Theravada (2) Myanmar: Buddhist Temples, Monasteries and Buddha Images Part 5

The World's Most Devout Buddhist Country

Theravada Buddhism and the Pali Canon

Dharmachakra

Theravada (lit. "School of the Elders") is the oldest existing branch of Buddhism. For more than two millennia, Theravadins have preserved their version of the Buddha’s teaching in the classical Indian language of Pali.

The first Buddhist Council, held some 30 years after the death of Gautama Buddha (he died in either 483 or 400 BCE) adopted the oral testimony of two of his leading disciples to be the guiding scriptures of what would become the Theravada tradition. This testimony became known as the Pali Canon and is traditionally described as the ‘Word of the Buddha’. For centuries it was preserved orally by Bhāṇakas (Pali: reciters), monks who specialised in the memorisation and recitation of a specific collection of texts.

During the 4th Buddhist Council in Sri Lanka around 29 BCE, the decision was taken to make a written version of the canon. For centuries the bhānaka tradition existed alongside the written word and there are still monks who memorise vast chunks of the scripture.

The internet does not know, or will not tell me, how many words the canon runs to (in any language) but published versions generally fill around 50 volumes - so not holiday reading, then.

Pali and the Pali Canon in Myanmar

Pali historical chronicles record that the Indian Emperor Ashoka the Great (ruled 268-232 BCE) sent monks to the area of modern Myanmar to spread Buddhism. How successful they were is not recorded, but there are no known local inscriptions until 500 years later. However it came about, by the 5th century, Theravada Buddhism was undoubtedly the dominant religion in the Pyu kingdoms of central Myanmar and the Mon kingdoms of the south.

Mayazedi Stone

The importance of Pali is shown by the Mayazedi Stone outside one of Bagan’s many hundreds of temples.

The Mayazedi Stone, Myinkaba

Inscribed in 1113, the four sides of the stone tell the same story in four different languages: Burmese remains the local tongue, Mon is still spoken by a million people in Mon State to the south, Pyu, once the language of central Myanmar is extinct but was deciphered from this stone and Pali, by then a liturgical language and no longer spoken, was as well-known as Greek or Latin in medieval Europe.

(See Bagan (2), Yet more Temples and a Drift down the Irrawaddy 2012)

Kuthodaw Pagoda and the World's Biggest Book

Just outside the royal palace complex in Mandalay is the Kuthodaw Paya. Built on the orders of King Mindon and completed in 1868, it consists of a gilded stupa…

Gilded Stupa, Kuthodaw Paya, Mandalay

… surrounded by 729 ‘stone-inscription caves.’

Among the 'inscription caves', Kuthodaw Paya, Mandalay

Each ‘cave’ contains a marble slab inscribed with a section of the Pali Canon.

Inscribed stone, Kuthodaw Paya, Mandalay

It claims, with some justification, to be the world’s largest book.

(See Mandalay and Amarapura 2012)

Monasticism

Monasticism is an important component of Theravada. Most boys in Myanmar spend some time in a monastery – usually during the school holidays – learning about the monastic life, though no commitment is made before adulthood.

Myanmar’s 500,000 monks make up almost 1% of the population, the highest proportion of any Buddhist country.

We spent half an hour with the abbot of Moe Goak Monastery near Yangon (See Across the Yangon River to Dala 2012). His monks had taken on the responsibility of housing and educating children orphaned by Cyclone Nargis which killed 140,000 people in the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008. An impressive man, he combined gentleness with a clear understanding of the situation and obvious determination.

Morning break in the schoolroom, Moe Goak Monastery, Dala Township, Yangon

Elsewhere we saw monks guiding youngsters through the elements of Buddhism, but we also visited monasteries where monks’ duties seemed to involve swinging in hammocks and fanning themselves. The quantity of monks is great, the quality appears variable.

Temples in Myanmar

Our 2012 tour of Myanmar had four main stops Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Lake Inle. We started and finished in Yangon, but for current purposes it is best to start at Bagan and work up to Yangon’s magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda.

The positions of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Lake Inle within Myanmar
Borrowed from Nations Online Project

Bagan

500km north of Yangon, Bagan was the capital of the Empire of Pagan. Starting modestly in the 9th century the Empire grew to encompass most of modern Myanmar before its decline in the 13th century.

