Anna Allott
In 1998, Daw Tin Tin Myaing (Brenda Stanley), the youngest daughter of the late Burmese scholar U Pe Maung Tin, organized a symposium at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies to honor the achievements of her father. U Pe Maung Tin grew up as a Christian, but mastered Pali, the language of Buddhism, early in his career. This led him to become one of the world’s leading translators of Pali texts into English and interpreter of Buddhist doctrine to Western scholars. This article by guest editor and former student Anna Allott outlines U Pe Maung Tin’s life and work as a Pali scholar, lifelong student and promoter of the Burmese language, historian, linguist, phonetician, teacher, and editor.
Alan Saw U
U Pe Maung Tin’s accomplishments as a Burmese scholar are well-documented. Less so are his teachings and writings about Christianity and the Christian ministry in Burma. Alan Saw U, executive secretary and editor of the Myanmar Christian Literary Society, reflects on U Pe Maung Tin’s life as a leading figure in the Anglican Church in Burma.
Denise Bernot
U Pe Maung Tin possessed, by nature, all of the qualities of an erudite researcher: he was always ready to learn more; constantly trying to deepen his understanding; frequently opening a new line of inquiry; and in his work, at once rigorous and bold. U Pe Maung Tin never allowed himself to become a prisoner of tradition, though he knew perfectly the traditions of his own country and masterfully assimilated those of Great Britain. Convention never obstructed him from stating a scientific truth or doing the morally right thing. For those reasons, he left behind a legacy of lasting valuable research.
U Tun Aung Chain
A leading contemporary Burmese historian, U Aung Chain Tun offers a thoughtful and illuminating perspective on U Pe Maung Tin’s translation ion of The Glass Palace Chronicle of the Kings of Burma with G.H. Luce.
Tilman Frasch
While trolling a Burmese market, German scholar Tilman Frasch unexpectedly found a battered copy of U Pe Maung Tin’s first work, Notes on Dipavamsa, a text that opened new doors to scholarship on the history and literature of Theravada Buddhism—and set U Pe Maung Tin on a long and fruitful journey as Burma’s leading scholar of the 20 th century.
Patricia M. Herbert
From age 23 until his death at 84, U Pe Maung Tin was a prodigious writer and editor in both Burmese and English. He was the editor of the im