Vedas for Novice Bhikkhus?

[Will]

In a short biography of Ledi Sayadaw it mentions he was taught and mastered the Vedas when he was a novice. Is it or was it common in Burma or any other Theravadin nation to teach the Vedas or other works of Hinduism to novice Bhikkhus?

[Dhammanando]

Hi Will,

In a short biography of Ledi Sayadaw it mentions he was taught and mastered the Vedas when he was a novice. Is it or was it common in Burma or any other Theravadin nation to teach the Vedas or other works of Hinduism to novice Bhikkhus?

I don't think it's common anywhere nowadays, but in the past a Theravada pariyatti monk was expected to be learned in quite a number of fields besides the obvious ones of Pali grammar and Pali texts. The 20th century state-imposed stream-lining of monastic curricula, coupled with the introduction of secular state education (where formerly education, especially for the poor, had been largely in the hands of monks), pretty much put an end to this.

Best wishes,
Dhammanando Bhikkhu