At the Empire’s zenith anybody who was anybody built a monastery, temple, or at least a stupa. Over 2,000 remain, but there may once have been as many as 10,000, suggesting that on average one was started every week for 200 years.

After an early morning flight from Yangon, most visitors are taken straight to the Dhammayaziki Pagoda for an overview. Yangon had been hot but Bagan, our Yangon guide warned us, would be hotter still and we should beware the strong sun. We arrived in a temperature of barely 20º, with drizzle hanging in the air and low-level mist. We put off visiting Dhammayaziki for 24 hours, by which time we knew what to expect. For a new arrival the view must be stunning, for us it was merely breath-taking.

Bagan Plain from the Dhammayaziki Pagoda

The temples are mostly small and no longer in use, so although we visited many the only one relevant to this post, is..

The Shwezigon Pagoda

Dating from 1102 in the reign of King Kyansittha, Shwezigon is an active temple complex with golden stupas....

Golden stupa, Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan

...acres of tiled flooring - lethally slippery in the drizzle -

Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan

...and all the usual statues and storytelling paintings of a Buddhist temple.

Scenes from the life of Buddha, Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan

There are also statues of the Great Nats.

The Nats embody the spirits of places, or of people who died tragically long ago. Nat worship, the local pre-Buddhist religion, has been incorporated into Burmese Buddhism just as the Sri Lankans co-opted some Hindu Gods. When King Anawrahta introduced Buddhism in the 11th century there were 36 Nats, but destroying their temples and banning animal sacrifices created fierce opposition so he added a 37th. Thagyamin was a Hindu deity cognate with Indra, who had paid homage to the Buddha and by declaring Thagyamin ‘King of the Nats’ he effectively subordinated the Nats to Buddha. Some senior Buddhists would like to see Nat worship downgraded if not abandoned, and Tin (our local guide) was distinctly sniffy ('good luck mascots for the uneducated') but they remain important to many ordinary people.

Two of the Great Nats, Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan

(See Bagan (1), Temples, Lacquerware and more Temples 2012)

The Tharabar Gate and the Great Nats

Old Bagan’s city wall was built between the 10th and 12th centuries. Only a few hundred metres remain, the longest existing stretch being either side of the Tharabar Gate.

Tharabar Gate, Old Bagan

Wandering out from our nearby hotel, we saw an elderly lady bringing flowers for the gate’s guardian Nats.

Lord Handsome sits in a niche on one side, his sister Lady Golden Face on the other. A rival of Lord Handsome suggested reconciliation and offered marriage to Lady Golden Face, but his true motive was to lure Lord Handsome to the wedding party. There, he captured him and burnt him at the stake. Lady Golden Face jumped into the fire and only her face survived the all-consuming flames. A tragedy, certainly, but is this an appropriate qualification for being gate guardians?

Lord Handsome (modelled on Mr Bean?) in his niche by the Tharabar Gate, Old Bagan

(See Bagan (2), Yet more Temples and a Drift down the Irrawaddy 2012)

Mandalay

Gold leaf production and temples constructed of teak are Mandalay’s specialities.

The Mahamuni Buddha

The Mahamuni Buddha is believed by some to be over 2000 years old and to be one of the five images made during the Buddha’s lifetime. He breathed on it and it instantly became a perfect likeness. It arrived in Mandalay in 1784, carted off from the Bay of Bengal as war booty (and that, at least, seems believable).

The Mahamuni Buddha, Mandalay

Those wishing to venerate the statue can enter railed off enclosures, monks at the front, men behind and women, including nuns, at the back.

Venerating the Mahamuni Buddha, Mandalay

Men may also place gold leaf on the image (though not, of course, the face as that is a perfect likeness). Non-Buddhist men may join the gilders, though all women are strictly forbidden.

With the devotees gilding the Mahamuni Buddha - and their fingers, Mandalay

Gold Leaf Production

Earlier we had visited a gold leaf producer. I am unsure what I expected to see, maybe rollers and steam hammers, but what I had not expected was two slight young men with seriously overdeveloped biceps flattening ingots with 15lb hammers. (Despite being independent since 1948, and cutting off all contact with the former colonial power, Myanmar still clings to imperial weights and measures.)

Pounding the gold leaf, King Galon workshop, Mandalay

Shwenandaw Kyaung

Shwenandaw Kyaung, near the old palace complex at the foot of Mandalay hill, is maybe the finest of the teak temples.

