| Thamanya Sayadaw Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Thamanya Sayadaw |
| Age | 93 at death |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | destroyed |
| Height | Unknown |
| Source | |
| Culture | Burmese Buddhist |
| Date(s) | AD 1910 - 2003 |
| Site | Shwedagon Padoga |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Kawkada village |
| Catalog # | Unknown |
Thamanya Sayadaw U Vinaya, a prominent and influential Burmese Buddhist monk of Pa-O descent, was best known for his doctrinal emphasis on metta. He was first ordained at the age of 13 and then was further ordained at the age of 20. He established a meditation retreat and a monastery on Thanamanya Hill, where he taught meditation. The area around his monastery. By the mid-1980s, followers established a thriving community around Thamanya Hill, comprising 5,000 households in the late 1990s.
Mummification[]
"Buddhist mummies, also called flesh body bodhisattvas, full body sariras, or living Buddhas (Sokushinbutsu) refer to the bodies of Buddhist monks and nuns that remain incorrupt, without any traces of deliberate mummification. These are venerated by some Buddhists who believe they successfully were able to mortify their flesh to death. The practice to purposely make un-decomposed bodies is seen as controversial and contradictory to the Buddhist belief in impermanence."
Thamanya Sayadaw is under the Theravada branch of Buddhism on the list of Buddhist Mummies.
Theft of Thamanya's Body[]
On April 2nd 2008, Thamanya's mummy was stolen from his tomb by armed men. Four days later, monks at the Thamanya Monastery received an anonymous phone call letting them know that Thanmanya's body was burned and the ashes left at Kaw Ka Dah village. The theft and burning of his body is believed to have been political, as Thamanya publicly criticized many parties, including the military government.
References[]
Buddhist mummies. (2017, October 15). Retrieved November 19, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_mummies May, A. G. (2008, June).
Will Thamanya Sayadaw’s Body Ever Rest in Peace? Retrieved November 19, 2017, from http://www2.irrawaddy.com/article.php?art_id=12596
Thamanya Sayadaw. (2017, October 13). Retrieved November 19, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamanya_Sayadaw