Nanavira Thera

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Bhikkhu Nanavira Thera (birth name: Harold Edward Musson * 5. January 1920 in Aldershot , † 5. July 1965 in Bundala, Sri Lanka ) was an English monk ( Thera ) of the Theravada - Buddhism and author . His best-known work are the Notes on Dhamma (orig .: Notes on Dhamma ), which appeared together with his letters in German translation as Notes on Dhamma and other writings .

biography

Harold Edward Musson was born in a military barracks in England in 1920 . The father, a captain stationed there, had planned a military career for his son as well .

Bhikkhu Nanavira Thera had contact with the teachings of Buddhism during the time in Burma when his father was in command of a regiment there .

After studying mathematics , Italian and other new languages, the 21-year-old was drafted into military service. Due to his language skills, he served in counter-espionage, u. a. in Italy. There he had the first proven contact with Buddhism. The book The Doctrine of Awakening by the Italian Julius Evola fascinated him so much that he translated the book into English . He later distanced himself from this book again (letter of February 21, 1964 to Lionel Samaratunga with the addition in brackets: "which I cannot recommend to you now without considerable reservations").

Together with his friend Osbert Moore, he left England at the age of 28 for Ceylon to live in a Buddhist monastery . They went to the Iceland Hermitage of the German monk Nyanatiloka . On April 24, 1949, the two Englishmen were ordained as novices (pabbajja). On July 22nd, 1950, they were ordained a monk (upasampada) at Wat Vajirarama in Colombo from the venerable Pælæne Siri Vajiranana Maha Nayaka Thera (to whom Nanavira later dedicated the notes on Dhamma ).

His mother, Laura, visited him on site and wanted to dissuade him from his path, but Nanavira refused. When she saw her son eating from an alms bowl with his fingers , she was deeply shocked . Shortly afterwards, Nanavira's mother suffered a severe stroke , which was followed by complete amnesia on her return to England . She died in 1951.

Nanavira was more solitary . In 1954 and 1955 he left the Iceland Hermitage in order to be able to live and practice in various places. He lived in mountains and caves, but likely came back to the Island Hermitage from time to time . In October 1955 Nanavira visited the Bundala forest reserve in southeast Ceylon . He found the place very pleasant. He returned to the Island Hermitage for over a year . In April 1957 Nanavira went back to Bundala, where he lived in a very simple hut ( kuti ) until his death in 1965 .

On July 5, 1965, Nanavira Thera committed suicide . He had previously attempted at least one suicide (1962). The doctor Dr. Kingsley Heendeniya had him a vial with ethyl chloride given Spray, the mother of the doctor later gave him a vial. Ethyl chloride was used as a local anesthetic for insect bites at the time . Nanavira Thera died by inhaling the ethyl chloride using a self-made mask.

In his last letter found lying on the table, Nanavira Thera wrote:

"2:45 pm: To the coroner, Hambantota:

Owing to chronic (and apparently incurable) ill-health, I have decided to put an end to my life. I have been contemplating such action for some considerable time; indeed, I made an unsuccessful attempt at suicide in November 1962; since then the situation has deteriorated rather than improved. The responsibility for this action is purely mine, and no other person whatsoever is involved.
Nanavira "

"2:45 pm: To the coroner, Hambantota:

Due to chronic (and obviously incurable) poor health, I have decided to end my life. I have contemplated such an act for some time; in fact, I made an unsuccessful suicide attempt in November 1962; since then the situation has deteriorated rather than improved. I am solely responsible for this action and no other person is involved.
Nanavira "

Fonts

The writings of Nanavira Thera can be divided into two periods: from 1950 to 1960 ( early writings ), and from 1960 to 1965 (contained in the Notes on Dhamma and other scriptures ). The reason for this classification is a “modification of his point of view” from 1960. In a letter to Lionel Samaratunga dated March 22, 1963, Nanavira writes:

"With regard to any of my past writings that you may come across (I do not think there is very much), I would ask you to treat with great reserve anything dated before 1960, about which time certain of my views underwent a modification. If this is forgotten you may be puzzled by inconsistencies between earlier and later writings. "

“With regard to any previous writings of mine that you might come across (I don't think there are many), I would ask you to treat anything pre-1960 with great caution. At that time, certain of my perspectives were going through a change. If this is forgotten, you may be wondering about inconsistencies between earlier and later writings. "

On June 26, 1959, Nanavira Thera, according to his own statement, reached sotapatti , or the stream entrance . This gave him clarity and certainty regarding the Four Noble Truths . In the writings after 1960 this becomes clear: no more doubts or speculative ideas about the meaning of the Buddha's teachings, the Dhamma . Dr. Kingsley Heendeniya writes:

“The difference between the early and the later works is clear and impressive. The early texts show a person seeking clarification, in his own thinking, in discussion with others, who earnestly strives to gain access to the heart of the Buddha's teaching through repeated trial-and-error. From 1960 we have a completely different author before us. His writings express certainty and self-confidence: no more fumbling around in the dark, no more doubt, no more speculation and speculation. "

Early Writings (1950–1960)

Most of the early writings consist of letters to Nanamoli Thera, where the two English monks explored many ways of Western thought. This correspondence lasted until 1960, the year of Nanamoli's death. She was particularly interested in the closely related philosophical schools of phenomenology and existentialism , which for her remove many misconceptions about existence and existence . At the same time, the limitations of these thinkers are also recognized. After all, one must go beyond them to see the essence of the Buddha's teaching. In Nanavira's view, existentialism is an approximation of the Buddha's teaching and not a substitute for it.

Two essays from this period were published: Nibbana and Anatta (1953) and Sketch for a Proof of Rebirth (1957). In addition, there are the Commonplace Book , Marginalia , and various writings that were found after the author's death (notes, translations, etc.).

