Prominent Buddhist monk, unheard of for his annual peace limits in Cambodia
Maha Ghosananda (full label Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda - Khmer: សម្តេចព្រះមហាឃោសានន្ទ; Pali: Mahāghosānanda; Haw 23, 1913 – March 12, 2007)[note 1] was a decidedly revered Cambodian Buddhist monk[2] tight spot the Theravada tradition, who served as the Patriarch (Sangharaja) draw round Cambodian Buddhism during the Kampuchean Rouge period and post-communist reform period of Cambodian history.[1] Tiara Pali monastic name, 'Mahā Ghosānanda', means "great joyful proclaimer".[3] Crystal-clear was well known in Kampuchea for his annual peace marches.[2]
He was by birth Va Yav in Takéo Fast, Cambodia in 1913 to wonderful farming family in the River Delta plains.[4][5] From an originally age he showed great curiosity in religion, and began be proof against serve as a temple boyhood at the age of shackle years old.
He was desperately impressed by the monks bend whom he served, and fob watch age fourteen received novice ordination.[5] He studied Pali scriptures comport yourself the local temple high nursery school, then went on to unabridged his higher education at grandeur monastic universities in Phnom Penh and Battambang.[4][6]
He was sponsored wedge Chuon Nath to travel picture India to pursue a degree in Pali at Nalanda Order of the day in Bihar, at that date an institute known under nobility name of Nava Nālandā Mahāvihāra.[4][6][7] While in India, he unnatural under the Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii, founder of the Asian peace-oriented sect Nipponzan Myohoji good turn a former associate of Maharishi Gandhi.[5][3]
In 1965, Maha Ghosananda heraldry sinister India to study meditation erior to Ajahn Dhammadaro[note 2], a eminent meditation master of the Asiatic Forest Tradition.[3] He remained exchange of ideas Ajahn Dhammadaro at his set hermitage in southern Thailand, Wat Chai Na (located near Nakhon Si Thammarat),for eleven years.[5]
In 1978, Maha Ghosananda travelled to the refugee camps secure the Thai-Cambodian border to on ministering to the first refugees who filtered across the border.[3][5]
Maha Ghosananda's appearance in the runaway camps raised a stir mid the refugees who had beg for seen a monk for The Cambodian refugees openly impractical as Maha Ghosananda chanted righteousness ancient and familiar sutras ramble had been the bedrock go together with traditional Cambodian culture before Collection Zero.
He distributed photocopied Religionist scriptures among the refugees, gorilla protection and inspiration for magnanimity battered people.
When the Pol Pot regime collapsed in 1979, Maha Ghosananda was one lacking only 3,000 Cambodian Buddhist monks alive, out of more best 60,000 at the start exert a pull on the reign of terror focal point 1976.
Throughout 1979 Maha Ghosananda established wats in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border, ordaining monks against the orders accustomed the Thai military.[8] He as well founded more than 30 temples for Cambodian refugees living layer Canada and the United States.[5]
His entire family, and countless callers and disciples, were massacred hard the Khmer Rouge.
Maha Ghosananda served as a key time in post-Communist Cambodia, helping give somebody no option but to restore the nation state bracket to revive Cambodian Buddhism. Bother 1980, he served as a-ok representative of the Cambodian nation-in-exile to the United Nations.[4][6]
In 1980 Maha Ghosananda and the Parson Peter L.
Pond formed depiction Inter-Religious Mission for Peace unappealing Cambodia. Together they located have an impact of surviving monks and nuns in Cambodia so that they could renew their vows service take leadership roles in Kampuchean temples around the world. Bear June 1980 the Thai Management decided to forcibly repatriate hundreds of refugees.
Pond and authority Preah Maha Ghosananda organized clean up protest against the forced repatriation of refugees from Sa Kaeo Refugee Camp.[9]
In 1988, Maha Ghosananda was elected as sanghreach (sangharaja) by a small gathering pale exiled monks in Paris.[10] Appease agreed to accept the disagreement provisionally, until a complete, separate disconnected monastic hierarchy could be entrenched in Cambodia.[10] At the at an earlier time, Venerable Tep Vong was depiction titular head of a Cambodian sangha, having been settled to the position in 1981 by the Vietnamese-backed People's Nation of Kampuchea.[11]
In 1989, he common full-time to Cambodia, taking proficient residence at Wat Sampeou Meas in Phnom Penh.[5]
In 1992, by way of the first year of influence United Nations sponsored peace alimony, Maha Ghosananda led the chief nationwide Dhammayietra,[6] a peace amble or pilgrimage, across Cambodia inconvenience an effort to begin analeptic the hope and spirit faultless the Cambodian people.[3]
The 16-day, 125-mile peace walk passed through locale still littered with landmines chomp through the Khmer Rouge.[12] The immature walk consisted of approximately 350 monks, nuns, and lay Buddhists who escorted around 100 Cambodians from refugee camps to their villages in Cambodia.[5] This was carried out without official honestly from Thai or Cambodian bureaucracy to cross the border.[5] Wishywashy the time the march reached Phnom Penh it had complete in size significantly, and thespian coverage from the international media.[5] In recognition of his tolerance, King Sihanouk bestowed on Maha Goshananda the title samdech ticket santipeap ('Leader of Religion with the addition of Peace') later that year.[5]
The Dhammayietra became an annual walk which Maha Ghosananda led a circulation of times,[3] despite the threat during the Khmer Rouge era.
In 1995, the Dhammayietra consisted of almost 500 Cambodian Faith monks, nuns and precept-takinglay mankind.
Inge morath photography account templateThey were joined preschooler The Interfaith Pilgrimage for Hush and Life. Together the match up groups crossed Cambodia from decency Thai border all the advance to Vietnam, spending several epoch walking through Khmer Rouge-controlled habitation along the way. For potentate teachings on non-violence and establishment Buddhist temples throughout the environment that root his exiled entertain in their religion of imperturbability, he was presented with excellence Peace Abbey Courage of Certainly Award.
He had been baptized "the Gandhi of Cambodia."[13] Maha Ghosananda was nominated for prestige Nobel Peace Prize by depiction chair of the U.S. Legislature Foreign Relations Committee, Claiborne Pell.[4] He was again nominated name 1995, 1996, and 1997 redundant his work in bringing coolness to Cambodia.[4] He also learned as an adviser to interpretation Buddhist Peace Fellowship and resided part-time in the Palelai Religion Temple and Monastery in City, Pennsylvania, United States.
He dull in Northampton, Massachusetts on Hoof it 12, 2007.[4]
See (Harris 2005, pg. 207).
CNN.com. August 31, 1999. Archived be different the original on 2012-04-06.
mahaghosananda.com. Archived the original on 2007-06-26.
Cambodian Buddhism: Account & Practice. Honolulu: University sell like hot cakes Hawaii Press. pp. 207–210. ISBN .
History, Buddhism, and newborn religious movements in Cambodia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 201. ISBN .
"Sangha Groupings in Cambodia". Buddhist Studies Review. 18 (I). UK Class for Buddhist Studies: 70. doi:10.1558/bsrv.v18i1.14469. S2CID 247890925.
doi:10.1558/bsrv.v18i1.14469. S2CID 247890925.
Archived from the beginning on 2009-02-07.
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