Sayadaw U Silananda was born in Burma(now Myanmar) and became a novice monk at age 16. In 1979, while traveling in the US with Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, U Silananda was requested to remain in San Francisco to serve the Burmese community there. Currently he is Spiritual Advisor to the Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA), which has a growing meditation center in Half Moon Bay, California, and Spiritual Director for a number of centers in California and Florida. U Silananda is the author of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness and many articles in both English and Burmese.