Sayadaw U Tejaniya
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Sayadaw A sayadaw (, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. The word is a combination of Sanskrit word "acharya" (te ...
U Tejaniya () is a Theravādin Buddhist monk of
Chinese descent Overseas Chinese people are people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 million people livin ...
and the
meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...
teacher at the Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Forest Center in
Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
,
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
whose teachings have attracted a global audience.


Personal life

Sayadaw U Tejaniya lived as a
householder Householder may refer to: *Householder, a person who is the head of a household *Householder (Buddhism), a Buddhist term most broadly referring to any layperson * Householder (surname), notable people with the surname *''The Householder'', a 1963 ...
running a textile business until age thirty-six, which is atypical for Sayadaws in Myanmar. At various intervals during his pre-monastic life he studied intensively with Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw (1913–2002), a highly venerated figure who was one of the first meditation teachers trained by
Mahasi Sayadaw Mahāsī Sayādaw U Sobhana (, ; 29 July 1904 – 14 August 1982) was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk and meditation master who had a significant impact on the teaching of vipassanā (insight) meditation in the West and throughout Asia. In ...
. Sayadaw Tejaniya feels that because of his experience developing his practice while leading the life of a householder, he understands both the challenges
yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297–299, 331 ...
s face in integrating their meditation practice with their everyday lives and how to overcome them. Another notable episode in his life was his struggle with two major episodes of
clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...
, which he credits with providing the motivation to develop his skills at mental self-investigation (Dhamma vicaya) to an extraordinary level.


Pedagogical style

Sayadaw's teaching style differs in emphasis somewhat from the style of Vipassana meditation generally practiced in Myanmar. Rather than making a single, primary object the focus of
awareness In philosophy and psychology, awareness is the perception or knowledge of something. The concept is often synonymous with consciousness. However, one can be aware of something without being explicitly conscious of it, such as in the case of bli ...
for meditation, Sayadaw Tejaniya believes practitioners must first pay attention to the presence of defilements in the mind—greed, aversion and delusion—which can make themselves subtly present while meditating and diminish the effectiveness of the practice. As Sayadaw Tejaniya has said, "Don’t reject any object that comes to your attention. The object of attention is not really important; the observing mind that is working in the background to be aware is of real importance. If the observing is done with the right attitude, any object is the right object." Sayadaw Tejaniya places less emphasis on form—the sitting posture or the specific method of
walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...
—recommending instead a more natural pose closer to how yogis act in real life. In his words, "Meditation is not just about sitting on a cushion. No matter what posture you are in, if your mind is aware with understanding, you are meditating." In addition to '' sati'' (mindfulness) and '' viriya'' (perseverance), the Sayadaw feels it is important for yogis to engage in ''
dhamma vicaya In Buddhism, ''dhamma vicaya'' (Pali; ) has been variously translated as the "analysis of qualities," "discrimination of '' dhammas''," "discrimination of states," "investigation of doctrine," and "searching the Truth." The meaning is ambivalent ...
'' (investigation, analysis) of an almost scientific sort, which he believes is the most productive route to knowledge of the world as it really is. The Sayadaw is particularly concerned with helping yogis build skills they can and will continue to use throughout their lives.


Overseas teachings

Sayadaw Tejaniya has taught and led meditation retreats in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
,
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. His principal writings have been translated into eleven languages. In 2012, Sayadaw traveled to the United States with his translator for a retreat at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre Massachusetts. Over one hundred participants attended, including many noted North American meditation teachers.


Publications

Sayadaw Tejaniya has published three books drawn from his group interviews with yogis, one collection of brief yogi autobiographies emphasizing how the practice of mindfulness meditation has influenced them (including one by the Sayadaw himself), and two books from a commercial publisher (''When Awareness Becomes Natural: A Guide to Cultivating Mindfulness in Everyday Life'', 2016, and ''Relax and Be Aware: Mindfulness Meditations for Clarity, Confidence, and Wisdom'', 2019). Many of Sayadaw Tejaniya's question-and-answer exchanges with yogis about their practice, which combine elements of traditional Dhamma talks and interviews, are available online. He was apparently the correspondee of letters from Master Zhong Fushi in 2012 in which he was encouraged to remain open to the Dharmapālas.


References


External links


Ashin Tejaniya

Sayadaw U Tejaniya's Dharma Talks on DharmaSeed

Sayadaw U Tejaniya's Dharma Talks on AudioDharma

Dhamma Everywhere Tumblr

Video of Retreat With Sayadaw U Tejaniya in Russia July 2012
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tejaniya, Sayadaw U Theravada Buddhist monks Burmese Theravada Buddhists Burmese Buddhist monks People from Yangon Burmese scholars of Buddhism Theravada Buddhism writers Burmese people of Chinese descent 1962 births Living people