By Dr. Hema Goonatilake
Introduction
One
of the earliest references to Buddhism in Myanmar is in
the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa where mention is made of the two
missionaries, Sona and Uttara sent by Emperor Asoka to Suvannabhumi at
the same time Arahat Mahinda came to Sri Lanka. Suvannabhumi has been
identified as Lower Burma. According to both Sinhalese and Burmese
historical records, however, direct religious and cultural relations
between Sri Lanka and Myanmar began in the 11th century.
Although
India was the country of birth of the founder of Buddhism, Sri Lanka
soon became an important centre of propagation of the Dhamma after Thera
Mahinda’s teachings took a strong foothold in the country. Writing down
of the Tripitaka in the 1st century B.C. and its translation into Pali in the 5th century
CE, the Sinhala commentaries on the Tripitaka coming down from the time
of Thera Mahinda gave Sri Lanka an unparalleled position in the
propagation of the Buddha’s teaching in Pali, the lingua franca of the
then Buddhist world. In addition, Sri Lanka was the land that possessed
the unbroken lineage of ordination continuing from the time of Thera
Mahinda and the associated religious scholarship. Furthermore, Sri Lanka
was the site of sacred relics, the most important of which was the
Tooth Relic of the Buddha.
Anuradhapura, the Sri Lanka capital had been a major metropolitan city since the 9th century
B.C, the largest city, south of Indraprastha (modern Delhi), according
to recent carbon dated archeology (Deraniyagala, S. U., 1992).
Anuradhapura by the 4th – 5th centuries CE. with
the three monastic institutions, Mahavihara, Abhayagiri and Jetavana,
attracted Buddhist travellers on the sea route as well as on the land
route to Southeast Asia and East Asia up to China. They stopped over in
Anuradhapura, facilitated also by Sri Lanka's strategic position in the
Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka had established itself as the religious
metropolis of Southeast Asia from an early period.
Relations
between Sri Lanka and Myanmar yielded mutually beneficial results.
Myanmar Bhikkhus mastered the Tripitaka introduced by Sri Lanka, adopted
the Sinhala form of ordination, and being inspired by Sinhala painting,
art and architecture, created their own forms with a local flavour. In
turn, Sinhala Bhikkhus received Higher Ordination back from Amarapura
and Ramanna Bhikkhu lineages which contributed immensely to the
educational, cultural and religious revival in Sri Lanka during the 18th and 19th centuries which paved the way for the development of the international Buddhist movement in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Direct links between Sri Lanka and Myanmar
Direct
links between the two countries intensified after the king of Pagan
Anawrahta (Anuruddha 1044-1077) conquered in 1057 Thaton (ancient
Saddhammapura) in Ramannadesa (Lower Burma). The Culavamsa records that
King Anuruddha requested King Vijayabahu I (1065-1120) to send him the
sacred Tooth Relic, the proudest possession of Sri Lanka. The former is
said to have enshrined a miraculously produced replica of the sacred
Tooth Relic beneath the Shwezigon pagoda, the construction of which is
ascribed to him by tradition. King Anuruddha also sent four envoys to
Sri Lanka to bring the Tripitaka. Not too long thereafter, King
Vijayabahu, according to the Culavamsa, sent envoys with gifts and a
letter written with his own hand in Pali to Anuruddha, seeking his
assistance to defeat the Colas. But before help came, Vijayabahu had
defeated the Cholas, and in 1071, sent a religious mission, requesting
for learned Bhikkhus to restore the Sangha in Sri Lanka which had
suffered a setback due to the Chola invasion. Thus with twenty senior
Bhikkhus who arrived from Ramannadesa (Lower Burma), Higher Ordination
was re-established in Sri Lanka. Some scholars argue that these were
Sinhala monks who had fled Sri Lanka during the Cola rule, and were
living in Ramannadesa. A good reason for this argument is the fact that
the Higher Ordination conferred on Sri Lankan monks on this occasion has
not been described by the place of origin as Siam Nikaya, Ramanna
Nikaya or Amarapura Nikaya, or as Sihala Sangha when Sri Lanka monks
conferred Higher Ordination on Burmese monks or as Lankavamsa as in the
case of Thai, Cambodian and Lao monks (Hema Goonatilake 2001, 2003). .
Sinhala Bhikkhus Taught Pali Language through Sinhala Script .
King
Kyanzitta of Myanmar (1084-1113) who succeeded King Anuruddha’s son,
Sawlu (1077-1084), too maintained good relations with Sri Lanka. He
received nine Buddha relics sent by the Sri Lankan king which he
enshrined in several stupas. He undertook the task of collecting and
revising the Tripitaka (3rd Swehsandaw Inscription, Epigra.
