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Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw


Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw was born in 1965 in the Yamethin District, Mandalay Division, Burma. He is a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk. Sayadaw taught at Yangon Buddhist University, located in Kyimyindaing Township in Yangon. Best known for being an outspoken monk, he has spoken publicly about human rights. 

 

He criticized the anti-Muslim 969 Movement, which was supported by many nationalist monks. Not only does he criticize the movement against Muslims, but he also is very against the government of Myanmar. To this end, he supported a student-led movement that was full of student demonstrators demanding a change in the Education laws. Sayadaw criticized the government's restriction on the freedom of assembly in the student movement. 


Sayadaw is very adamant that Buddhist monks should not be below any authority, since in the day of the Buddha, nobody was above the monks. He believes that monks have a duty to find and point out the weaknesses of the government in the interest of the civilians, which is an idea that the government vehemently disagrees with. This is a prime example of the government’s controlling nature: because of its fear that the monks will have far too much power, it does not allow monks to perform their roles according to Buddhist beliefs.


He has accused his fellow monks of corruption and stated that they are not living up to their roles as Buddhist monks the way they should. By supporting anti-Muslim movements, supporting the government, and not speaking out against the government, he believes monks are not fulfilling their roles as they should be.


Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw met with Western delegates such as Hillary Clinton and the US Secretary of State in December 2011. His work as a democratic activist has been quite significant. Because of the threat he poses to the government, Myanmar’s monastic council, controlled by the state, ordered an indefinite ban on speaking against Sayadaw. The reasoning behind it was that he apparently “spoke out of line” from Buddhist doctrine and did not follow the directions and instructions of his seniors. Although there is a ban in place to silence him, Sayadaw continues to advocate for democracy and is fighting the ban. This ban also serves to illustrate that the government is targeting religious leaders critical of the government, especially because monks have historically had a lot of power. 


Though he was detained by the Myanmar armed forces during the 2021 coup, he continues to speak for what he believes with the interest of the people in mind. The government is still attempting to silence those who voice concerns about unjust governmental actions, but activists like Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw are those who allow for some hope for the future of Myanmar. 


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