by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Sixth Buddhist Council

Maha Thera Ledi Sayadaw U Nyana Daza

• Prolific writer, an outstanding lecturer, and a teacher of teachers
• Lay people in Burma were not known to teach Vipassana meditation
• The Ledi tradition has a lineage of Vipassa teachers who are not ordained monks:
  Sayagyi U Thet,
  Sayagyi U Ba Khin,
  Sayagyi S. N. t

Mingun Jetawun Sayadaw U Narada (1868 – 1955)

• Credited as one of the major revivers of Vipassana meditation
• Went to one Mingun Sayadaw, who presumably had studied meditation under Thee Gon Sayadaw, and asked for guidance.
  Was told to study Sattipattha (from the Scriptures) deeply and then practice meditation
• Prominent disciples : Mahasi Sayadaw and Taung Pulu Sayadaw

Sayadaw U Thittila (1896-1997)

• Did missionary work in UK
• Came back to Burma and taught at the Pali Department for several years before continuing his missionary work abroad
• Lectured in 25+ countries (including US, UK, France)

• Ovadacariya to Sanagha Maya Nayaka, trustees of renowned pagodas
• Outstanding teacher and writer
• Played an important role in reviving Buddhism in India and propagating the study of Abhidhamma
• Very modest; rarely talked about his many achievements
• Patamagyaw scholar of all Burma (1918) : selected from among 5000 candidates
• Panyattisasanahita (1923) : among the 4 out of 150 entrants who passed the toughest monastic examination
• Studied Sanskrit in India; English in India and England
• Translated Vibhanga (second of the seven Adbhidhamma texts) from Pali to English : published by the Pali Text Society in 1969 under the title of The Book of Analysis

Mahagandaryone Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa

• Wrote several books in Pali and Burmese
• Several of his students including Thamane Kyaw Sayadaw and U Hla Myint are teaching “Pali Sikkha (Training)” to lay persons without overwhelming with Pali Grammar

Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana

• Renowned Meditation Master and author
• Served as Questioner at the Sixth Buddhist Council held at Kaba Aye, Rangoon, Burma
• Chief Resident Monk of Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha
• Mentees : Sayadaws U Pandita, U Kundala, U Janabhivamsa and many meditation teachers

Panditarama Sayadaw U Pandita

• Senior disciple of Mahasi Sayadawgyi
• Renowned Meditation Master and author
• Succeeded Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana at Sasana Yeiktha
• Established Panditarama

Saddhamaransi Sayadaw U Kundala

• Senior disciple of Mahasi Sayadawgyi
• Outstanding meditation teacher
• Made Dhamma Duta missions abroad (until his health forced him to stop going on long, tedious trips).
• His biography (which covers to the age of 85) and his works can be found in http://www.saddhamaransi.org/

Chanmyay Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa

• Practiced vipassana meditation with the instruction of Mahasi Sayadawgyi in 1953-54
• Served as Palipatiwisodhaka (editor of Pali scriptures) at the Sixth Buddhist Council.
• Meditation teacher at the Sasana Yeiktha from 1967 – 1977.
• Member of Mahasi Sayadaw’s Dhamma Dhuta Mission to Europe and US in 1978 – 80
• Established the Chanmyay Yeiktha Buddhist Meditation Center in Myanmar
  chanmyay.org
  Branches in several countries (e.g. US, Singapore, Australia)

Mingun Tipitaka Sayadaw Ashin Vicittathara

• The Guinness Book of World Records listed Sayadaw as having an outstanding memory — the best at that time [in 1954].
• Served as the Chief Reciter (a la Ashin Upali and Ashin Ananda at the First Buddhist Council) at the Sixth Buddhist Council held at KabaAye (World Peace) Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma from 1954 – 1956.
• Could memorize, recall, and give exposition on 8027 pages of the Buddhist Scriptures known as Tipitaka [“Three Baskets”] :
  Vinaya – Rules of monastic conduct
  Sutta – Buddha’s discourses
  Abhidhamma – Ultimate reality)

Mogok Sayadaw U Vimala (1899 – 1962)

• Renowned Vipassana meditation master
• 500 (or more) audio tapes of Sayadaw’s recordings have been transcribed into books (some e-books), and CDs
  Available at the Mogok Vipassana Meditation Centers
• Featured in “Yahanda Hnit Poke Ko Htoo Myar” book by Dhammacariya U Htay Hlaing

Dhammananda Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa

• External examiner for the Pali Department
• Rector of ITBMU
• Chief Resident Monk of Dhammananda Vihara
• Spiritual Advisor of several monasteries and meditation centers
• Wrote books in Pali, Burmese and English
• Served as Chief Compiler of the Tipitaka Pali-Myanmar Dictionary for the Sixth Buddhist Council.

