BUDDHISM IN MYANMAR

BUDDHISM IN MYANMAR

Buddhism is a religion founded by Gotama Buddha. The Dhamma which is preached by the Buddha not only for the…. The major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada school of Buddhism is the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism in the world. The word Theravada literally means “the Teaching of the Elders”. Theravada school of Buddhism draws its scriptural inspiration from the Pali Canon, which is in the earliest surviving record of the Buddha‟s teachings. For many centuries, Theravada has been the predominant religion of continental Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos) and Sri Lanka. The word Mahyana can be classified: Maha (Great) and Yana (Vehicle). Therefore, Mahayana means “the Great Vehicle” which is the form of Buddhism prominent in North Asia, including China, Mongolia, Tibet, Korea and Japan. Mahayana Buddhism originated in India.

Buddha’s Teachings were systematically collected and recited unanimously in the First Buddhist Council by 500 Arahat Bhikkhus headed by Mahakassapa Thera under the sponsorship of Magadhan King Ajatasattu after three month of the Buddha‟s great demise. In 443 BC, on account of the ten unlawful practices of Vajjian Bhikkhus, 700 Arahat Bhikkhus held the Second Buddhist Council. According to the Ceylonese chronicles, in 307 BC, the Third Buddhist Council was convened in Pataliputta, presided by Moggaliputta Tissa Thera and supported by King Asoka. After the council, missionaries were dispatched to nine regions including Sri Lanka and Suvannabhumi. In this way, all the first three Buddhist Councils were held in India. In BC 93, at Aloka cave in the village of Matale in Sri Lanka, the Fourth Buddhist Council was held by 500 Mahatheras under the sponsorship of the headman of that region. The Significance of the council was inscribing Pali Canonical texts and their commentaries on palm-leaves. The last two councils were held in Myanmar. The former, the fifth Buddhist Council was convened in Mandalay many 2400 Bhikkhus under the patronage of King Mindon in 1872. Buddhist Scriptures were edited many times by well-versed Sayadaws and then inscribed on 729 marble slabs which are kept on the printed of Lokamarajina Pagoda at the foot the Mandalay hill. That is known as the biggest book of the world. In 1954, 2500 Bhikkhus from the five Theravada countries headed by Revata Thera convened the Sixth Buddhist Council in Yangon. Delegations from many countries participated at the Council. In this way, Pali Canon was preserved and handed down by bhikkhus generation after generation.

The Arrival of Buddhism in Myanmar

As could be expected in any country, nature worships and animism were the religions of peoples of Myanmar in primitive time. With the intermingling of Myanmar natives and immigrants, ancestor-worships and Hindu Brahman beliefs and custom were added to the native religion. Trails and traces of these pre-Buddhist beliefs can be observed even today in the daily life of the people. The arrival and expansion of Buddhism in Myanmar is to be studied by legends, chronicles, foreign records and archaeological survey on remnants and excavations.

Shwedagon Pagoda

The oldest and distinguished evidence of Buddhism in Myanmar is Shwedagon pagoda, The great commentator Venerable Buddhaghosa (5th century AD) mentioned about the story of Tapussa and Ballika in his commentary on Anguttara Bikara. The two merchants were from Ukkalapa, Asitanjana Nagara. They met the Buddha after seven weeks of His attainment to Buddhahood. Buddha gave them eight of His hair. On their arrival at Yangon, with the help of King Ukkalapa there built a pagoda enshrined the Buddha‟s hair in it. This story is also found in the Mahavagga of Vinaya Pitaka. This Asitanjana city is one of the old names of Yangon. The Shwedagon Inscription of King Dhammaceti (4th century AD) is also inscribed based on this story. This shrine is the famous and the biggest pagoda in the world.

The Arrival of Buddhism in Suvannabhumi

Suvannabhumi is a place where Theravada Buddhism flourished. According to the Dipavamsa (4th century AD) and Mahavamsa (6th century AD), the Theras Sona and Uttara came to Suvannabhumi by sea. Suvannabhumi, land of gold like the Greek Chruse is further in India. The Mon Pali inscriptions of Kalyanisima, Pegu (149 AD) identify this site with the region of Lower Myanmar some 30 miles north of Thaton. Nearly 400 years earlier, in that region, the Bagan King Kyansitha had repaired the two great moments Kyaik Te and Kyaik Talan at Ayethema village built by King Asoka and left two long inscriptions in old Mon. The pagodas stand some miles around the Kelasa Mountain that it will be Thaton itself. If the identification of Suvannabhumi with lower Myanmar is accepted, Buddhism would have been introduced to that country during the reign of Asoka.

