Ñāṇasatta Thera (1908–1984). The First Czech Buddhist Monk
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Martin Novosad, a native of Vizovice in Moravia, was the first citizen of former Czechoslovakia to become a Buddhist monk. After his entry into the Buddhist community (saṅgha), which took place at Island Hermitage in Ceylon in 1938, he received the monastic name Ñāṇasatta Thera from the Venerable Ñāṇatiloka Mahāthera, one of the most prominent Western Buddhist monks of the time. Novosad/Ñāṇasatta, whose work and extraordinary life is the focus of this article, was an extremely interesting and renowned personage, especially in Sri Lanka/Ceylon. His contribution to the history of Theravāda Buddhism is also significant.
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