Thamanya Sayadaw

   (1910-2003)

   The Baddantha Vinaya Sayadaw, a highly respected member of the Sangha, known as the "Thamanya Sayadaw" because he established a monastery on Thamanya Hill, 40 kilometers southeast of Pa-an (Hpa-an), the capital of Karen (Kayin) State. A community of around 7,000 families grew up around the monastery, where the sayadaw promoted welfare projects and a "zone of peace," free of the strife afflicting adjacent areas. Of Pa-O ethnicity, he was widely believed to have possessed a spiritual status approaching Buddhahood. Unlike most other senior monks, he refused to accept the patronage of the State Peace and Development Council, but received Aung San Suu Kyi at his monastery twice, in October 1995 and June 2002, following her release from house arrest. He passed away at the age of 93 on November 29, 2003, while being brought back to Thamanya from a hospital in Rangoon (Yangon).