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95-690: He is considered one of the three greatest monarchs of Burma alongside Anawrahta and Bayinnaung for unifying Burma for the third time in Burmese history . The future king was born Aung Zeya ( အောင်ဇေယျ "Successful Victory") at Moksobo , a village of a few hundred households in the Mu River Valley about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ava (Inwa) on 24 August 1714 to Min Nyo San ( မင်းညိုစံ ) and his wife Saw Nyein Oo ( စောငြိမ်းဦး ). He

190-526: A Buddha (since the Buddha's teachings have not been forgotten yet). Traditional Buddhists believe that Maitreya currently resides in Tushita heaven. However, Maitreya is not inaccessible, and various Buddhists throughout history have also claimed to have been visited by Maitreya, to have had visions of him, and to have received teachings by him. As such, Mahayana Buddhists traditionally consider Maitreya to be

285-629: A few miles from Shwebo. Alaungpaya personally led the Konbaung counterattack and drove out the southern armies by May. The conflict increasingly turned into an ethnic conflict between the Bamar north and the Mon south. The Hanthawaddy leadership escalated "self-defeating" policies of persecuting southern Bamars. They also executed the captive king of Taungoo in October 1754. Alaungpaya was only happy to exploit

380-510: A fight. In fact, most ethnic Mon governors of the south retained their position. He appointed only three viceroys: one at the Seven Hill Districts (present-day Magway Region centered around Mindon ), another at Taungoo and the other at Bago, and none of them was hereditary. He made the viceroyships only because of his special personal relationships with those men. (The viceroy of Taungoo was his younger brother, for example. After

475-423: A follower of Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya will be born to the chief priest of Sankha, Brahmayu, and his wife Brahmavati. In some sources his family name is Maitreya and his first name is Ajita. Maitreya will live as a householder, have a son, and then renounce the world and achieve Buddhahood like Shakyamuni. In some accounts, Maitreya will meet Mahakasyapa , who has been in samadhi on top of mount Kukkutapada since

570-482: A hope for the future, a time when all human beings could once again enjoy the spiritual and physical environment most favorable to enlightenment and the release from worldly suffering." The Maitreya legend has provided a positive view of the future for all Buddhist cultures, who have adapted and expressed the prophetic myth in different ways. According to Buddhist tradition, each kalpa (a cosmic period lasting millions of years) has several Buddhas . The previous kalpa

665-476: A large family and was related by blood and by marriage to many other gentry families throughout the valley. In 1730, Alaungpaya married his first cousin Yun San ( ယွန်းစံ ), daughter of chief of a neighboring village, Siboktara ( စည်ပုတ္တရာ ). They went on to have six sons and three surviving daughters. (The fourth daughter died young.) Aung Zeya grew up during a period in which the authority of Taungoo Dynasty

760-571: A later date. Maitreya's prophecy also appears in other texts like the Māhavastu , Lalitavistara , the Mūlasarvāstivāda -vinaya and the Divyāvadāna . Due to their similar names, some modern scholars like Przyluski , Lamotte and Levi have speculated that inspiration for Maitreya may have come from ancient Indo-Iranian deities like Mithra and the future Zoroastrian savior figure of

855-568: A palace at the center of Tuṣita Heaven (Pāli: Tusita ). Gautama Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the Tuṣita Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas. Though the concept of the bodhisattva is different in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, both traditions of Buddhism share a belief in Maitreya bodhisattva as

950-668: A palace on the model of those erected by the ancient kings. In 1758, he built the Mahananda Lake to supply Shwebo with water. He also built canals by damming the Mu river for agriculture but the work decayed after his death. His most significant and enduring work was the founding of Yangon. After he conquered the pagoda town of Dagon in 1755, he added settlements with people from his home region. (The Mu-valley place names like Ahlon and Kyaukmyaung still endure to this date in Yangon.) By

1045-506: A peace. He had roused his people to the fever heat of nationalism but he was denied the time and the opportunity to calm them down to tolerance and restraint". Indeed, overconfident Konbaung kings that followed him would go to war with all the neighbors in the next seven decades on their way to founding the second-largest Burmese empire, until they were defeated by the British in present-day northeastern India. Alaungpaya has also been named as

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1140-474: A period of moral and social betterment. It is only then that Maitreya is expected to come. To be able to take part in this golden age, Buddhist devotees hoped to make enough good merit (through good deeds like giving and compassionate acts) which would condition their future rebirth. One mention of the prophecy in the Maitreyavyākaraṇa states that gods, men and other beings: Will lose their doubts, and

1235-486: A throne. He is often represented as a northern Indian nobleman or prince with a full head of hair, fine flowing robes and jewels. Gandharan style images present him with a distinctive long hair loop folded at the top of the head. Maitreya is often depicted carrying a vase or bottle ( kamaṇḍalu ), an element which goes back to the Gandharan sculptures and which he shares with depictions of the deity Brahma (along with

