Biography of the
Venerable Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw,
Aggamahapandita, D.Litt.
Known to scholars of many countries, the Venerable Ledi Sayadaw, Aggamahapandita, D. Litt., was perhaps the outstanding Buddhist figure of this age. With the increase in interest in Western lands, there is a great demand for his Buddhist Discourses and writings which are now being translated and reproduced in "The Light of the Dhamma."
Bhikkhu Nyana who was later known as Ledi Sayadaw was born on Tuesday, the 13th Waxing of Nattaw, 1208 Myanmar Era (1846 C.E.) at Saing-pyin Village, Dipeyin Township, Shwebo District. His parents were U Tun Tha and Daw Kyone.
His childhood name was Maung Tet Khaung. (Maung is the Burmese title for boys and young men, equivalent to master. Tet means climbing upward and Khaung means roof or summit.) It proved to be an appropriate name, since young Maung Tet Khaung, indeed, climbed to the summit in all his endeavors.
At the age of eight he began to study with his first teacher, U Nanda-dhaja Sayadaw, and he ordained as a samanera (novice) under the same Sayadaw at the age of fifteen. He was given the name Nana-dhaja (the banner of knowledge). His monastic education included Pali grammar and various texts from the Pali canon with a specialty in Abhidhammattha-sangaha, a commentary which serves as a guide to the Abhidhamma section of the canon.
During his days as a samanera, in the middle part of the nineteenth century, before modern lighting, he would routinely study the written texts during the day and join the bhikkhus and other samaneras in recitation from memory after dark. Working in this way he mastered the Abhidhamma texts.
The brilliant Samanera Nana-dhaja, under the care of Gandhama Sayadaw, mastered the Vedas in eight months and continued his study of the Tipitaka. At the age of 20, on April 20, 1866, he took the higher ordination to become a bhikkhu under his old teacher U Nanda-dhaja Sayadaw, who became his preceptor (one who gives the precepts).
In 1867, just prior to the monsoon retreat, Bhikkhu Nana-dhaja left his preceptor and the Monywa district where he had grown up, in order to continue his studies in Mandalay.
At that time, during the reign of King Min Don Min who ruled from 1853-1878, Mandalay was the royal capital of Myanmar and the most important center of learning in the country. He studied under several of the leading Sayadaws and learned lay scholars as well. He resided primarily in the Maha-Jotikarama Monastery and studied with Ven. San-Kyaung Sayadaw, a teacher who is famous in Burma for translating the Visuddhimagga Path of Purification into Burmese.
During this time, the Ven. San-Kyaung Sayadaw gave an examination of 20 questions for 2000 students. Bhikkhu Nana-dhaja was the only one who was able to answer all the questions satisfactorily. These answers were later published in 1880, under the title Parami-dipani (Manual of Perfections), the first of many books written in Pali and Burmese by the Ven. Ledi Sayadaw.
During the reign of King Theebaw Sayadaw became a Pali lecturer at Maha Jotikarama monastery in Mandalay. A year after the capture of King Theebaw, i.e. in 1887 C.E., he removed to a place to the north of Monywa town, where he established a monastery under the name of Ledi-tawya Monastery. Sayadaw accepted many bhikkhu-students from various parts of Myanmar and imparted Buddhist education to them. In 1897 C.E. he wrote Paramattha Dipani (Manual of Ultimate Truths) in Pali.
Later, Sayadaw toured in many parts of Burma for the purpose of propagating the Buddha Dhamma. In towns and villages he visited he delivered various Discourses on the Dhamma and established Abhidhamma classes and Meditation Centres. Sayadaw composed Abhidhamma rhymes or Abhidhamma Sankhitta and taught them to his Abhidhamma classes. In some of the principal towns he spent a Vassa imparting Abhidhamma and Vinaya education to the lay devotees. Some of the Ledi Meditation Centres are still existing and still famous. During his itinerary he wrote many essays, letters, poems and manuals in Burmese.
Sayadaw has written more than 70 manuals, of which eight have been translated into English and published in "The Light of the Dhamma".
1. Vipassana Dipani (Manual of Insight) was translated by his disciple Sayadaw U Nyana,
2. Pathamagyaw Patthanuddesa Dipani (A concise exposition of the Buddhist Philosophy of Relations) was originally written in Pali by the late Ledi Sayadaw and translated by Sayadaw U Nyana.
3. Niyama Dipani (Manual of cosmic Order) was translated by U Nyana and Dr. Barua and edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids.
4. Sammaditthi Dipani (Manual of Right Understanding) was translated by the Editors of "The Light of The Dhamma."
5. Catusacca Dipani (Manual of the Four Noble Truths) was translated by the Editors of "The Light of The Dhamma."
6. Bodhipakkhiya Dipani (Manual of the Factors Leading to Enlightenment) was translated by U Sein Nyo Tun, I.C.S. (Retd.), and
7. Magganga Dipani (Manual of constituents of the Noble Path) was translated by U Saw Tun Teik, B.A. B.L., and revised and edited by the English Editorial Board of the Union Buddha Sasana Council.
Ledi Sayadaw was awarded the title of Aggamahapandita by the Government of India in 1911 C.E. Later, the University of Rangoon conferred on him the degree of D. Litt. (Honoris Causa). In the later years he settled down at Pyinmana where he died in 1923 C.E. at the ripe age of 77.
The Venerable Ledi Sayadaw was perhaps the most outstanding Buddhist figure of his age. All who have come in contact with the path of Dhamma in recent years owe a great debt of gratitude to to this scholarly, saintly monk who was instrumental in reviving the traditional practice of Vipassana, making it more available for renunciates and lay people alike. In addition to this most important aspect of his teaching, his concise, clear and extensive scholarly work served to clarify the experiential aspect of Dhamma.
1. The title Sayadaw, meaning venerable teacher, was originally given to important elder monks (Theras) who instructed the king in Dhamma. Later, it became a title for highly respected monks in general.
2. Abhidhamma is the third section of the Pali canon in which the Buddha gave profound, detailed and technical descriptions of the reality of mind and matter.
3. Tipitaka is the Pali name for the entire canon. It means three baskets, i.e., the basket of the Vinaya (rules for the monks); the basket of the Suttas (discourses); and the basket of the Abhidhamma.