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| Sunday, 7 December 2003 |
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Tomorrow is Unduwap Full Moon Poya : "To be a Burmese is to be a Buddhist" by DANISTER I. FERNANDO It was certainly a very great privilege for me and thirty seven other devotees from Sri Lanka, to be able to pay a visit to the Union of Myanmar (Burma) popularly known as the 'Land of Pagodas' with an escorted tour in September.
Before setting forth on this pilgrimage, I took the opportunity to read some literature in preparation. In one such record I observed that the Burmese cherished the proverb "To be a Burmese is to be a Buddhist". This for certain is an indication of the deep Buddhist nature of the Burmese people. The record went on to say: "There is indeed no other country where even today, the visitor is so immediately struck by the way the country and people have been shaped by Buddhism. For centuries Therevada Buddhism has been the country's only form of Buddhism". Well, I visualised I would be able to find out the validity of this statement personally. To make a complete narration of what we saw, felt and learnt during our one week's sojourn is difficult, but I shall describe some of the selected and most revered to us, Sri Lankans. If we turn to historical facts, it is interesting to note that Buddhism had been introduced to Burma (Myanmar) almost at the same time as Venerable Maha Mahinda, son of the great Emperor Asoka of India, disseminated the Dhamma in Sri Lanka after the Third great convention (Sangayana), held under the sponsorship of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C. in Pataliputra, India. The earliest historical record of the spread of Buddhism into Burma, (Myanmar), is the account in the Sri Lankan chronicles according to which Emperior Asoka sent a mission consisting of Theras Sona and Uttara into the 'Land of Gold' (Suvannabhumi) to introduce the Buddhist religion. This land is believed to be Burma. It is evident that Buddhism flourished in Myanmar even in the eleventh century. Credit is due to the then ruler, King Anawaratha also called Anuruddha (1044-1077) and his son King Keyan Sittha (1084-1113) for the religious development that took place during those periods of reign. The magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda or Paya, also had been built during that time. Glorious sight We were simply amazed at the wonderful sight of the stately pagoda, 326 feet high glittering with 60 tons of pure gold, from its gilt base up to the pinnacle which was of a bejewelled ornament with the crowning diamond. The square plinth glittering in gold, extended to a perimeter of nearly 1420 feet. In addition, the 64 small pagodas with four larger ones in the centre, of each side, together with the whole environment, were dazzling in pure gold. When we were walking round the mighty pagoda, I met an elderly Burmese monk, who could converse in English. I was enlightened by him on some important facts about the pagoda, particularly on its historical background. He said that the popularity of Yangon (Rangoon) was closely associated with that of the Shwedagon Pagoda. The place had been earlier known as Asitanjana - or more popularly, Okkaka about 500 B.C. According to ancient legend two merchants, Tapassu and Bhalluka, from Okkaka, had gone to India on a trading venture. They had met the Buddha close to the sacred Bo-tree, and had offered Him honey cakes. Having partaken of the cakes, Buddha had presented them with eight sacred hairs from His head. The monk added that on their return they had been robbed of two hairs by two other kings on the way and one of them had been the King of the Nagas. Arriving at Okkaka they had been greeted by King Okkaka and finally the Shwedagon Pagoda had been put up, which was originally only twenty seven feet high. The importance of the place had grown with that of the Shwedagon Pagoda. Since then the pagoda had undergone, far-reaching extensive enlargement and development. King Dhammaceti was reported to have gilded it with gold four times his weight and that of his queen and the pagoda stands today, as mentioned already, 326 feet high to contain at least 60 tons of pure gold. In this regard, the Naga King mentioned above can be the King in Sri Lanka, where a tribe of people was called 'Naga' during that time. Tapassu and Bhalluka were reported to have visited Sri Lanka on their return journey, which event is supported by the presence of the Tiriyaya Vihara at Trincomalee where at least one strand of hair relic had been enshrined. Traditional story Our next place of worship was Sule pagoda. Among the ancient pagodas at Yangon, the Sule is also believed to be over two-thousand years old. Its sanctity is also due to the sacred hair-relic enshrined therein. The traditional story goes on that the two Buddhist missionaries sent by Emperor Asoka for the introduction of Buddhism to Burma, Sona and Uttara, brought over from India ten hair relics and other sacred