State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing pays homage to State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee Chairman Bhamo Sayadaw, State Ovadacariya Maha Wizitayon Monastery Presiding Nayaka Sayadaw, donates alms, supplicates flourishing of Buddha Sasana
Nay Pyi Taw November 3
Chairman of the State AdministrationCouncil Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by Council Member General Maung Maung Kyaw, Council Joint Secretary Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo, Union ministers U Hla Moe, Dr Nyunt Pe and U Min Thein Zan, Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Maung Ko, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Commander of Central Command Maj-Gen Ko Ko Oo and officials, paid homage to Chairman of State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee Presiding Nayaka of Bhamo Monastery Bhamo Sayadaw at hame Monastery in Mahaaungmye Township of Mandalay Region this morning.
First, the Senior General and party received the Five Precepts from Chairman of State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee Presiding Nayaka of Bhamo Monastery Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru Abhidhaja Maha Saddhammajotika Dr Bhaddanta Kumrabhivamsa Bhamo Sayadaw.
The Senior General offered eight kinds of prerequisites, cash for nine prerequisites, 100 bags of rice, 10 bags of gram, 100 visses of edible oil, nutritious foodstuffs and medicines donated by families of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) to Bhamo Sayadaw. Members of the State Administration Council and Union ministers also donated alms to members of the Sangha.
The Senior General supplicated efforts for building Maravijaya Buddha Image in the Buddha Park of Dekkhinathiri Township in Nay Pyi Taw, the building of the Buddha image with the aim of showing the firmly flourishing of Theravada Buddha Sasana of Myanmar to the world, ensuring peace and stability of the nation, helping the region develop through visits of the local and foreign travellers to the Buddha image and contributing to the development of the country, plans underway to create a chance for visitors to pay homage to the Buddha image as well as to view the Pitakat stone inscription, posting of stone inscriptions on Pitakat treatises, efforts made for translating and publishing the Tri Pitakat treatises in Pali to English under the supervision of five Ovadacariya Sayadaws in line with the advice of former rector of International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University Agga Maha Pandita Abhidhaja Agga Maha Saddhammajotika Bhaddanta Silanandabhivamsa, and arrangements for carving the stone inscriptions on Tri Pitakat treatises in Pali and English to the Sayadaw with the use of layout plans, stone inscription chamber and sample of stone plaques.
The Senior General shared merits gained after listening to the sermon delivered by the Bhamo Sayadaw.
At MahaWizitayon Monastery in Chanayethazan Township, the Senior General and the party paid homage to Presiding Nayaka of the monastery Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru Bhaddanta Vicarinda Bhivamsa. The Senior General offered eight kinds of prerequisites, cash for nine prerequisites, 20 bags of rice, five bags of gram, 50 visses of edible oil, foodstuffs and medicines donated by families of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) to the Sayadaw. He then asked after the health condition of the Sayadaw and instructed officials to make arrangements for the Sayadaw.
On arrival at Maha Lawka Marazein Kuthodaw Pagoda built by King Mindon, the Senior General and party were welcomed by Chairman U Kyaw Win and members of the pagoda board of trustees. The Senior General paid homage to the Buddha image at the pagoda and offered flowers, water and oil lights. Then, the Senior General donated cash to the fund for the all-around renovation of the pagoda to the chairman of the board who returned Dhamma gifts. The Senior General signed the visitors’ book.
In visiting the pagoda, the Senior General stressed the need to systematically maintain the pagoda for the convenience of pilgrims as the pagoda was built by King Mindon. Ancient works of doors must constantly be maintained as much as the original. It is necessary to place tiles on the pogoda platform of the pagoda and the circular road of the park or pay homage to the stone plaques of Tri Pitakat treatises in each chamber in the shape of a Ceylon sacred tooth relic casket. Stone plaque chambers and plaques must be cleansed for public observation and stone inscription chambers should be cleaned, and the chamber and stone plaques must be recorded. Scale models of the pagoda must be modernized for public observation.
The pagoda was built by King Mindon who came onto the throne in 1852 with the aim of perpetual existence of the Buddha Sasana. There are 729 stone plaques at the pagoda and these inscriptions bearing Buddhism Pitakat treatises were carved in 1868. Each stone plaque is kept in the chamber till today. In 2013, these plaques were recognized as the World’s Largest Book by UNESCO. It is necessary to systematic preservation of Kuthodaw Pagoda and UNESCO’s heritage stone plaques in successive eras.