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Thero
''Thero'' (commonly appearing in the masculine and feminine forms ''thera'' and ''therī'' respectively) is an honorific term in Pali for senior bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) in the Buddhist monastic order. The word literally means "elder". These terms, appearing at the end of a monastic's given name, are used to distinguish those who have at least 10 years since their '' upasampada'' (higher ordination). The name of an important collection of very early Buddhist poetry is called the '' Therigatha'', "verses of the ''therīs''". The terms ''mahāthera'' and ''mahātherī'' (the prefix ''mahā'' meaning 'great' in both Sanskrit and Pali) are used to refer to very distinguished elderly and venerable monks and nuns considered to have reached a higher level of spiritual development. Usage of these terms varies according to the Buddhist tradition and culture. In Sri Lanka, these terms are widely used. Some prominent theras and therīs: * Ananda Thera * Reruka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero () (23 August 1896 — 18 July 1998) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who was one of the most distinguished scholars and expositors of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century. He was highly respected by Sri Lankan Buddhists, who believed that he had achieved a higher level of spiritual development. Sri Lankan Buddhists also considered Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero as a Bodhisattva, who will attain Buddhahood in a future life. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero lived a modest life and did a great service for the propagation of Buddhist philosophy. In recognition of his valuable service at the Sixth Buddhist council held in Burma, the Burmese government conferred on him the title of Agga Maha Pandita (Chief Great Scholar) in 1956. Later in March 1997, the Burmese government conferred on Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero the highest Sangha title, Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru (Most Eminent Great Spiritual Teacher), which is equivalent to Sangharaja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gangodawila Soma Thero
Gangodawila Soma Thero (24 April 1948 – 12 December 2003) was a Theravada bhikkhu (Buddhist monk) from Sri Lanka. Following tradition, the Thero used the name of their birthplace, Gangodawila, in front of their dharma name; ''thero'' denotes an elder monk. A prominent preacher and social reformer, Ven. Soma Thero played a pivotal role in the revival of Sinhala Buddhism in Sri Lanka during the late 20th century. Their accessible sermons, broadcast on television, inspired thousands, particularly youth, to embrace Buddhist principles. Soma Thero founded the Buddhist Vihara Victoria in Australia and led campaigns against alcoholism and superstition. Their sudden death in 2003 sparked controversy, with a Presidential Commission yielding mixed conclusions. Soma Thero's legacy endures through commemorative events, a postal stamp, and their influence on Buddhist activism. Early life and education Born Weeratunga Arachchige Don Somaratne on 24 April 1948 in Gangodawila, a suburb of C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rerukane Chandawimala Thero
Rerukane Chandawimala Thero was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and author. A personality of Sri Lankan Buddhism in the 20th century, he has been regarded as one of the finest scholars of Tripitaka, the sacred canon of Theravada Buddhism. He was also a Buddhist meditation master, professor of Abhidharma and a former Maha Nayaka of the Swegin chapter of the Amarapura Nikaya. Rerukane Chandawimala Thero was a highly reputed author of Theravada Buddhism, especially on Abhidharma. His books are considered as text books by other authors as well as students. Early life and education Rerukane Chandawimala Thera was born on 19 July 1897 in the village Rerukana in Kalutara district, western Sri Lanka. His lay name was Rubel Gunawardene. The eldest of a family of 06 children, Rubel's parents were Don Bastian de Paules Gunawardene and Munasinghage Podi Nona. After having his school education at Veediyagoda school up to grade 2, young Rubel entered the order of Buddhist monks as a Samanera (novic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero
Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero (born: 1 July 1961) is a Sri Lankan monk. He is the founder & chief advisor of Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery, Mahamevnawa Maha Sangha Saba(මහමෙව්නාව මහා සංඝ සභාව) and Shraddha Media Network. Many people address Him as "Pinwath Loku Swamin Wahanse(පින්වත් ලොකු ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ)" Spiritual biography Gnanananda became a monk at age 17 on 26 March 1979 under Dambagasare Sumedhankara Thero and Dikwelle Pannananda Thero at Seruwavila. He received a traditional Buddhist academic education and entered the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He founded Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in August 1999 in Waduwava, Polgahawela. Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery now has more than 80 branch monasteries in Sri Lanka and more than 35 overseas monasteries in Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany Italy, Dubai, South Korea,India and many more. In 201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhist Titles
