Sayadaw U Tejaniya
by Marjolein Janssen
Sayadaw U Tejaniya is a Burmese monk and teacher who inspires many people in the West with his clear wisdom.
A Life of Struggles
Sayadaw U Tejaniya (“Sayadaw” is a Burmese title used for senior monks in Myanmar) grew up in Yangon, Myanmar, as the son of a market vendor. As a young adult, he began working at the market as well, following in his father’s footsteps.
However, he struggled with many problems. He fell in with the wrong friends and suffered from depression. His teacher, the monk Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw, became his refuge. Several times he stayed for long periods at his teacher’s monastery in order to get back on the right path and to deal with his depression.
Yet time and again things went wrong once he returned home.
Unwavering Determination
Despite all these difficulties, Sayadaw U Tejaniya had an unwavering determination to continue following the path of the Dharma. By training himself to meditate during all his daily activities, he gradually found relief from his problems.
Little by little he began to recognize the patterns of his mind more clearly and developed more skillful ways of dealing with his difficulties.
Over time he was completely freed from his depression, and he left his bad friends behind. Later in life he decided to ordain as a monk for the rest of his life.
Meditation in Daily Life
For U Tejaniya, meditating in the midst of the bustle of daily life made a great difference. By bringing meditation into every part of his life, whether he was at home with his wife and son, working at the market, or staying in the monastery, he learned many important lessons.
He says:
A meditation center is just a place for learning, a kind of training camp or mindfulness workshop. Keep practicing in daily life. Do not think it is difficult. Just try again and again. Developing awareness is a life long journey; there is no need to hurry or worry. It is important to learn how to practice correctly so that you can effectively apply whatever you have learned in everyday life. When you are able to apply what you have learned in any life situation, your awareness is superior to the kind of awareness you develop by just walking up and down the meditation hall. If you are clearly aware of what you are doing, wherever you are, you will be happier and able to live in greater harmony with others.
Tejaniya emphasizes that it is not only meditation in a meditation center that can help us on our path, but especially meditation in daily life.
This means being mindful, or aware, of the small moments of everyday life: the feeling of the body as it wakes up in the morning, the state of the mind at that moment, sitting down for breakfast, being at work, or taking a walk.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya encourages us to be mindful during all aspects of daily life of what arises at the six sense doors: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, the body, and the mind.
Developing Insight
This awareness brings greater insight into our own patterns and conditioning. Wisdom develops quietly in the background, and over time you may notice that you make more skillful choices and respond more skillfully in situations where you might previously have reacted in less helpful or more reactive ways.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s example, and his stories about his depression and struggles, inspire many people to develop the perseverance needed to overcome the difficulties we all encounter in life to some degree, and to take a different, transformative path.