Buddha Sasana which Bagan received was of Theravada type which arrived there by land from the North, It was mixed with Hindu Brahmanic beliefs. Besides there were Aries or forest monks who lived an undisciplined life, they practiced and propagated a debased form of religion. King Anawrahta was intent upon purifying Buddhism prevalent at Bagan with the noble intention of introducing pure form of Buddhism. It was at the advice of Shin Arahan that Anawrahta brought to his capital Tipitaka Texts, Buddha‟s sacred relics and missionary monks from Thaton in 1057 AD. The arrival of Shin Arahan in Bagan in 1053 AD and arrival of Tipitaka Texts and missionary monks in Bagan in 1057 AD are the two important events which made turning points in Myanmar religious and cultural history. From these dates onwards Buddhism in pure form or Theravada Buddhism with Tipitaka Texts for reference, has been firmly established in Myanmar and it has been flourishing till today. Schools safely say that all the Theravada countries in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is the country where Theravada Buddhism is preserved in its purest form.

The earliest excavations in Myanmar, inscriptions on gold plates, silver plates or copper plates are found. Those inscriptions usually run:

“Ye dhamma hetuppabhava

tesam hetum tathagato aha

tesanca yo nirodho

evam vadi maha samano”

“Those things which arise from a cause of these, the Tathagata has stated the cause. And of these (things) there is the cessation. Such is the creed of the Great Asectic.”

Such Pali verse can be seen only in Pali Tipitaka, or Theravada Buddhist Scriptures such as Mahavagga of Vinaya Pitaka, Apadana and Petakopadesa. The verse shows the essence of Theravada Buddhism, i.e., the relation between cause and effect. The verse also played an important role not only in the history of Buddhism, But also in the archeological excavations in Myanmar. The verse inscribed on these plates shows the existence of Theravada Buddhism in that area. Apart from legendary sources, these plates are historical evidences which indicated that Theravada Buddhism flourished in Rakhine State, Beik-tha-noe, Sri Ksetra, etc. Therefore, the religion has arrived Myanmar since the 2nd century AD. Most of the scholars accept that Theravada Buddhism stands in its purest form.

According to the latest news of Buddhsim in Myanmar, the population of Buddhism is 80 percent of 52 million people. In Buddhism, there are three stages of Sasana in Buddhism. These are Pariyatti (learning the doctrine), Patipatti (Practising it) and Pativedha (Penetratiing it and realizing its goal).

Pariyatti: Buddhist Universities in Myanmar

There is a list of Buddhist Universities in Myanmar. Among them, the two State Pariyatti Sasana Universities and the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University (ITBMU) are under the government. And the others are non-government organizations.

1. The State Pariyatti Sasana University, Yangon (SPS),

2. The State Pariyatti Sasana University, Mandalay (SPS),

3. The International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University (ITBMU),

4. Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, Sagaing (SIBA) (founded by Sitagu Sayadaw),

5. Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, Yangon (SIBA) (founded by Sitagu Sayadaw),

6. Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, Mandalay (SIBA) (founded by Sitagu Sayadaw),

