Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana, born on July 29, 1904 and deceased on August 14, 1982, was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk and meditation master who had a significant impact on the teaching of vipassanā (insight) meditation, both in the West and in Asia.
In his style of practice, derived from the New Burmese Method of U Nārada, living according to Buddhist morality is a prerequisite for the practice of meditation. The meditation itself invokes satipaṭṭhāna, the foundation of mindfulness. In developing this, the vipassanā meditation practitioner focuses on the sensation of the rising and falling of the abdomen during breathing, while being alert and attentive to other sensations or thoughts.
Mahasi Sayadaw was a questioner and final editor at the Sixth Buddhist Council on May 17, 1954. He helped establish meditation centers all over Burma as well as in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand, and by 1972 the centers under his guidance had trained more than 700,000 meditators. In 1979, he traveled to the West, holding retreats at newly founded centers such as the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, U.S. In addition, meditators came from all over the world to practice at his center in Yangon.
When the Mahasi Sayadaw died on August 14, 1982 following a massive stroke, thousands of devotees braved the torrential monsoon rains to pay their last respects.
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A Discourse on the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta
Mahasi SayadawAll teachings or beliefs outside of the Buddha’s Dispensation fall under the category of beliefs in a self, attā. They hold to the view that there is such a…
Practical Insight Meditation: Basic and Progressive Stages
Mahasi SayadawThe practice of vipassana or insight meditation was described by the Buddha as the direct way, for the overcoming of all sorrow and grief and for realizing…
Satipatthana Vipassana
Mahasi SayadawOn the personal request of the Honorable U Nu, Prime Minister, and Thado Thiri Thudhamma Sir U Thwin, President of the Buddha Sasananuggaha Association…
Satipatthana Vipassana: Insight through Mindfulness
Mahasi SayadawOn the personal request of the Honourable U Nu, Prime Minister, and Thado Thiri Thudhamma Sir U Thwin, President of the Buddha Sāsanānuggaha Association…
The Progress of Insight: A Modern Pali Treatise on Buddhist Satipatthana Meditation
Mahasi SayadawThe practice of vipassana or insight meditation was described by the Buddha as the “direct way” for the overcoming of all sorrow and grief and for realizing…
Thoughts on the Dhamma
Mahasi SayadawWhile the present book was in preparation, its author, the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma, passed away at the age of 78. Thus, unexpectedly — as death so…