Birm. I, part II, p.163). Gordon Luce has shown that this period was one
of intensive scholarly work with the assistance of a large number of
Sinhala Bhikkhus to carry out the task of teaching Pali through the
Sinhala script (Pali has no script of its own). Translation from Pali
into Mon initially, and later into Burmese was done on a large scale.
Luce has also added that all versions of the Tripitaka from that time
right down to the edition issued by the Sixth Buddhist Council in 1956
have strictly adhered to the Sinhala version (Luce, Gordon, 1969).
There
is evidence to show that Kyanzitta's son Rajakumar mastered Pali and
the Tripitaka under the guidance of Sinhala Bhikkhus, and played a
leadership role in the revision of the Tripitaka in close collaboration
with Sinhala Bhikkhus.
It
is important to note here that within a century after the launching of
the intensive Pali studies programme, assisted by Sinhala Bhikkhus,
Pagan had become an important centre of Pali scholarship as evident from
the composition of the famous Pali grammar Saddaniti by the Burmese
Bhikkhu Aggavamsa.
.
Sinhala Bhikkhus transformed the cultural landscape of Pagan .
The
Mon dominance over scholarship in Myanmar until then, was soon replaced
by Sinhala Theravada. Tantric Mahayana elements gave way to Theravada.
The Abeyadana temple which was built by Kyanzittha's first queen, a
Bengali princess with Mahayana inclinations, has distinct Tantric
elements while the Nagayon, just a hundred yards away, was a Theravada
temple built by the king, soon after 1090 (BBHC, Vol. II 1961, p. 280).
Religious thought, art, architecture and literature in the subsequent
centuries were all shaped by the Sinhala form of Theravada. Mahayana as
well as Hindu elements, especially noted in iconography were soon
absorbed to suit current Theravada tastes, often becoming merely
decorative (Strachan, P., 1988, p. 10)
Luce
has pointed out that the two literary sources that influenced the early
Pagan artists, including Rajakumar, the son of Kyanzitta were
the Jatakas and the Mahavamsa. The walls of the Myinkaba Kubyauk-gyi
Temple of Rajakumar are adorned with illustrations of the Jatakas and
scenes from the life of the Buddha. A brief description of the painting
is written in ink below each panel.
It
appears that at a time when illiteracy was widespread, artistic
portrayal in paint with some writing inside the temple was the quickest
and the most effective medium of propagating the new faith.
Rajakumar
appears to have studied the Sri Lanka chronicle, the Mahavamsa, as is
evident from the walls of the Myinkaba Kubyauk-gyi Temple that have
pictorial illustrations of a large number of episodes covering the
history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka up to the reign of King Vijayabahu, the
contemporary of King Anuruddha and Kyanzittha. The scenes in these
pictorial illustrations include: the Buddha's visits to Sri Lanka,
Emperor Asoka and King Devanampiyatissa, Asoka's message and the gifts
for Devanampiyatissa's coronation, Devanampiyatissa's meeting with Thera
Mahinda and Theri Sanghamitta’s arrival in Sri Lanka carrying the Bodhi
tree. On another wall are the scenes from the life of
the Mahavamsa hero, Dutthagamini, namely: his elephant Kandula, he is
given the name Abhaya (fearless), Abhaya wants to go out and fight the
enemy, when his father forbids him, he sends his father a woman's dress
making the father angry, King Elara and the number of villages he
administers and his justice bell is rung by a cow when his son drives
his chariot over a calf. Elsewhere are the scenes relating to the
activities of King Vasabha, Siri Sanghabodhi and the physician-king
Buddhadasa (Hema Goonatilake 2006).
This
historical exposition on Sri Lanka under the guidance of Sinhala
Bhikkhus marks the beginning of historiography in Myanmar. It is
significant that the Burmese chronicles such
as Mahasammatavamsa, Rajavamsa and Sasanavamsa were directly modelled
after the Mahavamsa (Hla Pe, pp.
52).
.
Burmese King's marriage to a Sri Lankan Princess .
According
to the Burmese chronicle Hmaman Yasawinkyi, Alaungsithu (1112-1167
A.C.), King of Burma (contemporary with Parakramabahu I (1153-1186),
visited Sri Lanka, married a daughter of the Sinhalese king and returned
with an image of Maha Kassapa Thera who was highly venerated at the
time in Sri Lanka. The Burmese king also appointed an ambassador to Sri
Lanka. There is no reference to the Burmese king's marriage to a Sri
Lankan princess in Sri Lankan sources. Both Burmese and Sri Lankan
sources, however, agree on the appointment of a Sri Lankan ambassador in
Burma whose reporting later ended the friendship between the two kings.
