Shin Upagutta
Shin Upagutta (Burmese: ရှင်ဥပဂုတ္တ or ရှင်ဥပဂုတ် [ʃɪ̀ɰ̃ ṵpəɡoʊʔ]; also spelt Shin Upagot, Shin Upagote or Shin U Pagoke) is an arahant commonly venerated by Buddhists in Myanmar. He is believed to protect worshipers from danger, including floods and storms. He is also venerated in Cambodia, Northern Thailand and Laos, where he is known as Upakhut (Thai: อุปคุต; RTGS: Uppakhut).[1]
He is commonly depicted sitting cross-legged, dressed in monk's robes and with a hand tilted into an alms bowl called a thabeik, and is associated with
Biography
Life before becoming an arhat
He was a monk named Eindagotta (ဣန္ဒာဂုတ္တ,
In Gautama Buddha's time, he was a non-believer called Sula Thakuladayi (စူဠသကုလဒါယီ,
The afterlife
In 265 or 182 BCE, Upagutta was born to his mother Missa Dewi (မစ္ဆဒေဝီ,
Upagutta had a rough personality; he was interested in wild animals and he did not like to learn. A sage named Upa (ဥပ, Upa) taught him about the Buddha's teachings when he was young.[citation needed]
Years later, Upagutta and his mother went back to her father who was king of
Some Burmese believe that Shin Upagutta is still living, in a floating brass palace in the southern ocean, and that he can be invoked through a special Pali incantation, and that his mere invisible presence will prevent storms and floods.[5] Shin Upagutta is commonly venerated by people in the Irrawaddy Delta. A major festival dedicated to Shin Upagutta is in Shwegyin, near Bago, during the Burmese month of Thadingyut.[5] Another, called the Ye Hmyaw Pwe (ရေမျှောပွဲ), is held in Yangon's Chinatown in October and involves a Chinese-style procession and ceremonial dispersal of ashes into the Yangon River.[6]
See also
- Buddhism in Burma
- Burmese pagoda
- Shin Thiwali
- Gadaw
- Thadingyut Festival
- Pagoda festival
- Sand pagoda
References
- ^ Walker, Andrew (25 April 2007). "Upakhut – saint and spirit". New Mandala. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Houtman, Gustaaf (1990). Traditions of Buddhist Practice in Burma. ILCAA. p. 278.
- ^ Maung Htin Aung (2 October 2008). "Shin Upagote". Folk Elements in Burmese Buddhism. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "Shin Upagutta", Myintmhomaymay Literature
- ^ a b Paw, Maung. "Moggaliputta Tissa Maha Thera" (PDF). Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Kaung Htet (10 October 2011). "Buddhist festival marked in Yangon". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 18 March 2012.