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Pyo
''Pyo'' ( my, ပျို့) is a Burmese form of poetry and was a major Burmese verse form from the 1600s to 1700s. The earliest surviving poetic literature found in the Burmese language dates from between 1450 and 1550, and is largely in the form of ''pyo''. Format Pyo follows classical Burmese verse, employing lines of four syllables with rhymes "climbing" from the end towards the beginning of successive lines. An entire pyo work may be divided into 200 to 300 verses, with an average of 30 to 35 four-syllable lines each. Poets employed many devices to overcome the four-syllable requirements, including use of repetition and rhyme. The pyo is generally written in a combination of two styles; parts of the poem are written in a plainspoken style and other passages are written in a more ornate and complex style, which weave in metaphors, similes, and allusions. Subjects The majority of ''pyo'' narrate episodes from the Buddha's life or adapt the Buddha's birth stories ( Jāta ...
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Shin Maha Silavamsa
Shin Mahāsīlavaṃsa ( my, ရှင်မဟာ သီလဝံသ, variously transcribed Shin Maha Silavamsa, Shin Maha Thilawuntha or Rhaṅʻ Mahāsīlavaṃsa) was a Theravadan Buddhist monk and a classical Burmese poet who lived in 15th century Ava Kingdom (now modern-day Myanmar). He is famous for his ''pyo'' poetry and he is considered one of the greatest poets of pre-colonial Burma, in particular his masterpieces, ''Paramidawkhan Pyo'' () and ''Sodaungkhan Pyo'' (), which are considered ideal models of the medieval literary style. While the primary focus of Mahāsīlavaṃsa's compositions was dhamma (Buddhist teachings), he also composed the earliest extant Burmese chronicle, ''Yazawingyaw''. His contemporary literati rival was Shin Raṭṭhasāra. Personal life Mahāsīlavaṃsa was born Maung Nyo in Myolulin village (north of Taungdwingyi on a Friday in 1453, to U Kyi and Daw Dwe. He studied Buddhist scriptures and literature at the Yadana Beikman Monaste ...
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Shin Raṭṭhasāra
Shin Raṭṭhasāra ( my, ရှင်မဟာရဋ္ဌသာရ; 1468-1529 (1530) was a Buddhist monk and prominent classical poet during the Ava Kingdom, known for his ''pyo'' poetry. His 1523 ''Kogan Pyo'' () based on the ''Hatthipāla Jātaka'', is among the most widely known ''pyo'' in modern-day Myanmar, and is taught in Burmese schools. His ''Buridat Pyo'' (; based on the ''Bhūridatta Jātaka'') is also considered an exemplar of the medieval literary style, is considered a masterpiece of Burmese classical poetry. Raṭṭhasāra also composed metrical versions of other Jataka tales, including the ''Saṃvarajātaka'', besides a number of other poems. Despite his poetic contributions, Burmese chroniclers excluded him from the succession of elders (''thera''), because he not only wrote verse, but also recited and instructed pupils in the art of recitation, which was considered a transgression of the Vinaya, specifically the rules governing singing and dancing. Back ...
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Nawade
Nawade ( my, နဝဒေး; also spelt Nawaday) is a title given by the Burmese kings to the poet laureates of ancient Burma. Whereas there were at least five court poets who were given the title of Nawade only two are frequently discussed in academic circles. First Nawade The first Nawade (1498–1588), known as Nawadegyi as well as the Prome Nawade, was a warrior and tutored the brother-in-law of the Lord of Prome. According to one traditional telling, Nawadegyi was the son of Princess Narapati Medaw guardian. Nawadegyi served multiple kings, including Sithu Kyawhtin and Bayinnaung (the latter of whom conferred the title upon him). He often wrote poetry that exalted the royal family, including missing ''Manawhari Pyo'' (1579) which concerns the Thudanu Prince, as well as more than three hundred ''yadu''s. He was a nonagenarian at the time of his death. Second Nawade The second Nawade, Dutiya (1756–1840), also known as Wetmasut Nawade after the town he frequented or Mawsun N ...
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Padethayaza
Padethayaza ( my, ပဒေသရာဇာ; –1754), also spelt Padesarājā, was a minister who served the last three monarchs at the Nyaungyan court, and was a prominent writer and poet. He is known for composing ''pyo'', lyrical poems based on the Jataka tales. While he wrote traditional works pertaining to Buddhism, he was also known for expanding his repertoire, drawing from Hindu tales, apocryphal birth stories of the Buddha (Paññāsa Jātaka The ''Paññāsa Jātaka'' ( my, ပညာသဇာတက; th, ปัญญาสชาดก), is a non-canonical collection of 50 stories of the Buddha's past lives, originating in mainland Southeast Asia. The stories were based on the style of ...), current events such as the arrival of Thai envoys to the Burmese court, and village life for peasants (in the form of folk songs). After the demise of the Nyaungyan court in 1754, Padethayaza was captured and taken to Pegu (Bago). List of works * '' Manikhet Pyo'' (မဏိ ...
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Burmese Language
Burmese ( my, မြန်မာဘာသာ, MLCTS: ''mranmabhasa'', IPA: ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar (also known as Burma), where it is an official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Burmans, the country's principal ethnic group. Burmese is also spoken by the indigenous tribes in Chittagong Hill Tracts ( Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachari, Cox's Bazar) in Bangladesh, Tripura state in Northeast India. Although the Constitution of Myanmar officially recognizes the English name of the language as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as ''Burmese'', after Burma, the country's once previous and currently co-official name. Burmese is the common lingua franca in Myanmar, as the most widely-spoken language in the country. In 2007, it was spoken as a first language by 33 million, primarily the Burman people and related ethnic groups, and as a second language by 10 million, particularly ethnic m ...
