Sayalay Susilā was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist nun in the Burmese tradition at the age of 28 at the Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre (MBMC) in Penang, Malaysia. Sayalay began to develop a keen interest in insight meditation at the University of Science Malaysia while obtaining a degree in mass communications (1988).

Six months after Sayalay’s ordination in 1991, she went to Myanmar. There she practiced intensively for nearly three years under the guidance of the famous Venerable U Pandita Sayadaw at Panditarama Monastery.

Then in 1994, wishing to cultivate concentration meditation, she moved to Pa Auk Forest Monastery, Myanmar. She placed herself under the renowned monk, Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, and remained in the forest for more than a decade.

In addition to an assiduous program of meditation, she also learned the Abhidhamma, ancient discourses, and Pāli language from Pa Auk Sayadaw. Meanwhile, she became his English to Chinese interpreter in Myanmar and abroad.

During her travels in Burma, she also practiced different meditation methods, such as those taught by Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw, Mogok Sayadaw, Sayagyi U Ba Khin and S.N.Goenka. As a result Sayalay has become an unusually accomplished teacher able to present the subtleties of the Buddha's teachings, which are deep and profound, in a simple and direct way.

Sayalay has travelled extensively as a teacher presenting the talks and has conducted meditation retreats throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Latvia, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

1963年，善戒法師生於馬來西亞彭亨，28 歲在馬來西亞佛教禪修中心 (Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre -- MBMC) 剃度出家，在馬來西亞理科大學 (University of Science Malaysia)主修大眾傳播學位期間便對觀禪產生熱切的興趣。

畢業後，她在高中教了一年半的書，愈加對世間事物的厭離，嚮往修行，於是辭職，幾年間都全力修行。1991 年在出家後的半年，她前往緬甸，在班迪達禪修中心追隨著名禪師班迪達尊者密集修行觀禪近三年。
1994 年，為培育止禪，她移至緬甸帕奧禪林，追隨知名禪師帕奧尊者修學十多年，除了勤奮不懈地學習禪修，也學習阿毗達摩、古代經文和巴利文。同時，她成為帕奧禪師在緬甸和海外英文翻中文的譯者。

在緬甸期間，法師亦向多位老师學習不同傳承的禪法，如 Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw、莫哥師父( MogokSayadaw)、烏巴慶(Sayagyi U Ba Khin)和葛印卡(S.N.Goenka)老師。因此，法師成為了具備善巧的老師，能夠以簡單直接的方式來教導佛陀教法中細微的部分，尤其在教授甚深的阿毗達摩時，並非以賣弄學問式的哲學，而是根據實際禪修的體驗，來清晰地呈現法義。

善戒法師弘法的足迹遍及美國、加拿大、澳洲、台灣、拉脫維亞、印尼、新加坡、馬來西亞，講授阿毗達摩的正式課程，並帶領禪修。