Shwegyin Sayadaw
Shwegyin Sayadaw, born Maung Than, reverentially known as Ashin Zāgara, was a prominent Burmese Theravāda Buddhist monk who founded the Shwegyin Nikaya, one of the nine legally recognised monastic orders in Myanmar. He is regarded as the first monk to establish a strict Vinaya-reform sect during the reign of King Mindon. The Shwegyin Nikāya remains the strictest and most forest-oriented monastic lineage in Myanmar today.
Early life
Shwegyin Sayadaw was born on 28 July 1822 in Shwegyin village, near the present-day Wetlet Township, Shwebo District, Sagaing Region. His parents were U Maung and Daw Myat Mit. At age seven he began studying under the local monastery teacher, later identified as Ven. U Vara. He became a sāmaṇera at age 14 in ME 1198 and received the name Shin Zāgara.He studied at several monasteries, mastering Pali grammar, Abhidhamma, and Vinaya. At age 20 he received higher ordination under Ven. U Vara at Ywatha monastery in Ywathitgyi village. From then on he strictly observed the 13 dhutaṅga and became known as a dhutaṅga monk.
Monastic career and founding of the Shwegyin Nikāya
Ashin Zāgara spent years in forest monasteries, emphasising strict adherence to the Vinaya. In ME 1222 King Mindon, seeking to purify the Saṅgha, granted him and his followers independence from the Thudhamma Nikāya and full royal patronage. This marked the formal establishment of the Shwegyin Nikāya, named after the founder’s birthplace.The king built five monasteries for the new sect in Mandalay and appointed Ashin Zāgara as its leader. The sect emphasised:
- Strict observance of the 13 dhutaṅga practices
- Forest-dwelling orientation
- Independence from royal or state control over monastic affairs
Later life
Ashin Zāgara refused all honorary titles offered by King Mindon and later King Thibaw. After the British annexation in 1885, the colonial authorities ceased recognising the office of Thathanabaing, effectively ending official support for the Shwegyin leadership structure, though the sect continued to thrive.He spent his final years in forest monasteries in Sagaing and Mingun. He died on 26 March 1893 at Mingun Ngwe Taung forest monastery, aged 70 and with 52 vassas.