Thudhamma Gaing

The Thudhamma Gaing (Burmese: သုဓမ္မာဂိုဏ်း, IPA: [θudəma̰ gáɪɴ]; also spelt Sudhammā Sect) is the largest monastic order of monks in Burma.^[1]

Sudhammā Sect

သုဓမ္မာဂိုဏ်း
Abbreviation	Thudhammā
Formation	1800s
Type	Buddhist monastic order
Headquarters	Myanmar
Members	467,025 (2016)

Thudhamma Sect derives its name ultimately from the Thudhamma Zayat, which was the meeting place for the Thudhamma Council.

It is one of nine legally sanctioned monastic orders (Pali: gaṇa) in the country, under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations.^[2] The Thudhamma is considered a more pragmatic order than the Shwegyin Nikaya, with looser rules regarding Vinaya regulations and is less hierarchical than the former.^[3] Like all the major orders in Burma, the Thudhamma Sect prohibits monks from engaging in political activity.^[4]

Statistics

Ordained Buddhist monks by monastic order in Myanmar (2016).^[5]

1. Thudhamma 467,025 (87.2%)
2. Shwegyin 50,692 (9.47%)
3. Mahādvāra 6,166 (1.15%)
4. Muladvāra 3,872 (0.72%)
5. Veḷuvan 3,740 (0.70%)
6. Hngettwin 1,540 (0.29%)
7. Kuto 927 (0.17%)
8. Mahayin 823 (0.15%)
9. Anaukchaung 654 (0.12%)

According to 2016 statistics published by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, 467,025 monks belonged to this monastic order, representing 87% of all monks in the country.^[6] With respect to geographic representation, the plurality of Thudhamma monks live in Mandalay Region (19.76%), followed by Shan State (16.09%), Yangon Region (15.39%), and Sagaing Region (9.88%).^[6] In 2016, the order had 56,492 monasteries, representing 90% of the country's monasteries.^[7]

Origins

The Thudhamma Sect emerged in the late 18th century, as a result of Sangha reforms by King Bodawpaya, following a long tradition of Burmese kings attempting to purify and unify the Sangha.^[8] The order's name Thudhamma comes from the Thudhamma Council (an ecclesiastical organization founded by Bodawpaya), which in turn is named after Mandalay's Thudhamma Zayats, the meeting grounds for the Council.^[9]

The office of the Supreme Patriarch (သာသနာပိုင် or Thathanabaing), similar to the position of Sangharaja in Thailand and Cambodia, dates back to the 13th century, started by the monk Shin Arahan in the Pagan Kingdom.^[10] The Thathanabaing was responsible for managing the monastic hierarchy and education at monasteries. In 1782, King Bodawpaya assembled the Thudhamma Council in Amarapura, led by the Thathanapaing and four elders (ထေရ် or thera) to resolve a century-old schism on the proper wearing of monk's robes - whether one (atin) or both shoulders (ayon) should be exposed.^[10][8] The Cūḷagandhī faction, led by Atulayāsa and grounded in local traditions, supported the one-shoulder practice but was purged from the sangha.^[11] The victorious Mahāgandhī faction, which became the Thudhamma majority, advocated the two-shoulder rule based on Pāli vinaya texts and their commentaries.^[11]

Over time, the council expanded to twelve members, to oversee ecclesiastical matters.^[8]

The monastic reforms unified the Sangha under centralized control, absorbing various monastic lineages into a single order regulated by the Thudhamma Council.^[8] Toward the end of the Konbaung dynasty, the council oversaw religious affairs in the kingdom, including the appointment of monastery abbots, Vinaya regulations, discipline of individual monks, and administration of Monastic examinations.^[10]

By the reign of King Mindon in the late 1800s, a movement toward independence emerged among monks to evade the Thudhamma Council's authority.^[10] Splinters like the Shwegyin Nikaya, Mahādvāra Nikāya, and Hngettwin Nikaya all emerged during the reign of King Mindon.^[10]

Sangharaja

Thanlyin Mingyaung Sayadaw is Sangharaja of Thudhamma Nikaya.