The World's Most Devout Buddhist Country
Theravada Buddhism and the Pali Canon
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| 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.
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| 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.
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…
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| Gilded Stupa, Kuthodaw Paya, Mandalay |
… surrounded by 729 ‘stone-inscription caves.’
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| Among the 'inscription caves', Kuthodaw Paya, Mandalay |
Each ‘cave’ contains a marble slab inscribed with a section of the Pali Canon.
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| Inscribed stone, Kuthodaw Paya, Mandalay |
It claims, with some justification, to be the world’s largest book.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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....
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| Golden stupa, Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan |
...acres of tiled flooring - lethally slippery in the drizzle -
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| Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan |
...and all the usual statues and storytelling paintings of a Buddhist temple.
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| 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.
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| Two of the Great Nats, Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan |
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.
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| 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?
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| Lord Handsome (modelled on Mr Bean?) in his niche by the Tharabar Gate, Old Bagan |
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).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.)
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| 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.
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| Shwenandaw Kyaung, Mandalay |
But for the move it would have been destroyed when the British ousted the Japanese in 1945.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| The Golden Cave, Pindaya |
Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle
Sitting beside Lake Inle…
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| Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Lake Inle |
… Phaung Daw Oo Temple is most easily approached by boat.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Memorial where the barge capsized, Lake Inle |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| The gold covered corpse, Shwe Sayan Pagoda, Dala Township, Yangon |
Kandawgyi Lake and Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha
In Yangon itself I would not want to overlook the small temple on the walkway beside Kandawgyi Lake….
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| 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)
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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......
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| Praying at the Shwedagon Pagoda, Yagon |
... or merely to walk round, all seemed to feel the power of this special place.
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| 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.
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| Tending to my dragon, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon |
Lynne, being a Wednesday afternoon baby, attended to her tuskless elephant.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| And 15 minutes later it is dark, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon |
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