7. International Buddhist Education Centre, Sagaing,

8. Buddhist University, Yangon (founded by U Myint Swe (M.A. London)),

9. Buddhist University, Mandalay (founded by U Myint Swe(M.A. London)),

10. Shan State Buddhist University (SSBU),

11. Kon-Kyan-Kone Buddhist University (founded by U Myint Hlaing),

12. Buddhavihara Dhamma-Vinaya University,

13. Dhammasahaya Centre, Pyin Oo Lwin (founded by Dr Nandamalabhivamsa),

14. Dhammavinaya Centre, Hlae Kuu, Ngar Su Taung (founded by Dr Nandamalabhivamsa) and

15. Institute of Dhamma Education (founded by Dr Nandamalabhivamsa).

For many centuries, Theravada Buddhism could be learnt at monasteries in traditional ways in Myanmar. We did not have Buddhist Universities and Colleges in Modern sense in earlier time. In Myanmar, now; there are many famous Buddhist monasteries in Myanmar. Theravada Buddhist Scriptures could be learnt. There appeared famous Myanmar Buddhist monasteries scholars. Sitagu International Buddhist Academy at Sagaing, founded in 1994 by Thaegon Sayadaw Ashin Nanissara. Unlike described earlier Universities, the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University which will be inaugurated in Yangon on 9th December, 1998. It will be a significant institution not only in Myanmar but also in the whole world. It will be the place where international Buddhist scholars can learn both Pariyatti (Scriptural Study) and Patipatti (Buddhist Meditation Practice) at the same time. Through insight meditation practice, prescribed by traditional teachers in accordance with Pali Texts and commentaries. It distinguishes for being free tuition, free mission, free lodging and free health care to those foreign scholars.

Examinations in Buddhist Scriptures

Sitting for Pariyatti Examination

In Myanmar, there are 551587 Bhikkhus and novices. And there are also 55608 nuns. The number of their monasteries is about 1238. There are also more than one thousand colleges 10 (Pativedha) where Buddhist scriptures are taught. The highest and the most difficult examination in Myanmar is the Tipitakadhara examination.

There are many Buddhist examinations in Myanmar. It can be classified into two main types of Buddhist examinations which are governmental examination and private examination.

The governmental examinations are-

1. Tipitaka,

2. Dhammacariya,

3. Pathamabyan,

4. Nikaya and

5. Abhidhamma and Visuddhi.

These can be also known as “Traditional Buddhist Examinations” for getting support by the kings in ancient periods.

Beside governmental examinations, there are many private examinations in Buddhism. Among them, the famous ones are described as follows:

1. Sakyasiha,

2. Cetiyangana,

3. Susamacara,

4. Samanekyaw and

5. Suvannabhumi.

These are the examinations for monks. In addition, Abhidhamma courses are founded for lay people. These courses are leaded by the organization of the spread of Abhidhamma. And its many branches are opened throughout Myanmar. The examinations are held regularly once a year.

Patipatti: Meditation Centres in Myanmar

Meditation Centre plays one of the important roles of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar. In Myanmar, there are many different meditation certres. Among them, the famous centres are Mahasi Meditation Centre, Shwe Taung Kone Panditarama Meditation Centre, Naga Cave Kalaywa Taw Ya Meditation Centre, Moe Gote Meditation Centre, Janitarama Meditation Centre, Soon Loon Cave Meditation Centre, Hpar Aut Meditation Centre, Dhammaduta Sasana Meditation Centre, International Patipatti Centre, Dhammajoti Meditation Centre (Founded by S. N. Goenka), Myae Zinn Meditation Centre, Saddhammaramsi Meditation Centre, Thae Inn Cave

11 Meditation Centre, Taung Pulu Meditation Centre, Mula Saccadipaka Meditation Centre, Mingun Taw Ya Meditation Centre, Kathit Wine Meditation Centre and Shwe Minwun Sasana Meditation Centre.

Some of these meditation centers have many branches. In these centers, not only Myanmar people but also many foreigners usually come and take meditation. So these centres play in a chief role to carry out of Buddha Sasana.

Dhamma Schools in Myanmar

The courses of Dhamma School are founded as it is fundamental in Buddhism. A Dhamma School is a centre in which Bhddhist scriptural courses are taught. Every Sunday, they are opened especially in monasteries and they are a kind of private school taught by monks, nuns and lay people who are well-versed and well-experienced in Pariyatti field. In Myanmar, the foundation of Dhamma School started on 14th of March, 2012. Now, it have been 552 teacher training courses and produced over 30000 teachers. They are teaching the Buddhist courses in between 3000 and 5000 Dhamma Schools. Prescribed books for students are printed systematically and also the guide books for teachers are printed. They hold the system of student-centred approach. It is a kind of foundation produced to perceive the right view and to become clever youths.

