The Birth of Ledi Sayadaw and the Birth of Insight

After over four years of continuous effort by dozens of volunteers, Part 2 of the meditator's guide to Burma is almost out! Here is a sneak preview introducing the birthplace of the great Ledi Sayadaw:

On the surface, Sain Pyin seems pretty much like any other nondescript, rural, Dry Zone village. But for Burmese followers of the Buddha’s teachings, it is anything but! This is where the future Ledi Sayadaw was born, novitiated and ordained as a full bhikkhu in the mid-19th century. 

U Sarana translates Sain Pyin as “plain with wild oxen.” But it was not only oxen roaming these plains in the lower Chindwin Valley, as many kinds of wild animals called this the once-vast wilderness home. While far from developed today, the land has mostly been tamed, and the much tinier village of Ledi’s time has become a modest town of around 1,000 homes.

Given the lay name of Maung Tet Khaung, a miraculous event accompanied his birth in December 1846. After turning ten, the boy was sent to study at Kyaung Ma Monastery, becoming a novice at age fifteen and being given the name Shin Nyanadhaza, or in Pāḷi, Ñāṇadhaja, this means “banner of wisdom.” He learned Pāḷi and the scriptures under Sayadaw U Nanda, as was common in pre-colonial Burma, when monasteries were charged with looking after the educational needs of the community’s young men. Shin Nyanadhaza continued his monastic studies in nearby Ye Thwet Village. By the time of his full ordination, he had read all the books to be found in the two towns near his home.

Soon after becoming a bhikkhu, Shin Nyanadhaza went to Mandalay with another monk to continue his formal studies at the royal capital. Erik Braun notes that this journey would mark “a radical change in his life, for during his time there he was exposed to the ongoing encounter with the West. Before he left the city, he would find himself an active participant in that encounter.” But Sain Pyin Gyi is where that boy became a young man before that adventure ever started.

Ledi Sayadaw at Shwezigon Pagoda in Monywa

According to pagoda trustees, Shwezigon’s origination story goes back to the fourth century B.C., when King Widadapua attacked the Sakyan tribes (Siddhartha Gautama’s clan). Some Sakyans were said to flee all the way to Hpo Win Daung, on the west bank of the Chindwin River. From there, a great beam of light was seen arising from the east, which was taken as a good omen. 

Even given this august past, it is the events of about 150 years ago that give Shwezigon its current renown. It was on these grounds where the future Ledi Sayadaw first stayed after his Mandalay library burned in 1883, when he withdrew back to the solitude of rural Monywa. Here at this pagoda he continued his scholarly work and writing, residing at the invitation of Sayadaw U Nyanawuntha. About a dozen monks followed him, joining the other dozen or so monks who were already studying here. U Nyanadhaja, as he was known before heading out into Ledi Forest, resumed his teaching duties. According to U Candida, it was also here that U Nyanadhaja came to believe he could fulfill his two “latent wishes”; “to respect and pray to the Buddha regularly [and]] to fulfill Sangha needs.”

Ledi’s days here quickly fell into a routine. Sitagu Sayadaw describes what a day in the life may have looked like. “Sayadaw swept the shrine halls, terraces, open spaces, and stairways of Su Taung Paya and Shwezigone Pagodas. He swept the whole campus of the monastery, cleaned all the toilets (usually at night), filled all the water pots with fresh water, [and] attended and nursed sick monks.” In those days, sticks were used to clean oneself after a bowel movement, and U Nyanadhaja would take care even to clean these sticks after use. In addition, as the monastery complex had hollows up to ten feet deep, U Nyanadhaja personally carried earth from other areas to make the ground more level. Finally, he helped the Sayadaw complete the construction of a new Dhamma Hall.

His pupils became discomfited by the many menial tasks that their great teacher undertook, most on their behalf, and some felt unworthy to even drink the water he poured for them (yet another task U Nyanadhaja undertook, sometimes at three a.m., so as not to wake anyone). But he eased their concerns, declaring that in his past incarnations, his wives and children had benefited from the use of his body and limbs, and now finally as a monk he had the opportunity to fully serve the Buddha’s teachings. He added that one’s body is like a hired cart, and that one can make use of it while we are in possession of its functions, but eventually it, too, will be taken away.

An important event occurred while staying here that would affect U Nyanadhaja’s future plan, and which would have major implications in the worldwide spread of the Dhamma. One day, while engaged in his cleaning duties, he met the renowned Sayadaw U Thila, a forest monk whom many at the time believed to be fully enlightened. U Thila’s commitment and spiritual attainments, both of which were borne from his solitary practice, inspired U Nyanadhaja’s eventual decision to venture forth into Ledi Forest in the coming years.

In terms of the pagoda’s physical layout, the entryway is approached off of one of Monywa’s busiest streets. The pilgrim leaves the hectic worldly activity in turn for a quiet, colonnaded concrete hall, whose most prominent feature is the central stupa. Fashioned in the “diamond bud” style in pure gold, the top reaches upwards of 135 feet, a pair of ogres perching near the top. No less than 35 smaller stupas are scattered across the expansive compound, including many Buddha images, some of which go back to the 18th century. Several statues depict Ledi Sayadaw, honoring the historic role that the pagoda played in his development. The earliest Buddha image is listed from 785, and the donor list includes many of the great Bamar kings.

