Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero () (23 August 1896 — 18 July 1998) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n Buddhist monk who was one of the most distinguished scholars and expositors of

Theravada ''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 ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

in the twentieth century. He was highly respected by Sri Lankan Buddhists, who believed that he had achieved a higher level of spiritual development. Sri Lankan Buddhists also considered Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero as a

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

, who will attain

Buddhahood In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indo-Aryan languages, Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are Enlightenment in Buddhism, spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the Buddhist paths to liberat ...

in a future life. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero lived a modest life and did a great service for the propagation of

Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy is the ancient Indian Indian philosophy, philosophical system that developed within the religio-philosophical tradition of Buddhism. It comprises all the Philosophy, philosophical investigations and Buddhist logico-episte ...

. In recognition of his valuable service at the

Sixth Buddhist council The Sixth Buddhist Council (; ; ) was a general council of Theravāda Buddhism, held in a specially built Mahā Pāsāṇa Guhā (Great Cave) and pagoda complex at Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. The council was attended by 2500 monastics f ...

held in

Burma 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 Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

, the Burmese government conferred on him the title of

Agga Maha Pandita Aggamahāpaṇḍita (, ) is an honorific Burmese Buddhist title conferred by the Myanmar government to distinguished Theravada Buddhist monks. Etymology Aggamahāpandiṭa, meaning "foremost great and wise one," is derived from the following ...

(Chief Great Scholar) in 1956. Later in March 1997, the Burmese government conferred on Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero the highest

Sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

title,

Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru Abhidhajamahāraṭṭhaguru (, , ) is an honorific Burmese Buddhist title conferred by the government of Myanmar, to the Buddhist monks who have contributed to the '' pariyatti'' field. The awardees are annually announced on the 4th January, th ...

(Most Eminent Great Spiritual Teacher), which is equivalent to

Sangharaja Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' t ...

, in honor of his unique service to the Buddhist religion.

Biography

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero was born on 23 August 1896 in Kirindigala,

Balangoda Balangoda is a town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuwa Pro ...

, to the family of N. A. Matthias

Appuhamy Appuhamy, also referred as Appuhami,() from Appu ''(Gentleman)'' and Hami ''(Lord)'(Hamie is a derivation of Sanskrit word Swami)'' is a Sinhala surname or an honorific term for men used traditionally between ''14th and 20th'' centuries in Sri ...

(Maddumahamy) and B. Heenmanike. His birth name was Punchi Mahattaya. His mother died when he was 14 days old and he was brought up by his father's brother and his wife. His primary education was at Kumara Vidyalaya,

. He had his secondary education from

Ananda College Ananda College () is a Prestigious Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is often known as "The Pinnacle of buddhist education " It is the largest national Buddhist school for boys in Sri Lanka, with a student population exceeding 8000 ac ...

Colombo. At the age of 15, he had decided to enter the order of

Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimo ...

and 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 .Sri Nandaramaya, Udumulla, Balangoda
on 2 March 1911. He was ordained under the guidance of Daamahana Dhammananda Thero and Deniyaye Seelananda Thero was his primary teacher (''Upaadhyaayanwahanse''). Balangdoda Ananda Maitreya Thero received his Upasampada on 14 July 1916 at Olu Gantota Udakukhepa Seema, Balangoda. Thero continued his studies after becoming a monk and later became a scholar in

and

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

s. Thero entered

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

in 1919 and became a teacher at the same school in 1922. Unusually for a

teacher, he publicly studied some other traditions, such as

Mahayana Buddhism Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Thera ...

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

, and esoteric

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

. Ananda Maitreya Thero was the first Dharmarcharya (teacher of Buddhism) at

Nalanda College Colombo Nalanda College () is a Buddhist school in Sri Lanka that provides primary and secondary education for boys.motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

, which is still being used. Later he became the professor of

Vidyodaya University Vidyodaya School is a private college-preparatory combined-grades school located in Thevakkal, Kochi, India. It provides comprehensive school education from lower primary to grade 12. About Established in 1990-91 the school conducts classes fr ...

