Born in a village in Upper Burma and entered, at the age of 10, a monastery of the ninth Thathanabaing of the nikāya, in Sagaing, Ashin passed an examination of Abhidhamma at age 13 and the governmental Dhammācariya at 16, as a novice. Completing master's and doctoral degrees from Sri Lanka and India respectively, Ashin also served as rector of International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University from 2005 to 2019. In 2022, Ashin founded the University of Wisdom Land at which he assumes the position of chancellor.
Early life and education
Nandamālā, the ninth of ten siblings,[2] was born on 22 March 1940[ME 1][3] to U San Hla and Daw Khin in Nyaungbin Village, Singu Township, Mandalay Division.[4] Nārada, one of Nandamālā's elder brothers, was also an upaukkaṭṭha of the Shwekyin Nikāya.
Nandamālā learned basic monastic education under U Kelāsa of Pawdawmu Monastery since he was five.[5] When Kelāsa died Nandamālā was sent to Vipassanā Monastery in Sagaing Hill where his brother Nārada had been resided for seven years (vassas).[6] He was ordained as a novice in July 1949,[ME 2] with Sankin Sayadaw, ninth head of the Shwekyin Nikāya, as preceptor.[7][8] He was hence conferred the Dhamma name Nandamālā (Burmese: နန္ဒမာလာ)[8] which literally means garland of rejoicing.[6]
All nine surviving members of Nandamālā's family, including his parents, eventually joined Buddhist order of monks and nuns and entered the Vipassanā Monastery.[9]
Novicehood
Sagaing Hill where monasteries of both Vipassanā and Mahā Subodhāyon located
At the age of 13, Ashin started learning Abhidhamma and its compendium (Abhidhammattha saṅgaha) under Nārada, and passed the three-level Abhidhamma examination in the same year.[10] He passed the three series of Pathamabyan examination – Pathamange, Pathamalat and Pathamagyi – in 1954 and 1955.[10] He took the first position in all three grades of Sakyasīha thamanegyaw examination and was, thus, conferred the title of Sakyasīha Sāsanālaṅkāra Thamanegyaw and the suffix -laṅkāra to his name, at the age of 19.[11]
Because Ashin passed a total of five subjects in government-sponsored Dhammācariya examination with distinction in two subjects – hence received the title of Sāsanadhaja Sirīpavara Dhammācariya – at the age of 16, he became a tutor at Jayamedanī Monastery of Maha Visudhāyon Taik Thit, in Mandalay, despite being a novice.[12]
On 1 June 1958,[ME 3] Ashin and his five brothers – Nārada, Vimala, Ñānabala, Uttara, and Gandhasāra[13] – founded Mahā Subodhāyon Monastery in Sagaing.[14][15] At the time of establishment, Nārada was chief abbot, and Ashin served as an instructor.[16]
Early years of monkhood
Monastic residents in Sagaing Hill for which Sitagu Yay Ahludaw's water pump installation ran
Ashin received the titles of Cetiyaṅgaṇa Pariyatti Dhammācariya Gaṇavācaka and Pariyatti Sāsanahita Dhammācariyābhivaṃsa in his 4th (1963) and 6th vassas (1965) respectively, after he passed both two stages of Cetiyaṅgaṇa and Sakyasīha examinations.[18] He passed remaining four subjects of government examination of Dhammācariya by 1967,[ME 5] receiving the title of Sāsanadhaja Dhammācariya Vinaya Pāḷi Pārugū in 1965 for passing an honors course of Pācityādhi Pāḷi Aṭṭhakathā.[18] Since he passed all three examinations of Dhammācariya – Sakyasīha, Cetiyaṅgaṇa and government one – Ashin received the degree of S.C.G. Dhammācariya and was bestowed the suffix -bhivaṃsa. In 1964, Ashin was promoted to main instructor at the monastery.[19] He learned English from Chanmyay Sayadaw[20] while joining for compilation of the Tipiṭaka dictionary of Pāḷi to Myanmar, in 1967 at age 26.[21][22]
Ashin served as a member of the Sagaing Township Saṅgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee of Shwegyin Nikāya,[23] which was formed after the First Congregation of All Orders for the Purification, Perpetuation and Propagation of Sāsanā was held in Rangoon from 24 to 27 May 1980.[24] From 1980 to 1985, he was a member of committees for various monastic examinations, such as Dhammācariya and Pathamabyan examinations.[23]
In 1980, Ashin joined the leading committee of Sitagu Yay Ahludaw,[nb 5][25] the first project of Sitagu Sayadaw to install a water pump for the monastic residents in Sagaing Hill.[26]
For further studies, Ashin arrived at Kandi-Myanmar Monastery, in Sri Lanka, in January 1987[27] and pursued a diploma at Kelaniya University in July.[28] While writing Buddhist Attitude to World Knowledge, thesis for his master's degree in Buddhist studies which he completed in 1989,[29] Ashin gave lectures on Abhidhamma at YMBA and a meditation center.[30]
Back to Myanmar in 1994,[31] Ashin was promoted to an administrator at Subodhāyon Monastery. [32] Before returning to Myanmar, in August 1994, he gave lectures on Abhidhamma at Mingalārāma Monastery in Silver Spring, Maryland.[33] When Sitagu International Buddhist Academy was established in 1995, Ashin served as rector and taught courses in language and Abhidhamma.[34]
In 1996, Ashin was offered the title of Aggamahāganthavācakapaṇḍita[nb 6] by the government.[35] On 1 January 1998, he was in charge of Vinayadhara (lit.'custodian of Vinaya') as a member of the State Independent Vinayadhara Association, the jury authorized by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, to oversee the violation of Vinaya by Sangalay Sayadaw.[36][37]
In 1998, when International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University was first established,[38] Ashin served as a visiting professor and gave lectures on Abhidhamma, for the request of Sitagu Sayadaw.[39] He completed his doctoral thesis Jainism in Buddhist Literature[40] from Magadh University in 2003.[41] When Ashin Silānadābhivamsa, the first rector of ITMBU, died on 13 August 2005 at California, he was appointed as the rector of the university.[42][43] Since then, Ashin has served for about 14 years[44] until he retired in November 2019, for health reasons.[45][46] On 1 August 2009, Ashin became the padhāna-nāyaka (chief abbot) at the Subodāyon Monastery[47] when his brother Ashin Nārada died.[48]
Ashin was offered the titles of Aggamahāpaṇḍita, Aggamahāsaddhammajotikadhaja, and Abhidhajamahāraṭṭhaguru in 2000,[41] 2018[49] and 2020 respectively.[50][51] At the 20th All Buddha Sāsana Shwegyin Nikāya Sangha Meeting held in 2018, at Cekindārāma Monastery in Hmawbi, Ashin was appointed as the upaukkaṭṭha (associate Thathanabaing) of the nikāya,[15] alongside Ceeshin Sayadaw who died in 2023.[52]
On 3 December 2022, taking the position of chancellor, Ashin officially founded the University of Wisdom Land in Hlegu Township, Yangon.[53]