Also on the grounds is a Bodhi tree, a large Dhamma Hall, and an artificial cave structure, inside which are various statues of well-known nats and hermits. Perhaps most suitable for meditation is the smaller room to the right of the shrine area, featuring two pristine Buddha images… and also where there are explicit signs requesting visitors not to make any noise that may disturb a yogi’s meditation. And unusual to the Burmese pagoda landscape are a diverse host of tropical trees and professionally manicured bushes and hedges. A dusty monastery is connected via a blue gate, although it is uncertain if these are the original monastic grounds dating back to Ledi’s time. Today its courtyard doubles as the Royal Shwe Myint Badminton Club.

Monkey Minds

Just outside of Dhamma Nana Dhaja in Monywa, the meditation center in the tradition of Sayagyi U Goenka and named after the Pali words of Ledi Sayadaw's name, it was considered beneficial to build a large monkey cage, so some yogis may wish to bring banana dana. Strangely, the cage seems to be monkey-optional, as the primates wander back and forth between the bars freely, so those with “monkey phobia” may wish to avoid the area.

Entering the Wild Ledi Forest

The Lower Chindwin Valley monk Ashin Nyanadhaja had made a brilliant display in the royal capital of Mandalay— often as an ascendant shining star, while at other times as a transcendent lightening rod— but by the early 1880s he had seemingly given up this cosmopolitan life, choosing instead to wander alone into remote Ledi Forest in Monwya. This act gave the world Ledi Sayadaw, and gave Monywa Maha Ledi Monastery, an active pariyatti monastery on the very grounds where Ledi made his initial retreat into the wilderness.


A city has since built around it, and any trees left in the area have been intentionally planted to ease the urban landscape. Today it is the home of over two hundred monks and novices, and every year Ledi Sayadaw’s birthday is celebrated with a great Saṅgha Dāna feast and ceremony. It goes without saying that Ledi left very large shoes—or rather, sandals—to fill, and this duty currently goes to Sayadaw U Aindarwantha, also known as the Tenth Ledi Sayadaw. While foreign yogis are generally not permitted to stay overnight, one may ask permission to meditate on the compound and pay respects to the sites associated with the great founder’s life.

The Bye Bye Sayadaw

For foreigners unaccustomed to the style of Burmese names, it can be confusing to understand the best way to refer to a monk, as well as to keep track of the different names used to reference a single person. It is most polite within Burmese society to use an honorific prefix before the name when referring to people. Burmese people-- including lays-- may also be known to change names more often than in other cultures. While it is not common to do so upon marriage (since family names are usually not employed), one may do so in order to change one’s luck. Then, ordination gives the aspirant a new Pali name. This is also the case for monks who reach a high level of renown, when their formal Pali name becomes superseded by the name of a place or region in which they achieved their attainments or spent extended periods of time. Indeed, at that point, it is usually considered slightly inappropriate to use their Pali-given name because it sound too personal for a monk who has become so venerated. There is no set point at which the monk’s name formally changes from the Pali name to one that includes the site or regional inference, but rather it is an organic process conferred by the followers and other monks. In such cases, many devotees who come later may never learn the name of the monk at all.

This was true of U Nyanadhaja, who spent time in Ledi forest; U Kumara, who resided in Webula Hills; and U Vimala, who spent the Japanese occupation in Baw Ba Tant Caves near Mogok. Some titles have a less clear origin, such as U Sobhana, who took the name of the monastery where he was residing, which itself was named after a famous “big drum” (or Maha Si); or the monk who was a former royal tutor and later went to live in the wild Sagaing Hills, eventually living in seclusion in a “cave of birds”, and becoming known at Hngettwin Sayadaw. Others, such as U Āciṇṇa in the Pa Auk tradition, may take on the name of their lineage, and he is commonly known today simply as Pa Auk Sayadaw; or U Aindarwanthais, who is referred to as the tenth Ledi Sayadaw (according to Mendelson, this started only in the 19th century). This was even so of U Lawkanatha, who during his lifetime was known commonly as “Italy Sayadaw,” referencing his place of birth. This is perhaps better than the name given to an American monk who would communicate the only words of English that village novices knew when seeing them, saying “bye bye.” Eventually they came to calling Bhikkhu Cintita the Bye Bye Sayadaw.

From a Western perspective, say that a relatively unknown monk has traveled to Eugene, Oregon, and here he begins to practice seriously in the forests surrounding the town. As he begins to get known throughout the state and beyond, some may refer to him in a short-handed way as “the Eugene Sayadaw.” Eventually he may become so renowned that the definite article “the” is dropped and “Eugene Sayadaw” begins to be used a proper name. When rendered in English, different authors choose to use or omit the definite article, and today some consider the use of the definite article to be more formal.