Ashin Chen Hsin-hung (), nicknamed Ashin () (born 6 December 1975), is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter. He is best known as the vocalist of the rock band Mayday. When Ashin majored in art in college, he began his musical career. He is also the fo ...

Abhijātābhivaṃsa (, ; 29 September 1968 – 7 February 2022), also known as Sagaing Tipiṭaka Sayadaw (, ), was a Burmese Buddhist monk. He was chief abbot of Saddhamma Mānitāyon Monastery in

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

and abbot of Saddhamma Jotaka Subodhāyon Monastery in

Monywa Monywa (; ) is the largest city and capital city of Sagaing Region, Myanmar, located north-west of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin. Monywa is one of the largest economic cities in Myanmar. It is also known as 'Neem City' beca ...

. Being awarded the titles of Tipiṭakadhara and Tipiṭakakovida in 2007 and 2010 respectively, Ashin was the 12th recipient of the title of

Tipiṭakadhara Dhammabhaṇḍāgārika Tipiṭakadhara Dhammabhaṇḍāgārika () is an honorific Burmese Buddhist title conferred by the government of Myanmar to the Buddhist monks who have passed five years since completing all levels of Tipitakadhara Tipitakakovida Selection E ...

Early life and education

Abhijātābhivaṃsa, the third of seven siblings, was born on 29 September 1968 (8th waxing day of

Thadingyut Thadingyut () is the seventh month of the traditional Burmese calendar. The Myanmar term "thadin" (သီတင်း) means the Buddhist Lent (Vassa), which spans the three preceding lunar months and is the tradition of Buddhist monks trying to ...

, 1330 M.E.) in Hsinnin Village,

Wetlet Township Wetlet Township is a township of Shwebo District in the Sagaing Division of Burma, Burma (Myanmar). It is located on the plains between the Mu River and the Irrawaddy River, Irrawaddy. Its administrative seat is the town of Wetlet. Hanlin, Burma ...

, to Tin Ya and Nyunt Khin. He was ordained as a novice on 29 November 1979 (11th waxing day of

Nadaw Nadaw (; also spelt Natdaw) is the ninth month of the traditional Burmese calendar. Festivals and observances *Mahagiri Nat Festival, Mount Popa *Literature and Arts Festival () *Pagoda festivals ** Botahtaung Pagoda Festival (Yangon) Nadaw sy ...

, 1341 ME), under the presiding ''

sayadaw A sayadaw (, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. The word is a combination of Sanskrit word "acharya" (te ...

'' of Zabumingala Shweyattha ''

Kyaung A ''kyaung'' (, ) is a monastery ( vihara), comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Buddhist monks. Burmese ''kyaungs'' are sometimes also occupied by novice monks (samanera), lay attendants ('' kappiya''), nuns (''thilashin''), and wh ...

'', and sent to Mahā Subodhāyon Monastery in

Sagaing Sagaing (, ) is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located on the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing, with its numerous Buddhist monasteries, is an important religious and ...

on 14 December. Ashin received the titles of Sāsanālaṅkāra Thamanegyaw and Sāsanadhaja Dhammācariya since he was a

novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

Monkhood career

On 4 January 1988 (1st waning day of

Pyatho Pyatho () is the tenth month of the traditional Burmese calendar. Festivals and observances * Karen New Year (first day of Pyatho) *Royal equestrian festivals () *Pagoda festivals ** Ananda Pagoda Festival, Bagan Pyatho symbols *Flower: ''Clema ...

, 1349 ME), Ashin was ordained as a monk under the patronage of Ashin Nārada, chief abbot of Mahā Subodhāyon. Ashin passed all five-level 8026 recitation contents for the Tipiṭakadhara Tipiṭakakovida Selection Examinations, in which he had to show his memory of

Tipiṭaka There are several Buddhist canons, which refers to the various scriptural collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures or the various Buddhist scriptural canons.

by reciting the Canon without being prompted more than five times in a day, in 2007 and was awarded the title of Tipiṭakadhara (). After completing all five levels of ideology written exam, he became the holder of the title of Tipiṭakakovida (), in 2010. In 2016, Ashin was offered the title of Tipiṭakadhara Dhammabhaṇḍāgārika by the

Burmese government Myanmar (Names of Myanmar, formerly Burma) () operates ''de jure'' as a unitary state, unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 Constitution of Myanmar, 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military took ove ...

, and was thereafter known as its 12th recipient in history. In 2012, Ashin was appointed by Ashin Nandamālābhivaṃsa as presiding abbot of Saddhamma Jotaka Subodhāyon Monastery, a monastery, in Monywa, under the governance of Mahā Subodhāyon. Ashin died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

Bumrungrad Hospital Bumrungrad International Hospital (, , ; ) is a private hospital founded in 1980 in Bangkok, Thailand. More frequently referred to as Bumrungrad Hospital or simply Bumrungrad, its name, ''Bumrungrad'' means 'to care for the populace' or 'to nurtu ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, on 7 February 2022, at the age of 53. During his years of monkhood, Ashin won a total of 47 achievements, including 10 ''Dhammācariya'' and 3 ''Pali Pāragū'' degrees.

References

{{reflist 1968 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Buddhist monks 21st-century Buddhist monks Buddhist abbots 21st-century abbots Burmese Buddhist monks People from Sagaing Region Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in Thailand Recipients of Abhivaṃsa