Chronology of Buddhist Meditation Traditions in Myanmar

6th century BCE- 10th century CE

Phyu Kingdom A son of Padumadevi, was ordained as a novice monk under one of forest monk, whose name unknown, and became Arahat, recorded by Bovajira, who was a reporter of Mandalay Ratanapone Daily Newspaper. Tharekettara Kingdom In the regime of Dvattabong King, there were 3000 numbers of Arahat. Of them, Arahat Visano was famous due to his six supernatural powers. When King Kyakgongsar Ngatapar governed, there 500 Arahats were recorded in Maha Rajawangyi and Sasanavamsa. Thaton Kingdom Mon historical record says that, during the Buddhas time, Gavampati Thera himself came to Thaton Kingdom and preached Dhamma. In 235 year after Buddha Parinivvana, Sona Thera and Uttara Thera came for Buddhist missionary. Their successors are Anomadassi, Pranadassi, Dhammadassi (Shin Araham). Mahavamsa (29/43) (one of oldest Sinhala Chronicles) recorded that in the regime of King Duddhugamunu, 96000 (Chanavuti Sahassa) of Arahat Sangha from Kelasa Temple, Thaton, visited to Sri Lanka.

8th century CE 12th Century CE

Pagan Dynasty Shin Araham moved to Pagan from Thaton and made a successful Buddhist missionary, and got a lot of followers. Number of Sangha is shown as 4108 monks in Sasasalankara. Chief pupils were Ananda Thera, Bodhi Thera and Silabuddhi Thera. Pandhita Thera and this Pupli Uttarajiva from Nghatpyitaung Sangha sect and, in later period of Pagan era, Disapamokkha Thera and his disciples were famous as Arahats. One Chronicle called Sasanalankara says that in the regime of King Anuruddha, there were a thousand of Arahat Sangha and other kinds of Ariya such as Sotapanna and so on were a big number of.

1298 CE 1364 CE
Pinya Arahat Divacakka came from Visali and worked this Buddhist missionary. Many inscriptions say that there were many monks who were dwelling in the forest, recognized as Arahats, called as Tomyatgyi in Burmese, meaning elder forest monk.

1364 CE 1555 CE
Ava To dwell at forests to meditate was recorded as a custom of monks, when they got older or when they had learned scriptures. Thatthethumyat Thera, Dipankara Thera, Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw Thera and Taung Phe Lar Sayadaw Thera were well known. 1510 CE 1752 CE Toungoo + Nyaungyan Period No record

1752 CE 1885 CE (Konbaung Dynasty) / 1885 CE 1948 CE (British Colonial Period) / 1948 CE Present (Modern era)
Medavi Thera (Catugiri-four mountains Sayadaw), his brother Dhammapiya Thera Forest tradition Theras (Munindaghosa Thera, Gabhira Thera, Thaddhammalankara Thera) Kan Forest Sayadaw Thelone sayadaw (1786 1860) Middle Forest Sayadaw (Mancusa Thera) Htut Khon Sayadaw (1806 1880) Saydaw U Thila (1832 1966) Ledi Sayadaw (1846 1923) Mangone Jetawan Sayadaw (Narada Thera)(1869 - 1954) Sekkhataung Sayadaw (1871 1931) Monyain Sayadaw (1872 1964) Swanlwan Sayadaw (1877 1952) Kanni Sayadaw (1879 1966) Thapit-Ine Sayadaw (1893 1969) Webu Sayadaw (1895 1977) Mogok Sayadaw (1899 1962) Kathatwine Sayadaw (1903 1965) Mahasi Sayadaw (Sobhana Thera)(1904 - 1982)

Traditional Hierarchy Structure of Meditation in Myanmar

Thelone Sayadaw

Ayataw Sayadaw

Hlantaung Sayadaw

Latpan forest Sayadaw Ledi Sayadaw Sekkhataung Sayadaw Kyaungpan forest Sayadaw Kanni Sayadaw

Srilatissa Tibetan Thera

Middle Forest Sayadaw

Swanlwan Sayadaw

Moehnyin Sayadaw Thapit-Ine forest Sayadaw

Mangone Sayadaw

Saya That

Myezin forest Sayadaw

U Ba Khin

S.N.Goenka Mahasi Sayadaw Pa-Auk Sayadaw