SIMA (6)

Conclusion

Sømæ is the most critical place for the Buddhist dispensation. In fact, the survival of Buddhism is totally relying upon whether sømæ is to be remaining constantly or disappearing uprootedly from the Buddhist lands. sømæ is a fixed, self-authorised and firm boundary area. Due to a precise jurisdiction and administration of it, no major problem of dispute would affect the area. Therefore the space of it has safe and full of security itself, and any form of destructive elements including the governments are not able to damage it.

According to allowance of the Buddha, the possible minimum size of sømæ is as small as the space which can hold nothing but only 21 monks in it, while the maximum of it is as large as three leagues. However, such a smallest or largest sømæ does not exist in Myanmar. The size of sømæ is normally smaller than the main monastic building in a particular region. All the Myanmar Buddhists deeply value the sømæ as the generation of monks are directly formed incessantly in it. The monks and sømæ cannot be separated each other since they are mutually interrelated. The survival of monk’s lineage is obviously depending on sømæ, and the continued existence of Buddhism is also apparently in the hands of monks. The elder monks have passed their responsibility and noble tasks to the younger monks, hand in hand, generation to generation until now. Finally it is believed that as long as sømæ exists in Myanmar, Buddhism will be surely sustainable all the time on the soil of her.

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Selected bibliography

The sources of pæ¹i cannon (texts)

- Cþ¹avagga pæ¹i, 3^rd Ed (1999) Yangon: Win Light Mate Press House

- Mahævagga (Vinaya) pæ¹i, 5^th Ed (1991)   Yangon: Religious Affairs House

- Pariværa pæ¹i, 8^th Ed (1997) Yangon: Religious Affairs Press House

- Pæcittiya pæ¹i, 8^th Ed (1997) (eighth edition), Yangon: Religious Affairs Press House

- Pæræjika pæ¹i 5^th Ed (1979) Yangon: Religious Affairs Press House

The sources of A¥¥hakathæ (commentaries)

- Mahæbuddhaghosa, Bhaddanta (1986) Cþ¹avaggædi A¥¥hakathæ, Yangon: Religious

Affairs Press House

- Mahæbuddhaghosa, Bhaddanta (1986) Ka³khævira¼ø a¥¥hakathæ, Yangon: Religious

Affairs Press House

- Mahæbuddhaghosa, Bhaddanta (1986) Pæcityædi  A¥¥hakathæ,   Yangon: Religious  

            Affair Press House,

-Særiputta thera (1991) Vinaysa³gaha a¥¥hakathæ, Yangon: Religious Affair Press

The sources of ¿økæ (Sub-commentaries) and Ganthantara (treatises)

-Co¹iyakassapathera, Bhaddanta (1960) Vimativinodanø ¥økæ,Vol 2, Yangon: Religious

            Affairs Press House,

-Dhammasiri mahæthera and Mahæsæmi mahæthera (1962) Khuddasikkhæ Mþlasikkhæ 

 ¥økæ, Yangon: Religious Affair Press House

- Taungphila, Sayadaw (1962) Vinayæla³kæra ¥økæ,Vol 1, Yangon: Religious Affairs

            Press House

- Særiputtathera, Bhaddanta (1977) Vinayavinicchaya ¥økæ, Vol 2, Yangon: Religious

            Affairs Press House

General sources

-Sayagyi Goenka (1999) Cha¥¥hasa³gæyanæ CD (version 3) [it embodies all canonical

            texts, commentaries, sub-commentaries and other treatises], India: Vipassanæ

            research institute

-Gombrich. R.F (2006) Theravæda Buddhism (A social history form ancient Benares

            to modern Colombo), 2^nd edition, Abingdon: Routledge Press

- I.B. Horner (1942a) The book of the discipline, Vol 4, London: Humphrey milford

            oxford University  Press Amen House

-- I.B. Horner (1942b) The book of the discipline, Vol 5, London: Humphrey milford

oxford University  Press Amen House

-Spiro, M. E (1982) Buddhism and Society, Los Angeles: University of California

            Press

--Somdet Phra Mahæ (1973a) The Entrance to the Vinaya, Vol 2, Bangkok: Sama¼a

            Choa Mahæmakut Ræjavidyælaya Press

-Somdet Phra Mahæ (1973b) The Entrance to the Vinaya, Vol 3, Bangkok: Sama¼a

            Choa Mahæmakut Ræjavidyælaya Press

-Gethin.R (1998) The Foundation of Buddhism, New York: Oxford University Press

-Misra, G.S.P (1969) The Age of Vinaya, New Delhi: Rashtra Bharti Press

-Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1994) The Buddhist Monastic Code, vol 1, U.S.A: Valley

            Centre (free distribution)  

-Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2007) The Buddhist Monastic Code, vol 2, U.S.A: Valley

            centre (free distribution), 

Burmese sources

- Janakæbhivaµsa Ashin (1959) Ka³khæbhæsæ¥økæ, vol.1, Amarapura: New Burma

            Offset Press  

- Janakæbhivaµsa, Ashin (1959) Ka³khæbhæsæ¥økæ, vol.2,  Amarapura: New Burma

            Offset Press

- Janakæbhivaµsa, Ashin (1973) Pariværabhæsæ¥økæ, Amarapura: New Burma Offset

            Press

- Janakæbhivaµsa, Ashin (1938) Pætimok bhæsæ¥økæ, Amarapura: New Burma Offset

            Press

- Janakæbhivaµsa, Ashin (1966) Mahævaggabhæsæ¥økæ, Amarapura: New Burma

            Offset Press

-Sølænandæbhivaµsa, Ashin (2002) Sømæ Training Course (Burmese version), Yangon: Khaing yee mon Press

.