Kanni Shwethintawya Sayadaw
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for academics. (November 2025) |
Kanni Shwe Thin Taw Ya Sayadaw ကန္နီ ရွှေသိမ်တော်တောရ ဆရာတော် | |
|---|---|
| Title | Kanni Shwe Thin Taw Ya Sayadaw Ashin Sobhita (အရှင်သောဘိတ) |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 22 March 1880 Kanphyu village, southwest of Kanni town, Sagaing Region, Konbaung Burma |
| Died | 10 May 1966 (aged 86) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
| School | Burmese forest tradition (vipassanā lineage) |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Letpan Tawya Sayadaw U Ādicca, etc. |
Kanni Shwe Thin Taw Ya Sayadaw (Burmese: ကန္နီ ရွှေသိမ်တော်တောရ ဆရာတော်; 22 March 1880 – 10 May 1966), reverentially known as Ashin Sobhita (အရှင်သောဘိတ), was a prominent Burmese Theravāda meditation master and scholar-monk renowned for his strict practice and profound works on vipassanā and Abhidhamma.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Ashin Sobhita was born on Friday, the 4th waxing day of Tapoung, ME 1242 (22 March 1880) in Kanphyu village, southwest of Kanni town (present-day Sagaing Region). His father was the lay patron U Thanu and his mother Daw Kaung.[2]
From age four he studied under several teachers, including Thila Tawya Sayadaw U Kalyāṇa, U Nandiya, and Kanphyu Tawya U Āciṇṇa. After becoming a novice he continued higher studies in Monywa and Mandalay.[2]
Monastic training
[edit]He received higher ordination (upasampadā) and the name Sobhita. His main practice teachers included the Second Bākārā Sayadaw U Gandhasāra, Kyeewun Sayadaw, Minekhine Sayadaw, and Manle Sayadaw.[2]
After initial practice at Kingtawya monastery, he heard of the renowned Letpan Tawya Sayadaw U Ādicca (a disciple of Ledi Sayadaw and Lun Sayadaw) and walked from Kanni to Bhutalin to train under him for about eight months in the Ānāpāna method.[1] U Ādicca named him “Yogi Pāragū” (Master Yogi) and encouraged him to write a major treatise.[2]
On the return journey he trained under the centenarian arhat U Thar Hswun (U Kavinda) near Nyaungkan village.[2]
Teaching and works
[edit]Back in Kanni he accepted a monastery donated by the town headman Maung Hnan. He later moved to a solitary forest hermitage at Wetkone, where at age 44 (ME 1285, 1923–24) he composed his magnum opus, Yogi Pāragū.[2] His other major works include:
- Yogi Pāragū (1923–24)
- Sacca Pāragū (1931)
- Vivatta Pāragū and Saraṇa Pāragū
- Dhammavidū
- Sujana Pāragū
- Dassana Pāragū
- Āraddhovāda treatise
- Diṭṭhipahāyaka treatise
- Kalyāṇuppāda[2]
His writings are dense, profound, and difficult even for scholars, reflecting deep insight into both theory (pariyatti) and practice (paṭipatti).[1]
Practice and character
[edit]Ashin Sobhita was famous for strict Vinaya observance and extreme compassion: he instructed disciples to feed ants with palm sugar, dogs with rice, mice, and even stray cattle with straw. He venerated sacred sites in all directions daily with oil lamps. Even after going blind in both eyes past age 85, he had the Tipiṭaka read to him daily from 7–9 a.m. and continued meditation.[2]
Two well-known arahants from the Sagaing hills were among his disciples.[2]
Death
[edit]Following his instructions (“When I die, do not keep the body even one day, perform no ceremonies, offer no food…”), his disciples cremated him the same day with simple palm-leaf decorations and enshrined his relics without accepting donations.[2]
He passed away at 10:30 a.m. on the 1st waxing day of Kason, ME 1328 (10 May 1966), aged 86 (87 by Burmese reckoning).[2]
Motto
[edit]“If you want to see Nibbāna, practise diligently without fail — you will surely see it.”[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Joah McGee (February 2017). "Liberation Through the Kanni Method of Hearing Dhamma". Insight Myanmar – Burma Dhamma Blog. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dhammācariya U Thein Hlaing. Myanmar Naingngan Paṭipatti Thathana Win Myanmar Arahantu nhin Puggalhtu Mya [Burmese Arahants and Eminent Personalities in the Practice Tradition of Myanmar]. pp. 584–591.