relics to 'Suvannabhumi', (Burma). They had presented the relics to a minister called Maha Sura, who built the pagoda and eventually it was named Sura or Sule pagoda in Burmese. Situated right in the centre of Yangon, the Sule pagoda is an excellent landmark. The golden pagoda is unusual in that its octagonal shape continues right up to the bell and inverted bowl. It stands 152 feet high. The second day dawned. We were directed to Bagan by air from Yangon. Bagan which is on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River, in the dry zone of Central Burma, was believed to be the most important historical site in the country, known as the City of four million pagodas. There are a large number of monasteries and temples built during the reign of King Anawaratha (1044 A.D.). We heard that it was Theravada Buddhism that influenced the rulers of the Bagan Dynasty to put up such a large number of temples and pagodas around the city which stand testimony to the rich cultural heritage. In Bagan we visit ed two important places of worship: Shwezygon Pagoda and Ananda Temple. We spent a considerable time at Shwezygon Pagoda before we went to Ananda temple in Bagan which also had been built by King Kyanzitha (1091). We found it to be the finest and the largest of Bagan temples and best preserved although it is reported to have suffered considerable damage in an earthquake. The temple is said to represent the endless wisdom of the Buddha. In the centre of the main structure there are 31 foot high standing Buddha statues said to represent the four Buddhas of this Maha Kalpa (aeon), Kukusanda, Konagama, Kashyapa and Gautama. There are also a large number of glazed tiles depicting scenes from Jataka stories. A fine exposition of sculpture can be seen at Ananda temple which may be ascribed to the 10th or to the 11th centuries. I observed that the four colossal figures of the standing Buddhas were with hands raised towards the breast as if to assume a pose to explain a point in the Dhamma. Inside the four porches I discovered some very fine sculptures depicting the principal scenes in the life of the Buddha. The prophecy We then came to Mandalay. It is evident that Mandalay has derived its name from the Mandalay Hill which is seen at the north-east corner of the present town. The hill, we were told, has for long been a holy mount and tradition seems to have it that the Buddha on His visit, with His disciple Ananda had prophesied that 2400th year of His religion (1857 A.D.) a great Buddhist city would be founded at its foot. So, King Mindon had fulfilled the prophecy by shifting his capital from Amarapura to the site of the new city. Therefore, people believe that Mandalay was founded by King Mindon in 1857 A.D. in accordance with the prophecy. We also visited Mahamuni Buddha image, which lies in proximity to the northern quarter of Amarapura. The celebrated Mahamuni image is said to be cast in bronze, but the body has for long been lavishly gilded and the image which is in the usual sitting posture, is 12 feet 7 inches high. We became the lucky participants to a very rare spectacle at Amarapura, when we were introduced to a monastery where there were 2200 monks resident. The Kuthodaw Pagoda is a special place of worship in Mandalay. It had been built by King Mindon in 1857. Its distinctive feature is the collection of 729 stone slabs on which are inscribed the whole of the Buddhist scriptures. The authorised version of the 'Tripitaka' (the three baskets of Dhamma) approved, had been inscribed on the stone slabs, each of which is housed in a shrine, within the precincts of the pagoda. It is often called the "World's biggest book". We came to Pindaya situated on the mountains of an enormous height. A very special thing to see here was the million years old cave with Buddha images inside. It is really beyond one's imagination to see within this massive cave not less than 8000 images of the Buddha in various sizes, all glittering in pure gold. While concluding this article, let us now refer back to the proverb, "To be a Burmese is to be a Buddhist", mentioned earlier, and see whether it is a correct estimation. During the short stay in Myanmar we were much impressed by the disciplined nature of the people in general, and their simplicity. They seemed to feel quite at ease in abiding by the age-old customs of living together. The Sangha were seen committed devotedly to their noble task, and the people, on their part, sincerely following the faith. There seemed to be a healthy link between the clergy and the laity which may have been contributory to the peaceful co-existence of all concerned. The buildings too which were of religious importance were permanently built, richly gilded; while the dwellings of ordinary people were simple and modest. In short we found that the country and its people had been satisfactorily shaped by Buddhism. All in all, I am convinced that Myanmar is a veritable haven for peaceful living. |
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