Buddhist Cultures

The Culture of Myanmar is deemed synonymous with its Buddhism. For each month, there are many seasonal religious festivals. Most of them are related to Buddhism. Some of the famous festivals are Bodhi tree watering festival, Waso festival, Thedingyut festival and the festival for Kathina. Besides these festivals, there are more religious ceremonies. The famous ceremonies are Novitiation ceremony, Ordination ceremony and Anekaja ceremony. Moreover, Myanmar has a lot of special days about Buddhism in each month. From these festivals and 12 ceremonies, it can be known that majority of Myanmar cultures base of Buddhist culture. Furthermore, Myanmar people usually celebrate the ceremony of Dhamma-talk. So every Sabbath day and every special religious days and any other day, the ceremony of Dhamma-talk can be seen in a Dhamma hall or at a junction or in an open ground. Together with the flourish of Buddhism in Myanmar, Buddhist literature has been enormous in Myanmar since Bagan Period (the first dynasty of Myanmar). Nowadays, there are so many published religious books such as magazines, booklets, cartoons, etc.

Sandaku (Sandalwood) or Kyaung Taw Yar Ceti Monastery Pagoda

Kyaung Taw Yar Pagoda is one of the famous pagodas in Myanmar.

The Pagoda is located in Pwinbyu Township, Minbu District, Magway Region, Myanmar.

The brief history of Sandaku Monastery Pagoda

Sandaku (Sandalwood) Monastery Pagoda (Kyaung Taw Yar Pagoda) is worth to be called Myanmar’s Buddha Gayar. It is situated at Pwint Phyu Township in Magway Region, Myanmar. The four lord Buddhas who attained the Enlightenment had been there and stayed seven days respectively. That was why the pagoda was called Kyaung Taw Yar Pagoda. The Fourth Buddha (the Lord Gotama Buddha) had come to Sandaku (Sandalwood) Monastery at His 21 Vasa with 500 Arahats and stayed seven days. Who invited the Lord Buddha was Arahat Ashin Maha Ponna.

Once there were two brother merchants named Maha Ponna and Sula Ponna in the lifetime of the Lord Gotama Buddha. When younger brother Sula Ponna and followers 500 merchants went abroad by a sailing ship, they took some Sandaku (Sandalwood) from Malayu island along with them. With those woods Sula Ponna and followers from his Vanijjagama village built the Kyaung Taw Yar Monastery. After building the Monastery the Arahat Ashin Maha Ponna invited the Lord Gotama Buddha to come and stayat the Monastery. Within seven days of the Buddha's stay (84000) people each day got attainment of pureness in mind by teaching of the Buddha.

After then the Arahat Ashin Maha Ponna had taken care of the Monastery. As he was older the Arahat thought the future of the Monastery. Someday people would take the Sandalwood by greediness. Then the Monastery would have been ruined and the people who did would reach to hell. So the Arahat made the Monastery to be vanished by his miraculous power. As he vowed a stone Ceti to appear at the place, the Seilamaya stone Ceti appeared. At the four angles of the main Monastery four stone posts also came out to the ground as the memorial commemoration of the Sadaku (Sandalwood) Monastery.

The Lord Budddha foresaw the prospect of the Monastery. So He predicted (gave Byardit) that the Kingdom of Bagan would appeare in the future, and the King Mani Sithu (a) Alaung Sithu would build a pagoda by the name of Kyaung Taw Yar Ceti. That prediction (Byardit) was noted down on the parabyte by Arahat Ashin Ponna with Sakka and kept that in the Seilamaya stone Ceti.

1640 years after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbana, King Alaung Sithu of Bagan reached Kyaung Taw Yar by the raft. When the Sakka (King of Devas) showed the Parabyte (Manucript written by Arahat Ashin Ponna) to him, King Alaung Sithu was so pleased and decided at once to build a Pagoda at the place of Kyaung Taw Yar. He enclosed the Seilamaya Stone Ceti inside and built the Kyaung Taw Yar Pagoda. And he donated 23509 acres of land to the Pagoda, and built 99 villages in that area.

The Kyaung Taw Yar Pagoda was renovated by many inherited emperors of Myanmar Kingdoms, they were: (1) Pin-ya Tazie Shin Thi Ha Thu (2) Innwa King Thadoe Min Phya (3) Taung Twin Min Gyi Thiha Patei (4) Kone Baung Alaung Min Taya U Aung Zayya (5) Amarapura Boe Taw U Wine (6) Yadanabon Mandalay King Min Doun (7) King Thibaw.

