The venerable Bhaddanta Āciṇṇa, more commonly referred to as the Pa-Auk Sayadaw is a Burmese Theravāda monk, meditation teacher and the abbot of the Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. He ordained as a novice in 1944, receiving full ordination in 1954.
Immersed in the study of the Pāli Canon from his days as a novice, Āciṇṇa gradually broadened his scope of attention to include meditation, initially training under Mahasi Sayadaw and U Paṇḍitā. Not long after, Āciṇṇa would also decide to become a forest monk. In the months and years to follow, he would deepen his meditation abilities under the Kathitwaing, Thanlyin and Shwetheindaw sayadaws, eventually developing his own set of meditation methods, often collectively referred to as the “Pa-Auk method”.