State Samgha Maha Nayaka Committee


The State Saṃgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee is a government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees and regulates the Saṃgha in Burma.

History

The Committee was formed after the First Congregation of All Orders for the Purification, Perpetuation and Propagation of Sasana, which sought to consolidate state control of the country's Samgha, was held in Rangoon from 24 to 27 May 1980. The Congregation developed a hierarchy to regulate monks at the village tract/ward, state/division and national levels via committees and devised a central governing body of 33 members now called the State Saṃgha Maha Nāyaka Committee, which would be responsible for all Buddhist monks in the country. The Committee also developed regulations to force monks to register and receive separate identification cards.

Membership

The Committee consists of 47 members, including a chairperson, six vice-chairpersons, one secretary general, six joint general secretaries and 33 other members. The State Samgha Maha Nayaka Committee is elected by the State Central Samgha Working Committee which, in turn, is elected by the Samghasammutti representatives from each gaing in the entire country and from each State and Region. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the local authorities assist only for security; the government agencies do not interfere the election.
The chairman acts as the equivalent of the Thathanabaing of Burma from the pre-schism period. The head monks are divided into three groups, which each serve a term of four months. During their term, they reside on the premise of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and cooperate with it.
Until 1995, appointment terms lasted 5 years. Since 1995, the government has cut term lengths, with a quarter of seats changed every 3 years.

Functions

The Committee administers and regulates the Burmese Sangha:
  • Monk and monastery management: It collects nationwide data on monasteries and monks, primarily through the annual Rains Retreat Sangha List. Monasteries must report each monk's name, age, and ordination year, and monks must present their ID cards. This ensures accurate records of monastic residency and population, and the condition of Buddhist monasteries.
  • Religious court system: It adjudicates cases involving violations of the Vinaya, including civil disputes, criminal acts, and doctrinal issues. Courts operate at township, state/regional, and national levels.
  • Doctrinal oversight and censorship: It determines what constitutes orthodox and heterodox teachings. All Buddhist publications in Myanmar are subject to censorship, and monks promoting heterodox doctrines may be banned from preaching, disrobed, or arrested.

List of Chairmen

  1. Indācāra : 1980-1993
  2. Sobhita : 1994-2004
  3. Kumara : 2004-2010
  4. Kumārābhivaṃsa : 2010-2024
  5. Candimābhivaṃsa : 2024–present

Controversies

In theory, the Committee oversees violations of the Vinaya, the traditional regulatory framework of Theravada Buddhist monks. This body has been used by the government to curtail monks' involvement in non-religious affairs. The Committee has the power to disrobe monks who have violated its decrees and edicts as well as Vinaya regulations and laws, and expel monks from their resident monasteries.
During the Saffron Revolution in 2007, the Committee announced new regulations to prohibit monks from participating in secular affairs.
In December 2009, the Committee banned advertisements of Dhamma talks and lectures held by monks, including posters.
In February 2012, Shwenyawa Sayadaw, the abbot of the Sadhu Pariyatti Monastery, was evicted from his monastery by the Committee for alleged disobedience, by holding a sermon at the Mandalay office of the National League for Democracy in September, where he had publicly called for the release of political prisoners and the end of ongoing civil wars, despite sending the Committee an apology where he had asked for a repeal. In December 2011, he had met with Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, along with other civil society delegates.
In February 2012, U Gambira, a prominent monk in the Saffron Revolution was accused by the Committee for committing the offences of illegal squatting and breaking and entering of monasteries, and subsequently arrested by secular authorities.