Aung Zabu Monastery
Buddhist monastery in Hmawbi, Myanmar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aung Zabu Forest Monastery (Burmese: အောင်ဇမ္ဗူတောရဓမ္မရိပ်သာ; Aung Zabu Tawya Dhamma Yeiktha), commonly known as Japan Paya (Burmese: ဂျပန်ဘုရား) is a Buddhist monastery (kyaung) in Yegya village, Hmawbi Township, Yangon Region, Myanmar (Burma).
| Aung Zabu Forest Monastery | |
|---|---|
အောင်ဇမ္ဗူတောရဓမ္မရိပ်သာ | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Theravada Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Country | Hmawbi Township, Yangon Region, Burma |
 Interactive map of Aung Zabu Forest Monastery | |
| Coordinates | 17.0778288969°N 96.0835091118°E |
The monastery was opened c. 2012, using the name of a prominent Buddhist retreat centre in Mawlamyine.[1] The monastery is known for a collection of 301 historic Buddha images from the Pagan, Pinnya, Ava, Toungoo, Nyaungyan, Tagaung and Konbaung eras, although the authenticity of these images has not been verified.[1][2][3] The images were donated by a Japanese national named Kumano in 2012.[2] Over 10,000 visitors per week visit the monastery.[4]
Controversies
The monastery has been mired in controversy, criticised for being more a business venture, rather than a religious centre.[1] The monastery grounds now include a shopping arcade, a small zoo, and other attractions.[1] In 2023, the monastery's abbot Paṇḍavaṃsa sparked additional controversy after hosting a lavish 60th birthday celebration at Lotte Hotel in Yangon.[1] He also opened a library, which purportedly doubles as a luxury residence, in Pyin Oo Lwin.[1]