The Culavamsa records that the Burmese king caught sight of a letter
addressed to the King of Cambodia in the hands of the Sinhalese envoys,
and suspecting that they were envoys sent to Cambodia, seized them and
punished them. He also immediately stopped Sri Lanka's lucrative
elephant trade with foreign countries, and captured the elephants, money
and vessels of Sinhalese envoys.
Later
on another occasion, the Burmese captured a Sinhalese princess, sent to
Cambodia (presumably for King Jayavarman VI's son) by Parakramabahu I
who was pursuing trade and diplomatic relations with Cambodia which had
close links with China. In retaliation, Parakramabahu I sent a fleet of
ships to Ramannadesa (Lower Burma) under the command of Nagaragiri
Kitti. The ships landed in Kasumi and defeated the Ramanna army. This
event is recorded in the Mahavamsa and is confirmed by the Devanagala
inscription of Sri Lanka. .
Sinhala Bhikkhus resolve conflict between Sri Lanka and Myanmar .
When
relations were strained between Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) and
Alaungsithu (1113-1165) of Myanmar due to problems of trade referred to
above (Cv LXXXVI, GPC, pp. 114, 118), it was the Sinhala Bhikkhus who
came to rescue relations. The Culavamsa says that the people of Ramanna
after the breakdown of relations between the two countries following the
success of Parakramabahu I's raid in Myanmar, sent messengers with
letters to Sinhala Bhikkhus requesting a settlement. A settlement was
thus brought about through the mediation of Sinhala Bhikkhus (For
details, see Sirisena 1978, pp. 33).
Whatever
the nature and the extent of the conflict between Sri Lanka and Myanmar
were, the resumption of political and cultural links brought about a
new wave of religious and cultural relations between Sri Lanka and
Myanmar. ..
.
Myanmar Sangharaja Seeks Refuge in Sri Lanka .
In
spite of the political problems between the two countries, religious
relations seem to have continued. Sangharaja Panthagu of Myanmar who
succeeded Shin Arahan left Myanmar in disgust and sought refuge in Sri
Lanka in 1167 when King Narathu (1167-1170) poisoned his elder brother
who was the legitimate heir to the throne in a conspiracy (GPC p. 133).
The Sangharaja stayed in Sri Lanka for six years.
Sinhala Sangha established in Myanmar .
Sri
Lanka had become an important centre of Buddhism under Parakramabahu I
that it attracted monks from all over South-east Asia. A delegation of
Bhikkhus headed by Sangharaja Uttarajiva who succeeded Panthagu, visited
Sri Lanka in 1170 on pilgrimage along with a Samanera by the name of
Chapata. Chapata who received Higher Ordination from the Sri Lankan
Bhikkhus, mastered the Tripitaka, and remained in Sri Lanka for ten
years (Kalyani Inscriptions, pp. 50). .
Sangharaja
Uttarajiva after his return to Myanmar was hailed as the "First Pilgrim
of Sri Lanka", and this indicates that Sri Lanka was considered as the
fountainhead of Theravada Buddhism. Chapata returned to Myanmar along
with four other monks so that they could perform ecclesiastical acts
separately. The other four were Tamalinda (son of Jayavarman VII of
Cambodia), Sivali from Tamralipti in Bengal, Ananda from Kancipura and
Rahula, a Sinhala Bhikkhu. When Chapata refused to perform
ecclesiastical acts together with the Myanmar Bhikkhus whose vinaya was
thought to be not pure enough, King Narapatisithu (1173-1210) who was
impressed with the Bhikkhus who received Higher Ordination from Sri
Lanka gave full patronage to set up the new sect, "Sihala Sangha". Thus
in 1181, the Sinhala sect of Sangha was established in Myanmar, the
first South East Asian country to formally do so. (Other countries such
as Siam, Cambodia and Laos followed later.) Many Burmese novices were
ordained by them, and these Sinhala sect Bhikkhus were called the
Pacchimagana (later school) and the Burmese Bhikkhus were called the
Purimagana (earlier school). (Later, the Sinhala monk, Rahula who was
the most erudite in the team headed by Chapata, fell in love with a
dancing girl in Martaban - present Molamaine - in Lower Burma and left
the Order).
Sinhala Sangharaja establishes arannavasi community in Lower Myanmar .
