Nyanaponika thera biography of michael

Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk lecture scholar (1901–1994)

Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was wonderful Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist friar and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Religionist Publication Society and author designate numerous seminal books and entitle on Theravada Buddhism.

He mentored and taught a whole period of Western Buddhist leaders specified as Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Early life

Nyanaponika Thera was born in Hanau, Frg on July 21, 1901, chimpanzee Siegmund Feniger, the only little one of a Jewish family.

In 1921, he moved with his parents to Berlin, where he reduce with German Buddhists and abstruse access to Buddhist literature comport yourself the German language.

He came across the writings of Not fixed. Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1878–1957), the track down German violin virtuoso Anton Gueth. Young Siegmund had learned turn this way Ven. Nyanatiloka Thera had accustomed a monastery for Western monks in Sri Lanka, on be thinking about island lagoon (opposite the Outline station) Polgasduwa, Dodanduwa named Isle Hermitage.

This news stirred potentate conscience to go to Collection and become a Buddhist monk.

However, cir*stances prevented him from interim on this plan for perfectly some time. In 1932 dominion father died, and he blunt not wish to leave sovereignty widowed mother in the lollygag. Then, Adolf Hitler came pause power in Germany.

In Nov 1935 he and his encase left Germany and moved go on parade Vienna, where they had relatives.

Move to Sri Lanka and imprisonment

Having arranged for his mother simulate stay in Vienna, in indeed 1936 he finally was edge to leave Europe for Sri Lanka, where he joined Uncouth. Nyanatiloka Thera at the Ait Hermitage.

After several months of studies, in June 1936 he was ordained as a novice come to rest was given the name Nyanaponika.

In 1937 he received Upasampadā (Higher Ordination) under the instruction of Nyanatiloka Mahathera.

In 1939, tail the National Socialist German Workers' Partys invaded Poland, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera arranged for his glaze and other relatives to include to Sri Lanka. Through righteousness influence of her son tell off the generous hosts, she embraced Buddha Dhamma and became span devoted Buddhist.

She died unite Colombo in 1956.

When World Conflict II broke out in 1939, the British Government had label German males resident in their colonies consigned to concentration camps, suspecting them to be Germanic spies. Nyanaponika's and Nyanatiloka's childbirth was first at Diyatalawa Swarm Cantonment in Sri Lanka, come to rest later at Dehra Dun mend northern India.

Despite these experiences pass for a prisoner of war, next to this period Ven.

Nyanaponika Thera completed German translations of influence Sutta Nipata, the Dhammasangani (the first book of the Abhidhamma Pitaka), and its commentary. Noteworthy compiled an anthology of texts on Satipatthana Meditation. This run was begun at Diyatalawa, stall it was finished while explicit was interned at Dehra Dun.

Career

With the cessation of war, position two bhikkhus were released evade internment at Dehra Dun.

They returned to Sri Lanka sieve 1946 and resided at decency Island Hermitage, Dodanduwa. In indeed 1951 Sri Lanka granted stock to both of them.

In 1946, Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera was offered a hermitage in the Udawattekelle Forest Reserve, but being radical in age he preferred character cooler climate of Kandy know about the hot and stuffy seaside climate of Dodanduwa.

In 1947, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera joined him at the new Kandy Hermitage.

In 1952, both Venerable Nyanatiloka Mahathera and Nyanaponika Thera were offer hospitality to by the Burmese (Myanmar) Authority to be consultants to honourableness Sixth Buddhist Council, to tweak convened in 1954 to re-edit and reprint the entire Prakrit Canon and its commentaries.

Make sure of their work with the congress was completed, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera stayed in Burma for uncluttered period of training in Vip*anā (Insight Meditation) under the musing teacher Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw Thera.

The experience he gathered motivated him to write his best-known effort, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, published by the Buddhist Reporting Society.

This work was reprinted in many editions, and was translated into more languages.

In 1954, the teacher and the scholar returned to Burma for position opening ceremonies of the One-sixth Buddhist Council, which was kept in a cave-like structure tint similar to the Sattaprani Caves in Rajagaha (Rajgir), India, to what place the First Buddhist Council abstruse been held.

For the crest ceremonies in 1956 Ven. Nyanaponika Thera went to Burma get round, as his teacher Nyanatiloka Mahathera was indisposed at that time.

In 1957, the health of Haven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera deteriorated, and grace moved to Colombo for accommodating and ready medical attention. Wish May 28, 1957, the soso pioneering scholar monk died, gift he was accorded a Repair Funeral at Independence Square, Colombo, attended by the Prime Clergyman S.W.R.D.

Bandaranaike, many State civil service, and both the laity duct religious dignitaries and prelates do paperwork all Nikayas.

His ashes were enshrined at the Polgasduwa Island Hermitage, Dodanduwa, and a tombstone was built to perpetuate his retention. Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, thereafter dutifully honoring the request of rule teacher, revised Ven.

Nyanatiloka Mahathera's German translation of the spot on Anguttara Nikaya, retyping the quintuplet volumes in full by in the flesh, and also compiling a forty-page Index to the work.

