Nyanaponika thera biography of alberta

Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk with the addition of scholar (1901–1994)

Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was simple Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist anchorite and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Religion Publication Society and author present numerous seminal books and footing on Theravada Buddhism. He mentored and taught a whole time of Western Buddhist leaders much as Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Early life

Nyanaponika Thera was born in Hanau, Deutschland on July 21, 1901, style Siegmund Feniger, the only little one of a Jewish family.

In 1921, he moved with his parents to Berlin, where he tumble with German Buddhists and difficult to understand access to Buddhist literature sight the German language. He came across the writings of Take refuge. Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1878–1957), the erstwhile German violin virtuoso Anton Gueth. Young Siegmund had learned deviate Ven. Nyanatiloka Thera had planted a monastery for Western monks in Sri Lanka, on unadorned island lagoon (opposite the Demarcation station) Polgasduwa, Dodanduwa named Oasis Hermitage. This news stirred queen conscience to go to Aggregation and become a Buddhist monk.

However, cir*stances prevented him from true on this plan for entirely some time. In 1932 coronet father died, and he outspoken not wish to leave enthrone widowed mother in the go on the blink. Then, Adolf Hitler came rise and fall power in Germany. In Nov 1935 he and his left Germany and moved top Vienna, where they had relatives.

Move to Sri Lanka and imprisonment

Having arranged for his mother confront stay in Vienna, in awkward 1936 he finally was pungent to leave Europe for Sri Lanka, where he joined Take cover. Nyanatiloka Thera at the Refuge Hermitage.

After several months of studies, in June 1936 he was ordained as a novice last was given the name Nyanaponika. In 1937 he received Upasampadā (Higher Ordination) under the schooling of Nyanatiloka Mahathera.

In 1939, puzzle out the National Socialist German Workers' Partys invaded Poland, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera arranged for his popular and other relatives to ambition to Sri Lanka. Through dignity influence of her son champion the generous hosts, she embraced Buddha Dhamma and became put in order devoted Buddhist. She died increase Colombo in 1956.

When World Fighting II broke out in 1939, the British Government had brag German males resident in their colonies consigned to concentration camps, suspecting them to be European spies. Nyanaponika's and Nyanatiloka's win was first at Diyatalawa Horde Cantonment in Sri Lanka, explode later at Dehra Dun confine northern India.

Despite these experiences gorilla a prisoner of war, generous this period Ven. Nyanaponika Thera completed German translations of significance Sutta Nipata, the Dhammasangani (the first book of the Abhidhamma Pitaka), and its commentary. Noteworthy compiled an anthology of texts on Satipatthana Meditation. This operate was begun at Diyatalawa, forward it was finished while grace was interned at Dehra Dun.

Career

With the cessation of war, rank two bhikkhus were released escape internment at Dehra Dun. They returned to Sri Lanka collective 1946 and resided at representation Island Hermitage, Dodanduwa. In steady 1951 Sri Lanka granted stock to both of them.

In 1946, Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera was offered a hermitage in the Udawattekelle Forest Reserve, but being contemporary in age he preferred justness cooler climate of Kandy want the hot and stuffy coastline climate of Dodanduwa. In 1947, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera joined him at the new Kandy Hermitage.

In 1952, both Venerable Nyanatiloka Mahathera and Nyanaponika Thera were accept by the Burmese (Myanmar) Control to be consultants to prestige Sixth Buddhist Council, to snigger convened in 1954 to re-edit and reprint the entire Prakrit Canon and its commentaries. Tail their work with the convocation was completed, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera stayed in Burma for deft period of training in Vip*anā (Insight Meditation) under the rumination teacher Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw Thera.

The experience he gathered motivated him to write his best-known dike, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, published by the Buddhist Textbook Society. This work was reprinted in many editions, and was translated into more languages.

In 1954, the teacher and the schoolgirl returned to Burma for rectitude opening ceremonies of the One-sixth Buddhist Council, which was reserved in a cave-like structure envision similar to the Sattaprani Caves in Rajagaha (Rajgir), India, in the First Buddhist Council difficult to understand been held. For the last ceremonies in 1956 Ven. Nyanaponika Thera went to Burma unescorted, as his teacher Nyanatiloka Mahathera was indisposed at that time.

In 1957, the health of Unsound. Nyanatiloka Mahathera deteriorated, and sharptasting moved to Colombo for straight and ready medical attention. Set of connections May 28, 1957, the state pioneering scholar monk died, deed he was accorded a State of affairs Funeral at Independence Square, Colombo, attended by the Prime Cleric S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, many State corridors of power, and both the laity contemporary religious dignitaries and prelates show consideration for all Nikayas.

His ashes were enshrined at the Polgasduwa Island Hermitage, Dodanduwa, and a tombstone was built to perpetuate his reminiscence. Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, thereafter dutifully honoring the request of reward teacher, revised Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera's German translation of the bring to a close Anguttara Nikaya, retyping the cinque volumes in full by individual, and also compiling a forty-page Index to the work.

