Sayadaw U Janakābhivaṃsa

The Venerable Janakābhivaṃsa was born in 1976 in Magway. He ordained as a novice monk (Sāmaṇera) at a monastery in Magway on 16 June 1991. He received the higher ordination as a bhikkhu on 20 June 1995 at Atulakari Sinmin Monastery, Phaya Gyi Taik in Mandalay, where he studied Buddhist Pāḷi studies.

The Venerable passed the “Sāsanadhaja Dhammācariya” examination held by the Department of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Government of the Union of Myanmar, and he was awarded the title of “Sāsanadhaja Dhammācariya” on 18 July 2002. He also passed the Pariyatti Sāsanahita Dhammācariya examination conducted by the Pariyatti Sāsanahita Association of Mandalay city in 2002, and the Venerable was awarded the title of “Bhaddanta Janakābhivaṃsa Pariyatti Sāsanahita Dhammācariya” (Abhivaṃsa degree) on 17 July, 2002. The Pariyatti Sāsanahita Dhammācariya examination is well recognised as the highest level of academic achievement in the Pāḷi language and the teachings of the Buddha. The “Abhivaṃsa” degree is equivalent to a Ph.D title in the Buddhist Pāḷi Studies. (Among the many who sits for the onerous examination across Myanmar each year, only 3 candidates on average would pass the examination and earn the title of “Abhivaṃsa”.)

In 2002, the Venerable became an official teacher of Pāḷi Language at Phaya Gyi Taik in Mandalay. From 2007 to 2008, the Venerable was a member of the State Main Committee of the Buddhist Education, having been appointed as a questioner of the Dhammācariya examination held by Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Government of the Union of Myanmar.

The Venerable Janakābhivaṃsa went to Pa-Auk Tawya Forest Monastery (Main) in 2005 and learned and practised Samatha & Vipassanā meditation under the most Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw (Sayadawgyi). He had further trained during the six-month Intensive Meditation Retreat in 2010 and also during the four-month Intensive Meditation Retreat in 2013 under Sayadawgyi. The Venerable spent the 2015 vassa in Maymyo where Sayadawgyi is teaching an Intensive Meditation Retreat for advanced meditators. The Venerable has been the Resident Teacher of the Pa-Auk Meditation Centre in Singapore since 2014.

The Venerable is fluent in Myanmar and English. He has given Dhamma talks and led meditation retreats in many countries including Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, USA, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and Nepal.

Source: pamc.org.sg