Dr. Gyi is still a tireless and dedicated teacher. He is always working and doing something to improve modem Bando in America. When time permits, he attends seminars, clinics and workshops given by masters from other systems. He is always learning, reading, discussing and questioning. He is constantly planning and organizing Bando events to improve the quality of his students. There is no idle or leisure time in his life. He could be classified as what Americans call a “workaholic.”

Dr. Gyi’s wife, Patricia, and his two daughters, Melinda and Serena, have been very understanding and supportive of his work. They know better than anyone that he is driven by his short-term and long-term goals, and his strategies to achieve them. He has faced many obstacles and failures in his life but he never yields. He is never discouraged. He considers failures and mistakes to be learning experiences. He meditates to regain his inner balance and moves on to accomplish the next project.

Today, Dr. Gyi finds solace in painting folk art on spiritual subjects.  Dr. Gyi started painting as a form of Mingala Mediation.

He has no formal training in the art of painting. He is partially colorblind and differentiates colors through shades of gray. He uses house paint and acrylic on 2’x2′ board.

The writings on his paintings are in Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, Amharic, Sanskirt, Pali, Burmese, and several other languages.

He has painted more than 250 religious folk art paintings since his retirement. He has given away many of his paintings as gifts to friends, churches, temples, and museums.

Some of his paintings have been sold at the Slotin Folk Art Auction in Buford, Georgia, which is considered to be one of the largest folk art events in the United States.

Dr. Gyi’s pseudonym as a folk artist is “MONJI“. His website is monjifolkart.com.