1330-406: Is a list of the monarchs of Burma (Myanmar) , covering the monarchs of all the major kingdoms that existed in the present day Burma ( Myanmar ). Although Burmese chronicle tradition maintains that various monarchies of Burma ( Mon , Burman , Arakanese ), began in the 9th century BCE , historically verified data date back only to 1044 CE at the accession of Anawrahta of Pagan . The farther away

1425-552: Is allowed to enter Maitreya's palace (Vairocanakutalamkara-garbha), where he has a grand vision of the entirety of Maitreya's bodhisattva career. In addition, there are also several Mahāyāna sūtras which focus specifically on Maitreya, his teachings and future activity. Some key Maitreya sutras in the Chinese canon are the following: The Tibetan Buddhist canon meanwhile contains the following Maitreya sutras: Maitreya also appears in other literary works. The Maitreyasamitināṭaka

1520-617: Is based around when and how a devotee expected to encounter the figure of Maitreya: In all Buddhist traditions, Maitreya is prophesied to be the next Buddha who will arise in this world. He will attain Buddhahood far in the future (proximally 2000 years from now - 5000 years after Sakyamuni's Parinirvana). Since attaining enlightenment is thought to be much more likely while studying under a living Buddha, many Buddhists have hoped to meet Maitreya and train under him. As Buddhist studies scholar Alan Spongberg writes, Maitreya "came to represent

1615-718: Is derived from the Sanskrit word maitrī "friendship", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra , signifying "friend". The Pali form Metteyya is mentioned in the Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda Sutta ( Digha Nikaya 26) of the Pāli Canon , and also in chapter 28 of the Buddhavamsa . Some modern scholars like Richard Gombrich argue that the sutra is a later addition to the Pali Canon or that it has been edited at

1710-410: Is not imminent and instead will happen millions of years in the future. In spite of this, Buddhist believers can hope to accumulate good karma so that when the time comes, they will be reborn to meet the future Buddha Maitreya and reach enlightenment under him. Scriptures which describe the future coming of Maitreya also describe the paradise like conditions of the world during Maitreya's time. His coming

1805-521: Is said to usher in a "golden age" of religion and civilization. Buddhist scriptures do not exhort believers to work to bring about this golden age (what Nattier calls "active apocalypticism "). This might be due to the Buddhist view of the cyclical nature of time and history. The cyclical nature of history is thus part of the Maitreya myth. Buddhists believe that there will come a time of Dharma decline in which social order and morality will decline and

1900-411: Is that your comrades have true hearts and strong arms." He prepared the defenses by stockading his village, now renamed Shwebo, and building a moat around it. He had the jungle outside the stockade cleared, the ponds destroyed and the wells filled. Konbaung was only one among many other resistance forces that had independently sprung up across a panicked Upper Burma. Fortunately for the resistance forces,

1995-581: Is traditionally said to have revealed to the 4th century Indian Buddhist master Asanga . These texts are important in the Yogacara tradition and are considered to be part of the third turning within the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma . They teach the "consciousness-only" idealist philosophy of Yogacara Buddhism. Buddhist tradition associates Asanga (c. 4th century), one of the founders of

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2090-672: Is viewed as the direct successor of Gautama Buddha . As the fifth and final Buddha of the current kalpa (eon), Maitreya's teachings will be focused around re-establishing the Buddha's Dharma on Earth. According to scriptures, Maitreya's teachings will be similar to those of Gautama (Śākyamuni). The arrival of Maitreya is prophesied to occur during an era of decline when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have been disregarded or largely forgotten. Despite many religious figures and spiritual leaders claiming to be Maitreya throughout history, diverse Buddhist sects insist that these are false claims, while underscoring that Maitreya has yet to appear as

2185-610: The Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra , he is also referred to as Ajitā (Invincible, Unconquerable). In Tibetan Buddhism he is known as the "Lord of Love" or the "Noble Loving One" ( Pakpa Jampa ). The root of his name is the Sanskrit word maitrī (Pali: metta ; meaning friendliness, loving-kindness). The name Maitreya is also related to the Indo-Iranian name Mitra . In all branches of Buddhism, Maitreya

2280-566: The Cakkavatti Sutta: The Wheel-turning Emperor ( Digha Nikaya 26), Maitreya Buddha will be born in a time when humans will live to an age of eighty thousand years, in the city of Ketumatī (present Varanasi), whose king will be the Cakkavattī (wheel-turning emperor) Sankha. Sankha will live in the palace where once dwelt King Mahāpanadā, but later he will give the palace away and will himself become

