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Agga Maha Pandita
Aggamahāpaṇḍita ( my, အဂ္ဂမဟာပဏ္ဍိတ, ) is an honorific Burmese Buddhist title conferred by the Myanmar government to distinguished Theravada Buddhist monks. Etymology Aggamahāpandiṭa, meaning "foremost great and wise one," is derived from the following Pali terms: *''Agga'', from ''Aggasāvaka'' (), which was conferred by the Buddha to his foremost disciples, Sariputta and Mahamoggallana. *''Mahā'', meaning "great." *''Paṇḍita'', meaning "wise or learned person," and denoting possession of wisdom and knowledge of Tipitaka. Qualifications The title is usually awarded to Buddhist monks who are highly proficient in teaching the Dhamma or those who are believed to be enlightened (''arahants''). The title is awarded annually in January by the head of the Burmese government, following after rigorous and subtle examination of a monk's wisdom and achievement by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee. Recipients must meet the following qualifi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burmese Buddhist Titles
Burmese Buddhist titles (သာသနာတော်ဆိုင်ရာ ဘွဲ့တံဆိပ်တော်များ) encompass numerous honorific titles conferred by the Burmese government, to recognize members of the Sangha as well as civilians. These religious titles are conferred annually by the Burmese government, in a special ceremony during the full moon day of Tabaung, at the Uppatasanti Pagoda in Naypyidaw. From 1988 to 2008, the ceremony was held at the Mahāpāsaṇa Cave, near Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon. History In the pre-colonial era, the Burmese monarchy recognized Buddhist monks and laypersons by bestowing religious titles composed of Pali and native Burmese styles. Sayadaw (ဆရာတော်), which literally means "teacher of royalty," was originally bestowed to monks who had educated the king as monastic teachers or tutors, although its usage grew more commonplace with time. Pagan era During the Pagan Kingdom, several kings awarded religious ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
U Pandita
Sayadaw U Paṇḍita ( my, ဆရာတော် ဦးပဏ္ဍိတ, ; also ''Ovādācariya Sayādo Ū Paṇḍitābhivaṁsa''; 28 July 1921 – 16 April 2016) was one of the foremost masters of Vipassanā. He trained in the Theravada Buddhist tradition of Myanmar. A successor to the late Mahāsi Sayādaw, he has taught many of the Western teachers and students of the Mahāsi style of Vipassanā meditation. He was the abbot o Meditation Centerin Yangon, Myanmar. Early life and education U Paṇḍita was born in 1921 in Insein in greater Rangoon (now Yangon) during British colonial rule. He became a novice at age twelve, and ordained at age twenty. After decades of study, he passed the rigorous series of government examinations in the Theravāda Buddhist texts, gaining the Dhammācariya (Dhamma teacher) degree in 1952. U Paṇḍita began practicing Vipassana under the guidance of Mahāsi Sayādaw beginning in 1950. Career In 1955, he left his position as a teacher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sayadaw
A sayadaw ( my, ဆရာတော်, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. Some distinguished sayadaws would often be referred to as a ''sayadawgyi'' (, as a sign of reverence. The terms "sayadaw" and "sayadawgyi" originally corresponded to the senior monks who taught the former Burmese kings. These sayadaws may be influential teachers of Buddhism and also important meditation practitioners. They usually are abbots of monasteries or monastery networks with many resident monks and a lay following. In Buddhism in Burma, several honorific terms exist for Buddhist monks, reflecting their achievements and how many vassas they have passed. The most frequently used terms, which are used as prefixes to the monks' Dhamma name, include: *"Bhaddanta" *"Ashin" *"Shin" *"U" *"Upazin" *"Sayadaw" *"Sayadawgyi" A sayadaw may be known by his dharma name () ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sangharaja
Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' throughout the country. This term is often rendered in English as 'Patriarch' or 'Supreme Patriarch'. Overview The position of ''sangharaja'' has been assigned according to various methods in different countries and time periods. In some cases, the sangharaja is determined by absolute monastic seniority; the sangharaja is the monk who has spent the most rains retreats (vassa) as a monk. In other cases, royal appointment may play a role- the sangharaja may be appointed by the king, particularly in Southeast Asian countries where the monarchy is closely associated with Buddhism (Thailand, for example). Alternatively, the ''sangharaja'' may be chosen semi-democratically by monks or the laity (similar to the election of an abbot in some T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahanayaka
Mahanayaka (also spelled as Maha Nayaka, Maha Nayake) theros are high-ranking Buddhist monks who oversee and regulate the Buddhist clergy in Theravada Buddhist countries. The title ''Maha Nayaka'' translates to English as 'Great Leader' and it is considered to be a very important position held by a monk in a Theravada Buddhist country. It is usually bestowed upon the senior Buddhist monks who are appointed the chief prelates of monastic fraternities known as '' Nikayas''. Sri Lankan tradition In Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition, the title ''Mahanayaka'' is held by the heads of the chapters of all three main sects, Siam Nikaya (Estd. 1753), Amarapura Nikaya (Estd. 1803) and Ramanna Nikaya (Estd. 1864). Appointment of senior Buddhist monks to the Mahanayaka position in Sri Lanka began with the re-establishment of Upasampada higher ordination in 1753 on the initiatives taken by Sangharaja Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero during the reign of king Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy. The deputies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Sāsana Azani Recipients