In April of 1979, Mahasi Sayadawgi made a Dhamma Duta mission to the US. At the request of the devotees, Sayadawgyi agreed to leave behind Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa and Sayadaw U Kelasa as “trail blazers” for the promulgation, preservation, and the promotion of Sasana.

There were no Burmese Buddhist monasteries and/or temples, but the Sayadaws were determined to sacrifice their blissful lives back in their homeland to do whatever they can to do the Sasana work.

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Former Classmates

• Edwin David (SPHS, GBNF)
  served as Priest of St. Mary’s Cathedral.
• Bernard Taylor (SPHS) was a Missionary in Phillipines. Came back to Upper Burma.
• Anthony Lourdes (SPHS) was the third classmate to become a Father (Catholic Priest).
• Aung Chaw (Victor, SPHS63, C69) became Ashin Ukkamsa after retirement. First monastery was in Sagaing Hills. Current monastery is in Thone Gwa, Delta region.

• Phillip Ba Maung (different section of SPHS63) passed away as a monk.

• Myo Tun (Bobby, Errol Than Tun, Dio, A69) became Ashin Pannagavesaka after retirement. Was Dhamma Librarian, Editor & Interpreter at Mawlamyaing Pa Auk Monastery. Taught English to selected monks and youths in various cities

Other Sayadaws

• U Win Paing (SPHS64, ChE70) became U Wara after taking his final exam. Was တိုက်အုပ် for many years at the Kaba Aye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung. He succeeded U Vinaya as Chief Resident Monk. He is now GBNF.

• Sayadaw U Jotika (EP73)
  is a prolific writer.

• U Bo Gyi (A59) became a monk after retiring from PWD. Cast aside by higher authorities for designing the Mausoleum for Daw Khin Kyi. He is now GBNF.

• U Han Nyo (Met60) became monk in the USA. Resided in monasteries in New York, California & Mexico.
• Saya Beatson (Physics, Boy Scout Master, SPHS) became a monk. Myo Nyunt (Harry Kyaw), Atom Hla and other Paulians offered Soon to Sayadaw during his trips to Yangon. He is the lone remaining Saya from our SPHS days.

• Younger brother of Dr. Saw Tin (Maths, GBNF) became a monk. He was in California for a Sima Consecration (သိမ်သမုတ်ပွဲ)
• Per KMZ, a young alumnus became Seattle Sayadaw. Met the Sayadaw when he was showing his mentor (from Myanmar) in the SF Bay Area.
• After retirement as Pro-Rector, Saya Dr. Lwin Aung (A59) spent several vasa as a monk. He returned to Lay Order due to medical concerns.

Posts

• De La Salle Schools
• Higher Ordination

• Sayadaws
• Vinaya

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Usage

• Senior monk or the Chief resident monk of a monastery. Often used together with “U”. e.g Sayadaw U Sobhana
• A distinguished sayadaw may be referred to as Sayadawgyi as a sign of reverence.
• The terms “sayadaw” and “sayadawgyi” originally corresponded to the senior monks who taught the former Burmese kings. They may be influential teachers of the Buddhist Dhamma and also outstanding meditation practitioners. They usually are Abbots of monasteries or monastery networks with a large number of resident monks and a lay following.

Honorific Terms

• Several honorific terms exist for Buddhist monks, reflecting their achievements and number of Vassa spent.
• The given name is extended with Prefixes, Suffixes and Titles

Prefix

• Achan (used in Thailand)
• Ashin အသျှင်
• Baddhanta ဘဒ္ဒန္တ
• Bhikkhu ဘိက္ခူ
• Maha Thera မဟာထေရ
• Oo ဦး၊ ဥူး
• Sayadaw ဆရာတော်
• Sayadawgyi ဆရာတော်ကြီး
• Shin ရှင်
• Upazin ဥပဇင်း
• Uzin ဦးဇင်း
• U ဦး၊ ဥူး
• Thera ထေရ
• Venerable

Suffix

• [A]bhivamsa” အဘိဝံသ
  Pass “Set kyar thi ha Dhammacariya” examination before age 26
• Lankara လင်္ကာရ
  Pass Lankara dhamma exam as a novice
• Pa hta ma gyaw ပထမကျော်
  First in the “Pa hta Ma Pyan” examination
• Thi ro ma ni သိရောမဏိ
  Finished 9 “kyans” in a single year
• Wun tha ka ဝံသက
  First in the “Set kyar thi ha Dhammacariya” examination