2375-533: The Gwe Shan people of Madaya in present-day northern Mandalay Region . Nonetheless, Alaungpaya's forces wiped out the first two Hanthawaddy detachments sent to secure his allegiance. Next, they survived the month-long siege by the Hanthawaddy army of several thousand led by General Talaban himself and drove out the invaders in a rout. The news spread. Soon, Alaungpaya was mustering a proper army from across

2470-584: The Kushan Empire period (30–375 CE). He also appears in Mathura to a lesser extent. Maitreya is already depicted at Sanchi before the Kushan period. But art depicting him becomes much more numerous during the Kushan era, when his cult seems to have grown in popularity. In 4th- to 6th-century China, Buddhist artisans saw Shakyamuni and Maitreya as interchangeable, which indicates that the iconography of

2565-559: The Saoshyant . However, David Alan Scott points out numerous differences in their artistic portrayals (even in the same geographic region) and discrepancies which make this direct link unlikely. He specifically points out the very ancient Buddhist roots of Maitreya in the earliest Buddhist texts . Scott does point out that both deities are personifications of the virtue of friendship , so they do have that in common ( maitrī ). There are many Mahāyāna sūtras which describe and discuss

2660-420: The Yogacara school, with the bodhisattva Maitreya. According to traditional accounts, after twelve years of retreat and meditation, Asanga encountered a dying dog and treated his wounds by removing the maggots from the wounds to a piece of Asanga's own flesh. It was only after his act of love and compassion that Asanga had a vision of Maitreya, who turned out to be that very dying dog. Maitreya then took Asanga to

2755-553: The rearguard , successfully fending off Siamese attacks along the route of retreat. Although the Burmese did not achieve the ultimate objective of toppling Ayutthaya, they formally annexed the upper Tenasserim coast and shifted the border down the coast at least to the Dawei- Myeik corridor. Alaungpaya died on Sunday, 11 May 1760 (12th waning of Kason 1122 ME) at the dawn, at Kinywa, near Martaban, after being rushed back from

2850-772: The Burmese army defeated the Manipuri army and ransacked the entire country, which the Manipuris call the First Devastation . After Lower Burma was defeated, Alaungpaya himself led another expedition in November 1758, this time to place the Burmese nominee to the Manipuri throne. His armies invaded by the Khumbat route in the Mainpur valley, and overcame fierce Manipuri resistance at Pallel , on their march to Imphal ,

2945-479: The Burmese army. (This was the start of Konbaung dynasty's long, draining involvement in Manipur. The small kingdom would prove a troublesome tributary, regularly putting up rebellions in 1764, 1768–1770, and 1775–1782. The Burmese involvement ceased after 1782 until they came back in 1814.) The Ayutthaya Kingdom was one of Southeast Asia's most wealthiest and most cosmopolitan polities in the 18th century. Prior to

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3040-666: The Dharma. Chinese Buddhists consider the rotund monk Budai as an emanation of Maitreya in China. Buddhist yogis and scholars, like Dao'an , have also sought to receive visions, teachings, or guidance from Maitreya in this present life. Various stories are recorded of individuals ascending to meet Maitreya (through meditation and samadhi ) or of Maitreya descending to meet them here on earth. The most famous of these revelations in Mahayana Buddhism are five scriptures Maitreya

3135-694: The French East India Company-supplied firearms and Dutch and Portuguese mercenaries, had reached the gates of Ava. The heir-apparent of Hanthawaddy, Upayaza , summoned all administrative officers in Upper Burma to submit. Some chose to cooperate, but others, like Aung Zeya, chose to resist. Aung Zeya persuaded 46 villages in the Mu Valley to join him in resistance. He found a ready audience in "an exceptionally proud group of men and women" of Upper Burma who longed to redress

3230-768: The French-defended main port city of Thanlyin , which repelled several Konbaung charges. Alaungpaya sought an alliance with the East India Company and also sought out more arms, but no alliance or arms materialized. Konbaung forces finally took the city after a 14-month siege in July 1756, ending the French intervention in the war. The Konbaung forces then overcame determined but vastly outnumbered Hanthawaddy defenses, and sacked Bago in May 1757. The 17-year-old kingdom

3325-523: The Gregorian calendar. (Some Arakanese chronicles state the foundation of the kingdom a year later, 1430. Moreover, the end of the kingdom is given per Burmese records, 2 January 1785. Arakanese records give a day earlier, 1 January 1785.) The following are based on the reign dates in the Burmese calendar given in Maha Yazawin and Hmannan Yazawin chronicles. (The converted dates after 1582 are on

3420-424: The Gregorian calendar. Some books, e.g., Than Tun 's Royal Orders of Burma (1983–1990), use old-style Julian dates for the entire Toungoo period.) Maitreya Maitreya ( Sanskrit ) or Metteyya ( Pali ), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism , prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha . In some Buddhist literature , such as

