Veḷuvan Nikāya

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The Veḷuvanna Nikāya Gaing (Burmese: ဝေဠုဝန်နိကာယဂိုဏ်း) is a monastic lineage and a Buddhist sect in Myanmar centered around the figure known as the Veluvon Sayadaw (ဝေဠုဝန်ဆရာတော်). The sect is part of the Theravāda tradition and has historically been influential in Yangon and the surrounding regions.

Veḷuvanna Nikāya Sect
ဝေဠုဝန်နိကာယဂိုဏ်း
Abbreviationဝေဠုဝန်ဂိုဏ်း (Veḷuvan Sect)
Formation1919
TypeBuddhist monastic order
HeadquartersMyanmar
Members1,445 (2016)
LeaderH.H. Paṇḍitāyonkyaungdaik Sayadaw Bhaddanta Paññinda, 15th Veḷuvan Sammutti Thathanabaing

Statistics

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Ordained Buddhist monks by monastic order in Myanmar (2016).[1]
  1. Thudhamma 467,025 (87.3%)
  2. Shwegyin 50,692 (9.47%)
  3. Mahādvāra 6,066 (1.13%)
  4. Mūladvāra 3,872 (0.72%)
  5. Veḷuvan 3,732 (0.70%)
  6. Hngettwin 1,445 (0.27%)
  7. Kudo 927 (0.17%)
  8. Mahāyin 823 (0.15%)
  9. Anaukchaung 645 (0.12%)

According to 2016 statistics published by the State Samgha Maha Nayaka Committee, 3,732 monks belonged to this monastic order, representing 0.70% of all monks in the country.

Origins

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Because he resided in a bamboo monastery located within the Thilashin convent in Bahan Township, Yangon, the founding abbot was popularly called the "Veluvon Sayadaw".[2] After founding the Bahan Veluvon Monastery, he went on to establish Veluvon monasteries at Inya, Sanchaung, Pathein, and Myanaung.[3]

Disciples and Sect Identity

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His disciples were collectively known as the “Veluvon Gaing”.[4] Because of close association with the Dwara Gaing, they are also sometimes called the “Veluvon–Dwara Gaing”.[5]

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The Veluvan Gaing is one of the nine legally recognized monastic orders (gaing) in Myanmar under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Account of Wazo Samgha of All Sect, M.E 1377 (2016)". The State Samgha Maha Nayaka Committee. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  2. ^ Mendelson, E. Michael. Sangha and State in Burma: A Study of Monastic Sectarianism and Leadership. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1975, pp. 153–154.
  3. ^ Than Tun. “History of Buddhism in Burma A.D. 1000–1300.” Journal of the Burma Research Society 61 (1978): 24–26.
  4. ^ Mendelson, E. Michael. Sangha and State in Burma, pp. 158–160.
  5. ^ Brac de la Perrière, Bénédicte. Lords of the Golden Pagoda, p. 92.
  6. ^ "Statement by Myanmar Ministry of Religious Affairs on the nine gaing". Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, Myanmar. 2016. Retrieved 2025-09-18.[dead link]