Sayadaw U Pannadipa (Beelin Sayadaw)
Sayadaw U Pannadipa is a Nayaka Sayadaw (considered the highest and most respected level of a qualified teacher, one level below Ovadacariya Sayadaw) and very experienced in teaching western yogis. Sayadaw U Pannadipa lived and taught in England for a number of years and is currently the resident Sayadaw at Tathagata Meditation Center in San Jose, California.
Sayadaw U Pannadipa, Ven. Beelin Sayadaw was born on March 16, 1933 in the Beelin Township in lower Myanmar. In 1945, at the age of 12, he became a novice at Northern Monastery in Heynin Pley village, Bee Lin City, Burma.
At the age of 20, he was ordained as a monk. He culminated his early academic work at Hitikaryi Buddhist Studies School in Thaton and passed the Tipitaka study with honors there. He then became a Dhamma teacher. His postgraduate work was completed in Yangon and in Mandalay.
He then served as lecturer at Hitakaryi Sangha University. In 1967 he went to Mahasi Yeiktha in Yangon and practiced intensive Vipassana meditation under Sayadaws U Pandita, U Janaka, and U Sanwara. The following year he was sent to Gyopintha Sasana Yeiktha near Prome as a meditation teacher, where he taught for seventeen years.
In 1985 he was recognized as Nayaka Kammatthana Cariya (Senior Meditation Teacher) by Venerable U Panditabhivamsa and was asked to teach at Mahasi Center in Yangon, which he did for six years. Sayadaw has also traveled extensively to other parts of the world including Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore and Austrlia.
Sayadaw next served at Mahasi Meditation Center (former name of Saraniya Meditation Centre) near Wigan in the U.K. when the community members requested a Sayadaw skilled in patipatti (practice of meditation) and pariyatti (study of scriptures).
He was next invited to serve at Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC) in San Jose, California, in December 1999. He is currently the Abbot of TMC. In addition, he also takes time to teach Vipassana meditation in the Bay Area, Southern California, and Taiwan.
Books / Articles
Dhamma talks
Pictures of Beelin Sayadaw
- Beelin Sayadaw @ Saraniya Dhamma Hall Opening Ceremony
- Beelin Sayadaw @ Saraniya Dhamma Hall Opening Ceremony
- Beelin Sayadaw @ Saraniya Dhamma Hall Opening Ceremony
- Beelin Sayadaw @ Saraniya Dhamma Hall Opening Ceremony
- Beelin Sayadaw @ Saraniya Dhamma Hall Opening Ceremony
- Venerable U Pannasami, Beelin Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Nanujjota-bhivamsa – three Sayadaws that have thought at Saraniya.
- Beelin Sayadaw