Mingun Sayadaw
Encyclopedia
The Venerable Mingun Sayadaw
U Vicittasarabivamsa was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk, best known for his memory skills and his role in the Sixth Buddhist Council
.
, Mandalay Province
, British Burma. His father died when Maung Khin was only 4 years old. During his youth, he was noted for being reserved and his cleanliness.
At the age of 5, he was sent to the village monastery according to Burmese Buddhist tradition, to get a basic monastic education. The presiding sayadaw was U Sasana who had been educated at the Nan Oo Monastery, a prominent monastery in Mandalay
.
His grandfather, U Chai taught him Buddhist prayers and recitations. It was for these that he would gain great following and fame as the Mingun Sayadaw. At the age of 7, he was temporarily noviciated as per Theravada
tradition, at the Min Kyaung Taik in Myingyan, with U Sobhita as preceptor. Since that age, Maung Khin displayed great memorising ability. He also read a wide array of journals, novels, magazines and books.
, again under the tutorledge of U Sobhita. He was conferred the monastic name Shin Vicittasara, which means Outstanding in Pali
.
At 13, he sat for the Vinaya
Examination held by the Sanghasamaggi Association in Myingyan, gaining prominence in the Myingyan religious circle. The next year, he sat for another exam, the Pariyatti Examination where he successfully recited the Abhidhamma from memory to the invigilating senior monks. Afterwards, he sat for various grading religious examinations.
in Sagaing Division
to continue his further studies at the Dhammananda Monastery. From that time till his death in 1992, he would be based in Mingun, thus became known as the Mingun Sayadaw. He received great support from a thilashin
, Daw Dhammacari. In the same year, he was ordained as a monk with the support of Sir and Lady Thwin. In 1933, he was conferred the rare title of Pahtamakyaw as he passed the Highest level religious Examination at the top of his cohort.
The Maha Sanghasamaggi Association, which conducted the religious exams conferred the suffix Abhivamsa to his name in 1934. Thus, the sayadaw had gained his dharma name
with which he would be renowned throughout Myanmar.
From 1950 to 1953, the sayadaw sat and passed the state conducted Tipitakadhara Selection Examination, for which the government of the newly independent Union of Burma conferred various titles and honours. In 1953, he became the first monk ever to be awarded the title of Tipitakadhara, meaning Keeper and Guardian of the Tipitaka.
government, the Sixth Buddhist Council
was held in the purpose-built Mahapasana Cave at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon from 1954 to 1956. Alongside the venerable Mahasi Sayadaw
, the Mingun Sayadaw played a key role in the Sangha Executive Committee. He participated in answering all questions concerning the Vinaya, the portion of the Tripitaka dealing with disciplinary rules of the Sangha.
It was said that the sayadaw recalled the exact book, page and line of every term in the Tripitaka.
and the Buddha Sasana Council, he began work on a treatise on the Life Story of the Buddha
, titled the Maha Buddhavamsa from 1955 to 1960. The Maha Buddhavamsa is considered the crowning achievement of the sayadaw's literary work.
In 1979, the Burmese government, now under the rule of General Ne Win
and Burma Socialist Programme Party
conferred the title of Agga Maha Pandita in recognition of his achievements and contributions. The next year, he served as the chief adviser for the convening of the First All Orders Sangha Congregation - an attempt by the government to rein in the different Buddhist sects in the country.
Human memory: Bhandanta Vicitsara (sic) recited 16,000 pages of Buddhist canonical text in Rangoon, Burma in May 1954. Rare instances of eidetic memory the ability to project and hence "usually" recall material are known to science .
The sayadaw died in 1992 of complications from an infection. He was given a de facto state funeral, where he was sent off by a large number of fellow monks, government officials and devotees. His ashes were then scattered over various locations across the country to symbolize the national religious figure he had come to personify.
and the suttas are one of the most popular Buddhist audio materials sold in Myanmar.
Sayadaw
A sayadaw is the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. Some distinguished sayadaws would often referred to as a sayadawgyi * U Vicittasarabhivamsa* Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa* Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa...
U Vicittasarabivamsa was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk, best known for his memory skills and his role in the Sixth Buddhist Council
Sixth Buddhist council
The Sixth Buddhist Council was a general council of Theravada Buddhism, held in a specially built cave and pagoda complex at Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. The council was attended by 2,500 monastics from eight Theravada Buddhist countries...
.
Early life
Ven. Mingun Sayadaw was born Maung Khin to U Sone and Daw Sin in 1911 in Kyipin Village in Myingyan TownshipMyingyan Township
Myingyan is a township of Myingyan District in the Mandalay Division of Burma....
, Mandalay Province
Mandalay Division
Mandalay Region is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is located in the center of the country, bordering Sagaing Region and Magway Region to the west, Shan State to the east, and Bago Region and Kayin State to the south. The regional capital is Mandalay. In the south of the division lies...
, British Burma. His father died when Maung Khin was only 4 years old. During his youth, he was noted for being reserved and his cleanliness.
At the age of 5, he was sent to the village monastery according to Burmese Buddhist tradition, to get a basic monastic education. The presiding sayadaw was U Sasana who had been educated at the Nan Oo Monastery, a prominent monastery in Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
.
His grandfather, U Chai taught him Buddhist prayers and recitations. It was for these that he would gain great following and fame as the Mingun Sayadaw. At the age of 7, he was temporarily noviciated as per Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
tradition, at the Min Kyaung Taik in Myingyan, with U Sobhita as preceptor. Since that age, Maung Khin displayed great memorising ability. He also read a wide array of journals, novels, magazines and books.
Shin Vicittasara
At 10, his mother sponsored his initiation into the SanghaSangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
, again under the tutorledge of U Sobhita. He was conferred the monastic name Shin Vicittasara, which means Outstanding in Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
.