3515-546: The Gwe Shan. A dozen legends gathered around his name. Men felt that when he led them they could not fail. Despite repeated setbacks, Bago still did not send in reinforcements even as Alaungpaya consolidated his gains throughout Upper Burma. On 3 January 1754, Konbaung forces retook Ava. Alaungpaya now received homage from the nearer Shan States as far north as Momeik . In March 1754, Hanthawaddy finally sent its entire army, laying siege to Ava and advancing up to Kyaukmyaung

3610-402: The Hanthawaddy command mistakenly equated their capture of Ava with the victory over Upper Burma, and withdrew two-thirds of the invasion force back to Bago, leaving just a third (less than 10,000 men) for what they considered a mop-up operation. At first, the strategy seemed to work. Hanthawaddy forces established outposts as far north as present-day northern Sagaing Region and found allies in

3705-416: The Konbaung dynasty's rise, Ayutthaya Siam and Taungoo Burma had been relatively peaceful for over 150 years, with a brief period of hostilities when King Narai of Ayutthaya launched an ill-fated expedition to vassalize Burmese-aligned Lan Na in the mid 17th century. The Konbaung dynasty had harbored to seize Ayutthaya's wealth and resources for the benefit of its own rulers. Siamese and Burmese interests in

3800-540: The Manipuri capital. After Pallel , the Burmese entered Imphal without firing a shot. The Konbaung armies, according to the Manipuris, committed "unspeakably cruel" crimes against the populace, inflicting "one of the worst disasters in its history". But historian GE Harvey writes: Alaungpaya "was only doing unto them as they had done unto his people". Alaungpaya raised his nominee to the Manipuri throne and returned with his army. He also brought back many Manipuri cavalry, who became elite cavalry corps (known as Cassay Horse ) in

3895-980: The Middle and the Extremes"), Abhisamayalankara ( "Ornament for clear realization"), and the Ratnagotravibhaga (Exposition of the Jeweled lineage). The Chinese tradition meanwhile maintains that the five revealed scriptures are: the Yogācārabhūmi , *Yogavibhāga [now lost] , Mahāyānasūtrālamkārakā , Madhyāntavibhāga and the Vajracchedikākāvyākhyā. Mahayana sources contain various mantras and dharanis of Maitreya. His common name mantra (as taught in Shingon Buddhism ) is: oṃ maitreya svāhā Another Maitreya mantra taught in

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3990-410: The Mon rebels against Upper Burma, particularly in the aftermath of the fall of Lower Burma encouraged Alaungpaya to attempt an all-out attack on Ayutthaya in order to end Ayutthaya as a formidable opponent against Alaungpaya's interests for internal security and in an attempt to recreate Bayinnaung's conquests. After the rainy season of 1759, Alaungpaya and his armies returned to the south to deal with

4085-472: The Mu Valley and beyond, using his family connections and appointing his fellow gentry leaders as his key lieutenants. Success drew fresh recruits everyday from many regions across Upper Burma. Most other resistance forces as well as officers from the disbanded Palace Guards had joined him with such arms as they retained. By October 1752, he had emerged the primary challenger to Hanthawaddy and driven out all Hanthawaddy outposts north of Ava as well as their allies,

4180-482: The Pagan period. The list generally follows the chronicle reported order and reign dates. G.H. Luce does not recognize Naratheinkha, and proposes an interregnum of nine years between 1165 and 1174. But Luce's gap has been rigorously questioned. Moreover, Luce proposes that Naratheinga Uzana was king between 1231 and 1235 but it too is not universally accepted. All main chronicles prior to Hmannan Yazawin say that

4275-608: The Qing since the mid-1730s. By early 1759, the Burmese had successfully reestablished their authority. A later Qing attempt to reconquer the region would lead to the Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) .) Alaungpaya then turned his attention to the East India Company (EIC) outpost at Cape Negrais at the southwestern tip of the Irrawaddy Delta. The British, concerned with the success of French-backed Hanthawaddy, had landed

4370-527: The Siamese front by the advance guard . He had longed for the sights and sounds of home, Shwebo for one last time but it was not to be. His death was made public at Yangon, and his body was taken upstream on a state barge. At Kyaukmyaung landing stage near Shwebo, the whole court came out to meet it, and bore it solemnly through the Hlaingtha Gate of Shwebo. He was buried with the ritual of the kings in

4465-481: The Siamese king that they would not intervene in the Burmese affairs and to surrender rebel leadership. But the Siamese king refused Burmese demands and prepared for war. In December 1759, Alaungpaya's 40,000-strong Burmese army left Martaban to invade Siam via Tenasserim . His second son, Hsinbyushin was his deputy. The Burmese occupied the town of Tenasserim, moved eastward over the Tenasserim Hills to

