Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero
Most Ven. Amarapura Sect |
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Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero (
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero lived a modest life and did a great service for the propagation of
Biography
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero was born on 23 August 1896 in Kirindigala, Balangoda, to the family of N. A. Matthias Appuhamy (Maddumahamy) and B. Heenmanike.[2] His birth name was Punchi Mahattaya a.k.a. William. Because Punchi Mahattaya's mother died when he was 14 days old, he was brought up by his father's brother and his wife.[2] Punchi Mahattaya had his primary education at Kumara Vidyalaya, Balangoda. He had his secondary education from Ananda College Colombo.
At the age of 15, he had decided to enter the order of
Thero continued his studies after becoming a monk and later became a scholar in
Ananda Maitreya Thero was the first Dharmarcharya (teacher of Buddhism) at
Ananda Maitreya Thero's first overseas
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
Ananda Maitreya Thero was famous for his achievements in
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 were one of the steering forces of the upholding of Buddhism in Sri Lanka at one stage. There 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.[5]
Degrees and titles
In 1955, the
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
Survey of writings
Ananda Maitreya Thero wrote nearly fifty books on languages.
- Meditation on Breathing
- Easy steps to English
- Life of the Buddha
- Bhavana Deepaniya
- Sambodhi Prarthana
- A Hand Book of Spoken English
- Dhamsabhava
- Sathara Paramarthaya
- Buddha Dharmaya
- Vidharshana Bhavanava
- Meditation Sur La Respiration
- Maithree Bhavanava
- Anaphana Sathi Bhavanava
- Shamatha Bhavanava
- Udanaya
Ananda Maitreya Thero translation of the Dhammapada is published internationally.
- The Dhammapada: The Path of Truth: Softcover, Wisdom Pubns, ISBN 0-932156-04-5
References
- ^ "Religious and Cultural Relations". Aggamaha Panditha Awardees. Embassy of Myanmar Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Fernando, Thilak (24 September 1994). "Face to face with late Ven. Aggamaha Panditha Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero". The Island – Saturday Magazine. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya: A Personal Appreciation". Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi. 2009. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- ^ "Famous People and the impact of the Theosophical Society". Katinka Hesselink. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Wijenayake, Walter (17 July 2010). "Most Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maithreya thera". Sri Lanka Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ "Ajivatthamaka Sila (Eight Precepts with Right Livelihood as the Eighth) in Burmese Buddhism". Buddhist Group of Kendal. 2015.
- ^ a b c d Yodhasinghe, Lionel (20 July 1998). "State Funeral for Ven. Ananda Maitreya". Daily News (in Sinhala). Retrieved 6 September 2008.
Further reading
- Dhammalankara, Iththapane. Budu Bawa Pathana Balangoda Ananda Maithreya Maha Naahimi (බුදු බව පතන බලන්ගොඩ ආනන්ද මෛත්රෙය මහනාහිමි), Sri Devi Printers (Pvt) Ltd (1992), ISBN 955-95328-1-2