Mahasi Sayadaw

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana
မဟာစည်ဆရာတော် ဦးသောဘန
British Burma
Died14 August 1982(1982-08-14) (aged 78)
Rangoon, Burma
ReligionBuddhism
NationalityBurmese
SchoolTheravada
LineageMahasi
EducationDhammācariya (1941)
Dharma namesSobhana
သောဘန
OccupationBuddhist monk
Senior posting
Based inMahasi Monastery, Yangon, Myanmar
PredecessorU Nārada
SuccessorU Pandita, Dipa Ma
Websitewww.mahasi.org.mm

Mahāsī

vipassanā
(insight) meditation in the West and throughout Asia.

In his style of practice, derived from the so-called

stream entry
.

Mahāsī Sayādaw was a questioner and final editor at the

Sixth Buddhist Council
on May 17, 1954.

Biography

Mahāsi Sayādaw was born in 1904 in Seikkhun village in Upper

dhamma
teacher) degree in 1941.

In 1931, U Sobhana took leave from teaching scriptural studies in

Moulmein, South Burma, and went to nearby Thaton to practice intensive Vipassana meditation under Mingun Jetawun Sayādaw (also rendered Mingun Jetavana Sayādaw), also known as U Nārada. This teacher had practiced in the remote Sagaing Hills of Upper Burma, under the guidance of Aletawya Sayādaw, a student of the forest meditation master Thelon Sayādaw.[citation needed] U Sobhāna first taught Vipassana meditation in his home village in 1938, at a monastery named for its massive drum 'Mahāsi'. He became known in the region as Mahāsi Sayādaw. In 1947, the Prime Minister of Burma, U Nu
, invited Mahāsi Sayādaw to be resident teacher at a newly established meditation center in Yangon, which came to be called the Mahāsi Sāsana Yeiktha.

Mahāsi Sayādaw was a questioner and final editor at the

Sixth Buddhist Council on May 17, 1954. He helped establish meditation centers all over Burma as well as in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, and by 1972 the centers under his guidance had trained more than 700,000 meditators. In 1979, he travelled to the West, holding retreats at newly founded centers such as the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, U.S. In addition, meditators came from all over the world to practice at his center in Yangon
. When the Mahāsi Sayādaw died on 14 August 1982 following a massive stroke, thousands of devotees braved the torrential monsoon rains to pay their last respects.

Practice

Mahāsi's method is based on the

anattā.[5] When the three characteristics have been comprehended, reflection subdues, and the process of noticing accelerates, noting phenomena in general, without necessarily naming them.[6]

Notable students

Publications

Mahāsi Sayādaw published nearly seventy volumes of Buddhist literature in Burmese, many of these transcribed from talks. He completed a Burmese translation of the Visuddhimagga, ("The Path of Purification") a lengthy treatise on Buddhist practice by the 5th century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar Buddhaghosa. He also wrote a volume entitled Manual of Vipassana Meditation. His English works include:

  • Sayadaw, Mahasi (1971). Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation.
  • Sayadaw, Mahasi (1983). Thoughts on the Dhamma.
  • Sayadaw, Mahasi (1986). The Ups and Downs of Rebirth.
  • Sayadaw, Mahasi (1991). Practical Vipassana Exercises (PDF).
    ISBN 978-9552400896
    .
  • Sayadaw, Mahasi (1998). Progress of Insight: Treatise on Buddhist Satipathana Meditation.
    ISBN 978-9552400902. Archived from the original
    on 2000-12-08.
  • Sayadaw, Mahasi (2016). Manual of Insight.
    ISBN 9781614292777
    .

Notes

  1. ^ Jeff Wilson notes that morality is a quintessential element of Buddhist practice, and is also emphasized by the first generation of post-war western teachers. Yet, in the contemporary mindfulness movement, morality as an element of practice has been mostly discarded, 'mystifying' the origins of mindfulness.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wilson 2014, p. 54-55.
  2. ^ Mahāsi Sayādaw, Manual of Insight, Chapter 5
  3. ^ a b Mahasi Sayadaw, Practical Vipassana Instructions
  4. ^ Bhante Bodhidhamma, Vipassana as taught by The Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma
  5. ^ PVI, p.22-27
  6. ^ PVI, p.28
  7. ^ "Sayadaw U Silananda". Theravada Buddhist Society of America. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  8. ^ "Our Teacher -". vipassanadhura.com. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  9. ^ "About". Jack Kornfield. Archived from the original on 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2013-12-21.

Sources

  • Wilson, Jeff (2014), Mindful America: Meditation and the Mutual Transformation of Buddhism and American Culture, OUP USA

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Mahasi Sayadaw.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahasi_Sayadaw&oldid=1213306573"