A Biography of Samdech Chuon Nath

A Biography of Samdech Chuon Nath: A Master of the Khmer Literature Samdech Sangha Raja Jhotañano Choun Nath (born March 11, 1883 - died September 25, 1969) is the late Supreme Patriarch Kana Mahanikaya of Cambodia. Amongst his achievements is his effort in conservation of the Khmer language in the form of the Khmer dictionary. His protection of Khmer identity and history in the form of the national anthem, Nokor Reach and Savada Khmer are also amongst his contribution to the country.

Conserving the Khmer Language
Venerable Chuon Nath was the head of a reformist movement in the Khmer Buddhist Sangha which developed a rationalist-scholastic model of Buddhism, rooted in linguistic studies of the Pali Cannon. This new movement, known as Dhammakaya, influenced young Khmer monks in the early 20th century. The new movmenet also cultivated Khmer-language identity and culture, giving rise to the notion of Cambodian nationalism.
Chuon Nath pushed for a series of innovations in the Khmer Sangha beginning in the early twentieth century: the use of print for sacred texts (rather than traditional methods of hand-inscribing palm-leaf manuscripts); a higher degree of expertise in Pali and Sanskrit studies among monks; a vision of orthodoxy based on teaching of Vinaya texts for both monks and lay-people; and modernization of teaching methods for Buddhist studies.
He also oversaw the translation of the entire Buddhist Pali cannon into Khmer language; and the creation of the Khmer language dictionary.
The French set up its protectorate over Cambodia and intended to replace the Khmer language with its own through the so-called "pseudo-French intellectuals." This intention rallied many Cambodian scholars to the course of conserving the Khmer language; one such scholar was Samdech Choun Nath. A son of farmers who later became a monk, Samdech Choun Nath dedicated his life to upholding Buddhism and the conservation of Khmer language in the country that was highly influenced by French colonialism. He had an extensive knowledge of the Khmer language. He was probably the most famous and most knowledgeable monk Cambodia had ever had. A master in Buddha’s teaching, he was very well known around the Buddhism circle as well as very adept at languages. Throughout his life he encouraged the use of "Khmerization" in both public education and religions. What Samdech Choun Nath meant by "Khmerization" was he wanted to derive new Khmer words from its ancestral roots, the Pali and Sanskrit languages. For example, when the train arrived first in Cambodia, there was no Khmer word for the train. Samdech Choun Nath thus derived the word for train from Sanskrit and Pali word of Ayomoyo which means something that is made of metal. Together with the word Yana which means vehicle, came the Khmer word for train which we know today as Ayaksmeyana, pronounced Ayak-smey-yean.
However, Samdech Choun Nath’s Khmerization was not overall accepted by all Khmers. Other scholars such as Keng Vannsak who were pro-French did not find the kind of Khmer words derived from Pali and Sanskrit to be convenient. They revolutionized another kind of derivation which they want to adopt normalized French word into Khmer vocabulary. The only major change was to use Khmer alphabet to write the word rather than using the Roman alphabets used by the French. But despite opposition, Samdech Choun Nath’s Khmerization succeeded. He was a member of the original committee granted royal order to compile a Khmer dictionary in 1915 and was credited as the founder of the dictionary as he pushed for and finally succeeded in printing the first edition of the current Khmer dictionary in 1967.
Samdech Choun Nath’s other contribution to Cambodia include the current national anthem, Nokoreach. Nokoreach was written to correspond to the motto of the nation, "Nation, Religion, King" as well as demonstrate the grandeur and the mighty past of the Khmer nation.

Savada Khmer
Samdech Choun Nath's ballad Savada Khmer calls for all Khmer to unite, to remember and to uphold the great history of the Khmer people.

English Translation
All Khmers, please remember the root and history of our great country
Our boundary was wide and well known
Others always thought highly of our race
And always placed our race as the elders.
We have great heritage and culture
Which has spread far and wide in the Far East.
Religion, arts and education,
Music, philosophy and strategies are all that we have spread.
All Khmers, please remember our roots and history
Which speaks of the grandeur of our great race
Make up your mind and body and try hard to rebuild
In order to lift the value of our nationTo once again rise to the greatness that we once had.

Source: Wikipedia, Khmerization, More information...

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Permalink Reply by Hanzze on January 10, 2012 at 8:08am

Dear friends,

by all the good national and worldly achievements which have been implicated by Samdech Chuon Nath, we don't need to forget that nationalism and recall on race had always caused the greatest disasters on earth.

Other countries have strong laws and would not accept for example such songs like the one who is posted here. So its always good to remember and benefit from the wholesome work of great beings but do not take all as guidance accept its form an enlightenment being.

In this context the Buddha for example said (this is especial important for proud young people to understand):

"O! Gotama, we have a dispute on birth.
Bhàradvàja says by birth a Brahmin is made
And I say by actions a Brahmin is made."

The Blessed One said:

ßVaseññha, I will tell you step by step how it happens,
The classification of living things in this and other births.

601. Look at the grass and trees, although they are not aware,
This and the other have attributes peculiar to their births.

602. So also insects, like grasshoppers and ants
They have attributes peculiar to their births.

603. Look at the animals small and large
They have attributes peculiar to their births.

604. Look at the serpents with long backs going on their bellies,
They have attributes peculiar to their births.

605. Look at the fish too, who find food in the water.
They have attributes peculiar to their births.

606. Look at the birds flying through the air.
They have attributes peculiar to their births.

607. Although these have various attributes, at birth,
In humans various attributes are not evident at birth.

608. They are not in the hair, head, ears or eyes
Not in the mouth, nose, lips or eye-lashes

609. Not in the neck, flanks stomach or back,
Not in the buttocks, chest, pudendum, nor in the sexual intercourse.

610. Not in the hands, feet, fingers or nails, nor in the knees and calves,
Not in the hue or voice, by which to know their birth.