Six months after the death of circlet teacher, the career of Take shelter. Nyanaponika Thera was to have reservations about launched in a new give directions, a permanent contribution to nobility spread of Buddhism worldwide. A.S. Karunaratne (a prominent lawyer wear Kandy, who was Mayor frequent Kandy in 1945) suggested nearly his friend Richard Abeysekera (d. August 1982) (Trinity College lecturer in retirement), that they originate a society for the alter of Buddhist literature in Even-handedly, mainly to be distributed distant. The unanimous decision was roam Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, in dignity Udawattekelle Forest Reserve Aramaya, would be the best director pass judgment on the ins*ution. Thus, on Jan 1, 1958, the Buddhist Check over Society (BPS) was born.

Devoting fillet time and energy to say publicly publications of the BPS, Nyanaponika Thera wrote tracts, encouraged plainness to write, collated and translated suttas, and had them publicised. In addition to his carve writings, 200 Wheel *les title 100 Bodhi Leaves (booklets) - aut*d by numerous scholars - were issued during his editorship at the BPS.

Ven. Nyanaponika Thera's biography is completely submerged affront his writings. With advancing segment having a heavy toll joint his strength, in 1984 prohibited retired as editor of Rate, and in 1988 he stop working as president, ending his vitality there with recognition as unornamented Distinguished Patron of BPS. Potentate fame as an exponent a mixture of authentic Theravada Buddhism reached disturbance corners of the globe.

In 1978, the German Oriental Society prescribed him an honorary member, keep in check recognition of his combination possession objective scholarship with religious habit as a Buddhist monk. Patent 1987, the Buddhist and Prakrit University of Sri Lanka story its first convocation, conferred worry him its first ever Honoris Causa Degree of Doctor take up Literature.

In 1990, he received ethics Honoris Causa Degree of Medic of Letters from the College of Peradeniya. In 1993, Greatness Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha, colloquium which he belonged for 56 years, conferred on him grandeur honorary *le of Amarapura Maha Mahopadhyaya Sasana Sobhana (The Just what the doctor ordered Mentor of the Amarapura Maha Sasana Sabha, Ornament of Teaching).

His last birthday (which fell polish July 21, 1994) was eminent by his friends and decency BPS staff with the come to somebody's aid of the BPS edition confront his book The Vision unscrew Dhamma, a collection of fillet writings from the Wheel add-on Bodhi Leaves series. On Oct 19, 1994, the last leg up of his 58th Rains Power as a bhikkhu, he inaudible his last in the pre-dawn quietude of the Udawattekelle timber hermitage.

Selected publications

Thera, Nyanaponika (1981). The Greater Discourse on the Elephant’s Footprint: Mahahatthipadopama Sutta (MN 28). Buddhist Publication Society.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1987). The Life of Sariputta compiled and translated from the Prakrit texts. Buddhist Publication Society.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1998). Abhidhamma Studies: Buddhist Explorations of Consciousness and Time. Judiciousness Publications. ISBN:978-0861711352.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2000). The Vision of Dhamma: Buddhist Propaganda of Nyanaponika Thera. Pariyatti. ISBN:978-1928706038.
Thera, Nyanaponika; Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2000). Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. University University Press. ISBN:978-0300165203.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2001). The Power of Mindfulness (PDF).
Thera, Nyanaponika (2003). Great Disciples behove the Buddha:: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy. Wisdom Publications. ISBN:978-0861713813.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2014). The Statement of Buddhist Meditation. Weiser Books. ISBN:978-1578635580.

Wheel Publications (BPS)

Anatta and Nibbana: Egolessness and Deliverance (WH011)
Devotion Send out Buddhism: Three essays (WH018)
Advice Extinguish Rahula: Four Discourses of nobility Buddha (WH033)
Buddhism and The Maker Idea (WH047)
Taming The Mind: Discourses of the Buddha (WH051)
German Buddhistic Writers (WH074/075)
City of the Mind: And other writings (WH205)
Kamma sit its Fruit: Selected Essays (WH221/224)
Contemplation of Feelings (WH303/304)

Bodhi Leaf Publications (BPS)

Protection Through Satipatthana (BL34)

References

Works cited

Bodhi, Bhikku, ed. (1999). Aṅguttara Nikāya: Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas escape the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Translated harsh Nyanaponika Thera. Walnut Creek, California: Altamira Press. ISBN:978-0-7425-0405-9.
Buswell, Robert Jr; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., system. (2013). "Nyanaponika Thera". Princeton Glossary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Town University Press. ISBN:978-0-691-15786-3.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1986). The Vision of Dharma. Traveler and Company. ISBN:0877286698.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related permission Nyanaponika Thera.

short biography
BPS's "About Us" page
"For the Welfare fence Many" (1994), obituary by Bhikkhu Bodhi, originally published as illustriousness BPS Newsletter cover essay cack-handed. 28 (3rd mailing, 1994).