Concentration shows on the face of a monk (right) during an examination to recite the Buddhist Pali canon.

ABOUT 220 monks are sitting an examination to test their knowledge of the thousands of pages that comprise the Tipitaka, or Theravada Buddhist canon.

The Tipitaka, also known as the Triple Gem or the Three Baskets, is written in Pali, an ancient Indian language, and comprises more than 8000 pages.

The month-long exam, the 56th of its kind to be held in Myanmar, began on December 28.

It was organised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and is being held at the Thirimingalar Kaba Aye Pagoda on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road.

“The ministry has organised the exam to support the strengthening of Theravada Buddhism since 1948,” U Tun Naing, an official at the ministry, told Myanmar Times.

U Tun Naing said the exam was first held in 1948 to assist with preparations for the sixth Buddhist synod, held in Yangon in 1953.

The monks take oral and written texts of the three groups of texts: the Vinaya Pitaka, which outlines the 227 rules of conduct for monks; the Suttanta Pitaka, which contains the teachings of Lord Buddha and his disciples; and the Abhidhamma Pitaka which is a collection of scholarly treatises.

The results of the exam are judged by a committee comprising nine senior monks. U Tun Naing said three of the candidates taking the exam had already recited all of the Tipitaka and passed written examinations of most of the canon.

He said that candidates were allowed to take the exam in parts over five years.

Monks who recite all of the Tipitaka are awarded the title Tipitakadhara. Monks who pass the written test receive the title, Tipitaka-kovida.

U Tun Naing said nine monks had been awarded both titles since the exam began.

The first monk to be awarded both titles was the late U Vicittasarabhivamsa, known as Mingun Sayadaw. He received the titles in 1953 at a ceremony that coincided with the sixth Buddhist synod.

“It is an extremely impressive achievement for a monk to receive both titles,” U Tun Naing said.

He said Mingun Sayadaw, who was 42 when he received the titles, had studied for the examination for four years but most monks required at least 10 years of preparation.

About half of those who take the exam each year are from the Mingun Tipitakani-kaya monastery, at Mingun village in Sagaing Division. The monastery was founded by Mingun Sayadaw in 1978 to help monks prepare for the exam. Ministry figures show that there are more than 200,000 monks at 52,000 monasteries throughout Myanmar.

Theravada Buddhism, which closely adheres to the teachings of the Lord Buddha, is the predominant form of the religion in Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as Myanmar.