Dear Friends, Students, and Supporters of Sayadaw U Lakkhana,

As some of you may remember, Sayadaw has ongoing health issues relating to a chronic heart condition. Several years ago Sayadaw had heart surgery in Singapore. The procedure was called angioplasty with stent placement. This kind of surgery involves opening up a blocked cardiac blood vessel and then placing a tube within the vessel to keep it open. The surgery was successful, and Sayadaw has been doing fairly well since that time.

Recently, Sayadaw has been having heart problems once again. Greg Scharf and Michele McDonald, who have just returned from the annual foreign yogis retreat at Kyaswa Monastery in Burma, report that his condition is not good. Although Sayadaw did teach the retreat, he has been forced to drastically curtail all of his other activities. He was scheduled to go to Singapore for a check-up on February 12th, but his local doctors have told him not to travel, so that trip was canceled.

Sayadaw will need to go abroad, probably either to Singapore or Thailand, for an in-depth examination as soon as he is able to travel. The check-up that he needs will cost at least $5,000. If the check-up shows that he needs surgery the cost will be at least $20,000! There will be additional travel costs as well.

Sayadaw does not have any kind of health insurance. It is doubtful that anything like that is even available in Burma. No fund or savings account currently exists to cover this kind of expense. As a Buddhist monk, Sayadaw is entirely dependent upon the generosity and kindness of others for all of his support.

If you can help, please send a tax-deductible donation for Sayadaw's Medical Fund. Make your check payable to Vipassana Hawaii and write "U Lakkhana medical fund" in the memo line. Send the check to:

Vipassana Hawaii
P.O. BOX 551681
Kapaau, HI 96755

Online donations using paypal can be made at the Vipassana Hawaii website:

Click here for more information about Donating.