611. In the individual bodies of humans, these are not evident,
They are designated by the activities of humans.

612. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood by looking after cattle,
Vàseññha, know him as a farmer, not as a brahmin.

613. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood doing a craft,
Vàseññha, know him as a craftsman, not as a brahmin.

614. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood by trading,
Vàseññha, know him as a merchant, not as a brahmin.

615. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood working for others,
Vàseññha, know him as a workman, not a brahmin.

616. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood out of what is not given,
Vàseññha, know he is a robber, not a brahmin.

617. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood serving the king,
Vàseññha, know he is a soldier, not a brahmin.

618. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood by advising the king,
Vàseññha, know he is the adviser, not a brahmin.

619. Among humans whoever makes a livelihood
enjoying the wealth of the village andcountry,
Vàsseññhs, know he is the king, not a brahmin.

620. One born of a brahmin woman's womb is not a brahmin,
By address, he is sir, he has defilements,
When he has no defilements and no seizings, I call him a brahmin.

621. When all bonds are cut, if one is not worried,
Bonds, cut and unyoked, I call him a brahmin.

622. Cutting the straps of interest and the present fetters,
When the obstacles removed, is enlightened, I call him a brahmin.

623. If one endures scoldings and floggings without an angry mind,
Develops patience and a lot of it. I callhim a brahmin.

624. Not angry, austere, virtuous not haughty
With taming he bears the last body, I call him a brahmin.

625. Like water that does not stay on the lotus leaf,
the mustard seed that slips from the tip of the
rrow, When not soiled in sensuality, I call him a brahmin.

626. He understands unpleasantness, having diminished
the self view here itself.
When the load bandoned is unyoked, I call him a brahmin.

627. With deep wisdom becomes clever in the path andnon-path,
When attained to the highest truth, I call him a brahmin.

628. Not soiled by householders or by those gone forth,
When he becomes homeless with few desires, I call him a brahmin.

629. Giving up punishing living things infirm or firm,
When he does not kill or hurt anyone, I call him a brahmin.

630. Among enemies without enmity,
among those hurting the self, extinguished,
When among the seizing without a seizing, I call him a brahmin.

631. Like mustard seeds on the tip of a sword, if his greed and hate,
Measuring and malice fall away, I call him a brahmin.

632. Instructs without harsh words, bringing out the truth
When he does not curse anybody, I call him a brahmin.

633. Long or short, small or large, agreeable or disagreeable,
When he does not take anything not given, I call him a brahmin.

634. Is without desires for this world and the next,
When without desires is unyoked, I call him a brahmin.

635. When he has no roosting places, knowing what should and should not be done,
And has taken a dive in the deathless, I call him a brahmin.

636. Overcoming both bonds of merit and demerit
Made pure, without grief, and not attached. Then I call him a brahmin.

637. Like the extremely pure moon undisturbed and without stains,
When the interest `to be' is destroyed, I call him a brahmin.

638. Overcoming this difficult path of deluded existence, concentrates,
Is fearless, doubts overcome, is extinguished without seizings, I call him a Brahmin.

639. Giving up sensuality, one goes forth as a homeless
When his sensuous thoughts are destroyed, I call him a brahmin.

640. Giving up craving, one goes forth as a homeless.
When his greedy thoughts are destroyed, I call him a brahmin.

641. Giving up the human yoke, overcomes the heavenly yoke,
When he is unyoked, I call him a brahmin.

642. Giving up attachment and aversion is cooled and without seizings,
When the hero wins over the whole world, I call him a brahmin.

643. Seeing the fading of beings and also their arising
Is unsoiled, well gone and enlightened, I call him a brahmin.

644. His movements [1] are not known by gods heavenly musicians or humans,
When desires destroyed, he becomes worthy, I call him a brahmin.

645. Has no defiling things in the past, afterwards or in the middle,
When not defiled and not holding I call him a brahmin.

646. The noble bull, the heroic great sage, the fearless winner,
The bather, the enlightened one, I call him a brahmin.

647. Knowing earlier births, and seeing heavenly and hellish existences,
Comes to the destruction of birth, I call him a brahmin.

648. The usual way of the world is to be planned about name and clan,
But accumulated things meet coincidently, at the right time.

649. Ignorantly entangled in views for a long time,
The not knowing tell us, that by birth a brahmin is born.

650. By birth a brahmin is not born, by birth a non-brahmin is not born,
By actions a brahmin is born, by actions a non-brahmin is born.

651. By actions a farmer is born, by actions a craftsman is born,
By actions a merchant is born, by actions a workman is born.

652. By actions a robber is born, by actions a soldier is born,
By actions an adviser is born, by actions a king is born.

653. Thus the wise see action as it really is,
Seeing it dependently arise becomes clever in the results of actions.

654. By actions the world rolls on, by actions the populace roll on,
Beings bound to actions, go on, like the linch pin of the wheel.

655. By austerities, leading the holy life, restraint and taming,
By these a brahmin is born, that is the most noble brahmin.

656. Endowed with the three knowledges, appeased and rebirth destroyed
Vàseññha know it as recognizing Brahmà and Sakha.

from the To the Brahmin Vasettha

Khmer is said to come from the a anicent sanskrit word khemera, which means "somebody who do wholesome actions, acts kusala". So there is no actually really no need to be not proud of acting kusala as this is the only thing one should be proud of.

And everybody can be Khmer as well as we should invite everybody to join real Khmerhood and let go of such illusion ideas like race (what is a permanently change) as an indicator of being something special.

Our deeds are important nothing else, the rest is politic and base of struggle, suffering and pain.

_()_

with metta

Hanzze