In 1960, Say Wingabar Sayadaw hoisted a new golden Umbrella. After then any major renovation has not been occurred. Now with the permission of the Kyaung Taw Yar Phaya Gyi Monastery Nayaka Sayadaw Baddhanta Dhammar Sara, with the aim of Kyaik Htee Saung Sayadaw Dr.Baddhanta Panyar Dipa and by the supervision of Kyaik Htee Saung second Sayadaw Dr. Baddhanta Naga Dipa, with the permission of the Union Minister of the Ministry for Religious Affairs and Culture Thura U Aung Ko and the Chief Minister of Magway Region Government Dr.Aung Moe Nyo, with donations of the Chairman of the Federation of All Myanmar Theravada Buddhists and the Sasana Nuggaha Association for Boder Regions Wunna Kyaw Htin Dr.Khin Shwe (Zay Kabar Company Family) and donors, with the volunteer workforce of the Kyaik Htee Saung Nga Thone Li family the Dimond Bud, Golden Hngemana, Golden Umbrella, Golden Steel Plates will be hoisted and enshrined to the Sandaku Kyaung Taw Yar Pagoda on (13-7-2019) Saturday.

Shin Byu – religiosity, community ties and economic matters in a Burmese ceremony

Anthropologists have been fascinated with religious rituals and life cycle events since the emergence of our discipline. Such ceremonies were the focus of many early contributions (Arnold Van Gennep, Victor Turner and others), and up to today students are being reminded not to miss these important events under any circumstances while they are on field work. Following this tradition, it will briefly examine, through an anthropological lens, the most important religious event in the childhood of most male Burmese, their novitation ceremony (Shin Byu).

According to Buddhist beliefs in Myanmar, every man should spend some period of his life in the Sangha, the community of Buddhist monks. Ideally, this should happen for the first time when the man is still a child. However, under the age of twenty, a male person will only be initiated into the Sangha with the status of a novice, which is why the respective ceremony is called a novitation ceremony; as opposed to the full ordination that only applies to men over twenty. But whether a novitation can happen or not depends, after all, on the economic situation of the household, because such a ceremony comes with high expenses: Donations have to be given to monks and monasteries; and relatives, friends and neighbors, as well as the Buddhist monks who perform the rituals, have to be fed. Poor families thus often have to rely on community support and the generosity of donors from outside of their kin-group, and some cannot manage to organize a Shin Byu for their sons at all. In contrast, many wealthier families host several of these ceremonies throughout the years of their sons’ childhood.

Based on Buddha’s life: The procedure

The majority of Shin Byu ceremonies take place in the months of April, around the Buddhist New Year, or in July, when the start of the monsoon season marks the beginning of Buddhist lent. A Shin Byu ceremony always follows a certain procedure. After a child’s parents and the abbot of a monastery have picked a date (sometimes with the help of astrologers), this date will be announced publicly and everyone in the neighborhood is invited and expected to come. On the day of the event itself, the visitors gather at a monastery or at the family’s home in the morning. Usually, not only one but several boys will enter the Sangha as novices on this specific day. They are either siblings of one family, or children from the same neighborhood whose families combined their efforts to arrange the event. Often, also adult men will participate to fully ordain as monks, side by side with the new novices.

The novitation ceremony is based on the life story of Buddha, who was presumably born as Siddhartha Gautama, around 563 years BCE, into a wealthy and influential Indian family. At the age of twenty-nine he left his palace and relatives, and on his journey he was confronted with the burdens of aging, suffering, sickness and death, subjects that had been kept away from him up to this point. Affected by his discoveries, Siddhartha renounced worldly pleasures, practiced meditation and finally reached Enlightenment. Then, he formed the Sangha and developed his teachings.

Following those stages, the boys who experience their Shin Byu (aged at least eight in most cases, often they are teenagers) will be dressed like princes in the morning, with precious white silk clothes, jewelry, a crown and make up. Sometimes, the boys’ sisters will also be dressed up as princesses. The girls might go to a nunnery for a few days, or have a traditional ear-piercing ceremony that does not have a religious implication. In some cases they only get dressed as princesses so that they “won’t get jealous” as one of my informants said. Dressed up, and as the center of attention, the children will go on a procession with their visitors. Traditionally, the boys were seated on horses. This still happens in many cases, but the horses can also get replaced by ox-carts, cars or other vehicles. The procession will pass through the city or village, often stopping for moments of worship at important pagodas and spirit shrines. Observing such a procession can give an idea about the wealth of the family. One of the processions I have witnessed in Pathein had at least two-hundred participants, at a Shin Byu for only two brothers. Many of the participants were dressed in costumes as heavenly beings, elephants, and other creatures from the religious realm. Everyone else in the procession was dressed up in their finest exemplar of the traditional Bamar dress, containing a blouse and a skirt (longyi). After the procession reached its destination, many participants immediately took off their costumes and left the event. I was told that the people in costumes and those who carried Buddhists flags were hired for these processions to demonstrate the ceremony’s strong religious significance.

