{"id":8969,"date":"2025-09-02T13:23:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T11:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samita.be\/?page_id=8969"},"modified":"2025-09-21T22:05:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T20:05:42","slug":"sayalay-sunyanandi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.samita.be\/en\/monks-nuns\/sayalay-sunyanandi\/","title":{"rendered":"Sayalay Su\u00f1\u00f1anand\u012b"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sayalay Su\u00f1\u00f1anand\u012b (Sunya for short) was ordained in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 9, 2025 by Ven. Kusalasami<\/a>, founder of Dhammachaya Buddhist Center, Denmark<\/a>, as a 10-precept nun (S\u012blashin) in the Burmese tradition.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Born in the USA, she was raised in Christian Science<\/a>, arguably the best Christian sect to prepare one for Buddhism, and first encountered Buddhism in 1997 at the Rinzai Zen center Bodhi Manda<\/a>, in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. As she learned more about the Dhamma, she found it challenging to practice Harmonious Lifestyle (samm\u0101-\u0101j\u012bva) while working as an applied mathematician at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the center of nuclear weapons research in the United States.<\/p>\n

Leaving New Mexico and her mathematical career behind in 2001, she moved, together with her two daughters and husband, to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas<\/a> in northern California, a community of monastics and laypeople in the Chinese Mahayana tradition, where they lived for three years. Through these Mahayana traditions, she was exposed to two models of renunciation- Zen priest and Bhik\u1e63u\u1e47\u012b- and experienced the desire to \u201cgo forth into the homeless life\u201d. However, the circumstances were not favorable for that, as her daughters were still young.<\/p>\n

After building a new career as a consultant in knowledge representation (the other<\/i> kind of AI), while working temporarily in Berlin in 2016 she encountered a monk in the Thai Forest tradition (Ajahn Leif Sudhammo<\/a> of J\u012bva Kusala) on the subway, and offered him a carrot from her lunch. What blossomed from this \u201ccarrot-merit\u201d was a gradual introduction to the Pali Canon from a variety of sources* and, starting in 2018, seven years (self-)training under the eight monastic precepts. She ordained as Anag\u0101rik\u0101 in August 2021 with Bhikkhun\u012b Vimala at Tilorien Monastery, and then went wandering.<\/p>\n

Sunya was honored to spent a good part of her Anag\u0101rik\u0101 years living and studying with S\u0101ma\u1e47eri Aki\u00f1can\u0101<\/a> in Germany and Sri Lanka. At present, she splits her time between Sri Lanka, the USA, and Tilorien. In Sri Lanka, she resides at the Sri Subodha Meditation Center, Ambuluwawa<\/a> where she studies with her teacher Ven. Dhammashanti, a senior disciple of the late Rev. Dr. Madawela Punnaji<\/a>, and is enrolled for a Diploma of Buddhist Studies at SIBARI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*Sayalay Su\u00f1\u00f1anand\u012b wishes to acknowledge the following Buddhist teachers, guides, and sponsors, in addition to those mentioned above: Jiun Hosen<\/a>, Osho of Bodhi Manda, Bhikkun\u012b Gu\u1e47as\u0101ri<\/a> of Mah\u0101paj\u0101pati Monastery, the disciples of Ruth Denison<\/a> at Dhamma Dena Meditation Center, Bhante Sujata<\/a> of Blue Lotus Temple, V\u012bmala Judy Franklin, Bhikkun\u012b Vimalany\u0101ni of Kloster Wassermond, Bhante Gunaratana Mahathera<\/a> of Bh\u0101van\u0101 Society, Ven. Dhammawasa Thero<\/a> of Sri Subodharama, Peradeniya.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sayalay Su\u00f1\u00f1anand\u012b (Sunya for short) was ordained in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 9, 2025 by Ven. Kusalasami, founder of Dhammachaya Buddhist Center, Denmark, as a 10-precept nun (S\u012blashin) in the Burmese tradition. Born in the USA, she was raised in…
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