Tathagata Meditation Center

by Hla Min

Updated : Feb 2026

• Tathagata Meditation Center was founded by Vietnamese disciples of Sayadaw U Silananda.
• It is located at 1215 Lucretia Avenue, San Jose, CA 95122
• It’s web site is
  http://www.tathagata.org/
• Sayadaw U Silananda resided at TMC when Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay was undergoing construction.

Activities

• TMC conducted long-term meditation retreats and week-end retreats.
• TMC held summer classes : one for children and the other for young adults.
• TMC published several books (in English and Vietnamese) for Dhamma Dana distribution.
• TMC also offered courses via Zoom.
• Several activities were suspended during the pandemic.

Pali

• Sayadaw Dhammika-bhivamsa (Tharmanay Kyaw) taught Pali courses using selected Suttas to interested yogis to have an appreciation of Buddha’s teachings without delving into the details of Pali grammar.
• The course materials were prepared by Som Tu (Director of TMC, Retired Technology Executive) under the guidance of Thamanay Kyaw Sayadaw.

Reference Books

• I volunteered as Translator/Interpreter for Meditation Retreats at TMC.

Myat Kyaw & San Lin

• Beelin Sayadaw U Pannadipa (then Resident Sayadaw at TMC, later Padana Nayaka Sayadaw at Panditarama Shwe Taung Gone in Yangon) gave me the book “A Pali Myanmar-English Dictionary of the Noble Words of the Lord Buddha”.
• The book was compiled by U Myat Kyaw (Myanmar Sar Ah Phwe) and translated into English by U San Lwin.
  U San Lwin is the older brother of Dr. Lyn Swe Aye, IM(2).

Buddhist Dictionary

• TMC gave me “Buddhist Dictionary” by Venerable Nyantiloka.
• It is subtitled “Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines”.
• The first edition was published in 1946. The third revised and enlarged edition was edited by [Venerable] Nyanaponika in 1970.

Intro to Pali

• U Hla Myint (former Sayadaw who had passed several monastic exams) gave me a PDF version of his manuscript “An Introduction to Pali” for study and review.
• The book is available as Dhamma Dana distribution from TMC.
• He studied Pali under the guidance of Mahagandayone Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa, U Vijayalankara & U Dhammikabhivamsa (“Thamanay Kyaw”).
• He studied English under the guidance of Sayadaw U Panditabhivamsa and with the eminent teachers such as U Aung Myat Thut, U Aye Maung and U Hla Maung.
• He has written, translated and edited several books for TMC.

Updates

• Sayadaw U Pandita, Sayadaw U Silandabhivamsa and Beelin Sayadaw have passed away.