Blurb:

‘In the Shadow of Shwe Dagon’ was serialised in Buddhism and focusses on Buddhist monastic practice in colonial Burma. It begins with a description of an evening visit by Metteyya, with an unnamed friend, to the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (now Yangon). The atmosphere is described in a vivid and poetic style, demonstrating Metteyya’s sensitivity to Burmese lived religion. The second instalment focuses on the novice ordination of a twelve year old boy, son of a rich paddy merchant. The third describes novitiate training at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda under an experienced, meditating monk, whom Ananda M calls U Paññajoti. The fourth moves to Paññajoti himself and his journey back to his home monastery in Sagaing, a monastic centre near Mandalay.