Original: A small part of the procession.

While the hosting family prepared lunch for the countless visitors who stayed, the names of donors were read out through a loudspeaker; and as this announcement disclosed, donors included several people working in banks and bigger companies.

Families who are less wealthy and influential would have smaller processions, composed only of a few pick-up cars and no costumes except the ones for the soon-to-be novices.

In any case, after the procession there is usually a time when invited monks read out Buddhist sermons. The boys, their families and the visitors would sit and pray with the monks. This period lasts from several minutes to around one hour. At the end of the prayers the monks will hand over the robes to the children, which have been bought by their family beforehand. What follows is a feast, where monks as well as visitors are served food by the host family. The food contains rice and curry, and sometimes snacks such as chocolate bars, and cans of juice. Like the procession, also the dimension of the feast can be an indicator for the family’s economic situation. Usually, people eat quickly as there is often more visitors than tables and one needs to make space for the next person.

After lunch, the boys will have to changes clothes. Their valuable prince-outfit will be exchanged for the simple maroon-colored Buddhist robe, one of the very few things that monks and novices are allowed to possess. This symbolizes the renouncement of material wealth and the transition to novicehood, with focusing on meditation and teachings, as the Buddha also did. The invited monks will shave the heads of the new novices with a blade, while family members will hold a towel under the child’s head to collect his hair. Later, the hair is buried in the soil. The children are Buddhist novices now, they will leave their home to stay in the monastery and study Buddhist teachings for a while, often for around one week.

On the day after the Shin Byu ceremony the novices follow the monks for the alms-collecting round early in the morning and family members and neighbors honor them and hand out food, snacks, money and other necessities like toothpaste.

From an anthropological perspective a Shin Byu ceremony is interesting in different regards. With reference to our projects I want to have a quick look at religious, economic and social aspects and the links between them.

What there is to gain: Merit from children to parents; tribute from parents to children.

Firstly, the ceremony is meaningful in a religious sense, in fact mainly for the novice’s parents. Sending a son to the monastery is viewed as one of the most important ways to accumulate merit which translates into good Karma, important for future lives, especially those of the child’s mother. In that sense, the son functions as a provider of spiritual capital. “My mother believes, if she organizes some [Shin Byu] ceremonies for me, the door to hell is closed for her” 1 one teenager told me. Given that such a ceremony can happen several times and at different ages of a child, it cannot be understood as a one-time rite de passage from one phase of life to the next, but it is much more regarded as a milestone on the religious path of the child and his parents.

Original Shaving the head

It is also, in a way, a temporary change, almost an inversion of child-parent hierarchies. Different grown-up men told me that, while they were not very enthusiastic about the monastic rules they had to follow as a novice (getting up at 5.00 am, no food after 11.00 am, many hours of teaching and meditating, sleeping far away from their home), they were amazed by the respect and honoring they received from their parents during this period, like, that their parents would kneel down in front of them, and bow, with their foreheads touching the ground. The son, for a while, turns from a subordinate family member into a member of the Sangha, and thereby his role and function as someone who enables laypeople to gain merit, superposes his worldly relation to the parents.

The economic aspect

Secondly, the Shin Byu ceremony is relevant in economic terms. In many cases it poses quite a financial burden to the family. One of the families I know, that owns several houses in Pathein, sold one of these houses for the Shin Byu ceremony of their sons and several other children from the neighborhood. Often one family member functions as the main donor. In this case, it was the novices’ uncle. The teenager would say “My uncle sold a house for my Shin Byu”. The house was sold for 100 Lakh (ca. 7700 USD) of which 40 Lakh (ca. 3000 USD) were spent on the ceremony. This specific ceremony was of a rather pompous kind, but even more modest versions cost a lot of money for families. In a different case, a woman who had worked in Singapore for many years came back to organize a Shin Byu for her nephews. She suffered from health problems and felt it was time to make a religious investment. Being regarded as financially most capable to arrange the festival, due to her higher salary in Singapore, she also saw it as social duty toward her kin to pay for most of the expenses.

