Buddhist question

[Peter Flugel]

Dear Madhav,

I received your request from Peter Flugel via the Indology list-serv.

I was not aware that the Mingun had written a controversial work, but
below
is my own summary of his life from my PhD thesis entitled `Ttraditions of
Buddhist practice in Burma'. London: School of Oriental and African
Studies, 1990, pp 289-90.

Do you have the email of Patrick Pranke? I would very much like to get in
touch with him. What is he doing now?

Please do let me know more about yourself and your project!

Hope to hear from you soon.

Gustaaf Houtman
----------------------------------------------------------------
Visiting Professor
Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures
                                    of Asia and Africa (ILCAA)
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
ghoutman at aa.tufs.ac.jp (until 30 August 1998)
ghoutman at compuserve.com (permanent)
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M�n-g�n Hsa-ya-daw, Zei-da-wun Mu-l� (Na-ra-d�, �)
(1869-1954)
His biographer (1958: 203-08) gives 107 meditation centres teaching his
methods, though some of these, e.g. those of the Ma-ha-si and
Taung-pu-l�,
should now clearly be treated as `new' traditions in their own right.
1869            Born on 16 January 1869 in Kan-gy�-g�n Village (10 miles
north of the town Sa-ga�ng and west of M�n-g�n). Named Maung Tha By�w, he
had three sisters. His father was from Kyauk-pa-nan Village (1 mile south
of Kan-gy�-g�n-), and his mother from Kan-gy�-g�n Village.
1883            He became a novice at age of 14 with S�w-k� Kya�ng
Hsa-ya-daw.
1886            He left monkhood for a while at age 17 when the English
took Upper Burma, but reentered under a cousin (ta-wun-gwe naung-daw),
Hsa-ya-daw � Lek-hka-na, at Man-gy�-s�-t�w-y� Monastery, east of
Kan-gy�-g�n Village.
1887            He was ordained a monk in this monastery in 1887 (1249).
He went to study the scriptures with � Ya-zein-d� from
M�n-g�n-taung-baw-gy� Monastery. Then he went to: M�-gaung Monastery in
Mandalay, Dak-hk�-n�-wun Monastery, My�-daung Monastery, and San Kya�ng
Monastery. He then went to Lower Burma to study with Wei-l�-wun
Hsa-ya-daw
in Shwei-daung My�. He returned to M�n-g�n-taung-baw Monastery where he
continued his studies.
1894            He disrobed after 6 rainy seasons for his sisters.
1896            He returned to the monkhood after more than a year in
1896,
this time under the famous A-le-t�w-y� Hsa-ya-daw � Myit-zu.
Na-ra-d� first developed interest in meditation under A-le-t�w-y�
Hsa-ya-daw � Myit-zu-tha, but the M�n-g�n Hsa-ya-daw is alleged to have
said that `� Myit-zu-tha did not distinguish between this and that method
of the tha-d�-pat-htan  practice' (Teik-hka-sa-r� 1958: 35). When
A-le-t�w-y� asked what he wanted, M�n-g�n replied `neik-ban', to which
A-le-t�w-y� replied with a phrase taken from tha-d�-pat-htan thok.
M�n-g�n,
dissatisfied, went on to find out (1958: 36-7).
1905            At age 37 he moved 4 furlongs west of A-le-t�w-y�
Monastery
into his own little meditation monastery.
1908            At age 40 (1908) he became a meditation teacher.
1911            In 1911 a new meditation centre was built in My� Hl� by �
San D�n (named My� Hl� Bo-d�-g�n Ka-ma-ht�n Hta-n�) where he taught
meditation for 2 rainy seasons. He then left for Tha-hton, where the
Zei-da-wun Monastery was built for him. Here he taught and wrote about
insight.
1954            He died 16 May 1954.

Burmese
Teik-hka-sa-r� (1958)
M�n-g�n Hsa-ya-daw [n.a.] (n.d.)
Myat Kyaw (1971:359-368): compares Le-di and M�n-g�n Hs.
Hte� Hlaing (1981: 434-477)
Hl� Tha-mein (1961: 143-144)
Kyaw Nan-d� Aung (1988:25-50)
Tha-tha-n� W�-thok-d� (1977: 255-266)
W�-th�-da (1980: hs� - z�-): on the relationship between M. Hsa-ya-daw &
Taung-p�-l�-
Kei-la-th� (1979:279-282)

English
King (1980: 121, 132).
Nyanaponika (1962:85-7)
Than Tun (n.d.: 70)