According
to the Mulasasana and the Jinakalamali, a Sinhala Mahathera named
Udumbaramahasami from Udumbaragiri (Dimbulagala) forest fraternity had
arrived in Martaban in Lower Burma in 1331 together with twelve Mon
monks who had gone to Sri Lanka to be re-ordained. The king and the
people who were delighted with the monk's virtues conferred the
honorific title 'Udumbarapuppha (Udumbara flower) Mahasami' on him. His
fame attracted monks from afar, and two Mahatheras from Sukhothai
(first kingdom of Siam), Sumana and Anomadassi were among them. They
received re-ordination from the Mahasami and studied under him for five
years. They went back to Sukhothai, and at the completion of ten years
in the Mahasami's order, went back to Mahasami and received the grade of
Thera. Udumbara Mahasami has been identified as Sangharaja Medhankara,
the author of the Lokappadipakasara (Sirisena 1978, pp. 90, 95).
Sinhala Bhikkhus in Ava .
By
1312, Ava (Ratanapura) had become the capital of Upper Myanmar. Around
1429, two Sinhala Bhikkhus Srisaddhammalankara and Sihala Mahasami,
having been received by the king of Ava with great honour had settled
down there. They joined the band of Myanmar scholars there, among whom
Ariyavamsa Thera was the most outstanding. He is best known for his
sub-commentary of the Abhidhamma. The Sasanavamsa (pp 102-104) gives a
vivid description of the rigour of scholarship during this time
including an anecdote of how Ariyavamsa Thera presented his writings to
the assembly of Bhikkhus on every uposatha day, and how even the
slightest error was pointed out by visiting Bhikkhus like in modern
academic seminars. This is indicative of the tradition of rigorous
religious writings introduced by Sinhala Bhikkhus and continued by the
Burmese, resulting in a vast collection of authoritative texts, both in
Pali and Burmese language.
Myanmar Bhikkhus re-ordained by Bhikkhus ordained in Sri Lanka .
King
Dhammaceti (1472-92), formerly a Mon Bhikkhu who had become King of
Pegu (present-day Bago) in Lower Burma received Bhikkhu education in one
of the many Sihala Sangha monasteries in Ava. The Kalyani Inscriptions
(1476) record that the King, determined to raise the state of the
Sangha, led a reform movement. He chose 22 senior monks to go to Sri
Lanka and receive Higher Ordination from 17th to 20th July
1476 under the leadership of Mahathera Vidagama. The King of Sri Lanka
during this time was Buvanekabahu VI. When the Myanmar Bhikkhus returned
after receiving Higher Ordination, King Dhammaceti had an ordination
hall (sima) consecrated for the purpose of performing ecclesiastical
acts. This hall was known as Kalyani Sima because these Bhikkhus had
received their ordination on the Kalyani river in Sri Lanka. After three
years, King Dhammaceti organized an ordination ceremony for the entire
order of Myanmar Bhikkhus to receive re-ordination with the assistance
of two Bhikkhus with ten years after upasampada to serve as preceptor
(upajjhaya) and teacher (acariya) found among those who had
received upasampada in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the century. This
re-ordination practice spread rapidly and a total of 15,666 Bhikkhus
received Sinhala form of re-ordination in hundreds of ordination halls
constructed for the purpose. They were termed Sihala Sangha.
.
Dhammaceti
invited monks from Lower Burma, Arakan, Ava, Toungoo, Shan kingdom, and
Sukhothai and Chiangmai in Siam and Cambodia to come and take their
ordination again (Maung Htin Aung, p. 101). Thus in Burma, it was firmly
held for centuries that ordination in its purest form existed in Sri
Lanka.
Myanmar King’s desire to posses the Sacred Tooth Relic
King
Bayinnaung (1551-1581) of the Toungoo dynasty who united the whole of
Myanmar was a great patron of Buddhism, constructed monasteries,
repaired the Shwedagon pagoda and held mass ordinations at the
Kalyani Sima. He is specially known for the construction of the Mahaceti
pagoda in Pegu (Bago). He made several offerings to the temple of the
Tooth in Kandy by providing for lights to burn in the shrine and had
sent craftsmen to beautify the building. He had even sent a broom for
use there made from his own and his chief queen’s hair. Being determined
to possess the Tooth Relic of Kandy with the intention of becoming the
greatest monarch in the world, he even made an attempt to purchase a
replica of the relic at a very high cost through the Portuguese who
burnt it in Goa. Both the Burmese King and the Portuguese believed it to
be the authentic one after the Portuguese captured it in Jaffna.
Thirteen years after that attempt failed, the Burmese King sent envoys
to Sri Lanka requesting for a princess in marriage. As a wedding
present, Don Juan Dharmapala of the Kotte kingdom sent a princess
together with a tooth which he assured was the authentic relic in Kandy.
In 1576, the princess and the tooth arrived in Myanmar and were
received with the highest honour. The tooth was deposited in a jewelled
casket beneath the Mahaceti pagoda. The Tooth Relic never left Kandy and
the King of the Kotte kingdom never had a daughter!
