Born in Mandalay, he first ordained as a novice monk (samanera) on 14 April 1943 at the age of 16, during Thingyan celebrations. He was ordained under Sayadaw U Pannavata at the Mahavijjodaya Chaung Monastery on the Sagaing Hills and given the Dharma nameSīlānanda. He attended the Kelly High School, an American Baptist mission school, before entering the monkhood.
On 2 July 1947, he underwent higher ordination at the same monastery. Four days later, he was re-ordained at Mandalay's Payagyi monastery. From 1946 to 1948, he passed three grades of the Burmese government religious examinations and given the status of Dhammacariya (Master of the Dhamma in 1950 and was conferred the title Sasanadhaja Siripavara Dhammacariya. In 1950, he was ordained once again, at Rangoon's Kyaungtawya Shwegyin monastery. In 1954, he gained an honorific suffix-abhivamsa for passing the religious examination of the Pariyattisasanahita Association in Mandalay. He travelled to University College Columbo and passed GCE Advanced Level Examinations with distinctions in Sanskrit and Pali.
In 1960, he became the chief abbot of the Mahavijjodaya Chaung monastery, where he had been ordained as a novice monk. In 1968, he moved to Abyarama Shwegu Taik monastery in Mandalay, and presided as chief abbot. He also served as the spiritual advisor of the Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA) and abbot of TBSA's Dhammananda Vihara monastery in the United States.
He died of a brain tumor on 13 August 2005 at the age of 78 in Northern California.
Family
He came from a distinguished family, born to Wunnakyawhtin Saya Saing, a renowned Burmese architect, and Daw Mone. His two brothers and two nephews are also prominent Burmese architects. Silananda's brother Ngwe Hlaing and his nephew Than Tun designed a replica of the Karaweik royal barge on Yangon's Kandawgyi Lake. His sister Daw Sandasari (ဒေါ်သန္တာစာရီ) is the chief abbess of Shwezedi Sathintaik near Sasanapala River on the Sagaing Hills.
Honours
In 1993, "Aggamahā Paṇḍita" was bestowed on him as a Buddhist honorific title by the Myanmar government and in 1999 he received "Aggamahā Saddhammajotikadhaja". On 26 October 2000, Yangon University conferred the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on Sayadaw U Silananda for his impressive qualifications. In 2005, he received the title of Abhidaja Aggamahā Saddhammajotika by the Myanmar government. [3]
^The New Light of Myanmar (27 October 2000). "Yangon University confers Doctor of Letters on Reactor Sayadaw of International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University, Sayagyi U Thukha". Retrieved 18 May 2020. Speaking of the recipient Rector Sayadaw's impressive qualifications, he said the Sayadaw brilliantly passed the Sasanadhaja Siripavara Dhammacariya Examination, the Pariyatti Sasanahita Dhammacariya Examination, and the London General Certificate of Education Examination (with distinctions in Pali and Sanskrit). He is the recipient of Agga Maha Pandita Title (1993), and Agga Maha Saddhamma Jotika Title (1999).
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