Originally part of the royal apartments inside the wall, it was dismantled and re-erected outside in 1878 by King Thibaw, the last King of Burma. His predecessor, King Mindon, had died in this building and his ghost was creating problems. It became a monastery in 1880.

Shwenandaw Kyaung, Mandalay

But for the move it would have been destroyed when the British ousted the Japanese in 1945.

(See Mandalay and Amarapura 2012)

Lake Inle and Around

Roads in Myanmar are usually in good repair, but there are not many of them, so we flew the 150km from Mandalay to Heho, gateway to Lake Inle. Before visiting the lake, we drove 30km north to the small town of Pindaya.

The Golden Cave of Pindaya

These posts are headed ‘Buddhist Temples, Monasteries and Buddha Images’. I have rather neglected the third of these – until now.

Many years ago, an evil Nat in the shape of a spider captured seven princesses and imprisoned them in a cave. Fortunately, a gallant prince heard their cries and came to their rescue, killing the spider with an arrow. ‘Pinguya,’ he shouted (‘I have taken the spider’) and the event is commemorated with this Disneyesque artwork.

Pinguya

Over the years ‘Pinguya’ became Pindaya and the cave became ‘The Golden Cave’ and a place of pilgrimage. Since 1773, maybe earlier, pilgrims have been leaving Buddha images in the cave. The count when we visited in 2012 was 8,054. Doubtless there are now more.

Inside the Golden Cave, Pindaya

We had been expecting a cave full of Buddhas, but that did not stop an involuntary gasp when we actually saw it. The cave extends over 150m into the hillside and along the paths, up the walls and in every recess and on every ledge there is a Buddha image.

The Golden Cave, Pindaya

Some are large, some small, some are old, some new. Many bear a plaque with the donor’s name and the date of donation. Most plaques are written in Burmese, but not all, we found one image donated by a family from Burnley.

The Golden Cave, Pindaya

My knowledge of Buddhism is not great and I am unconvinced this is what the Buddha himself would have wanted; but it makes an impressive sight and even this old sceptic found the devotion involved surprisingly moving.

The Golden Cave, Pindaya

(See Pindaya, Heho and the Five Day Market 2012)

Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle

Sitting beside Lake Inle…

Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle

… Phaung Daw Oo Temple is most easily approached by boat.

Outside Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle

Although not an old building, it houses five Buddha statues brought to Lake Inle by King Alaungsithu of Bagan in the 12th century. Victims of the 'gold leafers', they are no longer identifiable as Buddhas.

Applying gold leaf to the Buddha images, Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle

Phaung Daw Oo mean Principle Royal Barge and the barge in question sits, like a huge gilded bath duck, in an adjacent dock. As part of a major festival every September/October four of the Buddhas are loaded onto the barge and rowed round the lake.

Principle Royal Barge, Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle

In the 1960s the barge capsized in bad weather. Fortunately, the lake is shallow and three were soon recovered, but the fourth was thought lost. Miraculously it returned itself to the temple and was found one morning with its companions, wet and covered with lake weed.

Memorial where the barge capsized, Lake Inle

(See Inle Lake (1), Stilt Houses, Fishermen and Non-Swimming Buddhas 2012)

Yangon

The Shwe Sayan Pagoda, Dala

As the nation’s biggest city and former capital Yangon has the best temples, but one of my favourites is in the semi-rural township of Dala just across the Yangon River.

The pagoda is a place of bright colours, greens, blues and, of course, gold (some gold leaf but more gold paint), a place of stupas, spires and shrines, where organic forms loom or writhe over geometric shapes.

The entrance to Shwe Sayan Pagoda, Dala Township, Yangon

Bathed in brilliant light, it feels like a fantasy land, but a fantasy founded in faith and sincerity, not some slick commercial Disneyland.

Shwe Sayan Pagoda, Dala Township, Yangon

The prize exhibit is a monk who died 150 years ago. He clearly attained Nirvana as his body has not decayed, though we must take that on trust as he is encased in gold leaf. In the early 2000s he opened an eye to warn of a coming cyclone. Call me a cynic if you must, but the photographic evidence displayed beside the gold-swathed corpse was not wholly convincing.

