ဂိုဏ်ရာမညနိကာယ රාමඤ්ඤ නිකාය | |
| Merged into | Amarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya (Sri Lanka branch, 2019) |
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| Formation | c. 1000s (Myanmar tradition) 1864 (Sri Lanka branch) 1920 (Myanmar formalisation) |
| Type | Buddhist monastic order |
| Headquarters | Myanmar Mūla Maha Vihara, Payagala,Kalutara,Sri Lanka (historical) |
| Members | 11,283 (Myanmar, 2024)[2] |
Chairman (Myanmar) | Bhaddanta Vaṇṇasāra |
General Secretary (Myanmar) | Bhaddanta Kesara |
Last Mahanayaka (Sri Lanka, pre-merger) | Makulawe Wimala Thera |
Key people | Most Ven.Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Maha Thera (Sri Lanka founder) |
| Affiliations | Thudhamma Gaing,Shwegyin Nikaya,Mahayin Gaing (Myanmar,de jure) |
| Website | ramonnyanikaya |
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Rāmañña Nikāya (Mon:ဂိုဏ်ရာမညနိကာယ;Sinhala:රාමඤ්ඤ නිකාය;Burmese:ရာမညနိကာယဂိုဏ်း), also spelledRamanna Nikāya,Ramanya Nikāya orRamonnya Nikāya, is aTheravāda Buddhist monastic lineage that exists in two distinct branches: aMon-ethnic order inMyanmar and a former independentnikāya inSri Lanka that merged into theAmarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya in 2019.
The Mon Sangha in Myanmar has used the nameRāmañña Nikāya since the introduction of theTipiṭaka, with the lineage formally organised in 1920.[3] It is not one of thenine officially recognised monastic sects (gaṇa) in Myanmar; its monks are thereforede jure members of theThudhamma,Shwegyin, orMahayin sects.[4]
In 2021–2022, prominent Monsayadaws and theNew Mon State Party petitioned theState Administration Council for official recognition as an independent sect.[3]
The Sri Lankan Rāmañña Nikāya was founded on 12 June 1864 by Ven.Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Thera, who had received higher ordination at the Ratnapunna Vihara inBurma from the Neyyadhamma MunivaraSangharaja.[5] Together with theSiyam Nikaya andAmarapura Nikaya, it was one of the three main orthodox Theravāda nikāyas in Sri Lanka until 16 August 2019, when the Amarapura and Rāmañña Nikāyas unified to form theAmarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya, currently the largest monastic fraternity in the country.[6]
The nikāya was known for its ascetic and forest-dwelling tendencies, strict observance of theVinaya, and resistance to modernisation. Monks traditionally used alms bowls and palm-leaf umbrellas (bogava), and many prominent meditation teachers belonged to itsŚrī Kalyāṇī Yogāśrama Saṃsthā, the strictest forest tradition in Sri Lanka.
The following is a list of Mahanayaka Theras of Sri Lanka Ramanna Nikaya.
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