Sayadaw U Chandramani & His Social Work

Sayadaw U Chandramani & His Social Work

Vamsapala

ID:5301201125

Introduction                    

I do really interesting about his life & work. He was great person in my memory and also I have very family with his name since I was young because I am also the same nation. Many Arakanese used to talk about him very proudly behalf of our nation. It was truly he did excellent work for Buddhism in India. under the title of these “ Buddhism &social work” I am going to explain about Sayardaw U Chandaramuni & his social work in his wholly life.

Early Life

Sayadaw U Chandramani was born on June 1876 in Akyab district (modern Sittwe) of Arakan (Rakkhine) State in Myanmar. He was the eldest of three siblings, born to rich parents. At the age of ten, he studied under his uncle Sayadaw Ashin U Sandimar, a famous Tipitaka teacher. Two tears later he became a samanera and was named Shin Chandra (Shin, in Burmese means novice). At that time, Anagarika Dhammapala and Colonel Olcott, founders of the Maha Bodhi Society of India had arrived in Sittwe.

At a meeting in Sittwe, Colonel Olcott explained the necessity of reviving the Buddha Sasana in India and suggested that a young novice who had the necessary courage and qualifications should be selected, trained and posted to India. Finally two novices from Sayadaw U Sandimar’s monastery, Shin Chandra and Shin Thuriya were chosen for the task. In November 1891, Shin Chandra and Shin Thuriya, together with student, Thar Doe Oo, as attendant and companion, set sail on the noble mission for India. Horrified by the incident, Shin Chandra went back to Burma in 1892 but returned to Calcutta within a few months, in 1893, with great determination to continue his mission in India.

Start His Social Work

U Kyi Zayi to start the building, with a further guarantee that any additional money required would also be provided by him. Ven. Mahawira then bought the plot of land in 1898. Shin Chandra also received Higher Ordination (Upasampada) at the Panwar Vihara (also known as Ramugrama Vihara) in February 1903. Ashin Chandramani started to translate the Dhammapada into Hindi and in 1909 a thousand copies were distributed in India. He also translated two important medical books from Sanskrit to Burmese. His translation from Pali into Hindi and Sanskrit included Maha Satipatthana Sutta, Anatta Lakkhana Sutta and Sangiti Sutta. He spent most of his time translating other Buddhist books, documents and journals into Hindi and Sanskrit so that Indians would become interested in Buddhism and understand it better. In 1901 Sayadaw U Chandramani and the merchant U Kyi Zayi applied to the English Governor of India in Calcutta seeking his permission to allow pilgrims to worship the historic reclining Buddha image inside the Mahaparinibbana temple. U Chandramani in 1904 was a significant step in the Buddhist revival movement. It has made Kushinagar one of the most sacred Buddhist shrines for pilgrims to visit and worship.

The District Commissioner, Mr Nicol Masaye, advised Sayadaw not to send the appeal in his name alone because the law did not permit sole ownership of fifty acres or more of Government land. He suggested that Sayadaw should form an association and apply for ownership in the name of the association. Sayadaw therefore invited bhikkhus from Kushinagar and Varanasi, and together they formed an association called ‘Kushinagar Bhikkhu Sangha Association’, headed by Sayadaw U Chandramani as President. The Committee members were Ashin Dhammarakkhita of Kushinagar, and U Kittima, U Ezzutananda and U Pyinna Wontha of Varanasi.

After one and a half years, the decision from the Supreme Court in New Delhi came. Sayadaw had again won the case and the villagers had lost including the court costs. Only then did they accept the verdict and give up their fight. But they made so much trouble for Sayadaw’s supporters, that the five families were afraid to continue living in the village. The police were doing their best to protect Sayadaw as well as his supporters. Such were the hostile circumstances in which Sayadaw had to face to promote the Buddha Sasana, always urging his

supporters to work hard and transform idle bush into arable farmland. Five more village families came over to support Sayadaw, making a total of ten families. However, there was still no peace, since the protesters from the five villages continually sought every possible opportunity to create trouble for them.  It is token seven years in this way , villagers and every year he collected about twenty wooden bowls (one hundred kilos) of rice in place of rent.

Opening of Free Schools and Colleges

In attempting to promote Buddha Sasana, it is acknowledged that young people are more acceptable to change than their elders. Keeping that in mind and in consultation with a visitor from Sri Lanka named Anagarika :uhawkawdar, Sayadaw U Chandramani had a bamboo-shed built within the compounds of the Kushinagar Temple and opened it as a non-fee paying Primary School. That was an opportunity for his antagonists to arouse the surrounding villagers and to cause some resentment. They declared that if the children were to go to that school, all of them would become Buddhists and lose their Hindu belief. At a meeting they decided that none of their children would be allowed to attend the Chandramani School.

