Escaping Mogok, a Monk Vows to Return
Earlier this month, we heard how the situation in Mogok continues to worsen as the conflict ravages the town, forcing many—including monastic communities—to flee for their lives. In the following essay, our local donation leader recounts his recent conversations with the abbot, revealing the tragic realities these monastics face and the urgent need for support. With the Vassa period making it difficult for the monks to relocate further, they are in dire need of essentials such as food and shelter. We are committed to helping these displaced monks and novices, beginning with those from the Nyaung Thone Bin Monastery, and extending our support to other monastics scattered across different regions. Now, more than ever, your help can make a profound difference in their lives.
“But for sure, we will go back to Mogok when the situations were completely settled down there. Don’t know when, though.”
Last week, I managed to reconnect with the abbot of the monastery. He texted me from Mandalay, where he and his monks had sought temporary refuge before heading to the Mount Popa area. A few days ago, I spoke with him directly, and what I heard was heartbreaking. The tragedy that befell his monastic students and the once-revered monastery in Mogok is something that I believe the international community of meditators and Buddhists must hear. That’s why I’m writing to you now.
With a voice heavy with sorrow, the abbot recounted how they were forced to flee their home. The journey to Mandalay was grueling. What should have been a half-day trip turned into a nightmare, taking 7-8 nights of perilous stops along closed highways and treacherous roads. When the fighting erupted in western Mogok, all escape routes were cut off. The town's residents scattered, some fleeing east to Mongmit and then west through Twin-nge and Ma-le. Imagine fleeing with nowhere to go, only fear and uncertainty at every turn. This has become a terrifying reality in parts of my country for too long now.
The roads they took were nothing more than rough dirt tracks, forcing them to cross rivers and streams on motorcycles! The monks and novices faced an unimaginable ordeal, traveling overnight through dangerous territory after insurgents seized control of the town. Their monastery, once a place of peace and learning, was caught in the crossfire, near the junta’s military base. It was completely destroyed—reduced to rubble in the battle for control.
As the insurgents claimed the town, the abbot and his fellow monks made the agonizing decision to leave with the young novices, fearing the next wave of airstrikes and combat. Five monks chose to stay behind, even though there was a real risk the junta’s remaining forces might turn the ruins into a military base. The abbot begged them to flee if the fighting resumed.
The rest of the monastics fled along the Mogok-Pyin Oo Lwin road, parts of which were cut off. They traversed mountains, mud-soaked paths, and swift streams from the Shan Mountains. Riding on local motorcycle taxis, they carried 1-2 novices each. After two harrowing days, they reached Pyin Oo Lwin, but darkness forced them to stop in Nyaung Gone village. The next morning, they finally made it to Mandalay. After a brief rest, they have now relocated to a branch monastery near Mount Popa, just a short walk from the sacred dormant volcano. This new monastery now shelters over a hundred monastics, including those who fled. The abbot told me they will remain here, uncertain for how long. “But for sure,” he concluded, “we will go back to Mogok when the situations were completely settled down there. Don’t know when, though.”
I think you all know that our Burmese monks and novices go alms-round in the mornings. Well, this monk told me that it was too hard for all the monks to reside in a new place during the Vassa (Rain Retreat) period. [During the rain retreat period, the monastics cannot travel overnight trips and move to anywhere else from the first residing place where they have to make resolution to reside all the period. It’s a kind of monastic code, especially for the Bhikkhus – monks.] The abbot also gave us a message that there are many other monastics from Mogok who evacuated from the town and are residing in other monasteries in other areas, such as Mandalay and other cities, depending on their known contacts. I am really alarmed to hear this news, actually.
We cannot wait any longer. We are now preparing to assist the monks and novices of Nyaung Thone Bin Monastery first, and we are also reaching out to other displaced monastics who are facing desperate conditions. Now is the time to act. The suffering of these monastics is immense, and they need our help more than ever.
