Ashin Khammai Dhammasāmi (, , born 1964), also known as Oxford Sayadaw, is a prominent Burmese

Theravada Buddhist ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dhamma'' in th ...

monk. He founded Oxford Buddha Vihara in 2003, where he serves as the abbot. He also serves as the Buddhist chaplain to

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, a member of the Oxford Council of Faith, a fellow of Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, and a world council member for

Religions for Peace Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, tra ...

. He is the founder of the Shan State Buddhist University in

Taunggyi Taunggyi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Shan State, Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast As ...

Early life and education

Dhammasāmi was born in 1964 in Naungpan village, Lecha Township,

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

, Burma (now Myanmar). He was ordained as a

samanera A (Pali; ), is a novice male monk in a Buddhist context. A female novice nun is in , and in or . In Tibetan Buddhism, a female novice nun is known by the Tibetan language term , and a male novice monk is a . In 2004, he obtained a PhD at Oxford University.

Missions and works

In 2014, He founded the Shan State Buddhist University, Taunggyi, Shan State, Myanmar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhammasami 1964 births Theravada Buddhist monks Burmese Theravada Buddhists Burmese Buddhist monks Living people People from Shan State Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Kelaniya