Burmese Buddhism outside Burma
Individual Documents
| Title: | | A Dying Presence |
| Date of publication: | | September 2007 |
| Description/subject: | | Monks from Burma may soon be just a memory in a corner of Thailand crowded with Burmese temples...
"The three women, clad in white, knelt before the elderly abbot and gently helped the forgetful old man recite his mantra as he accepted their alms. It was a scene that was to be found in many similar forms in monasteries throughout Thailand that day—the birthday of the country’s queen, when Thai women traditionally pay tribute to their revered matriarch.
What made this event so special, however, was that the 87-year-old abbot, Sayadaw U Dhamananda, is Burmese. His temple, Wat Tha Ma Oo, is one of nine built by wealthy and influential Burmese traders in the northern Thai city of Lampang in the 19th and early 20th centuries..." |
| Author/creator: | | Jim Andrews |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol 15, No. 9 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8442 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 April 2008 |
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| Title: | | Under an October Moon |
| Date of publication: | | November 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | Burmese exiles in western Thailand honor religious tradition and cultural heritage during this year’s Festival of Lights..."...Despite the challenges facing Mae Sot’s culturally diverse population, the city’s Burmese and Thai communities put aside their suspicions and came together under a full moon in October to celebrate an ancient religious festival. While the revelry of the coming evening’s festivities is a large part of the celebration, the day of October’s full moon begins on a solemn—and appropriately religious—note. Before dawn, the city’s monks emerge from their monasteries and walk single-file according to the rank of ordination to accept the day’s alms from crowds of devotees..." |
| Author/creator: | | Yeni |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 11 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 May 2006 |
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| Title: | | In the Name of Mandalay |
| Date of publication: | | June 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | Preserving Burmese traditions in Thailand...
"In 1886 the British finally conquered Mandalay, the historic capital of the last independent Burmese kingdom. San Toe, a servant of the beleaguered King Thibaw and a devout Buddhist, fled the newly colonized city, bringing with him an image of the Buddha crafted by Mandalay artisans. He worked in the logging business as an employee of the Bombay Burma Trading Corporation before settling in the town of Mae Sariang in northern Thailand. There he built a Burmese monastery in 1909 to house his cherished Buddha image.
Historically, the Burmese have viewed the city of Mandalay as a source of pride and an important link to Burma’s rich cultural and religious traditions. The name of the monastery in Mae Sariang, Wat Mandalay, reflects this connection and honors the lineage of the monastery’s central religious artifact—the Mandalay-made Buddha image..." |
| Author/creator: | | Yeni |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 6 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 28 April 2006 |
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| Title: | | A Tale of Two Temples |
| Date of publication: | | November 2002 |
| Description/subject: | | "Religious restrictions and visa regulations for foreign monks threaten to put an end to the long tradition of Burmese Buddhism in Thailand...
Upon entering the compound of Wat Pafang in Thailand�s Lampang Province guests are greeted silently by its manicured green lawns palm trees and a golden stupa at the back. Inside the prayer room, centuries-old Buddha images meditate placidly while visitors admire the thick wooden poles covered with gold leaf.
The landscape may be fairly typical of other Buddhist temples around the country but as one of the oldest Burmese temples in northern Thailand, Wat Pafang has had a unique history. But now these temples and their monks are feeling the effects of government regulations passed over a decade ago, leaving the future of Burmese Buddhism in Thailand in doubt..." |
| Author/creator: | | Aung Zaw |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" vol. 10, No. 9 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
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