Late Writings (1960-1965)

Notes on Dhamma

Notes on Dhamma
Cover of the original edition

Between 1960 and 1963, Nanavira Thera worked on the Notes on Dhamma . He takes it to various key terms of the ( Theravada ) - Buddhism position as dependent origination ( Pali : paticcasamuppada ), Dhamma , kamma , Nibbana , Atta / Anatta , Anicca etc. He examined them for the purposes of the Sutta Pitaka , philosophy , logic and personal experience . He expressly rejects the Buddhist commentary literature as untrustworthy, only the Vinayapitaka and Suttapitaka correctly represent the teachings of the Buddha for him. Nanavira Thera criticizes the so-called three-life theory of traditional Theravada.

The book Notes on Dhamma was finished by February 1963 at the latest . It was privately edited in late 1964 by Lionel Samaratunga, a Ceylonese judge, in a number of 250 copies. The books were distributed free of charge to leading Buddhist personalities of the time, as well as to various libraries and institutions. Most of the responses were polite incomprehension. Notes on Dhamma has been described as "arrogant, abusive and condescending" , as "a fantastic system", Theravadin Buddhist Underground but also as "the most important book written in the 20th century". Nanavira himself wrote in a letter accompanying the manuscript:

“The author wants to make it clear that Notes on Dhamma is not a learned work: an orientalist (in this case a Páli scholar), if he is just one, will hardly be able to do much with the book other than that it is general Presumably will not endorse at all. Although this book does not seek to be taught in a scholastic sense, it is far from being a popular exposition of Buddhism. It is best understood as a philosophical commentary on the essential teachings of the Páli Suttas, and it presents considerable difficulties, particularly to "objective" or positivist thinkers who cannot easily see what the book is getting at. From a publisher's standpoint, this is undoubtedly unfortunate; but the fact is that teaching the Páli suttas is (to say the least) far more difficult - if far more rewarding - than is commonly believed; and the author does not believe that the 'Notes on Dhamma' make the subject more difficult than it actually is. "

In addition, Nanavira wrote in the foreword:

"The main aim of these 'Notes on Dhamma' is to point out certain common, mostly traditional misinterpretations of the Páli suttas and to offer something as a substitute that is certainly less easy, but perhaps also less inadequate."

Letters

Between 1960 and 1965, Nanavira Thera had correspondence with various people. The contents of 150 letters have survived. 100 letters are included in the German translation of notes on Dhamma and other scriptures . The English original Clearing the Path contains all letters. Was corresponded u. a. with his doctor , a judge / editor, a lawyer, a British diplomat , a German nun, etc. In terms of content, the letters deal, for example, with philosophical discussions, content-related questions about the notes, the Buddha's teachings, Nanavira's illnesses or questions about the publication of the book . In Nanavira's opinion, the letters complement and deepen the notes . In a letter to Lionel Samaratunga dated June 22, 1963, Nanavira wrote:

“Perhaps it would be good if you did not destroy my letters to you - at least those that contain a discussion of points of the Dhamma - primarily because I may want to refer to them, which is easier than having to read them over and over again write; and secondly, because they are in a sense a kind of commentary on the notes and may be useful later. Of course, they are not written with the same care as the notes, and there may be some looseness of thought or expression in them. "

Others

Shortly after his arrival in Ceylon, Nanavira Thera was attacked by amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis). This illness stayed with him for the rest of his life and ultimately made the practice of mind-gathering , and with it progress on the path , impossible. To combat amoebic dysentery, Nanavira had received a strong drug (entamide). As a side effect, this resulted in a strong stimulation of the sexual instinct ( satyriasis ) - an additional burden for Nanavira as a monk. From previous intense meditations on hard ground Nanavira was frequently because of bursitis of the knee in treatment. His suicide must also be seen against the background of these diseases. For Nanavira, a life that no longer made progress in the Dhamma possible was worthless. With his doctor Dr. de Silva often spoke to Nanavira, both personally and by letter, about his illnesses and the practical and philosophical aspects of suicide .

Six months before Nanavira's death, New Year's 1965, Robin Maugham (a nephew of Somerset Maugham ) visited Nanavira Thera in his kuti and interviewed him for People magazine . A two-part sensational report then appeared in the magazine.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.nanavira.org/home/the-author
  2. ↑ https://www.nanavira.org/index.php/letters/post-sotapatti/1964/144-l-87-21-february-1964
  3. ↑ http://www.nanavira.110mb.com/StP_Biography.ov1.pdf
  4. ↑ http://pathpress.wordpress.com/other/the-legend-of-bundala/
  5. ↑ http://nanavira.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=218&Itemid=52
  6. ↑ http://nanavira.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=50
  7. ↑ http://www.nanavira.110mb.com/nibban-c.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.nanavira.110mb.com/sk-cont.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.nanavira.110mb.com/cbook-c.htm
  10. ↑ https://nanavira.org/index.php/notes-on-dhamma/preface
  11. ↑ Post-Sotapatti Letters - Nanavira Thera Dhamma Page. Retrieved February 1, 2019 .
  12. ↑ https://nanavira.org/index.php/letters/post-sotapatti/1963/99-l-53-22-june-1963
  13. ↑ [L. 20 | 27] December 21, 1962 - Ñāṇavīra Thera Dhamma Page. Retrieved February 1, 2019 .
  14. ^ The Author - Ñāṇavīra Thera Dhamma Page. Retrieved February 1, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Nanavira Thera
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bhikkhu Nanavira Thera; Musson, Harold Edward (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English Bhikkhu (Thera) of Theravada Buddhism and author
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Aldershot
DATE OF DEATH July 5, 1965
Place of death Sri Lanka