Title

Some monks may highlight their accomplishments

• Dhammacariya ဓမ္မာစရိယ
  Dhamma lecturer
• Thamane Kyaw သာမဏေကျော်
  Stood first in the Lankara examination
• Pali Paragu ပါဠိပါရဂူ
  Completed the examination in Pali
• Agga Maha Pandita အဂ္ဂမဟာပဏ္ဍိတ
  Senior sage
• Tipitaka Dara တိပိဋကဓရ
  Completed Three Baskets — “Vinaya”, “Sutta”, and “Abhidhamma”
• Dwee Pitaka Dara ဒွိပိဋကဓရ
  Completed Two Baskets
• [informal] “Ta Pone Saung” တပုံဆောင်
  Completed One Basket
• [informal] “Hna Pone Khwair Saung” နှစ်ပုံခွဲဆောင်
  Completed “Vinaya”, “Sutta” and the first part of “Abhidhamma”

U Vicittasarahhivamsa

A monk may be addressed by

• his given Dhamma name
  e.g. U Vicittasara
• a qualified name,
  e.g. U Victtasarabhivamsa (with the suufix -abhivamsa)
• by the name of his monastery
  e.g. Mingun Sayadaw
• title
  e.g. Tipitakadara
• and the combination
  e.g. Tipitakadara Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhimvamsa

Venerable Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa, served as “Chief Respondent” at the Sixth Buddhist Council (1954 – 1956) in Yangon,

He earlier passed the Tipitaka Examination with Distinctions in all subjects.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognized his memory and the feat of reciting 8000+ pages of the Pali Canon.

Thus, he could be addressed in several ways “

• Mingun Sayadaw
  Reference to his home monastery at Mingun
• U Vicittasara
  Name given at the Ordination
• U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Passed the Mandalay Setkya Thiha examination before age 26
• Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Chief Resident Monk
• Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Chief Resident Monk of a monastery in Mingun
• Tipitaka Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Passed Tipitaka examination
• Tipitakadhara Dhammabhandakarika Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  First monk to be awarded the titles Tipitakadhara (“Bearer of the Tipitaka) and Dhammabhandakarika (“Treasurer of the Dhamma”).

Posts

• Buddhist Councils
• Phenomenal Memory
• Triple Gems

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Sixth Buddhist Council

Maha Thera Ledi Sayadaw U Nyana Daza

• Prolific writer, an outstanding lecturer, and a teacher of teachers
• Lay people in Burma were not known to teach Vipassana meditation
• The Ledi tradition has a lineage of Vipassa teachers who are not ordained monks:
  Sayagyi U Thet,
  Sayagyi U Ba Khin,
  Sayagyi S. N. t

Mingun Jetawun Sayadaw U Narada (1868 – 1955)

• Credited as one of the major revivers of Vipassana meditation
• Went to one Mingun Sayadaw, who presumably had studied meditation under Thee Gon Sayadaw, and asked for guidance.
  Was told to study Sattipattha (from the Scriptures) deeply and then practice meditation
• Prominent disciples : Mahasi Sayadaw and Taung Pulu Sayadaw

Sayadaw U Thittila (1896-1997)

• Did missionary work in UK
• Came back to Burma and taught at the Pali Department for several years before continuing his missionary work abroad
• Lectured in 25+ countries (including US, UK, France)

• Ovadacariya to Sanagha Maya Nayaka, trustees of renowned pagodas
• Outstanding teacher and writer
• Played an important role in reviving Buddhism in India and propagating the study of Abhidhamma
• Very modest; rarely talked about his many achievements
• Patamagyaw scholar of all Burma (1918) : selected from among 5000 candidates
• Panyattisasanahita (1923) : among the 4 out of 150 entrants who passed the toughest monastic examination
• Studied Sanskrit in India; English in India and England
• Translated Vibhanga (second of the seven Adbhidhamma texts) from Pali to English : published by the Pali Text Society in 1969 under the title of The Book of Analysis

Mahagandaryone Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa

• Wrote several books in Pali and Burmese
• Several of his students including Thamane Kyaw Sayadaw and U Hla Myint are teaching “Pali Sikkha (Training)” to lay persons without overwhelming with Pali Grammar

Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana

• Renowned Meditation Master and author
• Served as Questioner at the Sixth Buddhist Council held at Kaba Aye, Rangoon, Burma
• Chief Resident Monk of Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha
• Mentees : Sayadaws U Pandita, U Kundala, U Janabhivamsa and many meditation teachers