At 13, he sat for the Vinaya
Vinaya
The Vinaya is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha, based in the canonical texts called Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Buddha, or Buddhadharma can be divided into two broad categories: 'Dharma' or doctrine, and 'Vinaya', or discipline...
Examination held by the Sanghasamaggi Association in Myingyan, gaining prominence in the Myingyan religious circle. The next year, he sat for another exam, the Pariyatti Examination where he successfully recited the Abhidhamma from memory to the invigilating senior monks. Afterwards, he sat for various grading religious examinations.
Monkhood and Awards
In 1930, Shin Vicittasara moved to MingunMingun
Mingun is a town in Sagaing Region, northwest Myanmar , located 11 km up the Ayeyarwady River on the west bank from Mandalay. Its main attraction is the ruined Mingun Pahtodawgyi.-Mingun Pahtodawgyi:...
in Sagaing Division
Sagaing Division
Sagaing Region is an administrative region of Burma , located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east...
to continue his further studies at the Dhammananda Monastery. From that time till his death in 1992, he would be based in Mingun, thus became known as the Mingun Sayadaw. He received great support from a thilashin
Thilashin
A Thilashin is a Burmese Buddhist female lay renunciant. They are often mistakenly referred to as nuns, but are closest to Samaneri.They, like the Mae ji of neighbouring Thailand and the dasa sil mata of Sri Lanka, occupy a position somewhere between that of an ordinary lay follower and an...
, Daw Dhammacari. In the same year, he was ordained as a monk with the support of Sir and Lady Thwin. In 1933, he was conferred the rare title of Pahtamakyaw as he passed the Highest level religious Examination at the top of his cohort.
The Maha Sanghasamaggi Association, which conducted the religious exams conferred the suffix Abhivamsa to his name in 1934. Thus, the sayadaw had gained his dharma name
Dharma name
A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism. The name is traditionally given by a Buddhist monastic, but is also given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity....
with which he would be renowned throughout Myanmar.
From 1950 to 1953, the sayadaw sat and passed the state conducted Tipitakadhara Selection Examination, for which the government of the newly independent Union of Burma conferred various titles and honours. In 1953, he became the first monk ever to be awarded the title of Tipitakadhara, meaning Keeper and Guardian of the Tipitaka.
Sixth Buddhist Synod
Under the auspices and patronage of the U NuU Nu
For other people with the Burmese name Nu, see Nu .U Nu was a leading Burmese nationalist and political figure of the 20th century...
government, the Sixth Buddhist Council
Sixth Buddhist council
The Sixth Buddhist Council was a general council of Theravada Buddhism, held in a specially built cave and pagoda complex at Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. The council was attended by 2,500 monastics from eight Theravada Buddhist countries...
was held in the purpose-built Mahapasana Cave at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon from 1954 to 1956. Alongside the venerable Mahasi Sayadaw
Mahasi Sayadaw
The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk and meditation master who had a significant impact on the teaching of Vipassana meditation in the West and throughout Asia...
, the Mingun Sayadaw played a key role in the Sangha Executive Committee. He participated in answering all questions concerning the Vinaya, the portion of the Tripitaka dealing with disciplinary rules of the Sangha.
It was said that the sayadaw recalled the exact book, page and line of every term in the Tripitaka.
Later work
At the Request of Prime Minister U NuU Nu
For other people with the Burmese name Nu, see Nu .U Nu was a leading Burmese nationalist and political figure of the 20th century...
and the Buddha Sasana Council, he began work on a treatise on the Life Story of the Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
, titled the Maha Buddhavamsa from 1955 to 1960. The Maha Buddhavamsa is considered the crowning achievement of the sayadaw's literary work.
In 1979, the Burmese government, now under the rule of General Ne Win
Ne Win
Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...
and Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party was formed by the Ne Win's military regime that seized power in 1962 and was the sole political party allowed to exist legally in Burma during the period of military rule from 1964 until its demise in the aftermath of the popular uprising of 1988.-History:The BSPP...
conferred the title of Agga Maha Pandita in recognition of his achievements and contributions. The next year, he served as the chief adviser for the convening of the First All Orders Sangha Congregation - an attempt by the government to rein in the different Buddhist sects in the country.
Guinness Record
In 1985, the Guinness Book of Records recorded the sayadaw as a record holder in the Human memory category. The exact entry was:Human memory: Bhandanta Vicitsara (sic) recited 16,000 pages of Buddhist canonical text in Rangoon, Burma in May 1954. Rare instances of eidetic memory the ability to project and hence "usually" recall material are known to science .
Last years
The sayadaw was in his 80s when the current military government of Myanmar took power. He distanced himself from the democracy demonstrations and the 8888 movement. As the government solidified its position, the sayadaw was approached by the government to attend its religious events, which he agreed to do so. The sayadaw did not engage in any politics but a few radical elements of the pro democracy movement considered him as a government lackey. However, his reputation was never tarnished as he continued his religious work til the very end.The sayadaw died in 1992 of complications from an infection. He was given a de facto state funeral, where he was sent off by a large number of fellow monks, government officials and devotees. His ashes were then scattered over various locations across the country to symbolize the national religious figure he had come to personify.
Legacy
The sayadaw has come to embody the Burmese dedication to Buddhism and also of the Burmese Buddhist sangha. His recitations of the PatthanaPatthana
The Patthana is a Buddhist scripture, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, where it is included in the Abhidhamma Pitaka.Translation: Conditional Relations, 1969- , in progress, 2 volumes so far tr U Narada, Pali Text Society, Bristol...
and the suttas are one of the most popular Buddhist audio materials sold in Myanmar.