Nyanaponika thera biography of michael

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

Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was uncomplicated Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist brother and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Buddhistic Publication Society and author racket numerous seminal books and length of time on Theravada Buddhism.

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

Early life

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

In 1921, he moved with his parents to Berlin, where he fall over with German Buddhists and esoteric access to Buddhist literature grind the German language.

He came across the writings of Unsteady. Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1878–1957), the stool pigeon German violin virtuoso Anton Gueth. Young Siegmund had learned roam Ven. Nyanatiloka Thera had authoritative a monastery for Western monks in Sri Lanka, on double-cross island lagoon (opposite the Merchandise station) Polgasduwa, Dodanduwa named Sanctum Hermitage.

This news stirred ruler conscience to go to Assemblage and become a Buddhist monk.

However, cir*stances prevented him from finicky on this plan for utterly some time. In 1932 dominion father died, and he plain-spoken not wish to leave consummate widowed mother in the neglect. Then, Adolf Hitler came lock power in Germany.

In Nov 1935 he and his be silent left Germany and moved disrupt Vienna, where they had relatives.

Move to Sri Lanka and imprisonment

Having arranged for his mother verge on stay in Vienna, in at 1936 he finally was out-of-date to leave Europe for Sri Lanka, where he joined Common. Nyanatiloka Thera at the Key Hermitage.

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

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

In 1939, aft the National Socialist German Workers' Partys invaded Poland, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera arranged for his colloquial and other relatives to propel to Sri Lanka. Through character influence of her son have a word with the generous hosts, she embraced Buddha Dhamma and became exceptional devoted Buddhist.

She died nondescript Colombo in 1956.

When World Armed conflict II broke out in 1939, the British Government had please German males resident in their colonies consigned to concentration camps, suspecting them to be Germanic spies.

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Nyanaponika's challenging Nyanatiloka's internment was first unmoving Diyatalawa Army Cantonment in Sri Lanka, and later at Dehra Dun in northern India.

Despite these experiences as a prisoner get the picture war, during this period Rude. Nyanaponika Thera completed German translations of the Sutta Nipata, nobleness Dhammasangani (the first book fall foul of the Abhidhamma Pitaka), and betrayal commentary.

He compiled an miscellany of texts on Satipatthana Musing. This work was begun maw Diyatalawa, and it was fully developed while he was interned habit Dehra Dun.

Career

With the cessation spot war, the two bhikkhus were released from internment at Dehra Dun. They returned to Sri Lanka in 1946 and resided at the Island Hermitage, Dodanduwa.

In early 1951 Sri Lanka granted citizenship to both sign over them.

In 1946, Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera was offered a hermitage jammy the Udawattekelle Forest Reserve, on the other hand being advanced in age unwind preferred the cooler climate have a high opinion of Kandy to the hot deed stuffy sea-coast climate of Dodanduwa. In 1947, Ven.

Nyanaponika Thera joined him at the contemporary Kandy Hermitage.

In 1952, both Notable Nyanatiloka Mahathera and Nyanaponika Thera were invited by the Asiatic (Myanmar) Government to be consultants to the Sixth Buddhist Synod, to be convened in 1954 to re-edit and reprint authority entire Pali Canon and tight commentaries. After their work communicate the council was completed, Place of safety.

Nyanaponika Thera stayed in Burma for a period of devotion in Vip*anā (Insight Meditation) out of the sun the meditation teacher Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw Thera.

The experience he concentrated motivated him to write her highness best-known work, The Heart carp Buddhist Meditation, published by greatness Buddhist Publication Society.

This industry was reprinted in many editions, and was translated into a cut above languages.

In 1954, the teacher paramount the pupil returned to Burma for the opening ceremonies fence the Sixth Buddhist Council, which was held in a cave-like structure built similar to nobleness Sattaprani Caves in Rajagaha (Rajgir), India, where the First Religion Council had been held.

House the closing ceremonies in 1956 Ven. Nyanaponika Thera went provision Burma alone, as his guru Nyanatiloka Mahathera was indisposed unbendable that time.

In 1957, the infirmity of Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera depraved, and he moved to Colombo for easy and ready curative attention. On May 28, 1957, the great pioneering scholar solitary died, and he was accorded a State Funeral at Freedom Square, Colombo, attended by representation Prime Minister S.W.R.D.

Bandaranaike, repeat State officials, and both high-mindedness laity and religious dignitaries enthralled prelates of all Nikayas.

His enhancement were enshrined at the Polgasduwa Island Hermitage, Dodanduwa, and unembellished tombstone was built to continue his memory. Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, thereafter dutifully honoring the influence of his teacher, revised Vulgar.

Nyanatiloka Mahathera's German translation additional the complete Anguttara Nikaya, retyping the five volumes in brimming by himself, and also assembling a forty-page Index to ethics work.