The Burmese government recognizes Buddhist monks who have successfully passed the Tipitakadhara Tipitakakovida Selection Examinations as "Sāsana Azani" (သာသနာ့အာဇာနည်), from Pali (). Since the examination's initial inception in 1948, only 15 monks have been recognized as "Sāsana Azani" as of 2020. Sasana Azani monks are bestowed the following titles: Tipiṭakadhara (Bearer of the "Spoken Tipitaka") and Tipiṭakakovida (Bearer of the "Written Tipitaka"). As of 2020, monks recognized as "Sāsana Azani" include: See also * Agga Maha Pandita * Burmese Buddhist titles * Monastic examinations * Monastic schools in Myanmar * Pāli Canon * Pariyatti * Thathanabaing of Burma * Tipitakadhara Tipitakakovida Selection Examinations The Tipiṭakadhara Tipiṭakakovida Selection Examinations ( my, တိပိဋကဓရ တိပိဋကကောဝိဒ ရွေးချယ်ရေး စာမေးပွဲ) are the highest-level monastic examinati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thero
Agga Maha Pandita Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thero ( si, කොටුගොඩ ධම්මාවාස හිමි, Koṭugoḍa Dhammāvāsa Himi; lay name: Sirimevan Rodrigo; 23 January 1933 – 22 March 2021) was an eminent Sri Lankan Buddhist monk. He was the supreme Mahanayaka of Sri Lanka Amarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya and was the chief incumbent of Sri Dharmapalaramaya, Mount Lavinia. Early life He was born on January 23, 1933, in the village Kotugoda, Minuwangoda, Sri Lanka as the youngest of the family with seven siblings: five sons and two daughters. His lay name was Sirimevan Rodrigo. His father was Haramanis Rodrigo and mother was Selestina Rodrigo. He had his education from Buddhist mixed school in Kotugoda which was later known as Kotugoda Rahula Maha Vidyalaya. Meanwhile, he was very close to village temple and its Chief Incumbent Ven. Kotugoda Pemananda Nayaka Thera. Later, he became the disciple of Ven. Unavatune Dhammapala Thera, who was the Chief Incumbent of Sr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walpola Rahula Thero
Walpola Rahula Thero (1907–1997) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, scholar and writer. In 1964, he became the Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University, thus becoming the first bhikkhu to hold a professorial chair in the Western world. He also once held the position of Vice-Chancellor at the then Vidyodaya University (currently known as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura). He has written extensively about Buddhism in English, French and Sinhala. He wrote the book ''What the Buddha Taught'' about Theravada Buddhism. Biography He was born in 1907 at Walpola, a tiny village in southern Sri Lanka. At thirteen, he entered the Sangha. His education covered Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, Buddhism, history and philosophy. He studied at the Vidyalankara Pirivena and at the University of Ceylon, where he associated with E. F. C. Ludowyk, G.P Malalasekera, E. W. Adikaram and other scholars. After his period at the Sorbonne, he became Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya Unive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
U Pannavamsa
U Paññāvaṃsa ( my, ဦးပညာဝံသ; Pyinnyawuntha), commonly known as the Penang Sayadaw and officially titled Bhaddantapaññāvaṃsa) was a prominent Burmese Buddhist monk, known for his missionary work, particularly in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. He was first selected to perform missionary work on Coco Islands on behalf of the Burmese government. He was the chief abbot of the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple in Penang, Malaysia, where he resides. He was also abbot over the Burmese Buddhist Temple in Singapore. Biography Venerable Sayadaw U Paññāvaṃsa was born at Wakema, Myanmar on 10 January 1928. He was ordained as a novice at the age of fourteen and received higher ordination as Bhikkhu on 16 April 1948. He studied Pali and Buddhism in Wakema, Rangoon and Mandalay's Masoyein Monastery, alongside U Kovida. In 1953, he passed Dhammacariya, the highest monastic examination in Pali, with distinction. The government of Burma awarded him the degree of ''Sasanadaja Si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madihe Pannaseeha Thero
Most Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha Mahathera (Pali: Paññāsīha) (June 21, 1913 – September 9, 2003) was an eminent Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, who was the Mahanayaka of Amarapura sect from July 13, 1969 until his death on September 9, 2003. Early life Madihe Pannaseeha Nayaka Thero was born on June 21, 1913 in the village called Madihe in Matara district, as the youngest in a family of five. His lay name was Benson Wilmot. Benson Wilmot had his education in the English medium at St.Thomas' College, Matara and later at Mahinda College, Galle. At the age of 13 years he entered the Buddhist Order. His ordination was held at Devagiri Vihara, Kabmurugamuwa, on June 24, 1926. He was named 'Madihe Pannasheeha' at the ordination. Elected Maha Nayaka An election by secret vote was held on November 27, 1955, at Vajiraramaya, Bambalapitiya, to select the Maha Nayaka ( Great Chief ) Thera to succeed Ven. Palane Vagiragnana Nayake Thera. At the election 141 Bhikkus of the Nikaya c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitagu Sayadaw
Ashin Nyanissara ( my, ဉာဏိဿရ; ) best known as Sitagu Sayadaw (), is a Burmese meditation teacher and prolific Buddhist scholar. He is also the founder of Sitagu International Buddhist Academy. His work as a teacher began in 1977 and encompasses religious, educational, medical and infrastructural activities. He travels worldwide to promote his humanitarian efforts and for interfaith dialogue. In 2012, he became the Shwegyin Nikaya's (; ). Social and charity work Sitagu Sayadaw is known for his charismatic leadership and practices of socially-engaged Buddhism. His organization has funded many social projects in Burma, including water pumps, construction of hospitals such as the Sitagu Ayudana Hospital in Sagaing in 1985, and the Sitagu Buddhist Academy in 1998. Sitagu Sayadaw was lauded for his missionary and charity works, especially in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which killed upwards of 100,000 in the country's delta regions. He is also interested ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