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Jātaka
The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is "one of the oldest classes of Buddhist literature."Skilling, Peter (2010). ''Buddhism and Buddhist Literature of South-East Asia,'' pp. 161-162. Some of these works are also considered great works of literature in their own right. In these stories, the future Buddha may appear as a king, an outcast, a deva, an animal—but, in whatever form, he exhibits some virtue that the tale thereby inculcates. Often, Jātaka tales include an extensive cast of characters who interact and get into various kinds of trouble - whereupon the Buddha character intervenes to resolve all the problems and bring about a happy ending. The Jātaka genre is based on the idea that the Buddha was able to recollect all his past lives and thus could use these memorie ...
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Bhikkhu
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimokṣa or pātimokkha. Their lifestyles are shaped to support their spiritual practice: to live a simple and meditative life and attain nirvana. A person under the age of 20 cannot be ordained as a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni but can be ordained as a śrāmaṇera or śrāmaṇērī. Definition ''Bhikkhu'' literally means "beggar" or "one who lives by alms". The historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha, having abandoned a life of pleasure and status, lived as an alms mendicant as part of his śramaṇa lifestyle. Those of his more serious students who renounced their lives as householders and came to study full-time under his supervision also adopt ...
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Sumedha Buddha
According to Theravada Buddhism's Pali canon's Buddhavamsa and its commentary, Sumedha Buddha is the fourteenth of twenty-seven Buddhas who preceded the historical Gautama Buddha. Sumedha Buddha was born in Sudassana. According to the canon at the age of 9,000 years old he became an ascetic, practiced austerities for fifteen days, and attained Enlightenment. He lived 90,000 years, and died in Medhārāma. The Buddhavamsa describes Sumedha Buddha in this fashion: Sumedha, hard to attack, of intense incandescence, supreme sage in all the world. He was clear-eyed, full-mouthed, of tall stature, upright, majestic. He sought the welfare of all beings and released many from bondage. During Sumedha Buddha's lifetime, the one destined to become Gautama Buddha was known as the Brahmin Uttara who, upon entering ascetic life, made an offering to Sumedha Buddha and his Order of 80 crores of wealth. Sumedha as a previous life of Gotama Buddha The name Sumedha is found elsewhere in ea ...
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Paññāsa Jātaka
The ''Paññāsa Jātaka'' ( my, ပညာသဇာတက; th, ปัญญาสชาดก), is a non-canonical collection of 50 stories of the Buddha's past lives, originating in mainland Southeast Asia. The stories were based on the style of the ''Jātakatthavaṇṇanā'', but are not from the Pāli Canon itself. The stories outline the Buddha's biography and illustrate his acquisition of the perfections (pāramitā), with a strong focus on generosity (dāna). Origins Various ''Paññāsa Jātaka'' stories have parallels with Sanskrit literature as well as Tamil, Chinese, Tibetan, Khotanese and Southeast Asian folk tales. According to 17th and 18th century Burmese tradition, the stories may have originated in 15th century Lan Na (modern Northern Thailand). The Burmese name ''Zimmè Paññāsa ('),'' in fact means ‘Chiang Mai Fifty’, and it is thought that these stories may have originated in that city in what is now northern Thailand from where the collection was li ...
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Burmese Literature
The literature of Burma (or Myanmar) spans over a millennium. Burmese literature was historically influenced by Indian and Thai cultures, as seen in many works, such as the '' Ramayana''. The Burmese language, unlike other Southeast Asian languages (e.g. Thai, Khmer), adopted words primarily from Pāli rather than from Sanskrit. In addition, Burmese literature tends to reflect local folklore and culture. Burmese literature has historically been a very important aspect of Burmese life steeped in the Pali Canon of Buddhism. Traditionally, Burmese children were educated by monks in monasteries in towns and villages. During British colonial rule, instruction was formalised and unified, and often bilingual, in both English and Burmese known as Anglo-Vernacular. Burmese literature played a key role in disseminating nationalism among the Burmese during the colonial era, with writers such as Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, an outspoken critic of British colonialism in Burma. Beginning soon ...
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Poetic Forms
Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, a prosaic ostensible meaning. A poem is a literary composition, written by a poet, using this principle. Poetry has a long and varied history, evolving differentially across the globe. It dates back at least to prehistoric times with hunting poetry in Africa and to panegyric and elegiac court poetry of the empires of the Nile, Niger, and Volta River valleys. Some of the earliest written poetry in Africa occurs among the Pyramid Texts written during the 25th century BCE. The earliest surviving Western Asian epic poetry, the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', was written in Sumerian. Early poems in the Eurasian continent evolved from folk songs such as the Chinese ''Shijing'', as well as religious hymns (the Sanskri ...
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Burmese Buddhist Literature
Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (horse), a horse given to Queen Elizabeth II * Burmese pony, a breed of horse * Burmese python See also * * :Burmese people * Bamar people The Bamar (, ; also known as the Burmans) are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group native to Myanmar (formerly Burma) in Southeast Asia. With approximately 35 million people, the Bamar make up the largest ethnic group in Myanmar, constituting 68% of ..., the majority ethnic group in Myanmar * Burmese English, the dialect of English spoken in Myanmar/Burma * Bernese (other) {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...
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