, Sri Lanka. He was appointed to the post of

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

, Faculty of Buddhist Studies in 1963. On 1 October 1966, he was appointed to the post of

vice chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...

at the same university. Ananda Maitreya Thero's first overseas

Dhamma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold'' or ''to support' ...

journey was to

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, India in 1926. He opened the Sri Dhammananda Pirivena, Colombo in 1930. On 18 January 1954, Thero was appointed to the post of Sangha Nayaka of ''Sabaragamu-Saddhammawansa Nikaya'' and in the same year, he participated in the

held in

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 Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. On 2 September 1969, Ananda Maitreya Thero was appointed as the President of

Amarapura Amarapura (, , ; also spelt as Ummerapoora) is a former capital of Myanmar, and now a township of Mandalay city. Amarapura is bounded by the Irrawaddy river in the west, Chanmyathazi Township in the north, and the ancient capital site of Ava ...

Sabhā A sabhā or sabhaa in Ancient India was an assembly, congregation, or council. Personified as a deity, Sabhā is a daughter of Prajāpati in the Atharvaveda. In Epic Sanskrit, the term refers also to an assembly hall or council-chamber, and to ...

of Sri Lanka. Ananda Maitreya Thero was famous for his achievements in

Buddhist meditation Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are ''bhavana, bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and ''Dhyāna in Buddhism, jhāna/dhyāna'' (a state of me ...

. He was known to have practiced both Samatha meditation and

Vipassana meditation The Vipassanā movement refers to a branch of modern Burmese Theravāda Buddhism that promotes "bare insight" (''sukha-Vipassana'') meditation practice to develop insight into the three marks of existence and attain stream entry. It gained ...

to a great extent and was considered to be having a highly developed mind through his

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

. Many Buddhists have experienced his powerful spiritual blessings in many more ways than one. His teachings and life have been an inspiration to many aspiring

monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and lay followers. Ananda Maitreya Thero, along with Narada Thero and Madihe Pannaseeha Thero, was and still is one of the foremostly revered and respected Buddhist monks of the twentieth century in Sri Lanka. His work and sacrifices with

Anagarika Dharmapala Anagārika Dharmapāla (Pali: ''Anagārika'', ; Sinhala: Anagārika, lit., ; 17 September 1864 – 29 April 1933) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and a writer. Anagarika Dharmapāla is noted because he was: * the first global Buddhist m ...

were one of the steering forces of the upholding of

Buddhism in Sri Lanka Theravada Buddhism is the largest and official religion of Sri Lanka, practiced by 70.2% of the population as of 2012. Practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be found amongst the majority Sinhalese people, Sinhalese population as well as amo ...

at one stage. They also traveled to many countries in the world for the propagation of Buddhism. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero died at 11.40 p.m. on 18 July 1998 at the age of 101.

Degrees and titles

In 1955, the

Government of Myanmar Myanmar ( formerly Burma) () operates ''de jure'' as a unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests. P ...

(then

) conferred him the title ''

'' (Great Chief Scholar) to honor his unprecedented service at the

Sixth Buddhist Council The Sixth Buddhist Council (; ; ) was a general council of Theravāda Buddhism, held in a specially built Mahā Pāsāṇa Guhā (Great Cave) and pagoda complex at Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. The council was attended by 2500 monastics f ...

. To honor his unique service to the Buddha

Śāsana Śāsana (, śāsana; ) is a Buddhist term for the distribution time or availability of the teachings of a Buddha. The currently available philosophy and practice are dated back to Siddhartha Gautama and are only available for a limited time span ...

, Myanmar also conferred him the highest

title, ''Abhidhaja Maharatthaguru'' (Most Eminent Great Spiritual Teacher), which is equivalent to

in 1997. Ananda Maithreya Thero received the ''Thripitaka Vaagishwaracharya Pravachana Visharada Raajakeeya Panditha''

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the

Government of Sri Lanka The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) (; ) is a Semi-presidential republic determined by the Constitution of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the island from both its commercial capital of Colombo and the administrative capital o ...

