Dear Jim,

"Candidates are tested on the doctrinal understanding, comparative
philosophy, textual discrimination, taxonomic grouping and analysis
and
on the interrelationships."

"In undertaking the assignments, the Venerable Sayadaw did not just
read
through the texts with the committee but sought out the different
versions, brought out the reference in the Commentaries and
Sub-commentaries, explained the implications to the clear
understanding
of the committee members, sought a unanimous conclusion and wrote the
report."
http://www.aimwell.org/Books/Library/Suttas/Paritta/BioMingun/biomingu
n.html

Best wishes / Antony.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Anderson" <jimanderson_on@...>
wrote:
<snip>

> Dear members,
>
> I recently came across this webpage on Tipi.takadharas of Myanmar
> which I thought might be of interest to you:
>
> http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/tpdkdhra.htm
>
> A Tipi.takadhara is a title given to one who has the whole Tipi.taka
> memorized. According to this webpage it has only been given to 11
> bhikkhus in Myanmar from 1948 to 2001. In addition, there are other
> higher titles given to some of them, ie. Tipi.takakawida, Maha
> Tipi.takakawida, and Dhammabha.n.daagaarika.
>
> In 1982, I had the good fortune of meeting a young and brilliant
> Burmese bhikkhu (travelling in North America with the Sayadaw U
> Thilawunta) who had the whole Tipi.taka memorized except for the
> Yamaka and Pa.t.thaana which he still had to do. I'm not sure if he
> ever succeeded in getting the title of a Tipi.takadhara. His name is
> Ven. Ashin Thitzana which I don't see among the 11 but then he could
> be under a Pali name. He was supposed to have come back to Canada to
> teach me in particular starting about 1988 but it never came to pass
> as the conditions didn't seem right for it at the time and I called

it

> off. We did have some letter exchanges and on the letterhead of his
> letters around 1986-7 is a list of his titles as follows:
>
> "dvipi.takadhara, dvipi.takakovida, saasanadhaja siriipavara
> dhammaacariya, paa.lipaaraguu"
>
> Best wishes,
> Jim Anderson