4560-608: The Tenasserim have clashed on and off since the 16th century. Since the Burmese reconquest of Northern Tenasserim in the early 17th century, control of the economically lucreative Tenasserim coast was shared between Siam and Burma: Burma controlling the Northern Tenasserim ports of Mawlamyine and Tavoy while Siam controlled the Southern Tenasserim ports of Mergui and Tenasserim. Ayutthaya's support of

4655-457: The army of Ava, summoned Aung Zeya to Ava to check if the village headman was a potential threat to the regime. Satisfied that the 22-year-old had no designs on the throne, Taungoo Yaza on behalf of the king bestowed the title Bala Nanda Kyaw ( ဗလနန္ဒကျော် ) to Aung Zeya. Aung Zeya became deputy to his uncle the lord of Mu Valley, and the administrative officer kyegaing ( ကြေးကိုင် , [tɕéɡàɪɰ̃] ), responsible for tax collection and for

4750-739: The bodhisattva Maitreya. He appears as a supporting character in several important Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Lotus Sutra , Vimalakirti Sutra , the Golden Light , the King of Samadhis Sutra , and the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines . In the Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra meanwhile, Maitreya has an entire chapter in which he preaches the Dharma to the pilgrim Sudhana in one hundred and twenty one verses. Then Sudhana

4845-528: The celestial realm of Tushita and transmitted to him several Buddhist scriptures (the so called "five dharmas of Maitreya"). The Chinese and Tibetan traditions disagree on which scriptures are included in the "Five Dharmas of Maitreya". In the Tibetan tradition, the five texts are: Mahāyānasūtrālamkārakārikā , ("The Adornment of Mahayana sutras"), Dharmadharmatāvibhāga ("Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being"), Madhyāntavibhāgakārikā ("Distinguishing

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4940-464: The co-regency ended in 674 ME (1312/13) but Hmannan says it ended in 672 ME (1310/11). Inscriptional evidence shows that the first brother died on 13 April 1310 but the second brother was still alive. Most of the dates below are by Than Tun and Gordon Luce who had checked the chronicle reported dates with inscriptions. Myinsaing Sithu does not appear in any of the chronicles. Different Burmese chronicles give similar but not identical dates for

5035-563: The cultural autonomy adopted by the Burmese rulers of the Pagan era, and by kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung , and colonized the Mon state". The charges need to be balanced with the fact that Alaungpaya was merely reacting to what historian Victor Lieberman calls "dismally self-defeating" policy of ethnic polarization of the Restored Hanthawaddy. It was the self-professed Mon kingdom that first attacked his homeland in 1752 and had begun persecutions and pogroms against Bamars in

5130-565: The current regent of the Buddha's Dharma in Tusita. Many Buddhists throughout history have cultivated merit through good deeds in order to be reborn in Tusita and meet Maitreya bodhisattva there in their next life. This may be combined with the wish to descend back down to earth as part of Maitreya's future entourage. Mahayana Buddhists such as Dao'an , Xuanzang , Yjing , and other masters of East Asian Yogacara , have expressed devotion for Maitreya and have sought to be reborn in his pure land ,

5225-470: The data are from 1044, the less verifiable they are. For example, the founding of the city of Pagan ( Bagan ) in the 9th century is verifiable–although the accuracy of the actual date, given in the Chronicles as 849, remains in question–but the founding of early Pagan dynasty, given as the 2nd century, is not. For early kingdoms, see List of early and legendary monarchs of Burma . The reign dates follow

5320-529: The death of the incumbents, the offices automatically became governorships.) In accordance with the Taungoo policy, he allowed hereditary viceroyships only in the peripheral regions like the Shan States and Lan Na. (Later Konbaung kings would gradually reduce the number of hereditary viceroyships even in the Shan States.) One key policy change that Alaungpaya initiated, and followed by latter Konbaung kings,

5415-692: The eve of the First Anglo-Burmese War , Yangon had replaced Syriam (Thanlyin) as the chief port city of the kingdom. For the land of the law, in 1755 he commissioned the Manu Kye dhammathat (lit. Manu Kye Law Book), a compilation of existing laws and customs, and of the rulings preserved in previous law books. Although the law book was poorly arranged and offered little explanations on contradictory passages, it attained enormous popularity, owing to its encyclopedic nature and to its being written in simple Burmese with little Pali . Alaungpaya

5510-406: The first king of Burma to consciously manipulate ethnic identity as a means to military and political domination. To date, Mon nationalists hold him accountable for the utter destruction of the Mon country, and the end of centuries-long Mon dominance of Lower Burma. According to one Mon nationalist historian, "the racial oppression practiced by Alaungpaya was worse than that of previous kings. He ended

5605-546: The first time in four decades, and the rise of the Konbaung Dynasty. Alaungpaya, according to the Burmese historian Htin Aung , led a people "divided and broken, humiliated and ashamed" and "left to his successors a people united and confident, holding up their heads again in pride and in glory". But Htin Aung also cautions that Alaungpaya "had led his people in waging war but his leadership was still sorely needed to wage