. In addition to that, Nayaka

Thero ''Thero'' (commonly appearing in the masculine and feminine forms ''thera'' and ''therī'' respectively) is an honorific term in Pali for senior bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) in the Buddhist monastic order. The word literall ...

has received two honorary titles, '' Saahithyasuuri'' from

and ''Saahithya Chakrawarthi'' from

Vidyalankara University The University of Kelaniya (UoK; , ) is a public university in Sri Lanka. Just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the city of Kelaniya, the university has two major institutions and seven faculties. History The University of Kelaniya ...

. The humbleness of Maha Nayaka Thero's character is clearly shown when he publicly stated that he had no liking whatsoever for titles and awards, but that he was rather accepting it to satisfy the presenter. He quoted

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

in his speech saying "I often remind myself of My Great Buddha's preaching in the Samyutta Nikaya or the

Abhidhamma Pitaka The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition, also known as the Abhidhamma Method, refers to a scholastic systematization of the Theravada, Theravāda school's understanding of the highest Buddhist teachings (Abhidharma, Abhidhamma). These teachings are t ...

of the worthlessness and futileness of the craving for awards, titles, and commanding positions".

Survey of writings

Ananda Maitreya Thero wrote nearly fifty books on '' Suttas'' (scripture), ''

Vinaya The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...

'' (monastic discipline), on ''

Abhidhamma The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition, also known as the Abhidhamma Method, refers to a scholastic systematization of the Theravāda school's understanding of the highest Buddhist teachings ( Abhidhamma). These teachings are traditionally believed ...

'' (metaphysics), and on

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

grammar. His book, ''

Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

simhavadanaya hevat Buddha Charitra'' (''The Life of the Buddha''), is considered as a textbook. Most of his books are written in English and Sinhala languages. *''

Meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

on Breathing'' *''Easy steps to English'' *''Life of the

'' *''

Bhavana ''Bhāvanā'' (Pali;Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25), p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā," retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" a Sanskrit: भावना, also ''bhāvanā''Monier-Williams (1899), p. 755, see "Bhāvana" and "Bhāvanā", retri ...

Deepaniya'' *''Sam

bodhi The English term ''enlightenment'' is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably ''bodhi'' and ''vimutti''. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi'') means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakene ...

Prarthana'' *''A Hand Book of Spoken English'' *''Dhamsabhava'' *''Sathara Paramarthaya'' *''Buddha

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

ya'' *''Vidharshana Bhavanava'' *''Meditation Sur La Respiration'' *''Maithree Bhavanava'' *''Anaphana Sathi

va'' *'' Shamatha

va'' *''

Udāna The Udāna is a Buddhist scripture, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. It is included in the Sutta Pitaka's Khuddaka Nikaya. The title might be translated "inspired utterances". The book comprises 80 such utterances, most in verse, ea ...

ya'' Ananda Maitreya Thero translation of the ''

Dhammapada The ''Dhammapada'' (; ) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures.See, for instance, Buswell (2003): "rank among the best known Buddhist texts" (p. 11); and, "on ...

'' is published internationally. * ''The Dhammapada: The Path of Truth'': Softcover, Wisdom Pubns,

References

External links

Books by Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero

History of Nalanda College Colombo

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero's Audio Sermons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ananda Maitreya Thero, Balangoda 1896 births 1998 deaths Alumni of Ananda College Sri Lankan scholars of Buddhism Theravada Buddhism writers Theravada Buddhist monks Sri Lankan men centenarians Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhists Sri Lankan Buddhist monks 20th-century Sri Lankan monks Academic staff of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura Bodhisattvas Faculty of Nalanda College, Colombo Faculty of Ananda College Sinhalese people 20th-century Buddhist monks Sri Lankan recipients of Agga Maha Pandita Sri Lankan recipients of Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru

Biography

Degrees and titles

Survey of writings

References

Further reading

External links