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The Sangharaja Nikaya is a tradition of
Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, located in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. The word Nikaya is Pali and literally means "volume". It refers to the sections of the Tipitaka. However, an alternate usage is practiced in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
, in which the word "Nikaya" is a respectful term for a monastic community. The community consists largely of rural Bengali Buddhists. It was formed in 1864 by Sangharaja Saramedha Mahasthavira.


Dark Ages

From the 13th to the middle of the 19th century, Bengali Buddhism underwent its own "Dark age". In this time, much cross-over between
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
occurred, such that
Hindu deities Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati. The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...
such as
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
,
Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
, and
Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around c ...
were worshipped by Buddhists, as ''Buddhist'' deities. This went so far as to include animal sacrifice, at the time an acceptable practice in
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
. Moreover, the rules of the Vinaya began to be re-interpreted and the canonical text itself more or less fell by the wayside. Monks were commonly involved in leading a household life, having families, and even serving as "matchmakers". It was under these conditions that the Sangharaj of
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, Saramitra Mahasthabir, inaugurated his reform movement in the 19th century.


Arrival at Chittagong

Saramitra Mahasthabir arrived at the Chittagong province of Bangladesh in 1856 after being invited by Radha Charan Mahasthabir, an important Bengali monk. While in Bangladesh, the Sangharaj travelled between towns in order to see for himself the state of Bengali affairs. He remained in Bangladesh for a few months before returning to Myanmar.


Reform

Nine years later, in 1864, the Sangharaj returned to Chittagong at the invitation of Bengali monks. Arriving with an entourage of his own students, the Sangharaj began his reform movement within the
Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
. He chastised monks for following practices that the Vinaya clearly outlaws, such as animal sacrifice, using of money, maintaining a family, drinking alcohol, and eating food (especially meat) not offered. He also attacked the practice of ordaining monks below the age of 20 - full ordination is only available to those over the age of twenty. Likewise, he attacked the laxity in the order which allowed those who clearly were not suited to the religious life to remain. After his efforts to reform the Sangha, the Sangharaj turned his attention toward lay practice and spoke against animal sacrifice and the worship of gods. Saramitra Mahasthabir became highly influential and persuaded a growing number of monks to be re-ordained as a gesture of their adherence to the reform movement. This movement to re-ordain under the auspices of a "Buddhist Reformation" marked the beginning of what has now become the Sangharaj Nikaya. Saramitra Mahasthabir performed upasampada for a group of seven monks at Pahartali-Mahamuni, and this initial group of eight began to rapidly expand. With a new nikaya under his authority, the Sangharaj became highly effective at eliminating the worship of gods and the practice of
tantra Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
.


Opposition

An anti-reformation movement came into being in order to counter-act that which was led by Saramitra Mahasthabir. This movement became known as the Mahasthabir Nikaya and was led by none other than Radha Charan Mahasthabir, the Bengali monk who first invited Saramitra Mahasthabir to Bangladesh. It's important to note, however, that the Mahasthabir did not oppose the Sangharaj on doctrinal grounds - they did not advocate the practices the Sangharaj Nikaya attempted to eradicate. In point of fact, they are doctrinally ''identical'' to the Sangharaj Nikaya. However, the Mahasthabir Nikaya believed that a Bengali Buddhist order should not come under a powerful influence from a foreign entity. They opposed the Sangharaj Nikaya on the grounds that the Sangharaj Nikaya was foreign in origin, not on the grounds that the Sangharaj Nikaya was degenerate. Differences between the lineages are purely practical, i.e., they advocate different day-to-day practices for their monks. As such, differences are extremely minimal, and important only to the monastic sangha. Laity following the different traditions did not particularly differentiate between the two. The distinction served only to maintain an organizational front, not a doctrinal opposition.


See also

*
Theravāda Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
*
Bengali Buddhists Bengali Buddhists ( bn, বাঙালি বৌদ্ধ) are a religious subgroup of the Bengalis who adhere to or practice the religion of Buddhism. Bengali Buddhist people mainly live in Bangladesh and Indian states West Bengal and Tripura. ...
* Mahasthabir Nikaya {{Buddhism in Sri Lanka Theravada Buddhist orders Schools of Buddhism founded in Bangladesh