Sri Lanka’s connection with Arakan
When
Buddhism suffered a set-back in then Myanmar, Burmese Bhikkhus had fled
to the then kingdom of Rakkangadesa or Arakan (Rakhine within
present-day Myanmar) which was considered a part of Burma because of the
common race and language. Arakan is best known for the Mahamuni Buddha
image believed to be cast in the 2nd century A.C. which is
probably the oldest in Burma. (This image, now in Mandalay was brought
from Arakan by King Bodawpaya after his conquest of Arakan in 1784.)
Arakan too had close relations with Sri Lanka. There is evidence that
around the time of the founding of Maruk-U, the last capital of Arakan
in 1433 which is described as the Golden Age of Arakan Theravada
Buddhism, many copies of the Tripitaka brought from Sri Lanka were
placed near the image of Mahamuni. One of the temples built by Arakan
king, Minbin (1531-53 CE) known as Andaw, had enshrined a replica of the
sacred Tooth Relic from Sri Lanka. One of the religious buildings
constructed later by another king, Narapatigyi (1638-45 CE) was
Pitakataik, a library to house the Tripitaka brought from Sri Lanka
(Harvey, pp. 313). The Portuguese historian Queroz mentioned that the
major temple they destroyed in Trincomaleee around 1620 was headed by a
Buddhist monk (Mahaterunnanse) from Arakan indicating the presence of
Arakan monks in Sri Lanka at that time.
Efforts to bring back upasampada from Arakan
With
the arrival of the Portuguese and the imposition of their Christian
faith on the people of Sri Lanka in a most brutal manner, Sri Lanka
witnessed the darkest period in the history of Buddhism in the country.
King Vimaladharmasuriya I (1592-1605) being unable to find
five Bhikkhus to conduct an upasampada ceremony, sent a mission to
Arakan requesting for Bhikkhus to come over to Sri Lanka to
confer upasampada on Sinhala Samaneras. A group of Bhikkhus from Arakan
headed by Nandicakka arrived in Sri Lanka and held
an upasampada ceremony in the Udakukkhepa Sima on the Mahaveli river at
the landing place called Ganthambatittha (Gatambe, Kandy) within a
boundary drawn on the water (Culavamsa 94 15-22) in 1596 (Malalasekera,
1994, p. 268).
This
revival inaugurated by Vimaladharmasuriya I did not last long. Due to
continuous fighting against the Portuguese until their expulsion in
1656, political instability and the lack of royal patronage since then,
Buddhism faced further deecline. Within less than a hundred years,
Vimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707), decided to follow the example of his
grand uncle, and sent a request to Arakan to send Bhikkhus. Thirty three
Arakan Bhikkhus with Thera Santana as the head arrived and
performed upasampada on thirty three Samaneras at the
same Ganthambatittha in 1697 (Culavamsa 97 8-15).
Belief of the existence of pure Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar
Not
too long after the reign of Vimaladharmasuriya II, the Sangha had
further degenerated, and the first King of the Nayakkar clan, Sri Vijaya
Rajasinghe again solicited help from the Dutch in 1740 to bring over
monks from Myanmar. The yacht ‘Constantia’ left Colombo with an embassy
from Kandy headed by Doranagama Muhandiram on 23 February 1741. Due to a
series of mishaps, they could not reach Pegu in Lower Burma, as
planned, and after a year, returned to Colombo. Dutch sources reveal the
King’s persistent desire to get monks from Arakan “where the Buddhist
religion was pure and orthodox”, and since the internal wars continued
in Arakan, the Dutch convinced the King finally to accept the proposal
to send envoys to Siam.
The establishment of Siam Nikaya and Politics of exclusion .
After
the establishment of Siam Nikaya in 1753 by Siamese monks headed by
Upali Thera, Ven. Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti of a non-Goyigama caste
received upasampada from Upali Thera himself. A large number of leading
non-Goyigama low-country pupils of Saranankara as well as pupils of Ven.
Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti, such as Vehelle Dhammadinna, Bovala
Dhammananda, Karatota Dhammarama and Saliele Maniratana also
received upasampada from the Sangha hierarchy of Siam Nikaya in Kandy.
However,
a royal decree promulgated by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe in 1762
prohibited upasampada ordination to non-Goyigama castes (National
Archives 5/63/157/9), an order that was not in keeping with Vinaya
rules. The decree claimed to prevent undignified practices such as
taking off robes to wrap around the waist when greeting the king.
(Malalgoda, Ibid, p. 89). The decree also claimed that the monks even
after receiving upasampada, continued to be engaged in their former
vocations such as devil dancing, drum beating and fishing, laundering
and serving laymen. This king of Nayakkar (South India) origin may have
also been influenced by residues of strong caste prejudices which his
household brought from Hindu South India. (Only members from "high
caste" families were ordained in the Christian churches, both in India
and Sri Lanka at that time. Even today, Dalits who make up more than 75
percent of the Catholics in India have less than 5 percent of
priests.)