The expenses include costs for costumes and robes, food for all participants and donations to the local monastery and to the monks who performed the rituals. For boys from very poor backgrounds or orphans, wealthier non-kin persons can sponsor such a ceremony. This is usually done by couples who do not have a son of their own, and it enables them to gain merit for themselves. In certain cases it is also possible that children join a monastery without a Shin Byu ceremony, in cases like Buddhist-run orphanages or schools that are attached to monasteries. However, normally the ceremony is seen as a desirable event for any family.

Original Shin Byu Meal

Shin Byu as a collective undertaking

Thirdly, as already became clear when looking at the economic aspects, the Shin Byu has a social component. Melford Spiro, fifty years ago, pointed out how spending money on religious festivals in Myanmar is a “rational” choice in many ways, as those occasions not only help to gain good Karma but also provide a lot of worldly pleasure and strengthen community ties (Spiro 1966). The Shin Byu ceremony is an excellent example for that. With everyone who lives close to the place being invited, it is an opportunity for neighbors and family members to meet, exchange news, pray and eat together. A good relationship to the surrounding community is crucial in a situation where the state does not provide economic support for most people. Neighbors build informal economic networks in the form of saving- and insurance groups, they lend money to each other and might support each other to find employment. Usually, people will therefore take social occasions very seriously, as they cannot afford risking to fall out of these neighborhood support circles.  While in Buddhism generally the right intention of making a gift counts more than the amount that is given, and lay Buddhists emphasize this part a lot, the systems of donations clearly include an aspect of social pressure. Donations are public acts: During the daily alms-collecting rounds neighbors can see who donates food to the monks; when it comes to monetary donations, lists and loudspeaker will announce who gave how much money; and parts of monastery buildings, like banks, roofs, doors and so on, usually carry the names of the donors of this particular piece. While I was told that this is done for transparency reasons, the visibility of donated amounts does intensify expectations of spending money for religious purposes for lay people. In summary, the social component inherent in the ritualized ceremony has several layers: The communal pressure to organize a Shin Byu, the strengthening of community ties during a Shin Byu, and the minimizing of the financial burden through collective efforts.

Conclusion

Myanmar is well-known for far and wide land of Pagodas and religious buildings. Pagodas are religious monuments commemorating religious events of the time. They are also landmarks in the history and development of Theravada Buddhist activities in the country. A multitude of pagodas and monuments in Bagan, Bago, Thaton, Mrauk U, Pyay, Mandalay, Sagaing and several other historic sites in the country stand witness to the extent to which Theravada Buddhism had spread to the peak to which it had flourished. In addition, Myanmar had been twice blessed by the events of the last two International Theravada Buddhist Councils – the fifth International Theravada Buddhist Council was held in Mandalay in 1871 and the sixth international Theravada Buddhist Council was held in Yangon in 1954. With the moral and spiritual force of Buddhism, Myanmar people have been able to withstand the vicissitudes of time throughout its history. The opening of the international Theravada Buddhist Missionary University in Yangon is another landmark in the history of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and in propagating the religion to the world. So Myanamar could stand in the topmost stage among Theravada countries regarding Vinaya. Moreover, Abhidhamma Pitaka is most profound and subtle in the Buddha‟s Teachings, no common people can comprehend thoroughly and deeply. But Myanmar monks could learn and teach Abhidhamma in easy ways. Thus, Myanmar could stand first in learning and teaching Abhidhamma. Not only in Pariyatti field, Myanmar monks together with well-versed lay people successively take great heed but also in Patipatti field as we have seen above. Since Myanmar culture, such as Myanmar alphabet, prose, poetry, stone inscriptions recording charity, novels, customs, vocabularies, etc. came into existence depending on Theravada Buddhism and Pali Canon, Myanmar and Buddhism cannot be separated one from another. In this rapidly changing world, it seems logical to assume that material development should match the spiritual advancement in order to build a balanced and 13 harmonious society. In this regard Theravada Buddhism has a greater role to play for the moral well-being and spiritual attainment in humankinds. Myanmar is proud to claim that it is famous for flourish of both Pariyatti Sasana and Patipatti Sasana in Buddhism till today because of continuous support of successive kings, governments and people.