Mahādvāra Nikāya
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Maha Dwara Nikaya (Burmese: မဟာဒွာရနိကာယ, IPA: [məhà dwàɹa̰ nḭkàja̰]); also spelt Maha Dwaya Nikaya or Mahādvāra Nikāya, is a small monastic order of monks in Myanmar (Burma), primarily in Lower Myanmar.[1] This order is very conservative with respect to Vinaya regulations.[2] It is one of nine legally sanctioned monastic orders (nikaya) in the country, under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations.[3]
Statistics
[edit]According to 2016 statistics published by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, 6,166 monks belonged to this monastic order, representing 1.15% of all monks in the country, making it the third largest order after Thudhamma and Shwegyin Nikaya.[4] With respect to geographic representation, the majority are based in Lower Burma, with a sizable plurality of Mahādvāra monks living in Ayeyarwady Region (40.69%), followed by Yangon Region (20.65%), Bago Region (20.61%), and Mon State (9.97%).[4]
In 2016, the order had 805 monasteries, representing 1% of the country's monasteries.[5]
Origins
[edit]The founding of Maha Dwara Nikaya was inspired by nikaya reforms in Sri Lanka during the 19th century.[1] This Nikaya was founded in 1855, over disputes with the Thudhamma Nikaya on the constitution of a sīmā (သိမ် or thein in Burmese), a formal boundary in which Buddhist religious ceremonies (including ordination of Sangha) occur.[2]
The Dwara lineage emerged in Lower Burma under the leadership of the Okpo Sayadaw, a reform-minded monk critical of colonial Buddhism.[6] He argued that the saṅgha could self-regulate without a dhammarāja if monks strictly followed the Vinaya, emphasizing moral intention and challenging royal authority in ordinations.[6] His reforms influenced other dissenting movements, including Upper Burma's Shwegyin order, founded by his disciple, and other Mindon-era groups that also prioritized strict discipline.[6]
In 1900 and 1918, two other groups, the Anaukchaung Dwara (အနောက်ချောင်းဒွာရ) and Mula Dwara (မူလဒွာရ; Mūladvāra) respectively, separated from the Maha Dwara Nikaya over leadership disputes.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Dwara Nikaya". Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ a b c Carbine, Jason A (2011). Sons of the Buddha: Continuities and Ruptures in a Burmese Monastic Tradition. Vol. 50. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-025409-9.
- ^ Gutter, Peter (2001). "Law and Religion in Burma" (PDF). Legal Issues on Burma Journal (8). Burma Legal Council: 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-14.
- ^ a b c "The Account of Wazo Samgha of All Sect, M.E 1377 (2016)". The State Samgha Maha Nayaka Committee. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ "The Account Monasteries of All-Sect in 1377 (2016)". The State Samgha Maha Nayaka Committee. 2016. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
- ^ a b c Schober, Juliane (2010-11-30), Schober, Juliane (ed.), "Theravada Cultural Hegemony in Precolonial Burma", Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar: Cultural Narratives, Colonial Legacies, and Civil Society, University of Hawai'i Press, p. 0, doi:10.21313/hawaii/9780824833824.003.0002, ISBN 978-0-8248-3382-4, retrieved 2025-05-11
See also
[edit]Theravada Buddhist orders | ||
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| Bangladesh | | |
| Cambodia | ||
| Myanmar (Burma) | ||
| Sri Lanka | ||
| Thailand | ||