The Chandramani Primary School gradually grew and enrolment reached 350 students and 3 full-time teachers. The children were very disciplined and their education improved. In consultation with the School Committee, Sayadaw U Chandramani then organized and built a Secondary School and handed it over to the Government. Again Sayadaw worked very hard to build a High School’ to his own taste and specifications; he organized and planned it with the help of the School Committee and was very successful. Sayadaw completely furnished the New High School and handed it over to the Government to run it. Not content with just building high schools, Sayadaw also built the ‘Kushinagar Degree College’ with an intake capacity of over five hundred students. This was made possible with the help of a rich man who owned a sugar mill, together with city dignitaries and parents of Gorakhpur town, who had great respect and regard for the Most Venerable Ashin U Chandra. The famous Kushinagar Degree College still stands today, as a symbol of the Sayadaw’s love and affection for his people.

Revival of the Buddha Sasana in Nepal

Sayadaw U Chandramani played a dominant role in reviving the Buddha Sasana in Nepal by ordaining Nepalese into the Sangha and guiding them in the Dhamma and Vinaya. At that time there was no Bhikkhu Sangha in Nepal. For centuries Nepalese were aware of only Buddhist priests (Vajracharya), Buddhism (Vajrayana) and Tibetan Lamas. They were unaware of Theravada Buddhist monks and nuns. Vajracharyas are household monks. They lead domestic lives and are not celibate.

Dasaratna Shahu, came to Kusinagar and ordained under Sayadaw U Chandramani as a novice under the name of Dhammaloka in 1932.  At that time there was no Bhikkhu Sangha in Nepal. The first Nepalese to take ordination was Ven. Mahapragna. He met Sayadaw U Chandramani in Kusinagara. Impressed by Sayadaw, he ordained as a Bhikkhu paving the way for Theravada ordination once again in the history of modern Nepal after almost 600 years and Another Nepalese who converted from Gelung to bhikkhu under Sayadaw. The exiled monks formed ‘Dharmodaya Sabha’, Nepal’s first Buddhist organization on 30th November 1944 in India with Sayadaw U Chandramani as chairman and Ven. Amittananda as its general secretary.

The last Activate & His End

The late Venerable U Chandramani, a Myanmar monk stayed at Myanmar Buddhist Temple at Kushinagar, acquired some land and managed to establish a small monastery in 1908, in the midst of the Migadawon Forest, quite close to the place where the Lord Buddha preached his very first sermons, long before the Government of India declared the Migadawon Deer Park in Sarnath as an archaeological site. A small rest house for pilgrims built on donation by U Mya.

The Most Venerable Kushinagar Sayadaw Ashin Chandramani possessed all the necessary qualities, such as patience, courage, stamina and untiring effort to rebuild the Buddha Sasana in India, and to develop it in Nepal, and to carry on teaching and practicing both Vipassana and Loving Kindness meditation. In addition to his Dhammaduta activities, he took a keen interest in the education of the young people of Kushinagar because he knew that any change of mindset would have to come from the younger generation. As Kushinagar is world famous as the final resting place of the Buddha, many pilgrims as well as tourists make it a point to visit the Burmese Temple to pay their respects to Sayadaw, who was always concerned about the welfare of the pilgrims. While doing all that, he passed away in the Kushinagar Burmese Temple on 8 May 1972 at the age of 97, having lived nearly 80 years as a Bhikkhu in India serving the cause of the Sasana with great determination and patience, despite all the hardships he faced including a very poor diet, poor living conditions and environment. At present time, many of Myanmar Buddhist monks have organized under the name of U Chandramani Student Welfare Association to promote Buddhism and social work in India as well as giving service to Myanmar Buddhists and others foreigners to travel around India especially Buddhist landmark places. Thus Association has many developing activities basic on education to local people and they have already set up elementary, secondary school. Many of Arakanese monks in India joy these association  as respect of Sayardaw U Chandaramuni and work together to propagative Buddha sasana in India more and more.

Conclusion

According to the 2001 census, there are currently 7.95 million Buddhists in India, at least 5.83 million of whom are Buddhists in Maharashtra. This makes Buddhism the fifth-largest religion in India and 6% of the population of Maharashtra, but less than 1% of the overall population of India.

It is very great news for Buddhists for getting recovered Buddhism again after long time disperse in India and also we cannot deny that greatest  effort  of  Sayardaw U Chandaramuni had excellent sacrifice for Buddhism in his wholly life. He was one of Hero of Buddhist Sasana in India and also all Buddhist monks should imitate his works tried on not only for Buddhists but also to develop social community and educational background to be better life for everyone with peace and harmony.

Reference:

1. The Life Story of Sri Bhaddhanta Chandramani Mahathera, U Chandramani Foundation, Myanmar Buddhist Temple, Sarnath, Varanasi, May 2002 , 9/20/2012

2.     The Light of Majjhimadesa, Volume 2, U Chandramani Foundation, Myanmar Buddhist Temple, Sarnath, Varanasi , May 2004, 9/18/2012

 3.http://www.rakhapura.com/UChandramani/ Saradawgree_Birthplace.asp -9/22/2012

4. http://www.kushinagar.com/burmese_monastry/monastery.htm/9/20/2012

 

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