Sayadaw lived for a time at the New Mahâvisuddhâyone Zipin Monastery in Mandalay. He stayed there to study for the Abhivamsa examination (Thakyathiha and Cetiyigana). The Amarapura Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw, too, lived at that very Zipin Monastery. Sayadaw stayed there only as a young monk. The Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw, though, lived there as a student, as a novice, and then as a young monk. Before he lived at the Zipin Monastery, Sayadaw had even gone to the Mahâgandâyone to ask permission of the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw to live there. Sayadaw and the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw are fifteen years apart in age. Since Sayadaw is now seventy-five, if the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw were still alive, he would be ninety-four years of age. The Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw is Sayadaw's teacher's teacher. That's because Sayadaw's teacher, U Paññasirî, studied with the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw. When Sayadaw tells what the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw said when he went to ask permission to live there, he smiles before, during, and after he tells it. Before he says the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw's words, he sets the stage.

"Sayadaw's words are the very essence of wisdom. They have deep understanding. They are really delightful," he says. He doesn't call him, "the Mahâgandâyone Sayadaw". Neither does he use his name, "U Janakâbhivamsa". Since there's a little something to tell about his name, I'll go ahead and tell it. Sayadaw doesn't have the habit of calling respect-worthy Sayadaws by their monk name. He doesn't let his students be referred to that way either. He has Sayadaw U Rucinañana, who is now one of the Nâyaka Sayadaws (senior teachers) at Sayadaw's place, called "Kyauktan Sayadaw". Sayadaw refers to him that way himself, too. Whoever it may be, monk or lay person, who refers to the monk name, Sayadaw usually corrects them by asking, "Are you talking about the Kyauktan Sayadaw?". He sometimes corrects by using himself, "Kyauktan Sayadaw, son". He has the Nâyaka Sayadaw U Pa?ñadipa called "Bilin Sayadaw". It is because U Rucinaña was born in Kyauktan village, that Sayadaw calls and has him called "Kyauktan Saydaw". Likewise, "Bilin" is the name of Sayadaw U Paññadipa's birthplace. The Nâyaka Sayadaw U Sâsanabhadda is called "Zeyyawatî Sayadaw". That name is used in reference to the Zeyyavatî Monastery in Tavoy, where he lived.

Even if Sayadaw does call his students by their monk name, he makes a practice of prefixing it with the respectful, "U". Not once have I heard him call me by my name without the prefix "U". From time to time he uses the word "Ashin", or 'Master', in place of "U". Only a very few times have I heard him use the less respectful 'Maung' instead of "U" or "Ashin". Not once has he called me with the prefix "Maung" like that. Apparently, some of Sayadaw's teachers called him by his monk name prefixed with "Maung", when he was young. Each of us has our usage. In the great Mahasi Sayadaw's birthplace, Hsiep Hkun village in Shwebo Townhip, they don't even call him "Mahasi Sayadaw, Mahasi Sayadaw". Since the Mahasi Sayadaw's monk name is "U Sobhana", they call him "Bo (Granddad) Sobhana". Those who use his nickname say, "Bo So, Bo So". I can't help but be surprised. But they just call him that way. Each region has its own usage. It couldn't be that they don't admire and look up to the great Mahasi

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