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth-largest religion, with about 500 million followers, known as Buddhists, who comprise four percent of the global population. It arose in the eastern Gangetic plain as a movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout much of Asia. Buddhism has subsequently played a major role in Asian culture and spirituality, eventually spreading to the West in the 20th century. According to tradition, the Buddha instructed his followers in a path of development which leads to awakening and full liberation from '' dukkha'' (). He regarded this path as a Middle Way between extremes such as asceticism or sensual indulgence. Teaching that ''dukkha'' arises alongside attachment or clinging, the Buddha advised meditation practices and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhism), Dhamma'' in the Pāli Canon for over two millennia. The Pāli Canon is the most complete Buddhist canon surviving in a Indo-Aryan languages, classical Indian language, Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language and ''lingua franca''.Crosby, Kate (2013), ''Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, and Identity'', p. 2. In contrast to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, Theravāda tends to be conservative in matters of doctrine (''pariyatti'') and monastic discipline (''vinaya''). One element of this Religious conservatism, conservatism is the fact that Theravāda rejects the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras (which appeared onwards). Consequently, Theravāda generally does not recognize the existence of many Buddhas and bodhisattva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyanatiloka Mahathera
Ven. Nyanatiloka (Ñāṇatiloka) Mahathera (19 February 1878, Wiesbaden, Germany – 28 May 1957, Colombo, Ceylon), born as Anton Walther Florus Gueth, was one of the earliest Westerners in modern times to become a Bhikkhu, a fully ordained Buddhist monk. Early life and education Nyanatiloka was born on 19 February 1878 in Wiesbaden, Germany, as Anton Walther Florus Gueth. His father was Anton Gueth, a professor and principal of the municipal Gymnasium of Wiesbaden, as well as a private councillor. His mother's name was Paula Auffahrt. She had studied piano and singing at the Royal Court Theatre in Kassel. He studied at the Königliche Realgymnasium (Royal Gymnasium) in Wiesbaden from 1888 to 1896. From 1896 to 1898 he received private tuition in music theory and composition, and in playing the violin, piano, viola and clarinet. From 1889 to 1900 he studied theory and composition of music as well as the playing of the violin and piano at Hoch’sches Conservatorium (Hoch Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ajahn
Ajahn (, , ; ) is a Thai- and Lao-derived term that translates as "professor" or "teacher". The term is in turn derived from the Pali word '' ācariya'' and is a term of respect, similar in meaning to the Japanese ''sensei''. It is used as a title of address for high school and university teachers, and for Buddhist monks who have passed ten '' vassa'' – in other words those who have maintained their monastic precepts unbroken for a period of ten years. The term Luang Por, "Venerable father", signifies an ajahn of acknowledged seniority in Thai Buddhism. Buddhism According to the ''Vinaya,'' any properly ordained monk can become an ' after ten '' vassa'' in the robes, thus a Thai monk becomes ''ajahn.'' A senior monk may bear the honorific title ''phra ajahn'' (,"venerable monk"), or in more informal situations, ''than ajahn'' (,"venerable monk"). Some famous ''ajahns'' are: * Ajahn Amaro * Ajahn Maha Boowa * Ajahn Brahm * Ajahn Chah * Ajahn Jayasāro * Ajahn Khemad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theragatha
The ''Theragāthā'' (''Verses of the Elder Monks'') is a Buddhist text, a collection of short poems in Pali attributed to members of the early Buddhist sangha. It is classified as part of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the collection of minor books in the Sutta Pitaka. A similar text, the Therigatha, contains verses attributed to early Buddhist nuns. Etymology ''Theragatha'' is a Pali word, constructed from the words ''thera'' (elder, masculine) and ''gāthā'' (verse). Overview The Theragatha consists of 264 poems, organized into 21 chapters. Chapters are based on the number of verses in the poem, but beyond chapter 16 the chapter headings are only a rough guide. Various figures for the number of total verses in the collection are given- the oral tradition claimed 1360, 1294 are mentioned in summaries within the text, but a plain count of the verses gives a number of 1279. This may be because different versions of the Theragatha were combined to produce the current version of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sayadaw
A sayadaw (, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. The word is a combination of Sanskrit word "acharya" (teacher) and the Burmese honorific "taw," which is used to denote nouns of religious or royal significance. 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 modern-day Myanmar, monastic abbots are required to have passed monastic examinations. In Burmese Buddhism, several honorific terms exist for Buddhist monks, reflecting their achievements and how many vassas the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyanaponika Thera
Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was a German–Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Buddhist Publication Society and author of numerous seminal books and articles on Theravada Buddhism. He mentored and taught a whole generation of Western Buddhist leaders such as Bhikkhu Bodhi. Early life Nyanaponika Thera was born in Hanau, Germany on July 21, 1901, as Siegmund Feniger, the only child of a Jewish family. In 1921, he moved with his parents to Berlin, where he met with German Buddhists and had access to Buddhist literature in the German language. He came across the writings of Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1878–1957), the former German violin virtuoso Anton Gueth. Young Siegmund had learned that Ven. Nyanatiloka Thera had established a monastery for Western monks in Sri Lanka, on an island lagoon (opposite the Railway station) Polgasduwa, Dodanduwa name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
