RELIGION & BELIEF
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Monks & Nuns
Every Buddhist Myanmar male is expected to take up temporary monas-
tic residence twice in his life: once as asamaneraa (novice monk) between
the ages of 10 and 20, and again as a hpongyii (fully ordained monk)
sometime after the age of 20. Almost all men or boys aged under 20 ‘take
robe and bowl’ in theshinpyuu (novitiation ceremony).
All things possessed by a monk must be off ered by the lay community.
Upon ordination a new monk is typically off ered a set of three robes
(lower, inner and outer). Other possessions a monk is permitted include
a razor, a cup, a fi lter (for keeping insects out of drinking water), an um-
brella and an alms bowl.
In Myanmar, women who live the monastic life as dasasilaa (‘10-pre-
cept’ nuns) are often called thilashinn (possessor of morality) in Burmese.
Myanmar nuns shave their heads, wear pink robes and take vows in an
ordination procedure similar to monks. Generally, nunhood isn’t con-
sidered as ‘prestigious’ as monkhood, as nuns generally don’t perform
ceremonies on behalf of laypeople, and keep only 10 precepts – the same
number observed by male novices.
In mornings, you’ll see rows of monks and sometimes nuns carrying
bowls to get off erings of rice and food. It’s not begging. It’s a way of let-
ting locals have the chance of doing the deed of dhana, thus acquiring
merit.Temples & Monasteries
Paya (pa-yah), the most common Myanmar equivalent to the often mis-
leading English term ‘pagoda’, literally means ‘holy one’ and can refer to
people, deities and places associated with religion. Often it’s a generic
term covering a stupa, temple or shrine.
There are basically two kinds of paya: the solid, bell-shaped zedi
and the hollow square or rectangular pahto. A zedii or stupa is usually
thought to contain ‘relics’ – either objects taken from the Buddha himself
(pieces of bone, teeth or hair) or certain holy materials.
The term pahto is sometimes translated as temple, though shrine
would perhaps be more accurate as priests or monks are not necessarily
in attendance. Mon-stylepahto, with small windows and ground-level
passageways, are also known as a guu or kuu (from the Pali-Sanskrit guha,
meaning ‘cave’).
Bothzedii and pahto are often associated with kyaungg (Buddhist
monasteries), also calledkyaungtaik andhpongyi-kyaung. The most
important structure on the monastery grounds is the theinn (a consecrat-
ed hall where monastic ordinations are held). An open-sided resthouse
orzayatt may be available for gatherings of laypeople during festivals or
pilgrimages.FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS & THE EIGHTFOLD PATHThe Buddha taught four noble truths: The eightfold path consists of:
1 Life is dukkha (suff ering) 1 Right thought
2 Dukkha comes from tanha (selfi sh desire). 2 Right understanding
3 When one forsakes selfi sh desire, 3 Right speech
suff ering will be extinguished. 4 Right action
4 The ‘eightfold path’ is the way to 5 Right livelihood
eliminate selfi sh desire. 6 Right exertion
7 Right attentiveness
8 Right concentrationBright red robes
are usually
reserved for
novices under 15,
darker colours
for older, fully
ordained monks.For more on
Buddhism, check
http://www.dharmanet.
org or http://www.
accesstoinsight.
org.