သုဓမ္မာဂိုဏ်း | |
| Abbreviation | Thudhammā |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1800s |
| Type | Buddhist monastic order |
| Headquarters | Myanmar |
| Members | 467,025 (2016) |
| Leader | H.H.Thanlyin Mingyaung SayadawChairman of theState Saṃgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee[a] |
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TheThudhamma Gaing (Burmese:သုဓမ္မာဂိုဏ်း,IPA:[θudəma̰gáɪɴ]; also speltSudhammā Sect) is the largest monastic order of monks in Burma.[1]
It is one of thenine legally sanctioned monastic orders (Pali:gaṇa) in the country, under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations.[2] The Thudhamma is considered a more pragmatic order than theShwegyin Nikaya, with looser rules regardingVinaya regulations and is less hierarchical than the former.[3] Like all the major orders in Burma, the Thudhamma Sect prohibits monks from engaging in political activity.[4]
According to 2016 statistics published by theState Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, 467,025 monks belonged to this monastic order, representing 87% of all monks in the country.[6] With respect to geographic representation, the plurality of Thudhamma monks live inMandalay Region (19.76%), followed byShan State (16.09%),Yangon Region (15.39%), andSagaing Region (9.88%).[6] In 2016, the order had 56,492monasteries, representing 90% of the country's monasteries.[7]
The Thudhamma Sect emerged in the late 18th century, as a result of Sangha reforms by KingBodawpaya, following a long tradition of Burmese kings attempting to purify and unify the Sangha.[8] The order's name Thudhamma comes from the Thudhamma Council (an ecclesiastical organisation founded by Bodawpaya), which in turn is named after Mandalay'sThudhamma Zayats, the meeting grounds for the Council.[9]
The office of the Supreme Patriarch (သာသနာပိုင် orThathanabaing), similar to the position ofSangharaja in Thailand and Cambodia, dates back to the 13th century, started by the monkShin Arahan in thePagan Kingdom.[10] The Thathanabaing was responsible for managing the monastic hierarchy and education at monasteries. In 1782, King Bodawpaya assembled the Thudhamma Council inAmarapura, led by the Thathanapaing and four elders (ထေရ် orthera) to resolve a century-old schism on the proper wearing of monk's robes – whether one (atin) or both shoulders (ayon) should be covered.[10][8] The Cūḷagandhī faction, led by Atulayāsa and grounded in local traditions, supported the one-shoulder practice but was purged from the Sangha.[11] The victorious Mahāgandhī faction, which became the Thudhamma majority, advocated the two-shoulder rule based on Pāli Vinaya texts and their commentaries.[11]
Over time, the council expanded to twelve members, to oversee religious matters.[8]
The monastic reforms unified the Sangha under centralised control, absorbing various monastic lineages into a single order regulated by the Thudhamma Council.[8] Toward the end of theKonbaung dynasty, the council oversaw religious affairs in the kingdom, including the appointment of monastery abbots, Vinaya regulations, discipline of individual monks, and administration ofmonastic examinations.[10]
By the reign ofKing Mindon in the late 1800s, a movement toward independence emerged among monks to evade the Thudhamma Council's authority.[10] Splinters like theShwegyin Nikaya,Mahādvāra Nikāya, andHngettwin Nikaya all emerged during the reign of King Mindon.[10]
Since 1980, the Thudhamma Gaing has also included among their ranks the strict and unorthodoxTai Zawti subsect due to government merger demands.[12]
Since the breakaway ofShwegyin Sect (which appointed its own Shwegyin Thathanabaing), theThathanabaing of Burma had power only on the Thudhamma Sect. Since the death ofTaunggwin Sayadaw, no new Thathanabaing of Burma has been appointed again while other sects has continued to appoint their own Thathanabaings.
In the official lists of Gaṇādhipati (Sect leader) Sayadaws, the incumbent Chairman of theState Saṃgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee is listed as the Gaṇādhipati of Thudhamma Gaing together with the Thathanabaings of other sects.Thanlyin Mingyaung Sayadaw is the incumbent Chairman of SSMNC.
Theravada Buddhist orders | ||
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| Bangladesh | | |
| Cambodia | ||
| Myanmar (Burma) | ||
| Sri Lanka | ||
| Thailand | ||
| Laos | ||
