SADDHAMMARANSI SAYADAW

ASHIN KUNDALABHIVAMSA
Agga Maha Kammatthanacariya

SADDHAMMARANSI MEDITATION CENTRE

(Born in 1921)

The Sayadaw was born in Waw Township, Bago District, Myanmar in 1921 to U Tha Phyo and Daw Pu. He became a samanera at the age of nine at the Waw Monastery. He studied at various learning monasteries, amongst which are the two well-known Shwe-hintha forest monastery and the Maydhini forest monastery.

He attained the title of Dhamma Lecturership in 1956, and another title of Dhamma Lecturership in 1958. On 4th January 1998, the 7th Waxing of Pyatho, 1359 M.E (the Golden Jubilee Independence Day of Myanmar) he attained a yet higher title of Dhamma Lecturenship, that of Agga Maha Kammatthanacariya.

The Sayadaw taught Buddhist Scriptures to about two hundred monks daily at the Maydhini forest monastery for twenty years. After having meditated under the tutelage of the late Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw for a year, the Sayadaw decided to teach meditation. He founded the Saddhammaransi Meditation centre in 1978. The centre is now catering to two hundred yogis daily.

The Saddhammaransi meditation centre has three branches: -

(1) Sukhapatipada Saddhammaransi meditation centre at Kyauk-kon, Yangon, founded in 1993.

(2) Vivekatawya Saddhammaransi meditation centre founded in 1994, at Nyaunglebin

(3) Khippabhinna Saddhammaransi meditation centre of Jndyne, founded in 1995.

The Sayadaw is also a prolific writer and has published several Dhamma books. He is one of the chief advisory Sanghas in the main Mahasi meditation centre in Yangon. Recently he has visited Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Australia, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia at the invitation of the devotees, to conduct meditation retreats and to give dhamma talks.