Mahasi sayadaw biography of abraham lincoln

Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk (1904–1982)

Mahāsī SayādawU Sobhana (Burmese: မဟာစည်ဆရာတော် ဦးသောဘန, pronounced[məhàsìsʰəjàdɔ̀ʔúθɔ́bəna̰]; 29 July 1904 – 14 August 1982) was a Burmese TheravadaBuddhistmonk and meditation master who had a significant impact on the teaching of vipassanā (insight) meditation in the West and throughout Asia.

In his style of practice, derived from the so-called New Burmese Method of U Nārada, the meditator lives according to Buddhist morality as a prerequisite for meditation practice. Meditation itself entails the practice of "bare insight," using satipaṭṭhāna, the four foundations of mindfulness, to anchor the attention on the sensations of the rising and falling of the abdomen during breathing, observing carefully any other sensations or thoughts.

This is coupled to reflection on the Buddhist teachings on causality, thereby gaining insight into anicca, dukkha, and anattā and attaining stream entry.

Mahāsī Sayāda