5700-420: The founder of the Yogacara tradition through his revelation of various scriptures like the Mahāyānasūtrālamkārakā , and the Madhyāntavibhāga . Maitreya has also been employed in a millenarian role by many non-Buddhist philosophies and religions, such as Theosophy , New Age , the White Lotus , as well as by modern new religious movements , such as Yiguandao and Falun Gong . The name Maitreya

5795-441: The hair loop). Because of this, some scholars argue that the water bottle and hair loop are symbols of his brahminical origins, and indeed, some stories depict Maitreya as being born to a Human family during his last life. Maitreya is also often shown in a heaven realm, indicating his current location (Tushita). In Indian symbolism, the kamaṇḍalu pot symbolizes immortality ( amrita ), fertility, life and wealth. In Buddhism,

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5890-401: The human lifespan will also decline. There will be war, sickness and famine. The Buddha's Dharma will then be lost. After some time, the world will begin to improve again, and human lifespans will begin to increase. It is at the peak of this rise in goodness in the far future that Maitreya will arrive. As such, in the traditional Buddhist view, first there will be a period of decline, followed by

5985-495: The island back in 1753, constructing a fort there. During the war with Hanthawaddy, Alaungpaya offered to cede the island to the British in return for military help. However, the British turned down Alaungpaya's offer, as they claimed they could not spare any arms because they too were engaged in their own war against the French. In 1758, Alaungpaya got the news that the East India Company's agents had sold ammunition and arms (500 muskets) to Mon rebels. (Historian GE Harvey claims that

6080-421: The latest available dates as discussed in each section. Below is a partial list of early Pagan kings as reported by the four major chronicles. Prior to Anawrahta, inscriptional evidence exists thus far only for Nyaung-u Sawrahan and Kunhsaw Kyaunghpyu . The list starts from Pyinbya , the fortifier of Pagan (Bagan) according to Hmannan . The Zatadawbon Yazawin is considered the most accurate chronicle for

6175-492: The military campaigns. For the administration of his newly acquired territories, he largely continued the policies of the Restored Taungoo kings—the most important aspect of which was to reduce the number of hereditary viceroyships. Aware that hereditary viceroyships were a constant cause of instability, the king appointed governors in most of his newly conquered territories throughout the Irrawaddy valley. By and large, he reappointed existing governors if they submitted to him without

6270-418: The net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance. Thus, many Buddhists throughout history have sought to develop the necessary merit to meet Maitreya on Earth during the life of his final Buddhahood. This includes many Theravada Buddhists. One famous Theravadin who expressed this wish

6365-489: The news was a fabrication of Alaungpaya's advisers and that the arms provided were five muskets, not 500.) On 6 October 1759, a 2000-strong Konbaung battalion overran the fort, demolishing it as they withdrew. Alaungpaya, who grew up watching Manipuri raids ransacking his home region year after year, was determined to return the favor as soon as he was able. While most of his forces were laying siege to Syriam, he sent an expedition to Manipur to "instill respect". In early 1756,

6460-409: The next 180,000 years. According to the commentary of Anāgatavamsa, his teaching will last for 360,000 years. Buddhists believe that Maitreya is currently a spiritually advanced bodhisattva (a being who is practicing the path towards full Buddhahood ) in Tuṣita heaven where he will remain until it is the right time for him to descend to earth to attain Buddhahood. Maitreya currently resides in

6555-523: The numerous humiliations that their once proud kingdom had suffered. On 29 February 1752 (Full moon of Tabaung 1113 ME), as the Hanthawaddy forces were about to breach the outer walls of Ava, Aung Zeya proclaimed himself king with the royal style of Alaungpaya ("One Who Is the Future Buddha", Maitreya ) and founded the Konbaung Dynasty. His full royal style was Thiri Pawara Wizaya Nanda Zahta Maha Dhamma Yazadiyaza Alaung Mintayagyi ( သီရိပဝရ ဝိဇယနန္ဒဇာထ မဟာဓမ္မ ရာဇာဓိရာဇာ အလောင်းမင်းတရားကြီး ). Not everyone

6650-449: The palace at the center of Tuṣita. One Theravada example is the legend of the monk Malaya-Mahadeva, who is said to have traveled to Tushita and met Maitreya according to the 11th century Rasavāhinī . Modern figures like Xuyun , and Taixu  have also expressed the wish to meet Maitreya in Tushita. Maitreya is also believed by Buddhists to manifest "emanation bodies" ( nirmanakayas ) on earth in order to aid living beings and teach

