Sitagu Sayadaw

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Sitagu Sayadaw
သီတဂူဆရာတော်
Religion Buddhism
School Theravada
Other names Thegon Sayadaw
Thabeik Ein Sayadaw
Dharma names Ñānissara
ဉာဏိဿရ
Personal
Nationality Burmese
Born (1937-02-23) 23 February 1937 (age 77)[1]
Badigon, Thegon Township, Pegu Province, British Burma
Senior posting
Based in Yangon, Myanmar
Title Ovadacariya (ဩဝါဒါစရိယ)
Religious career
Teacher Sayadaw U Pandita[2]
Website sitaguacademy.com
sitagu.org
In this Burmese name, Ashin is an honorific.

Bhante Ashin Nyanissara (Burmese: ဉာဏိဿရ), commonly known as the Sitagu Sayadaw (သီတဂူဆရာတော်) is one of the most prominent Buddhist monks in Myanmar. He was first ordained as a novice monk in 1952 at the age of 15, and became fully ordained in 1957.[1] He is ordained into the Shwegyin Nikaya.[3] In 1978, he founded the Sitagu International Buddhist Missionary Center, shortly after establishing a monastery in Sagaing Hills.[1]

Missionary and Charity works[edit]

Bhante Sitagu Sayadaw is known for his charismatic leadership and practices of socially-engaged Buddhism.[2] His organization has funded many social projects in Burma, including water pumps, construction of hospitals, including the Sitagu Ayudana Hospital in Sagaing[4] in 1985, and the Sitagu Buddhist Academy in 1998.[2]

Bhante Sitagu Sayadaw is lauded for his missionary and charity works, especially in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which killed upwards of 100,000 in the country's delta regions.[5]

He is also interested in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.[6]

Awards[edit]

In 1993, Bhante Sitagu Sayadaw was awarded the title Maha Dhammakathika Bahujanahitadhara.[2] In 1995, he was awarded another title, Agga Maha Saddhamma Jotikadhaja.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "A Brief Biography of Dr. Ashin Nanissara". Sitagu Buddhist Vihara. Theravada Dhamma Society of America. Retrieved 10 March 2012. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Hiroko Kawanami (2009). "Charisma, Power(s), and the Arahant Ideal in Burmese-Myanmar Buddhism". Asian Ethnology (Nanzan University) 68 (2): 211–237. 
  3. ^ Ye Lwin (19 October 2009). "Hmawbi hosts sangha meeting". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 10 March 2012. 
  4. ^ "Eye Care Project ( Burma)". Australia Burma Community Development Network. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2012. 
  5. ^ Lintner, Bertil (2009). The resistance of the monks: Buddhism and activism in Burma. Human Rights Watch. p. 89. ISBN 9781564325440. 
  6. ^ The Elijah Interfaith Institute - Buddhist Members of the Board of World Religious Leaders