Non-Goyigama Samaneras organize their own upasampada .
As
a result of this royal decree, there were many scholarly Non-Goyigama
Samaneras who were denied upasampada. They were thus compelled to
organize their own upasampada ceremonies. The first
such upasampada ceremony was conducted in Totagamu Rajamaha Vihara in
Telwatta in the Southern Province in 1772 under the patronage of Ven.
Vagegoda Dhammakusala Mahathera of the Siam Nikaya together with nine
other monks. Since the validity of the sima of the first upasampada was
disputed, a second upasampada ceremony was held in Tangalla, Ketantota
in 1778 under the patronage of Ven. Induruwe Indajoti, also of the Siam
Nikaya. The same group of monks received upasampada again.
Both upasampada ceremonies were strongly disapproved of by the Sangha
hierarchy of the Siam Nikaya in Kandy.
Since
the non-Goyigama monks did not gain recognition from the King and the
Sangha establishment in Kandy, they now looked for the authorities of
another Buddhist country (Malalgoda p. 97). Welitara Gnanawimalatissa
(1769-1834) who was residing in Ambagahapiti Vihara (Ambarukkaramaya),
Welitara boarded a ship from Galle harbour in March 1798 along with 5
Samaneras and 2 lay devotees, and made a tedious journey lasting 2 years
and 2 months.
The
Buddhists in the Maritime provinces who were denied access to a valid
ordination lineage, got wealthy laymen to finance an expedition to Burma
with the hope of founding a new monastic lineage. Earlier, Dines De
Zoysa Wijayasiriwardhana Jayatilake Sahabandhu of Welitara, a leading
headman in the area had become Gnanawimalatissa’s chief patron and had
offered his own residence Ambagahapitiye Walawwa to the temple.
It
is relevant to note here that Welitara Gnanawimalatissa had received
novice ordination from Welivita Saranankara Sangharaja himself at the
initiative of Ven. Bowala Dhammananda who had obtained upasampada in
1753 in Kandy, and who had a succession of pupils of the
Mulgirigala parampara (pupillary succession) (Buddhadatta, 1950, pp.
20).
Founder of Amarapura Nikaya receives upasampada
Welitara
Gnanawimalatissa Thera and his team arrived in Amarapura, the then
capital of Burma in May 1800, and King Bodawpaya (1782-1819) himself
welcomed them and assisted them during their stay there. The Samaneras
received upasampada from Burmese Bhikkhus under the leadership of the
Burmese Sangharaja, Nanabhivamsa at the Suvannaguha Sima in 1800
(Malagoda, Ibid, p. 98). The others who received upasampada were
Venerables Madampe Uttamadheeratissa, Kosgoda Vipulatissa, Brahmanawatte
Jinapalatissa, Bogahawatte Jayatujinatissa, and Waturegama
Dhammadharatissa. The Sasanavamsa, written in 1861 by the Bumese monk
Pannasami, the tutor of the then reigning king Meng-dun-Mang has
recorded this event in detail.
Establishment of Amarapura Nikaya .
Welitara
Gnanawimalatissa Thera was conferred by the King of Burmese the title
"Rajaguru Mahanayaka" with a royal act of appointment dated 31st January
1802. The Sinhala Bhikkhus returned to Colombo in March 1803 with five
senior Burmese Bhikkhus, headed by Aggasara Thera, carrying
the Tripitaka texts, commentaries, sub-commentaries, grammar, prosody
and a letter from the Sangharaja to the Sri Lankan monks. Soon after
their arrival, they established an udakukkhepa sima (a flotilla of boats
moved together to form a platform on the water) on Madu river at
Balapiti Modara. On Vesak Full moon Day of 1802, under the presidentship
of Aggasara Thera, the most senior of the Burmese monks, upasampada was
conferred on many Samaneras who had not received upasampada until then.
This marked the formation of the Amarapura Nikaya, as distinguished
from Siam Nikaya.
The
British Governor Sir Edward Barnes approved the Mahanayaka title
conferred by the King of Burma to Gnanawimalatissa Thera and gave formal
recognition as the Mahanayaka of Amarapura Nikaya in May 1826.
