The Sitagu International Buddhist Academy ( my, သီတဂူကမ္ဘာ့ဗုဒ္ဓတက္ကသိုလ်) is a Buddhist missionary university, located in Sagaing,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. Founded in 1994 by Sitagu Sayadaw Ashin Nyanissara, the academy specializes in the teaching of Buddhist literature, as well as in the training of

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...

and

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

History

Construction of the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy began in 1984, under the direction of the Sitagu Association.

Location

The university is situated just beneath the

Sun U Ponnyashin Pagoda Swan Oo Ponnya Shin () is a Buddhist pagoda located in Sagaing, Myanmar. The pagoda was purportedly founded in 1312 by Ponnya, a junior minister at the court of King Thihathu of Myinsaing–Pinya. The pagoda is located at the top of the second h ...

in the narrow plain separating the westernmost spur of the

Sagaing Hill Sagaing (, ) is the former capital of the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located in the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and m ...

s and the Minwun ridge. There six-building complex is equipped with classrooms, offices, a research centre, meditation centres, libraries and a number of multipurpose halls.

Programs

The academy offers the following diploma and degree programs: *Diploma in Language Studies (English, Pali, Sanskrit, or Hindi) *Diploma in Buddhist Studies *B.A. in Buddhist Studies *M.A. in Buddhist Studies *Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies

References

{{reflist Buddhism in Myanmar Buddhist universities and colleges 1994 establishments in Myanmar Educational institutions established in 1994