The gold covered corpse, Shwe Sayan Pagoda, Dala Township, Yangon

(See Across the Yangon River to Dala 2012)

Kandawgyi Lake and Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha

In Yangon itself I would not want to overlook the small temple on the walkway beside Kandawgyi Lake….

Small temple by Kandawgyi Lake, Yangon

….and the much more important Chaukhtatgyi Temple with its 100m long reclining Buddha – twice the length of the famous Wat Pho reclining Buddha in Bangkok (see Bangkok (1) The Old Royal Centre. 2012)

Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha, Yangon

But size is not everything, even in giant reclining Buddhas. While Bangkok’s Buddha has grace and elegance, Yangon’s looks stiff and awkward. The face of the Wat Pho Buddha is serene, while Chaukhtatgyi’s looks petulant – even if you can forgive the Lilly Savage eyelashes.

Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha, Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

A fitting climax to this post, the great golden stupa of the Shwedagon Pagoda is visible from all over Yangon. Perched on a low hill, it is 100m high, and is believed to enshrine a hair of the Buddha and be 2500 years old. Archaeology suggests the first stupa on this site was actually built between the 6th and 10th century AD and that the earliest parts of the present structure date from 1769.

Covered walkways climb the hill in a series of gentle staircases from each quarter of the compass, but we drove to the base and used the lift.

Stepping out onto the marble flagged promenade surrounding the central stupa we both halted, blinked and looked again. The stupa is encircled by a ring of smaller gold spires interspersed with statues of the Buddha and of spirits and animals real and mythical. Lining the promenade’s outer edge are chapels, meeting rooms and halls housing huge bronze bells set among yet more golden spires. Gold can look garish and ostentatious but we found ourselves staring at a scene of great delicacy, sublime harmony and outstanding beauty.

The Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Despite the crowd - tourists, monks and local citizens going about their devotions - there was an atmosphere of calm, even serenity. Lynne uses words like ‘spiritual’ which I find problematic so I will merely say it felt like an enchanted place. Whether people have come to pray, meditate......

Praying at the Shwedagon Pagoda, Yagon

... or merely to walk round, all seemed to feel the power of this special place.

Walking round the Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Each day of the week is represented by an animal, and their statues can be found at 45º intervals around the stupa (eight statues because Buddha achieved enlightenment on a Wednesday so it has two animals, one for the morning, one for the afternoon). To make merit and concentrate the mind it is wise to honour the statue representing the day of your birth, so I poured water three times over the Buddha, three times over his supporter and three times over the dragon as I was born on a Saturday.

Tending to my dragon, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Lynne, being a Wednesday afternoon baby, attended to her tuskless elephant.

Lynne with her tuskless elephant, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Before we had completed our circuit, night began to fall. As the light faded the gold glowed almost crimson and then, as the floodlights were turned up, a rich orange as magic seemed to float in the warm night air. There is no twilight in tropical latitudes and in fifteen minutes the sky had turned from cerulean blue to inky blackness. A large diamond is set in the stupa’s crown, and if you stand in just the right place, the floodlighting makes it twinkle like a star. By small changes of position, you can see it sparkling red or green or any other colour of the rainbow.

The light starts to fade

A group of devotees in one of the assembly halls started chanting. We stayed to listen as the crowd started to drift away. When they had finished, we too went, slowly descending one of the walkways into the embrace of the secular world outside, still a little dazed and awestruck by the whole experience.

And 15 minutes later it is dark, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

(See Yangon, a Reclining Buddha and the Swedagon Pagoda, 2012)

So, this look at Burmese Buddhism ends with the remarkable Shwedagon Pagoda. Lynne can use words like spiritual; I avoid it, but end up with ‘enchanted’ and ‘magic’. I do not believe in magic either, it’s just a metaphor for….well, something I lack the vocabulary to describe. And that’s a cop out.

At the start I called Myanmar the world’s most devout Buddhist country. They spend a higher proportion of their income on their religion than anyone else and have more monks per head of population. Myanmar’s Buddhism is not perfect, but it remains a consolation for many as the country slides back into military dictatorship.

Buddhist Temples, Monasteries and Buddha Images

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Mahayana Buddhism
Part 3: Tibetan Buddhism
Part 4: Theravada (1) Sri Lanka
Part 5: Theravada (2) Myanmar
Part 6: Theravada (3) Laos, Cambodia & Thailand