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 Biographies

U Kovida
(IBMO Co-Founder)
He was born in Irrawaddy Division in Burma in 1927. U Kovida was one of the abbots at Masoeyein Monastery, one of the oldest Buddhist schools in Mandalay, where he taught Buddhist Literature. In1990, U Kovida led a patam nikkujjana kamma—an alms boycott of military families—in response to a violent crackdown on Buddhist monks in Mandalay. He was subsequently imprisoned from 1990 to1993. Since 2001 he had been dividing his time between Burma and New York, where he guided the Sasana Joti Center. U Kovida passed away on April 29, 2008. He was 81 years old.
Interview of U Kovida by Alan Senauke and Maia Duerr
Watch Freedom From Fear Film


Venerable Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa
(IBMO Co-Founder and Chairperson)
He was ordained as a novice at the age of fourteen and received higher ordination as a Bikkhu (Monk) on April 16, 1948. He studied Pãli and Buddhism in Wakhema, Rangoon and Mandalay and was awarded the degree of Sãsanadhaja Siripavara Dhammãcariya and the Religious Titles of Agga Mahã Pandita and Agga Mahã Saddhamma Jotika. He began his missionary work in 1954 in places such as Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands and Southern India. He has since built Burmese Buddhist Monasteries in Los Angeles, Sydney, Chicago, Toronto, Singapore Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Auckland. He founded the International Burmese Buddhist Sangha Organization in 1985 and he is currently the chief monk of the Burmese Buddhist Temple in Penang, Malaysia. He is the Chairman of the International Burmese Monks Organization (IBMO), a worldwide organization of Burmese monks formed after the recent crackdown in Burma. U Pannya Vamsa is the author of Mahã Paritta Pãli Scared Verses, The Dawn of Buddhism and The Ten Perfections.


Venerable Ashin Kawwida
(IBMO, Canada)
Venerable Ashin Kawwida was born on November 19, 1945 in Shawdaw Village, located above Mount Popa, Myingyan District, Mandalay Division. He was ordained as a Novice at age of 15 under the supervision of Master Reverend U Wayama and received the highest ordination at age 20 as a Monk in 1965 under supervision of Master Most Venerable U Larba. After graduating with a Dhammacariya degree from the South Htilin Buddhist Pali University, he tutored students in Pali and served as a personal assistant to Reverend U Jotika [President of the All Burma Yahanpyo League, a former Secretary General of the All Burma Yahanpyo [Younk Monks] League in Mandalay H.Q. He was also a former executive member of the Sangha Leaders Organizations in Mandalay and one of the Leaders of 1988 Democracy Revolution in Mandalay. He has written a book about his pilgrimages through India and Buddha’s birthplace entitled “from Irrawaddy to the Himalayas” He currently resides in Toronto, Canada and was recently given a volunteer service awards by the Ontario Provincial Government.


Venerable Ah Shin Ku Thala
( IBMO - Vice President)
Venerable Kusalarnanda was born on February 1952, and he became a novice monk at the age of 12 and a fully ordained as monk in 1972. He had studied at the Masoeyin Kyaung Taik in Mandalay, where he received religious degrees of primary, middle and higher education, including Dhammacariya examination.

He was a spiritual meditation master of the Myo Ma Mahasi meditation center in Mudun in 1981, and in 2003, he has also been a spiritual advisor at the Mahasi Meditation center, headquarter in Yangon. Since he has been taking as a patron of the London Vihara 2005, makes the Buddhist missionary works in the United Kingdom.

He is currently a vice president of the International Burmese Monks Organization (IBMO), which was formed in October 27, 2007, after Burma’s military brutally crackdown on peaceful protests led by the monks and nuns who were asking for fundamental human rights, such as right to life and freedom of faith.

The profound spiritual revolution of monks touched him deeply and inspired to continue his compassionate commitment to alleviate the suffering of people in Burma.




Venerable Ashin Nayaka
(IBMO-New York)
Dr. Ashin Nayaka has testified at United States Commission of International Religious Freedom, Japanese senate and Indonesian House Brazilian Parliament, and lectured on many current issues of Burma at Colleges and Universities in United States . He has widely traveled Asia, Europe and Latin America to increase international support for promoting peace and freedom in Burma. He is a secretary of the International Burmese Monks Organization.


Venerable Ashin Agga Dhamma
(IBMO-New York)
He was born on Dec 7, 1952 in Wamaw village not far from Tavoy in Burma’s Thaninthayi State. His early studies were conducted at the Kyaukkone Taw Ya Medini monastery in Rangoon where he was also a member of the 1988 uprising committee. He also led a monk’s non cooperation movement in 1990 in Rangoon; a boycott of the military regimes’ donations by a group of senior Burmese Buddhist monks. The patam nikkujjana kamma --overturning the bowl -- as the boycott is known in Buddhist religious scripture, was in response to a military crackdown that year in the central city of Mandalay. Thousands of monks who wanted to mark the second anniversary of Burma’s August 1988 pro-democracy uprising had gathered in Mandalay and for his part in this popular uprising Ashin Agga Dhamma was imprisoned for 5 years (1990 to 1995). After serving 6 months in the notorious Insein prison and four and half years in Thayawadi and Tha Yat he was released and fled to the border. Ashin Agga Dhamma now resides in the United States and is Assistant Deputy Secretary of IBMO-New York.


Venerable Kheminda
(IBMO – New York)

Ven. Kheminda was born on December 27, 1971, and he was ordained as monk in 1991. He had studied at the State Buddhist University in Yangon, where he received Bachelor degree (B.A.) in 1998 and Master degree (M. A.) in 2003 majoring in Buddhist theologies. He has lectured at the same University for eight years, and who also received Master degree(M.A) from Sri Lanka in 2007.

He is a leading member of the International Burmese Monks Organization (IBMO), which was formed in October 27, 2007, after Burma’s military brutally crackdown on peaceful protests led by the monks and nuns who were asking for fundamental human rights, such as right to life and freedom of faith.

He is increasingly involved in organization’s fund-raising efforts for the victims of the Nargis Cyclone that helped transform the lives of millions in Burma. He is now working in IBMO office in New York to increase global awareness for the people of Burma who are silenced by the most repressive regimes in the world. The profound spiritual revolution of monks touched him deeply and inspired to continue his compassionate commitment to alleviate the suffering of people in Burma.




Venerable Ashin Vimala
(IBMO – New York)
He was ordained as a novice at the age of fourteen and became a Bhikkhu (monk) when he reached at the age of twenty in Magwe Division. When he was in Burma, he taught Pariyatti (Pali Texts) to the students of the primary and middle schools. He had been also one of guiding monks at Mahasi Meditation Missionary for the promotion of the Insight Meditation while residing at Mahasi Meditation Center in Yangon for three years. Now, he is one of the leading members of International Burmese Monks Organization since it has been founded in October 2007 after the military dictatorship brutally cracked down on peaceful protests led by monks and nuns who were asking respect for basic human right in Burma.


U Paynnyar Thiri
(IBMO-New York)
He was born in 1979 in Pegu Division,Burma.He was ordained as a Bikkhu(Monk) in 1999 and studied Buddhism in Rangoon for 8 years.He took part in 2007 Saffron Revolution and after the military regime's crack down on the protest, he managed to escape to Thailand.Now he is residing in United States.


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