The first monastic college in Southern province
One
of the greatest contributions made by Welitara Gnanawimalatissa Thera
was the opening of a pirivena (monastic college), Ambagahapitiye
Pirivena the first in the Southern Province, about the same time as the
Parama Dhamma Cetiya that opened in 1845, and before the commencement of
Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Monastic Colleges. Gnanawimalatissa Thera
was assisted in the academic activities of the Monastic College by his
pupil Beratuduve Dhammadharatissa (who succeeded him as Mahanayaka) and
another pupil Kahawe Gnanananda. Ambagahapitiye Pirivena, registered in
the Department of Public Instruction with a new name Sugatasasanodaya
Pirivena soon became an illustrious seat of learning.
More Sri Lankan monks received upasampada in Myanmar
A
second mission to Burma was undertaken by Bogahapitiye Dhammajoti
Thera, a pupil of Bogahawatte Jayatujinatissa who received upasampada in
Amarapura along with the founder of the Amarapura Nikaya. With
assistance from his teacher and financial help of Mahavidanamudali
Kornelis de Abrew Rajapakse Seneviratne of Galvehera Walawwa,
Bogahapitiye Dhammajoti left for Burma in 1806. Four other samaneras and
two laymen joined him and set sail from Galle port. They
received upasampada at the Suvannaguha Sima from the Sangharaja
Gnanabhivamsa from whom the founder himself had received. When they
prepared to depart Burma, the Burmese Sangharaja handed over to
Bogahapitiye Dhammajoti, many Dhamma books including the Veda
Vinicchaya, a Burmese text which he later translated into Pali.
There
were several other monks who subsequently went to Burma and
received upasampada. Attudave Dhammarakkhitatissa Thera, another pupil
of Bowala Dhammananda Thera, left with two Samaneras Polwatte Saranapala
and Kirinde Dhammananda. They also received upasampada at
Suvannaguha Sima in Amarapura from Sangharaja Gnanabhivamsa. When they
left Burma, they carried a letter from Sangharaja Gnanabhivamsa written
in Pali for Ambagahapitiye Thera (Buddhadatta, Ibid, pp.39).
Sri Lankan monk receives upasampada in Kalyani Sima in Myanmar
Kataluwe
Gunaratanatissa Thera (1752-1832), also a pupil of Bowala Dhammananda
Thera, left for Burma in September 1807 accompanied by Ven. Bogahawatte
Jayatujinatissa who had received upasampada in Amarapura together with
Ambagahapitiye Thera in Burma. When they reached Ramannarattha (Lower
Burma), they were received by the provincial ruler and were directed to
the Sanghanayaka of Pegu (present day Bago). The provincial ruler went
to the capital Amarapura and got the permission from the King as well as
from the Sangharaja to conduct the upasampada ceremony at the
Kalyani Sima which was established over 300 years earlier by those
Burmese monks who received upasampada on the Kelani river in Sri Lanka.
In March 1809, Kataluwe Gunaratanatissa Thera together with seven Sri
Lankan Samaneras received upsampada under the Sanghanayaka Medhananda
Dhaja at the Kalyani Sima. Kataluwe Gunaratanatissa Thera returned to
Sri Lanka in June 1810 and established in Dodanduwa the Lanka Kalyani
Vamsa Nikaya, a branch of the Amarapura Nikaya.
Founder of Swejin sect visits Sri Lanka
Mahathera
Jagara, founder of the Swejin sect in Myanmar (so named after his birth
place in Myanmar), the writer of several Dhamma and Vinaya books,
together with four senior Burmese monks and four laymen arrived in Galle
harbour in 6 April 1878. They were the guests of Samson de Abrew
Wijegunaratne Rajapakse family at Mahakappina Walawwa in Welitara. After
visiting the Temple of the Tooth, Sri Mahabodhi and other Buddhist
sites, the Burmese monks spent seven months in Welitara teaching Dhamma
and Vinaya. The Upasampada was conferred at a grand ceremony at a
Udakukkhepa Sima, and hundreds of monks were lodged and served with alms
in specially constructed buildings at the Mahakappina Walawwa
premises. For the service rendered by Jagara Mahathera, he was honoured
with the title ‘Siri Saddhammavamsapala Jagara Mahathera’.
Culaganthi Nikaya founded
Welitara
Gnanatilake Thera of the Ambagahapitiya succession, who had obtained
upasampada in 1871, wished to re-ordain under a visiting group of monks
of the Maha Ganthi Nikaya of Arakan, headed by Ukkanvamsa Maha
Sangharaja in 1886. Welitara Gnanatilake Thera was awarded the
Mahanayaka position of this new Culaganthi Nikaya, and became its
founder. He subsequently wrote 18 Sanna texts.
