The State Saṅgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee (, abbreviated Mahana or in Burmese, SSMNC in English) is a government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees and regulates the

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 ...

(Buddhist clergy) 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 ...

(Myanmar). That committee real style is "Supreme Sangha Council of Myanmar".

History

The Committee was formed after the First Congregation of All Orders for the Purification, Perpetuation and Propagation of Sasana, which sought to consolidate state control of the country's Sangha, was held in

Rangoon 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 ...

(now Yangon) from 24 to 27 May 1980. The Congregation developed a hierarchy to regulate monks at the village tract/ward, state/division and national levels via committees and devised a central governing body of 33 members now called the state Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, which would be responsible for all Buddhist monks in the country. The Committee also developed regulations to force monks to register and receive separate identification cards.

Membership

The Committee now consists of 47 members, including a chairperson, six vice-chairpersons, one secretary general, six joint general secretaries and 33 other members, all of whom are appointed by the Burmese Ministry of Religious Affairs. The chairman acts as the equivalent of the thathanabaing from the colonial period. The head monks are divided into three groups, which each serve a term of four months. During their term, they reside on the premise of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and cooperate with it. Until 1995, appointment terms lasted 5 years. Since 1995, the government has cut term lengths, with a quarter of seats changed every 3 years.

Functions

The Committee administers and regulates the Burmese Sangha: * Monk and monastery management: It collects nationwide data on monasteries and monks, primarily through the annual Rains Retreat (

Vassa ''Vassa'' (, , both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada Buddhists. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July (the Burmese month of Waso, ) to October (the Burmese ...

) Sangha List. Monasteries must report each monk's name, age, and ordination year, and monks must present their ID cards. This ensures accurate records of monastic residency and population, and the condition of

Buddhist monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

. * Religious court system: It adjudicates cases involving violations of the

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 code), including civil disputes, criminal acts (e.g., theft, sexual misconduct, false enlightenment claims), and doctrinal issues. Courts operate at township, state/regional, and national levels. * Doctrinal oversight and censorship: It determines what constitutes orthodox and heterodox teachings. All Buddhist publications in Myanmar are subject to censorship, and monks promoting heterodox doctrines may be banned from preaching, disrobed, or arrested.

Chairmen

# Indācāra (Bago Myoma Sayadaw): 1980-1993 # Sobhita (Myingyan Sayadaw): 1994-2004 # Kumara (Magwe Sayadaw): 2004-2010 # Kumārābhivaṃsa (Banmaw Sayadaw): 2010-2024 # Candimābhivaṃsa (Thanlyin Mingyaung Sayadaw): 2024-present

Controversies

In theory, the Committee oversees violations of the

, the traditional regulatory framework of Theravada Buddhist monks. This body has been used by the government to curtail monks' involvement in non-religious affairs. The Committee has the power to disrobe monks who have violated its decrees and edicts as well as Vinaya regulations and laws, and expel monks from their resident monasteries. During the

Saffron Revolution The Saffron Revolution (; ) was a series of economic and political protests and demonstrations that took place during August, September, and October 2007 in Myanmar. The protests were triggered by the decision of the national military govern ...

in 2007, the Committee announced new regulations to prohibit monks from participating in secular affairs. In December 2009, the Committee banned advertisements of

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' ...

talks and lectures held by monks, including posters. In February 2012, Shwenyawa Sayadaw (), the abbot of the Sadhu Pariyatti Monastery, was evicted from his monastery by the Committee for alleged disobedience, by holding a sermon at the Mandalay office of the

National League for Democracy The National League for Democracy (, ; Abbreviation, abbr. NLD; Burmese abbr. ဒီချုပ်) is a deregistered liberal democratic political party in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It became the country's ruling party after a landslide victo ...

in September, where he had publicly called for the release of political prisoners and the end of ongoing civil wars, despite sending the Committee an apology where he had asked for a repeal. In December 2011, he had met with

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

, US Secretary of State, along with other civil society delegates. In February 2012, U Gambira, a prominent monk in the

was accused by the Committee for committing the offences of illegal squatting and breaking and entering of monasteries, and subsequently arrested by secular authorities.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Buddhist organisations based in Myanmar Government agencies of Myanmar 1980 establishments in Burma Government agencies established in 1980