''Thero'' (commonly appearing in the masculine and feminine forms ''thera'' and ''therī'' respectively) is an

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...

term in

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 ...

for senior

bhikkhu 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 pratimok� ...

s and bhikkhunis (Buddhist monks and nuns) in the Buddhist monastic order. The word literally means "elder". These terms, appearing at the end of a monastic's

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

, are used to distinguish those who have at least 10 years since their '' upasampada'' (higher ordination). The name of an important collection of very early Buddhist poetry is called the '' Therigatha'', "verses of the ''therīs''". The terms ''mahāthera'' and ''mahātherī'' (the prefix ''mahā'' meaning 'great' in both Sanskrit and Pali) are used to refer to very distinguished elderly and venerable monks and nuns considered to have reached a higher level of spiritual development. Usage of these terms varies according to the Buddhist tradition and culture. In

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, ...

, these terms are widely used. Some prominent theras and therīs: * Ananda Thera * Rerukane Chandawimala Maha Thera *

Katukurunde Nyanananda Thera Ven. Kaṭukurunde Ñāṇananda Mahāthera (10 July 1940 – 22 February 2018) (sometimes spelled Nyanananda or Nanananda in English, sometimes called Gnanananda in Sinhala: පූජ්‍ය කටුකුරුන්දේ ඤාණ� ...

Narada Mahathera Narada Mahathera (), born Sumanapala Perera (14 July 1898 – 2 October 1983) was a Theravada Buddhist monk, scholar, translator, educator and Buddhist missionary who was for many years the Superior of Vajiraramaya in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He ...

Nyanatiloka Mahathera Ven. Nyanatiloka (Ñāṇatiloka) Mahathera (19 February 1878, Wiesbaden, Germany – 28 May 1957, Colombo, Ceylon), born as Anton Walther Florus Gueth, was one of the earliest Westerners in modern times to become a Bhikkhu, a fully ordained ...

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero () (23 August 1896 — 18 July 1998) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who was one of the most distinguished scholars and expositors of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century. He was highly respected by Sri La ...

* Mahapajapati Gotami therī *

Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero (born: 1 July 1961) is a Sri Lankan monk. He is the founder & chief advisor of Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery, Mahamevnawa Maha Sangha Saba(මහමෙව්නාව මහා සංඝ සභාව) and Shradd ...

* Ayya Tathaaloka Mahātherī *

Gangodawila Soma Thero Gangodawila Soma Thero (24 April 1948 – 12 December 2003) was a Theravada bhikkhu (Buddhist monk) from Sri Lanka. Following tradition, the Thero used the name of their birthplace, Gangodawila, in front of their dharma name; ''thero'' denotes ...

Nyanaponika Thera Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was a German–Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Buddhist Publication Society and a ...

* Nanavira Thera

References

See also