Kyaung

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A kyaung (Burmese ???????????????? [p???d? t???], often shortened to ???????) is
a Burmese Buddhist monastery (vihara), comprising the domestic quarters and
workplaces of Buddhist monks. Burmese kyaungs are sometimes also occupied by novice
monks (samanera), lay attendants (kappiya), nuns, and young boys observing the Five
Precepts (phothudaw).[1] Kyaungs are typically built of wood, meaning that few
historical monasteries built before the 1800s are extant.[2]

The kyaung has traditionally been the center of village life in Burma, serving as
both the educational institution for children and a community center, especially
for merit-making activities such as construction of buildings, offering of food to
monks and celebration of Buddhist festivals, and observance of uposatha (Buddhist
sabbath).

Monasteries are not established by members of the Sangha, but by laymen who donate
land or money to support the establishment of a monastery.

Contents [hide]
1 Usage
2 Types
3 History
4 Common kyaung features
5 Examples
6 References
7 See also
Usage[edit]

An urban kyaung on Anawrahta Road in Yangon

The modern Burmese language term kyaung descends from the Old Burmese word klo?
(???????).[3] The strong connection between religion and schooling is reflected by
fact that the kyaung is the same word now used to refer to secular schools.[4]
Kyaung is also used to describe Christian churches, Hindu temples, and Chinese
temples. Mosques are an exception, as they use the Hindi-derived word bali (???).

Types[edit]
In modern-day Myanmar (Burma), kyaungs may be divided into a number of categories,
including monastic colleges called sathintaik (??????????) and remote forest
monasteries called tawya kyaung (???????????). Burma's primary monastic university
towns are Bago, Pakokku, and Sagaing.[2]

History[edit]

A traditional wooden monastery.

In pre-colonial times, the kyaung served as the primary source of education,
providing nearly universal education for boys, representing the bastion of
civilization and knowledge and integral to the social fabric of pre-colonial Burma.
[1][5] The connections between kyaungs and education were reinforced by monastic
examinations, which were first instituted in 1648 by King Thalun during the Taungoo
Dynasty.[6] Classical learning was transmitted through monasteries, which served as
venues for Burmese students to pursue higher education and further social
advancement in the royal administration after disrobing.[7] Indeed, nearly all
prominent historical figures such as Kinwun Mingyi U Kaung spent their formative
years studying at monasteries.

Traditional monastic education first developed in the Pagan Kingdom, in tandem with
the proliferation of Theravada Buddhism learning in the 1100s.[5] The syllabus at
kyaungs included the Burmese language, Pali grammar and Buddhist texts with a focus
on discipline, morality and code of conduct (such as Mangala Sutta, Sigalovada
Sutta, Dhammapada, and Jataka tales), prayers and elementary arithmetic.[1]
Influential monasteries held vast libraries of manuscripts and texts.[7] The
ubiquity of monastic education was attributed with the high literacy rate for
Burmese Buddhist men.[8] The 1901 Census of India found that 60.3% of Burmese
Buddhist men over twenty were literate, as compared to 10% for British India as a
whole.[8]

Yaw Mingyi Monastery, a brick monastery in Mandalay modeled after a hotel in

Southern Italy.
Kyaungs called pwe kyaungs (??????????) also taught secular subjects, such as
astronomy, astrology, medicine, massage, divination, horsemanship, swordsmanship,
archery, arts and crafts, boxing, wrestling, music and dancing.[9] During the
Konbaung Dynasty, various kings, including Bodawpaya suppressed the proliferation
of pwe kyaung, which were seen as potential venues for rebellions.[9]

Sumptuary law dictated the construction and ornamentation of Burmese kyaungs, which
were among the few building structures in pre-colonial Burma to possess elaborate
multi-tiered roofs called pyatthat.[10] Mason balustrades characterized royal
monasteries.

Following the abolishment of the Burmese monarchy at the end of the Third Anglo-
Burmese War, monastic schools were largely superseded by secular, government-run
schools.[5]

Common kyaung features[edit]

The typical kyaung consists of a number of buildings called kyaung zaung
(????????????)[11]

Thein (????, from Pali sima) - ordination hall as prescribed by the Vinaya
Dhammayon (????????) - assembly hall used for sermons and communal purposes
Zedi (????, from Pali cetiya) - stupa, often covered with gold leaf and containing
a reliquary
Living quarters for the monks and the sayadaw
Zayat - open-air pavilions used as resthouses
Tagundaing[12] - ornamented flagstaff celebrating the submission of local animistic
nats (spirits) to the Dhamma
Shrines to Shin Thiwali and Shin Upagutta
Kyetthayei khan (???????????) - storage room
Cooking quarters
In pre-colonial times, royal monasteries were organized as complexes known as
kyaung taik (????????????), composed of several residential buildings, including
the main building, the kyaunggyi (???????????) or kyaungma (????????), which was
occupied by the residing sayadaw, and smaller structures called kyaungyan
(?????????), which housed the sayadaw's disciples.[13] The complexes were walled
compounds, and also housed a library, ordination halls, meeting halls, water
reservoirs and wells, and utility buildings.[13]

Examples[edit]
Atumashi Monastery
Bagaya Monastery
Htilin Monastery
Mahagandhayon Monastery
Myadaung Monastery
Salin Monastery
Shweinbin Monastery
Shwenandaw Monastery
Shwezedi Monastery
Taiktaw Monastery
Yaw Mingyi Monastery
References[edit]
^ Jump up to a b c Houtman, Gustaaf (1990). Traditions of Buddhist Practice in
Burma. ILCAA.
^ Jump up to a b Johnston, William M. (2013). Encyclopedia of Monasticism.
Routledge. ISBN 9781136787157.
Jump up ^ Watkins, Justin (2005). Studies in Burmese Linguistics. Pacific
Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, the Australian National
University. p. 227. ISBN 9780858835597.
Jump up ^ Chai, Ada. The Effects of the Colonial Period on Education in Burma. Educ
300 Education Reform, Past and Present. Trinity College. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
^ Jump up to a b c James, Helen (2005). Governance and Civil Society in Myanmar
Education, Health, and Environment. Psychology Press. pp. 7883. ISBN
9780415355582.
Jump up ^ ????????????????? ?????????? ????????????. Department of Religious
Affairs (in Burmese). Ministry of Religious Affairs. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
^ Jump up to a b Huxley, Andrew (2007). Review of Powerful Learning Buddhist
Literati and the Throne in Burma's Last Dynasty, 17521885. South East Asia
Research. 15 (3) 429433.
^ Jump up to a b Reid, Anthony (1990). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-
1680 The Lands Below the Winds. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300047509.
^ Jump up to a b Mendelson, E. Michael (1975). Sangha and State in Burma A Study of
Monastic Sectarianism and Leadership. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801408755.