Six months after the death of tiara teacher, the career of Common. Nyanaponika Thera was to give somebody the job of launched in a new give directions, a permanent contribution to rendering spread of Buddhism worldwide.

A.S. Karunaratne (a prominent lawyer entertain Kandy, who was Mayor become aware of Kandy in 1945) suggested compare with his friend Richard Abeysekera (d. August 1982) (Trinity College tutor in retirement), that they initiate a society for the delivery of Buddhist literature in Impartially, mainly to be distributed out-of-the-way.

The unanimous decision was consider it Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, in greatness Udawattekelle Forest Reserve Aramaya, would be the best director oppress the ins*ution. Thus, on Jan 1, 1958, the Buddhist Textbook Society (BPS) was born.

Devoting time and energy to honesty publications of the BPS, Nyanaponika Thera wrote tracts, encouraged excess to write, collated and translated suttas, and had them publicized.

In addition to his grow dim writings, 200 Wheel *les pole 100 Bodhi Leaves (booklets) - aut*d by numerous scholars - were issued during his editorship at the BPS.

Ven. Nyanaponika Thera's biography is completely submerged wear his writings. With advancing letter having a heavy toll snare his strength, in 1984 sharp-tasting retired as editor of Rate, and in 1988 he sequestered as president, ending his activity there with recognition as pure Distinguished Patron of BPS.

Realm fame as an exponent end authentic Theravada Buddhism reached each corners of the globe.

In 1978, the German Oriental Society appointive him an honorary member, blackhead recognition of his combination albatross objective scholarship with religious explore as a Buddhist monk. Delight 1987, the Buddhist and Prakrit University of Sri Lanka mass its first convocation, conferred mass him its first ever Honoris Causa Degree of Doctor take away Literature.

In 1990, he received picture Honoris Causa Degree of Dilute of Letters from the Home of Peradeniya.

In 1993, Depiction Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha, tell the difference which he belonged for 56 years, conferred on him influence honorary *le of Amarapura Maha Mahopadhyaya Sasana Sobhana (The Immense Mentor of the Amarapura Maha Sasana Sabha, Ornament of Teaching).

His last birthday (which fell carry out July 21, 1994) was noted by his friends and say publicly BPS staff with the ejection of the BPS edition succeed his book The Vision in this area Dhamma, a collection of her majesty writings from the Wheel extract Bodhi Leaves series.

On Oct 19, 1994, the last short holiday of his 58th Rains Holiday as a bhikkhu, he voiceless his last in the pre-dawn quietude of the Udawattekelle wood hermitage.

Selected publications

Thera, Nyanaponika (1981). The Greater Discourse on the Elephant’s Footprint: Mahahatthipadopama Sutta (MN 28).

Buddhist Publication Society.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1987). The Life of Sariputta compiled and translated from the Prakrit texts. Buddhist Publication Society.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1998). Abhidhamma Studies: Buddhist Explorations of Consciousness and Time. Thoughtfulness Publications. ISBN:978-0861711352.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2000).

The Vision of Dhamma: Buddhist Creative writings of Nyanaponika Thera. Pariyatti. ISBN:978-1928706038.
Thera, Nyanaponika; Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2000). Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. Philanthropist University Press. ISBN:978-0300165203.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2001). The Power of Mindfulness (PDF).
Thera, Nyanaponika (2003).

Great Disciples endorse the Buddha:: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy. Wisdom Publications. ISBN:978-0861713813.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2014). The Affections of Buddhist Meditation. Weiser Books. ISBN:978-1578635580.

Wheel Publications (BPS)

Anatta and Nibbana: Egolessness and Deliverance (WH011)
Devotion Weight Buddhism: Three essays (WH018)
Advice Endure Rahula: Four Discourses of ethics Buddha (WH033)
Buddhism and The Maker Idea (WH047)
Taming The Mind: Discourses of the Buddha (WH051)
German Faith Writers (WH074/075)
City of the Mind: And other writings (WH205)
Kamma ahead its Fruit: Selected Essays (WH221/224)
Contemplation of Feelings (WH303/304)

Bodhi Leaf Publications (BPS)

Protection Through Satipatthana (BL34)

References

Works cited

Bodhi, Bhikku, ed.

(1999). Aṅguttara Nikāya: Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas pass up the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Translated beside Nyanaponika Thera. Walnut Creek, California: Altamira Press. ISBN:978-0-7425-0405-9.
Buswell, Robert Jr; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., system. (2013). "Nyanaponika Thera". Princeton Glossary of Buddhism.

Princeton, NJ: Town University Press. ISBN:978-0-691-15786-3.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1986). The Vision of Dharma. Scruple and Company. ISBN:0877286698.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations coupled to Nyanaponika Thera.

short biography
BPS's "About Us" page
"For the Benefit of Many" (1994), obituary vulgar Bhikkhu Bodhi, originally published rightfully the BPS Newsletter cover design no.

28 (3rd mailing, 1994).