The significance of the formation of Amarapura Nikaya
All
these sub-divisions of the Amarapura Nikaya which emerged over the
decades, were mainly created by the monks’ eagerness to improve the
educational conditions in different provinces in the country. The monks
in the Amarapura Nikaya, not being a part of a wealthy feudal elite,
admitted pupils from a wide social strata – both class and caste. This
was similar to the situation under Welivita Saranankara Sangharaja
before the introduction of the Siam Nikaya, and of course similar to
the original Sangha during the Buddha’s time. The Amarapura Nikaya monks
inspired the construction of temples and the establishment of many
monastic colleges with patrons from all over the country. The Amarapura
Nikaya eventually gave rise to a generation of scholar monks. The key
contributors to the religious debates of the 19th century
came from the Amarapura Nikaya. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera became the
central figure with his unrivalled debating skills.
The
establishment of the Amarapura Nikaya was also significant because it
marked a change in the social dynamic of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. For the
first time, a monastic lineage had been created not through royal
patronage of a Sri Lankan king – mainly centred in the Kandyan region -
but through the collective action of a dedicated group of Buddhist
laymen in the Southern province.
Formation of Ramanna Nikaya
A
second Nikaya of Burmese origin, the Ramanna Nikaya was to follow in
1861, approximately 60 years after the formation of the Amarapura
Nikaya. The key figure was Ambagahawatte Saranankara.
Born in a village in the Southern Province, Ambagahawatte Saranankara was ordained as Samanera on 15th June 1847, and received upasampada from Malwatta Temple of the Siam Nikaya in Kandy on 15th May
1856 as a pupil of Ven. Bentara Atthadassi. Both the teacher and the
Samanera were not happy at the way they were treated in dealing with the
upasampada. On 10th October 1860, Ambagahawatte Saranankara
together with four others who had also received upasampada from Siam
Nikaya set sail from the Galle Fort for Myanmar. They
received upasampada on the 25th February 1861 from the monks
presided by Sangharaja Gneyyadhamma Munivara of Ratanapunna Vihara in
Mandalay under the patronage of King Mendung in Mandalay. Ambagahawatte
Saranankara was ordained as Indasabhavara Gnanasami After having spent
about a year under their Burmese preceptors, they proceeded to
Kalyani Sima in Pegu in Ramanna to renew their ordination and returned
to Sri Lanka on 18th August 1862. A month after
Ambagahawatte Thera’s return, Ven. Puvakdandawe Pannananda left for
Burma with five others, all pupils of the latter’s teacher and eight of
pupils’ pupils. They arrived in Pegu in early 1863 and
received upasampada. These two groups of monks under the leadership of
Ambagahawatte Thera with the participation of 24 monks, performed the
first upsampada ceremony of the Ramanna Nikaya on four Samaneras on 12
June 1864. It was performed on the Gneyyadhammabhi Munivara udakukkhepa
sima in Mahamodara, Galle.
In
the same year, a monastic centre was established at the Mula Maha
Viharaya, Payagala where Ambagahawatte Thera resided. This temple became
the educational centre for the growing numbers of Samaneras who
ordained in the Ramanna Nikaya. This temple later came to be known as
the Dharmagupta Pirivena. Ambagahawatte Thera was appointed the
Mahanayaka of the Ramanna Nikaya on 15th February 1880.
Monk with upasampada from Burma ruled Assam
There
is an interesting aside to the Sinhalese monks ordained in Burma.
Waturegama Dhammadharatissa Thera who received upasampada in 1800 in
Burma along with the founder of the Amarapura Nikaya in Sri Lanka, ruled
the kingdom of Assam for a brief period. Waturegama Thera who stayed
behind in Burma after receiving ordination went to Assam (which was
under Burma then), and became popular as a teacher of Buddhist monks
there. He was subsequently invited by the King there to serve as his
religious advisor (Rajaguru). When the British army from Calcutta
attacked the kingdom of Assam in 1824, the King entrusted the affairs of
governing the kingdom temporarily to the Waturegama Thera, and entered
the battle. When the King was killed, his ministers unanimously decided
to appoint the Thera as the King of Assam. When the victorious British
demanded Assam to surrender, the Thera who detested human destruction,
dissuaded the ministers from going to war, and settled for peace. The
British desirous of showing their gratitude, wanted to grant any of the
Thera’s wishes. The only wish he had was to be sent back home to Sri
Lanka safely.
Conclusion
The
cultural, religious and political relationship between Myanmar and Sri
Lanka spans a period of around thousand years. The relationship has been
mutually beneficial for both countries on many fronts. It is a good
foundation to strengthen the friendship between the two countries. With
the rise of Asia as the centre of economic, political and cultural focus
in the world, we can together make Buddhism again the unifying force in
Asia as well as across the new globalised world at a time when Buddhism
is being widely spread in the Western world. We can together make
Buddhist Thought and the Buddhist Way of Life a collective reality so
that the world at large could gain long lasting benefits.
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