Category: Sayadaw

  • TMC

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Tathagata Meditation Center

    • Founded by devotees (mostly Vietnamese) of Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa.
    • Located at 1215 Lucretia Street, San Jose
    • Sayadaw U Silananda gave a talk “The ten meanings of Tatagatha”
    U Silananda

    History & Activities

    For the history and activities of the meditation center, please visit

    http://www.tathagata.org/

    TMC Dining Hall

    • In the dining hall, there is an album about Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa’s early years in the US (e.g. meditation retreat at a church, dhamma classes at a Zen Buddhism Temple).
    • There are also photos about the Summer Camp for children and young adults.
    • There are two cabinets of books: one for dhamma dana distribution, and another for sale.

    Newsletter

    • The “Dhamma Bell Newsletter” was edited by volunteers (U Theikdi & Maureen O’Brien).
    • It was published quarterly.
    • It featured dhamma talks given at TMC and also recipes (e.g. vegetarian spring rolls).

    Sayadaws

    Panditarama Sayadaw

    Panditarama Sayadaw
    • Sayadawgyi conducted Annual Meditation Retreats.
    • Later, he assigned Sayadaws to conduct the Retreats on his behalf.

    Beelin Sayadaw

    Beelin Sayadaw
    • Spent over a decade as Chief Resident Sayadaw at TMC
    • Back in Myanmar, Sayadaw resided at Hse Mile Gone and Panditarama
    • Passed away on June 18, 2025.
    • TMC will have a ceremony on July 19, 2025 starting at 2 PM to honor Beelin Sayadaw.

    U Dhammika (Tharmane Kyaw Sayadaw)

    • Sayadaw taught Pali courses at TMC
    • He wrote “Pali Sikkha ပါဠိသိက္ခာ” (Practicing Pali) texts.
    Pali course

    U Thuzana

    • Current Chief Resident Monk of TMC
    U Thuzana
  • Beelin Sayadaw

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    U Pyinnyadipa ဘီးလင်းဆရာတော်ဦးပညာဒီပ

    • Patron, Panditarama Monastery
    • Former Chief Sayadaw, Hse Mile Gone Monastery
    • Former Chief Sayadaw, Tathagata Meditation Center, San Jose, California, USA
    • Passed away in Yangon on June 18, 2025
    Beelin 1
    Beelin 2
    Beelin 3
    Beelin 4
    Beelin 5
    Beelin 6

    Memories

    • I was Interpreter for some of Sayadaw’s dhamma talks at TMC.
    • Sayadaw published dhamma books.
    Book
    • Visited Sayadaw at the Hse Mile Gone monastery and at the Shwe Taung Gone monastery

    Posts

    • Dhamma Books
    • Sayadaw
    • Tathagata Meditation Center
    • Vipassana Meditation
    Beelin 2
    • I was Interpreter for some of Sayadaw’s talks (at TMC)
  • Sayadaws

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Neikbeinda Sayadaw

    နိဗ္ဗိန္ဒဆရာတော်

    Neikbeinda Sayadaw
    Three Seikkhas

    Taung dan thathana pyu

    တောင်တန်းသာသနာပြုဆရာတော်

    Sixth Buddhist Council

    Five Sayadaws

    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)

    U Thittila
    • 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

    Mahagandayone Sayadaw
    • 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

    Sixth Buddhist Council
    Mahasi & Mingun Sayadaws
    Mahasi Sayadaw
    • 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

    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

    Ledi Sayadaw
    • 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

    Two Sayadaws at Sixth Buddhist Council
    • 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)

    Mogok Sayadaw
    • 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

    U Silananda
    U Silananda
    • 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.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-a.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-b.jpg
  • GBNF 2025

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    U Pyinnyadipa

    • Patron, Panditarama Monastery
    • Former Chief Sayadaw, Hse Mile Gone Monastery
    • Former Chief Sayadaw, Tathagata Meditation Center, San Jose, California, USA
    • Passed away in Yangon on June 18, 2025
    • I was Interpreter for some of Sayadaw’s talks (at TMC)

    Daw Myint Thwe

    Daw Myint Thwe
    • Passed away in Sydney, Australia
    • Spouse : Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (GBNF)
    • Daughter : Tin Tin Hlaing (ex-UCC)
    • Sons : Tha Hlaing (EC83, ex-UCC), Min Thet Tun (GBNF)
    • U Sein Tin (EC75, ex-UCC) created a video for the Memorial Service
    • Daw Mya Win (Alison, BBS, former classmate) gave a Eulogy

    Maung Kaung

    • 1st BE Intake of 64
    • M71
    • GBNF #143
    • U Ohn Khine & team maintain the GBNF list for the Class

    Kaung Aye (Peter)