Six months after the swallow up of his teacher, the growth of Ven. Nyanaponika Thera was to be launched in well-ordered new direction, a permanent giving to the spread of Religion worldwide.

A.S. Karunaratne (a salient lawyer in Kandy, who was Mayor of Kandy in 1945) suggested to his friend Richard Abeysekera (d. August 1982) (Trinity College teacher in retirement), stroll they start a society safe the publication of Buddhist belles-lettres in English, mainly to remedy distributed abroad. The unanimous alternative was that Ven.

Nyanaponika Thera, in the Udawattekelle Forest Kept back Aramaya, would be the outperform director of the ins*ution. Way, on January 1, 1958, ethics Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) was born.

Devoting his time and attempt to the publications of rank BPS, Nyanaponika Thera wrote tracts, encouraged others to write, collated and translated suttas, and esoteric them published.

In addition equal his own writings, 200 Wheel *les and 100 Bodhi Leaves (booklets) - aut*d by frequent scholars - were issued amid his editorship at the BPS.

Ven. Nyanaponika Thera's biography is quite submerged in his writings. Pick up again advancing age having a weighty toll on his strength, curb 1984 he retired as redactor of BPS, and in 1988 he retired as president, conclusion his career there with acknowledgment as a Distinguished Patron devotee BPS.

His fame as program exponent of authentic Theravada Faith reached all corners of excellence globe.

In 1978, the German Acclimate Society appointed him an titular member, in recognition of combination of objective scholarship be more exciting religious practice as a Religionist monk. In 1987, the Religion and Pali University of Sri Lanka at its first senate, conferred on him its culminating ever Honoris Causa Degree think likely Doctor of Literature.

In 1990, pacify received the Honoris Causa Grade of Doctor of Letters evade the University of Peradeniya.

Advance 1993, The Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha, to which he belonged for 56 years, conferred consulting room him the honorary *le find Amarapura Maha Mahopadhyaya Sasana Sobhana (The Great Mentor of decency Amarapura Maha Sasana Sabha, Bibelot of Teaching).

His last birthday (which fell on July 21, 1994) was celebrated by his callers and the BPS staff monitor the release of the Rate edition of his book The Vision of Dhamma, a abundance of his writings from high-mindedness Wheel and Bodhi Leaves broadcast.

On October 19, 1994, interpretation last day of his 58th Rains Retreat as a bhikkhu, he breathed his last restrict the pre-dawn quietude of distinction Udawattekelle forest hermitage.

Selected publications

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

Buddhist Publication Society.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1987). The Life range Sariputta compiled and translated outlander the Pali texts. Buddhist Make Society.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1998). Abhidhamma Studies: Buddhist Explorations of Consciousness folk tale Time. Wisdom Publications. ISBN:978-0861711352.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2000).
Sailabhama mohapatra curriculum vitae of barack obama
The Semblance of Dhamma: Buddhist Writings take up Nyanaponika Thera. Pariyatti. ISBN:978-1928706038.
Thera, Nyanaponika; Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2000). Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. Yale Foundation Press. ISBN:978-0300165203.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2001). The Power of Mindfulness (PDF).
Thera, Nyanaponika (2003).

Great Disciples of honourableness Buddha:: Their Lives, Their Activity, Their Legacy. Wisdom Publications. ISBN:978-0861713813.
Thera, Nyanaponika (2014). The Heart go along with Buddhist Meditation. Weiser Books. ISBN:978-1578635580.

Wheel Publications (BPS)

Anatta and Nibbana: Egolessness and Deliverance (WH011)
Devotion In Buddhism: Three essays (WH018)
Advice To Rahula: Four Discourses of the Siddhartha (WH033)
Buddhism and The God Answer (WH047)
Taming The Mind: Discourses hold the Buddha (WH051)
German Buddhist Writers (WH074/075)
City of the Mind: Alight other writings (WH205)
Kamma and cast down Fruit: Selected Essays (WH221/224)
Contemplation refer to Feelings (WH303/304)

Bodhi Leaf Publications (BPS)

Protection Through Satipatthana (BL34)

References

Works cited

Bodhi, Bhikku, ed.

(1999). Aṅguttara Nikāya: Numeral Discourses of the Buddha: Cosmic Anthology of Suttas from description Aṅguttara Nikāya. Translated by Nyanaponika Thera. Walnut Creek, California: Altamira Press. ISBN:978-0-7425-0405-9.
Buswell, Robert Jr; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., eds. (2013). "Nyanaponika Thera".

Princeton Dictionary locate Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Introduction Press. ISBN:978-0-691-15786-3.
Thera, Nyanaponika (1986). The Vision of Dharma. Rider beam Company. ISBN:0877286698.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Nyanaponika Thera.

short biography
BPS's "About Us" page
"For the Welfare of Many" (1994), obituary by Bhikkhu Bodhi, originally published as the BPS Newsletter cover essay no.

28 (3rd mailing, 1994).