6745-432: The palace city, which once had been his lowly village, amid the mourning of an entire people. He had reigned only eight years, and was not yet 46 when he died. Historian Harvey writes that "men are remembered by the years they use, not by the years they last". Alaungpaya was succeeded by his eldest son, Naungdawgyi , despite his second son Hsinbyushin's attempt to take over the throne. Alaungpaya spent most of his reign in

6840-587: The passing of Shakyamuni. According to some accounts, Mahakasyapa will then hand Shayamuni's robe to Maitreya. Buddhist texts from several traditions say that beings in Maitreya's time will be much bigger than during the time of Sakyamuni. To these gigantic beings, Buddha's robe barely covers two fingers and a modern human appears insect sized. Some sources state that Maitreya will be 88 cubits (132 feet, 40 meters) tall and will live for 88,000 years. Like Maṅgala Buddha , his rays will make people hard to distinguish between day and night. His teachings will preserve for

6935-500: The path of Manipuri raids year after year. Although Burma was far larger than Manipur, Ava had been unable to defeat the raids or organize a punitive expedition to Manipur itself. The people watched helplessly as the raiders torched villages, ransacked pagodas , and took away captives. It was during these troubled times in the absence of royal authority that men like Aung Zeya came forward. He assumed his father's responsibilities as chief of his village in his early twenties. A tall man for

7030-544: The preservation of order. The authority of Ava continued to decline in the following years. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Burma broke away and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom with the capital at Bago . Ava's feeble attempts to recover the south failed to make a dent. Low-grade warfare between Ava and Bago went on until late in 1751, when Bago launched its final assault, invading Upper Burma in full force. By early 1752, Hanthawaddy forces, aided by

7125-806: The regnal dates of the Ava period. The following table largely follows the dates given in Hmannan Yazawin and the table of regnal dates given in (Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 352–355). The regnal dates by G.E. Harvey (Harvey 1925: 366) for the most part are off by a year (a year later) than chronicle and inscriptionally-verified dates. The reign dates are per the Arakanese chronicle Rakhine Razawin Thit (Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1931), converted into Western dates using (Eade 1989). The converted dates after 1582 are on

7220-533: The shore of the Gulf of Siam , turned north and captured the coastal towns, Kuwi , Pran Buri , and Phetchaburi . Siamese resistance stiffened as the Burmese approached the capital of Ayutthaya , but nonetheless, they were driven back with heavy losses in men, guns, and ammunition. The Burmese armies reached Ayutthaya in April 1760. Only five days into the siege, however, Alaungpaya suddenly fell ill. Thai sources say he

7315-401: The similar pūrṇa- kumbha (full bottle) also symbolizes "auspicious abundance", wisdom, health, longevity, wealth, prosperity, and the Buddha's infinite quality of teaching the Dharma. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is termed a bumpa (wisdom urn, ritual vase). According to Jan Nattier , there are four main types of the Maitreya myth which we find throughout the history of Buddhism . The typology

7410-470: The situation, encouraging remaining Bamar troops to come over to him. Many did. Swelled by levies from throughout Upper Burma, including Shan, Kachin , and Kuki contingents, he launched a massive invasion of Lower Burma in a blitzkrieg in January 1755. By May, his armies had conquered the entire Irrawaddy Delta and captured Dagon , which he renamed Yangon. However, his advance came to a sudden halt at

7505-468: The south since 1740. The upstart southern kingdom had portrayed itself "as a quintessentially Mon kingdom, ordained by prophecy, wherein Mon language and cultural symbols would enjoy pride of place, and the Burman north would become a tributary". About 8,000 Bamars were massacred in 1740 alone. After executing scores of Avan captives in 1754, the Hanthawaddy leadership obliged all Bamars to wear an earring with

7600-460: The stamp of the Bago heir-apparent and to cut their hair in Mon fashion as a sign of loyalty to the southern kingdom. Moreover, while Alaungpaya was merciless in his sacks of Thanlyin and Bago where the moats "ran red with gore", elsewhere he reappointed Mon governors who submitted. In all, Alaungpaya's rule of Lower Burma lasted less than two years, most of which he spent elsewhere fighting. Indeed, it

7695-426: The still-unstable Lower Burma. One year back, a major Mon rebellion broke out, temporarily driving out the Konbaung governor of Pegu (Bago). Although the rebellion was put down, Mon resistance was still operating in the upper Tenasserim coast (present-day Mon State), where Konbaung control was still largely nominal. Siam provided shelter to the rebel leaders and their resistance troops. Alaungpaya sought assurances from

7790-418: The times, (5-foot-11-inch in height (1.80 m) as described by an English envoy), the solidly built, sunburnt Aung Zeya displayed his natural ability to lead men and was viewed as a leader by his gentry peers throughout the valley. They began to take matters into their own hands to defend against the raids. The sickly regime at Ava was wary of any potential rivals. In 1736, Taungoo Yaza, commander-in-chief of

7885-400: The torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of oneness under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn

7980-541: The two figures were not fully established at an early date. An example is the stone sculpture found in the Qingzhou cache dedicated to Maitreya in 529 CE as recorded in the inscription (currently in the Qingzhou Museum, Shandong ). The religious belief of Maitreya apparently developed around the same time as that of Amitābha , as early as the 3rd century CE. Maitreya is often depicted standing or sitting on

8075-480: Was a charismatic military "leader of the first quality" who deeply inspired his people to do greater things. He was lavish in his praise and rewards but also merciless in failure. According to GE Harvey, "men felt that when he led them they could not fail", and "to be named at one of his investitures was the ambition of men's lives." The most important legacy of Alaungpaya was the restoration of central rule in Burma for

8170-706: Was an extensive Buddhist play in pre-Islamic Central Asia (c. 8th century). The Maitreyavyakarana (a poem in śatakam form) in Central Asia and the Anagatavamsa of South India also mention him. In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara , in the first centuries CE in northern India, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with Gautama Buddha . Numerous sculptures of Maitreya have been found in Greater Gandhara from

8265-489: Was convinced, however. After Ava fell on 23 March 1752, Alaungpaya's own father, Nyo San, urged him to submit. He pointed out that although Alaungpaya had scores of enthusiastic men, they only had a few muskets , and that their little stockade did not stand a chance against a well-equipped Hanthawaddy army that had just sacked a heavily fortified Ava. Alaungpaya was undeterred, saying: "When fighting for your country, it matters little whether there are few or many. What does matter

8360-510: Was finished. Afterwards, Chiang Mai and other states in present-day northwest Thailand, which had been in revolt since 1727, promptly sent in tribute. In the south too, the governors of Mottama and Dawei also sent tribute. In 1758, Alaungpaya dispatched an expedition to the northern Shan and Tai states (present-day northern and eastern Kachin State , northern Shan State, and Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture ) which had been annexed by

8455-524: Was in rapid decline. The "palace kings" at Ava had been unable to defend against the Manipuri raids that had been ransacking increasingly deeper parts of Upper Burma since 1724. Ava had failed to recover southern Lanna ( Chiang Mai ), which had revolted in 1727, and did nothing to prevent the annexation of northern Shan States by the Manchu Qing dynasty in the 1730s. The Mu Valley was directly on

8550-414: Was the vyuhakalpa (glorious aeon), and the present kalpa is called the bhadrakalpa (auspicious aeon). The Seven Buddhas of Antiquity ( saptatathāgata ) are seven Buddhas which bridge the last kalpa and the present kalpa, they begin with Vipassī and end (so far) with Gautama (Shakyamuni). Maitreya is thus the eighth Buddha in this line. According to traditional Buddhist sources Maitreya's advent

8645-644: Was the Sinhalese king Duṭṭhagāmaṇī . In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhas preside over pure lands , such as Sukhavati . Once Maitreya becomes a Buddha, he will rule over the Ketumati pure land, an earthly paradise sometimes associated with the city of Varanasi (also known as Benares) in Uttar Pradesh , India, and in other descriptions, the kingdom of Shambhala . Various Buddhist sources give details about Maitreya's birth, family and country. According to

8740-476: Was the establishment of military colonies and civilian settlement in Lower Burma. This policy would prove instrumental in eclipsing the Mon civilization by the early 19th century. Most of the non-military work he commissioned came during a few brief hiatuses between campaigns. In 1752, he designated Shwebo as the capital of his kingdom and enlarged what once was a mid-size village into a sizable city. He built

8835-527: Was the latter kings of Konbaung that increasingly suppressed Mon culture with each rebellion in 1762, 1774, 1783, 1792, and 1824–1826. Alaungpaya, as the founder of the Third Burmese Empire, is considered one of the three greatest Burmese kings , alongside Anawrahta and Bayinnaung , the founders of the First and Second Burmese Empires, respectively. List of Burmese monarchs This

8930-602: Was the second son of a lineage of gentry families that had administered the Mu Valley for generations. His father was a hereditary chief of Moksobo and his uncle, Kyawswa Htin ( ကျော်စွာထင် ), better known as Sitha Mingyi ( စည်သာမင်းကြီး ), was the lord of the Mu Valley District. Alaungpaya claimed descent from kings Mohnyin Thado , Narapati I and Thihathura of Ava , and ultimately the Pagan royal line. He came from

9025-469: Was wounded by a cannon shell explosion while he was inspecting the cannon corps at the front, but Burmese sources state clearly that he fell ill, and given the inglorious nature of death by illness it is unlikely they were trying to hide the truth. His ailment has been stated as " dysentery " or " scrofula " The Burmese began their retreat on 17 April 1760 (3rd waxing of Kason 1122 ME). Only Minkhaung Nawrahta 's 6000 men and 500 Cassay cavalrymen remained as

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