U Pinnyasiha (), commonly known as the Shwe Nya Wa

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 ...

(, ), is a Burmese

Theravada Buddhist ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dhamma'' in th ...

monk, best known for teaching at Yangon Buddhist University in Kyimyindaing Township in Yangon. In December 2011, he met with

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

, US Secretary of State, along with other civil society delegates.

Early life

He was born in 1965 to U Htun Yin and Daw Hla Tot, in Phayagon village, Mandalay Division.

Monkhood career

In February 2012, Shwenyawa Sayadaw, the abbot of the Sadhu Pariyatti Monastery, was evicted from his monastery by the

State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee The State Saṅgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee (, abbreviated Mahana or in Burmese, SSMNC in English) is a government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees and regulates the Sangha (Buddhist clergy) in Burma (Myanmar). That ...

for alleged disobedience, by holding a sermon at the Mandalay office of the

National League for Democracy The National League for Democracy (, ; Abbreviation, abbr. NLD; Burmese abbr. ဒီချုပ်) is a deregistered liberal democratic political party in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It became the country's ruling party after a landslide victo ...

in September, where he had publicly called for the release of political prisoners and the end of ongoing civil wars. Shwenyawa Sayadaw is known to be a controversial and outspoken figure, he has criticised many of his peers in the Buddhist clergy for corruption and failure to live up their religious obligations, as well as speaking out against the government and the military. Most notably he is known for his strong opposition to the nationalistic and anti-Muslim

969 movement The 969 Movement () is a Buddhist nationalist movement opposed to what they see as Islam's expansion in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar (Burma). The three digits of 969 "symbolize the virtues of the Buddha, Buddhist practices and the Buddhist ...

, Shwenyawa Saydaw urged for calm and restraint during the

2013 Burma anti-Muslim riots The 2013 Myanmar anti-Muslim riots were a series of conflicts in various cities throughout central and eastern Myanmar (Burma). March riots in Meiktila Tensions between Buddhist and Muslim ethnic groups flared into violent clashes in Meiktila, ...

. In the wake of the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

on 1 February, he was detained by the

Myanmar Armed Forces The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services includ ...

References

External links

new.asiaone.com

BBC Asia

Shwe Nya War Sayadaw said broke media ethics

Shwe Nya War Sayadaw and 99% Buddhist monks agreed and recommended on 969 campaign
This is the interview of U Khin Maung Soe of

Radio Free Asia Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a news service that publishes online news, information, commentary and broadcasts radio programs for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editorially independent reporting, has the stated mission of pro ...

to Shwe Nya War Sayadaw with English subtitle {{DEFAULTSORT:Shwe Nya War Sayadaw 1965 births Theravada Buddhist monks Burmese Buddhist monks People from Mandalay Region Living people