Buddhism In Myanmar

by Jaycee Jung

Myanmar is one of the primary Buddhist countries in the world. The people there mainly practise Theradava Buddhism, which is the oldest Buddhist teaching preserved in the ancient Indian language of Pali. As Buddhism has been the nation’s religion since the era of the Pagan Kingdom in 1044, it is a huge part of Myanmar’s identityand more than 90% of the country’s population still practise Buddhism today.

The most common Buddhist ethnic groups are Bamar, Shan, Mon, and Karen. Theravada Buddhism is often associated with Bamar and Shan in relation to nat (spirits) worshipping that is believed to be able to help local stay away from misfortunes and bad luck.

Myanmar is characterized by thousands of pagodas, stupas and monasteries where people come to pray. Thousands of monks reside in Myanmar, who are highly respected by the locals. Furthermore, the local people also dedicate their time to work in pagodas by cleaning the place, donating food and necessities to the monks, and offering food and flowers to Buddha.

Buddhism Affects Every Aspect Of The Local Life

The day to day life of the local people is immensely influenced by Buddhism. In fact, no other country follows Buddhism as ardently as Myanmar. The country not only hosts thousands of temples, monasteries and monks, but people also follow different rituals, celebrate festivals and follow Buddha’s teachings. The country also houses several meditation centres where Buddha’s teachings are taught.

 Buddhist Beliefs In Myanmar

The Buddhists in Myanmar believe in three ratanas (gems): Buddha – the enlightened one, Dhamma – the teachings and Sangha – the follower monks. Karma is a concept central to Theravada Buddhism where more emphasis is given to one’s deed. Buddhists in Myanmar also believe in reincarnation. A sinned person will be reincarnated as a lower level being or will suffer in hell. While someone who has done good deeds in life will be reincarnated at the highest level of existence. Hence, people believe in meritorious deeds. This cycle of birth and death will be continued as long as people remain ignorant and crave for material pleasure. The cycle is broken once a person is able to remove material desire from his/her life.

Novitiation Ceremony

 The Novitiation ceremony is a revered and noble Buddhist celebration in Myanmar. Parents of young boys send their sons to the monastery to learn the teachings of Buddha. There are three major steps of becoming a novice. First, one must shave his hair. He must then put on the monk’s robe and lastly, which is the most important but toughest step of all, to believe in Buddha. It is also believed that parents who send their sons for the ceremony will gain merits to be sent to heaven when they pass away.

Food Donation

 Alternatively called as ‘alms giving’, the locals offer food and necessary items to the monks all across Myanmar. Myanmar is the country with the most Buddhist monks and nuns. They are respected individuals of the society with the noble role of praying, honouring Buddha’s teachings, and offering prayers to the people. At dawn during the alms round, monks line up at the streets to receive donations from the people. They usually have an alms bowl with them, in which they use it to receive rice, dishes and other food handed out by Buddhist devotees.

Watering The Bodhi Tree

It is said that Siddhartha Gautama achieved spiritual enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree. Today, many temples all across Myanmar have one of these sacred trees, all originating from the original Bodhi Tree. These trees are regularly watered by the monks, and there is also a festival dedicated to this tree watering ceremony that is significant to Buddhism in the country.

Gold Leaf Donation

Gold leaves play a huge role in Buddhism in Myanmar. Locals spend their hard-earned income on gold leaves, allowing them to paste them on Buddha statues and earn ‘merits’. They buy gold leaves and paste them on Buddha images as offerings. Some believe that one will receive merits by doing so, while some believe that pasting a gold leaf on a specific part of the image’s body will cure them of any pain and ailment relating to their own body. These gold leaves are largely produced in Mandalay.

Local Buddhist Customs

 The local people follow a number of customs as a part of their religion. Caged sparrows are sold in the markets with a believe that setting them free will earn merits. Statues of Buddha are cleaned with a tamarind branch every morning. The monk’s cloaks in Inle Lake are made from lotus fabric. Building a pagoda is considered to be the most worthy deed and hence, one can find several big and small around the country.

Monks are the most respected people in the country and are always greeted with a bow. One’s head has to be always lowered while talking to a monk.

Buddhist Festivals In Myanmar

With Buddhism as its main religion, Myanmar is rich with religious festivals, many of which are centred around a specific pagoda or temple such as the Ananda Pagoda Festival, Mahamuni Pagoda Festiva and Shittaung Pagoda Festival. Throughout the year, there are plenty of festivals related to Buddhism, with Thadingyut Light Festival being one of the most significant ones. From early October, locals light up their houses, streets and religious buildings with candles and lights to symbolise the pathway that Lord Buddha took to descend to the world after a Celestial Abode. The result is a stunning display of lights all over the country.