    • Studied M.Sc (Computer Science) at UCC
    • Passed away in Sydney, Australia
    • Spouse : Theresa Wong
    • Aung Ngwe Tun (Glen) & ex-UCC group posted photos & videos of the last journey
  • Sayadaws

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Sixth Buddhist Council

    Five Sayadaws

    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)

    U Thittila
    • 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

    Mahagandayone Sayadaw
    • 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

    Sixth Buddhist Council
    Mahasi & Mingun Sayadaws
    Mahasi Sayadaw
    • 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

    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

    Ledi Sayadaw
    • 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

    Two Sayadaws at Sixth Buddhist Council
    • 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)

    Mogok Sayadaw
    • 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

    U Silananda
    U Silananda
    • 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.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-a.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-b.jpg
  • Sayadaws & Priests

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Former Classmates

    SPHS
    • 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.
    Uzin Aung Chaw
    • 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
    Uzin Bobby

    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.
    U Wara
    • Sayadaw U Jotika (EP73)
      is a prolific writer.
    U Jotika
    • 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.
    Uzin Bo Gyi
    • 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.
    Uzin Beatson
    • 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
  • Sayadaw

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Mahasi & Mingun

    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
  • Sayadaws

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Sixth Buddhist Council

    Five Sayadaws

    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)

    U Thittila
    • 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

    Mahagandayone Sayadaw
    • 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

    Sixth Buddhist Council
    Mahasi & Mingun Sayadaws
    Mahasi Sayadaw
    • 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

    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

    Two Sayadaws at Sixth Buddhist Council
    • 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.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-a.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is taya-oo-2002-b.jpg
  • U Silananda (1927 -2005)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Apr 2026

    Highlights

    U Silananda
    Three Abhidhamma Scholars
    At Insight Meditation Society
    • First Rector, International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University
    • Trailblazer for the Buddhist monks doing Dhamma Duta missions in the USA and beyond. See the book by Nyaung Kan Aye Sayadaw.
    • Ovada Sayadaw and Spirtual Advisor of Monasteries (Dhammanada Vihara, TMC, Abayarama, Mahasi) & Meditation Centers (DMC).
    • Lexicographer, Tipitaka Pali-Myanmar Dictionary
    • Author — Books (in Burmese & English)
    Dependent Origination
    • Courses — Fundamentals of Buddhism, Abhidhamma (in Burmese & English), Consecration of Sima, Dhamma Topics & Discussions
    Course
    CD

    • Passed away on August 13, 2005. I was Emcee of the Memorial Service. I accompanied Saya U Myat Htoo (TBSA) and carried the Box of Sayadaw’s ashes to be scattered near the Golden Gate Bridge.
    • I was Contributing Editor of the book “Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silandabhivamsa”.
    Book 1
    • Sarah Marks transcribed Sayadaw’s talks on Abdhidhamma. It was published in three volumes.
    Abhidhamma
    • A Thai devotee published “Paritta Pali and Protective Verses” as a birthday present for Sayadaw.
    Paritta
    • Sayadaw’s first book “Taya Oo” was reprinted for Sayadaw’s 75th Birthday. It also had Sayadaw’s Biography.
    Bio 1
    Bio 2

    10th Anniversary

    • In August 2015, TBSA celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Sayadaw’s demise
    • I read Sayadaw’s biography
    Remember 1
    Remember 2
    Remember 3
    Remember 4

    Last Journey

    • Sayadaw (Rector, ITBMU and Chief Resident Monk, Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay, California) passed away on August 13, 2005.
    • I had the honor to serve as Master of Ceremonies at the Services.
    • 50+ Theravada monks from Burma, USA, and UK paid respect to Sayadaw.
    • U Nandamalabhivamsa (then Pro-Rector, Academic, IMBTU) and Dr. Myint Kyi (then Pro-Rector, Admin, IMBTU) attended the ceremonies as Representatives of IMBTU.
    • Devotees mourned that “The sun that rose in the East has set in the West”
    • Sayadaw was cremated.
    • I had the honor to carry the box containing Sayadaw’s ashes to be scattered from a yacht into the waters near Golden Gate Bridge.
    • Saya U Myat Htoo (C68, President of TBSA) led the procession.
    • Sayadaw’s last journey is recorded as a 2-set DVD.

    Paying Homage

    I served as a Contributing Editor and the Committee member for compiling and publishing the book “Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silananda”.

    Homage

    In August, 2015, the saydaws and devotees of Dhammananda Vihara to celebratethe 10th Anniversary of Sayadaw’s demise. See photos

  • ChanMyay Sayadaw

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Apr 2026

    Ashin Janakabhivamsa

    ChanMyay Sayadaw
    Mahasi Sayadaw

    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 …)

    ChanMyay Sayadaw