Panditarama Sayadaw U Pandita

• Senior disciple of Mahasi Sayadawgyi
• Renowned Meditation Master and author
• Succeeded Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana at Sasana Yeiktha
• Established Panditarama

Saddhamaransi Sayadaw U Kundala

• Senior disciple of Mahasi Sayadawgyi
• Outstanding meditation teacher
• Made Dhamma Duta missions abroad (until his health forced him to stop going on long, tedious trips).
• His biography (which covers to the age of 85) and his works can be found in http://www.saddhamaransi.org/

Chanmyay Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa

• Practiced vipassana meditation with the instruction of Mahasi Sayadawgyi in 1953-54
• Served as Palipatiwisodhaka (editor of Pali scriptures) at the Sixth Buddhist Council.
• Meditation teacher at the Sasana Yeiktha from 1967 – 1977.
• Member of Mahasi Sayadaw’s Dhamma Dhuta Mission to Europe and US in 1978 – 80
• Established the Chanmyay Yeiktha Buddhist Meditation Center in Myanmar
  chanmyay.org
  Branches in several countries (e.g. US, Singapore, Australia)

Mingun Tipitaka Sayadaw Ashin Vicittathara

• The Guinness Book of World Records listed Sayadaw as having an outstanding memory — the best at that time [in 1954].
• Served as the Chief Reciter (a la Ashin Upali and Ashin Ananda at the First Buddhist Council) at the Sixth Buddhist Council held at KabaAye (World Peace) Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma from 1954 – 1956.
• Could memorize, recall, and give exposition on 8027 pages of the Buddhist Scriptures known as Tipitaka [“Three Baskets”] :
  Vinaya – Rules of monastic conduct
  Sutta – Buddha’s discourses
  Abhidhamma – Ultimate reality)

Mogok Sayadaw U Vimala (1899 – 1962)

• Renowned Vipassana meditation master
• 500 (or more) audio tapes of Sayadaw’s recordings have been transcribed into books (some e-books), and CDs
  Available at the Mogok Vipassana Meditation Centers
• Featured in “Yahanda Hnit Poke Ko Htoo Myar” book by Dhammacariya U Htay Hlaing

Dhammananda Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa

• External examiner for the Pali Department
• Rector of ITBMU
• Chief Resident Monk of Dhammananda Vihara
• Spiritual Advisor of several monasteries and meditation centers
• Wrote books in Pali, Burmese and English
• Served as Chief Compiler of the Tipitaka Pali-Myanmar Dictionary for the Sixth Buddhist Council.

In April of 1979, Mahasi Sayadawgi made a Dhamma Duta mission to the US. At the request of the devotees, Sayadawgyi agreed to leave behind Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa and Sayadaw U Kelasa as “trail blazers” for the promulgation, preservation, and the promotion of Sasana.

There were no Burmese Buddhist monasteries and/or temples, but the Sayadaws were determined to sacrifice their blissful lives back in their homeland to do whatever they can to do the Sasana work.

by Hla Min

Updated : Apr 2026

Ashin Janakabhivamsa

He practiced vipassana meditation with the instruction of Mahasi Sayadawgyi in 1953-54. He served as Palipatiwisodhaka (editor of Pali scriptures) at the Sixth Buddhist Council. He was meditation teacher at the Sasana Yeiktha from 1967 – 1977.

Dhamma Duta Mission

He was a member of Mahasi Sayadaw’s Dhamma Dhuta Mission to Europe and US in 1978 – 80 along with Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa, and Sayadaw U Kelasa.

Yeiktha

Sayadaw established the Chanmyay Yeiktha Buddhist Meditation Center in Myanmar (Burma).

There are branches in several countries (US, Singapore, Australia …)

by Hla Min

Update : Apr 2026

U Lokanatha (Italian Buddhist Monk)

A book changed his life

• Mr. Salvitore was working as a Chemist in the USA.
• Received a book as Christmas present from his supervisor. A chapter was “Dhammapada”.
  After reading it, Samvega (sense of urgency) crept in.
• Quit his job. Left for Burma to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. Became “U Lokanatha”.
• Wrote “I became a Buddhist. My supervisor remained a Christian.”
• Was from a devout Catholic family. Elder brother was a Priest.
• My paternal grand mother offered a monastery for U Lokanatha in Bawdigone (Windermere), Rangoon.
• Practiced Dhutanga. Preached & took Dhamma Dhuta missions to India and Ceylon.
• Passed away in Maymyo in 1966.

