SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Overview

Name:

Mr Bhikkhu Nagasena

Email address:

173954@soas.ac.uk

Thesis title:

The significance of the Sima (Buddhist Monastic Boundary) in Burmese Theravada: Authority and Practice

Year of Study:

Third

PhD Research

The concept of institutional boundary (sima) plays an important role in Theravada Buddhism. This can be understood from the fact that no part of the sanghakamma (Community Transaction) can function without a sima. This sanghakamma, moreover, crucially embodies an essential element of the purity of the monastic traditions of Theravada Buddhism. My focus point is on how different sanghakamma and sima was practised during the Buddha’s time, how the concept has developed and finally how the current rituals and practices are conducting in Burmese monastic tradition today.