Sīlānanda


U Sīlānanda was a Burmese Buddhist monk and Vipassana meditation scholar. He was also the first rector of the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University.

Brief biography

Born in Mandalay, he first ordained as a novice monk on 14 April 1943 at the age of 16, during Thingyan celebrations. He was ordained under Sayadaw U Pannavata at the Mahavijjodaya Chaung Monastery on the Sagaing Hills and given the Dhamma name Sīlānanda. He attended the Kelly High School, an American Baptist mission school, before entering the monkhood.
On 2 July 1947, he underwent higher ordination at the same monastery. Four days later, he was re-ordained at Mandalay's Payagyi monastery. From 1946 to 1948, he passed three grades of the Burmese government religious examinations and given the status of Dhammacariya and abbot of TBSA's Dhammananda Vihara monastery in the United States.
He taught Buddhist scriptures at Sagaing's Atothokdayone Pali University and Mandalay Arts and Sciences University and compiled the Tipitaka Pali-Burmese dictionary and became a distinguished editor of the Pali Canon at the Sixth Buddhist council in Rangoon. He taught Pali language at Mandalay University, too.
In 1999, at the request of Sitagu Sayadaw, he agreed to become rector of International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University, opened in the same year. He was succeeded by Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa after his death in 2005.
He died of a brain tumor on 13 August 2005 at the age of 78 in Northern California.

Family

He came from a distinguished family, born to Wunnakyawhtin Saya Saing, a renowned Burmese architect, and Daw Mone. His two brothers and two nephews are also prominent Burmese architects. Silananda's brother Ngwe Hlaing and his nephew Than Tun designed a replica of the Karaweik royal barge on Yangon's Kandawgyi Lake. His sister Daw Sandasari is the chief abbess of Shwezedi Sathintaik near Sasanapala River on the Sagaing Hills.

Honours

In 1993, "Aggamahā Paṇḍita" was bestowed on him as a Buddhist honorific title by the Myanmar government and in 1999 he received "Aggamahā Saddhammajotikadhaja". On 26 October 2000, Yangon University conferred the Doctor of Letters on Sayadaw U Silananda for his impressive qualifications. In 2005, he received the title of Abhidaja Aggamahā Saddhammajotika by the Myanmar government.

Myanmar

Some notable works in Myanmar are as follows:
  • The Biography of Mahasi Sayadaw
  • The first sermon of Lord Buddha
  • A Course on Sima
  • A series of Ahbidhamma lectures
  • The Burmese Architect, Saya Saing
  • Tipitaka Pali-Burmese Dictionary
  • The Biography of U Narada of Phayagyi monastery, Mandalay

English

He authored many books in English, some of which are :