Ashin Ananda

(Latvian monk)

Fled Communist Rule

• Rev. Friedrich V. Lustig’s mentor was the Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia and Lithuania. When the Communists invaded their country, they sought refuge in Burma. The government provided them a monastery in the “Ah Le Pyit Sa Yan” of Shwe Dagon Pagoda.

Moke Seit

• Known as “Moke Seit Phone Gyi” for his beard. Came for alms to our parent’s house in Windermere Road.
• After his mentor’s demise, he became Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia & Lithuania.

Ashin Ananda

• Shaved his beard
• Ordained as a Theravada monk with the title “Ashin Ananda”
• Laureate Poet & Translator.
  Wrote poems in English.
  Translated selected Burmese poems into English.
• In July 1969, he gave my poem “Men on the Moon” to Mr. Hall (USIS) to be forwarded to Apollo 11 astronauts. Gave a copy to the Guardian newspaper for publication.

U Thilawuntha (Mon Sayadaw)

Built pagodas worldwide

• Dat Paung Zon Aung Min Gaung Sayadaw U Thilawunta (fondly known as “Mon Sayadaw”) built pagodas in Burma/Myanmar, USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and several other countries.
• In the ’50s, Sayadaw visited the United Nations and U Thant. He built the first Burmese pagoda in the Allegheny mountains near New York.

• During his visit to California, Sayadaw would spend time with his devotees such as Russell Wolfe (Santa Cruz) and U Aung Myint (Donald, Milpitas).

Sayadaw U Zeya

Monastery in Las Vegas

• Las Vegas has some monasteries including Thai monasteries supported by members of the Royal Family.
• Sayadaw resided at a Thai monastery and rose up in the ranks. Gave dhamma talks in Thai, English & Burmese.
  Several devotees offered him a monastery.
• In May 2013, several dhamma friends in the Bay Area rented a van to attend “Htee Tin Pwe” of the pagoda inside U Zeya’s monastery compound.
• Donated for two Nagas at the Las Vegas Monastery in memory of our parents and in-laws.

Engineers & Architects

Dr. Lwin Aung (A59)

• Entered monk-hood after retirement
• Was Professor of Architecture and Pro-Rector of YTU
• Volunteered as a Consulting Architect for the construction of dhamma buildings
• Due to health, he left monk-hood after several vassa.

U Bo Gyi (A59)

• Founded “Architect Incorporated” with U Tin Htoon (A60) & U Aung Kyee Myint (A60)
• Later joined PWD along with his partners
• Designed Mausoleum for Daw Khin Kyi, and was shunned by the higher authorities.
• Hobbies : music (piano) and modeling (sculpture)
• He is now GBNF.

U Han Nyo (Met60)

• He helped conduct meditation retreats in Southern California and Mexico.

U Myo Tun (A69)

• Ashin Pannagavesaka
• Won prizes for essays under the name “Errol Than Tun”
• Made dhamma duta mission to Vietnam
• Was Dhamma Librarian for Moulmein Pa Auk Tawya Monastery
• Edited Pa Auk Sayadaw’s books
• Taught English to Dhammacariya Sayadaws

U Aung Chaw (C69, SPHS63)

• Ashin Ukkamsa
• Resided in Sagaing
• Later moved to the Irrawaddy Delta region
• Met him in 2018 when he came to Yangon. Attended some breakfast gatherings by the 69ers. Kyaw Win (SPHS63) offered soon to Sayadaw at Shwe Ba Htamin Saing, and also offered Nawakamma.

U Wara (Win Paing, ChE70, SPHS64)

• Younger brother of Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC)
• Entered monkhood after the Final Year ChE exam
• Chief Resident Sayadaw, KabaAye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung
• Was Taik Oke Sayadaw for Sayadaw U Vinaya
• He is now GBNF

U Jotika (EE73)

• Prolific writer and an outstanding Dhamma Lecturer
• Spent vasa at Taung Pu Lu Kaba Aye monastery in Boulder Creek
• Revisited US about a decade ago
• Frequently visited Singapore and other neighboring countries

Ashin Pannobhasa (M91)

• Met him in SF Bay Area with his mentor (Sayadaw from Myanmar).
• Born in April 1966 Thursday (2nd Waning day of Kason 1328 BE) in Pyapon, Irrawaddy Division.
• After finishing his Mechanical Engineering degree from Yangon (Rangoon) Institute of Technology he received higher ordination as a Bhikkhu or a monk at the age of 24 in the Ordination Hall, Pyapon Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha under the preceptor of Venerable U Vannita, Pyapon Mahasi Sayadaw, Pyapon Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha on 27th July 1991.
• Chief Resident Monk at a monastery in Seattle, Washington