name to the state, Yangon. During the British occupation, it was called Rangoon.

Yangon is very tropical, I said, looking out the window at the placid waters of a lake surrounded by huge trees laden with blossoms.

Yangon used to have more vegetation and was much greener than it is today. It was a virtual garden paradise before the cyclone hit in 2006, said Awa.

We heard about the cyclone, it was big news around the world. Were you affected by it? asked Elizabeth.

It was devastating, he answered. Cyclone Nargis was spawned in the Andaman Sea. It hit the coast suddenly then came up through the delta following the river, and destroying everything in its path, one village after another, until it got to us here in Yangon where it ripped off the roofs of buildings and tore huge trees out by the roots that landed miles away. My brother was living in the delta at the time, and his house was completely destroyed along with the rest of the village, but he and his family survived, and they live with me now.

Was there any harm done to your property?

Our house suffered some damage, but we were unhurt, but many people were not so lucky, seventy-eight thousand died and fifty-eight thousand were never found.

That sounds like an ecological and human disaster on a huge scale. How did the government help? I asked.

"The government did what it could,