Re: on the authorship of namakkaara.tiikaa

Dear Ven. Pandita,

Thank-you for enquiring about the authorship of the Namakkaara.tiikaa
which is good to know. And you have even provided a phone number to
find out more too. I have a book entitled _Sangha and State in Burma_
by E. Michael Mendelson which has a lot of information about sayadaws
and the organizing of the Sixth Council. Although I don't see the name
Ven. Rewataabhiva.msa in the book I believe he is likely the same
individual referred to as the Nyaungyan Sayadaw. It says in the book
on p.285:

"Appointed rattaguru of the Thudhamma monks was the Nyaungyan
Sayadaw, U Revata, from the Mogaung Taik in Mandalay. The famous
Upper Burma leader had represented a sizable group of monks within the
Maha Sangha Ahpwe during and after World War II."

Also on page 137 is the mention of him being the president of the
Sixth Council. There are other page references that I can look up for
more details about his activities. I saw in another book that the
Thudhamma branch is the largest of the four branches of the Sangha in
Myanmar.

Thank-you for your first contribution here and I look forward to
reading more of them from you again in the near future. I'm somewhat
hesitant to ask you questions as I don't want to take up too much of
your time especially if you are busy with other engagements. If you
don't mind, I'd like you to clarify a matter in the Namakkaara.tiika
where it is said that 'sa' is the substitute of 'santa' before
'i.t.tha' in the third and fourth etymology of 'se.t.tho'. I have
found a Kaccayana sutta that might apply but I'm not sure if it allows
this substitution to take place before 'i.t.tha' to form 'se.t.tha'.
It certainly applies in such cases as 'sabbhi' or 'sakkaaro'. Here's
the sutta with its vutti only:

Kc 185 santasaddassa so bhe bo cante.
sabbasseva santasaddassa sakaaraadeso hoti bhakaare pare, ante ca
bakaaraagamo hoti.

If this sutta does not apply to the 'sa' of 'se.t.tho' which one does?

Best wishes,
Jim

> Hi!Jim and others
> I have been silent for a while because I have been enquiring about
> the authorship of namakkaara.tiikaa. Yes, it was written by a senior
> monk of Burma. His title was Ven. Revataabhiva.masa and he was the
> first abbot of Nyaung Yan Pali University, Mo Gaung Monastic
Complex,
> Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma). He was the chairman of the Sixth Buddhist
> Council held in Burma. But he passed away while the Sixth Buddhist
> Council was still in progress and was succeeded by another senior
> monk.
> I have got even a phone number of that monastery if you wish for
> further information but I'm afraid you would have to search for an
> interpreter that can speak Burmese for the monks residing there
spead
> little English.
> with metta
> Ven. Pandita