Chanmyay Myaing Meditation Centre sits in the Hmawbi area outside Yangon, Myanmar, a forest meditation center in the Mahasi lineage offering intensive vipassana practice for both Burmese and international yogis. The center is associated with the Chanmyay tradition, descended from Mahasi Sayadaw and developed by Chanmyay Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa, one of the prominent Mahasi-tradition teachers of the late 20th century. Chanmyay Sayadaw was particularly known for his English-language teaching and his role training international yogis from the 1980s onward. The center is set up for serious meditation practice in the structured Mahasi method. The campus includes a main sala for chanting and group sittings, kuti for monastics and lay yogis, dining facilities, and walking paths through the forested grounds. The forest setting provides the seclusion appropriate to long intensive practice. Programming centers on long retreats, typically multi-week or multi-month, with the standard Mahasi noting practice as the principal technique. Chanmyay Myaing has hosted international yogis for decades and has been one of the principal Burmese centers, alongside Panditarama, Mahasi Sayadaw's main center in Yangon, and other Mahasi-lineage sites, where Western practitioners have done extended Burmese-tradition retreats. The teaching style is structured: detailed instruction on the noting method, regular individual interviews with senior teachers, eight-precept observance, and progressive instruction calibrated to the yogi's stage in the classical stages of insight. Like other Burmese Mahasi centers, Chanmyay Myaing operates on dana. International access has been affected since 2021 by the political situation in Myanmar; specific current arrangements for foreign yogis, visa considerations, and the schedule should be confirmed directly through the center. The lineage continues under the senior teachers carrying Chanmyay Sayadaw's work forward.
The form is the standard Mahasi vipassana intensive. Wake-up around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. for morning chanting and meditation. Alternating 60-minute sitting and walking periods through the day, with continuous noting as the central technique. Yogis report to the teacher every one to two days for individual interviews. Eight precepts observed for the duration. Two meals before noon. Phones stored. The schedule is intensive, with 16+ hours of formal practice daily on long retreats.
The teaching line is the Burmese Mahasi tradition by way of Chanmyay Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa, one of the prominent Mahasi-tradition teachers of the late 20th century, particularly known for English-language teaching and training international yogis. The current teaching is carried by the senior monastics in the Chanmyay network. The lineage descends from Mahasi Sayadaw, the foundational figure of the modern Burmese Mahasi method.
Practitioners with prior formal Mahasi method training who want to deepen practice in the lineage's source country.
International yogis drawn to Chanmyay Sayadaw's lineage and the center's tradition of teaching English-speaking practitioners.
Practitioners able to commit to multi-week or multi-month intensive practice in the formal Mahasi method.
Arrival is at the center after travel from Yangon. Yogis check in and are oriented to eight precepts, the daily schedule, and the noting practice. The first interview establishes the practice instruction. White retreat clothing expected. Phones are stored. The container is intensive: 16+ hours of formal practice daily on long retreats. International access has been affected since 2021; current arrangements should be confirmed before travel.
Lodging is in simple single kuti within the forest property. Bathrooms may be shared or attached. Meals are vegetarian Burmese food, taken before noon. Walking paths extend through the forested grounds. The Burmese tropical climate is hot year-round with monsoon rains in the wet season. The cold season is the traditional time for international yogi retreats.
All teachings, accommodation, and meals are offered on dana. There are no published fees. Yogis are invited to give what they can at the close of the retreat. Travel to Myanmar is on the yogi and may be affected by the current political situation. The center is supported by Burmese lay donors and international donors.
Chanmyay Sayadaw's Mahasi forest center, with English-language teaching for international yogis.
Chanmyay Myaing descends from Mahasi Sayadaw's lineage by way of Chanmyay Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa, who was a senior teacher in the Mahasi network. The original Mahasi center is in central Yangon. Chanmyay Myaing is in the forested outskirts at Hmawbi, providing a more secluded setting for intensive long retreats. Both teach the same formal Mahasi method.
Historically yes; international access has been affected since 2021 by the political situation in Myanmar. Specific current arrangements, visa considerations, and the retreat schedule should be confirmed directly through the center before planning travel.
The Mahasi method uses continuous noting of moment-to-moment experience as the central technique. Yogis sit and walk in alternating 60-minute periods through the day, noting rising and falling of the abdomen in sitting, foot movements in walking, and all arising experience. Regular individual interviews with a senior teacher provide specific instruction calibrated to the yogi's stage.
No. The retreat is offered on dana. There are no published fees for teachings, accommodation, or meals. Yogis are invited to give what they can at the close of the retreat. The dana model is the standard for the Theravada lineage.
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