A sayadaw ( my, ဆရာတော်, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a
Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery.
Some distinguished sayadaws would often be referred to as a ''sayadawgyi'' (, as a sign of reverence. The terms "sayadaw" and "sayadawgyi" originally corresponded to the senior monks who taught the former Burmese kings. These sayadaws may be influential teachers of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and also important meditation practitioners. They usually are abbots of monasteries or monastery networks with many resident monks and a lay following.
In
Buddhism in Burma
Buddhism ( my, ဗုဒ္ဓဘာသာ), specifically Theravāda Buddhism ( my, ထေရဝါဒဗုဒ္ဓဘာသာ), is the State religion of Myanmar since 1961, and practiced by nearly 90% of the population. It is the most ...
, several honorific terms exist for Buddhist monks, reflecting their achievements and how many
vassas they have passed. The most frequently used terms, which are used as prefixes to the monks'
Dhamma name, include:
*"Bhaddanta"
*"Ashin"
*"Shin"
*"U"
*"Upazin"
*"Sayadaw"
*"Sayadawgyi"
A sayadaw may be known by his dharma name (), a qualified name, or by the name of his monastery. Thus, venerable
Mingun Sayadaw, who served as "Chief Respondent" at the
Sixth Buddhist council in Yangon, could be addressed as:
* Mingun Sayadaw (in reference to his home monastery at
Mingun)
* U Vicittasarabhivamsa
* Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
* Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
* Tipitaka Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
* Tipitakadhara Dhammabhandakarika Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa, in reference to being the first monk to be awarded the titles "Bearer of the
Tripiṭaka
''Tipiṭaka'' () or ''Tripiṭaka'' () or ''තිපිටක'' (), meaning "Triple Basket", is the traditional term for ancient collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures.
The Pāli Canon maintained by the Theravāda tradition in ...
" and "Treasurer of the Dhamma"
List of prominent Sayadaws
The following is a list of some prominent sayadaws in recent Burmese history.
*
Shwe Nya War Sayadaw
*
Sayadaw U Tejaniya
*
Ledi Sayadaw
*
Mingun Sayadaw
*
Mahasi Sayadaw
*
Webu Sayadaw
*
Mogok Vimala
*
Chanmyay Sayadaw
*
Thamanya Sayadaw
*
Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung Sayadaw
*
Ashin Sandadika
*
Sitagu Sayadaw
*
U Pandita
*
Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa
*
Thi Lung Sayadaw
References
External links
Buddhism Concepts - What is a Sayadaw?
{{Buddhism topics
Burmese Buddhist titles
Religious leadership roles