16 - Buddhism in Burma: Supporters

Summary

It is with humility and pride that I have accepted the invitation from the Mahābodhi Society to give a series of two talks on Buddhism in Burma – humility at the realization of my inadequate knowledge on this vast subject; and pride at the thought of having the opportunity to tell my fellow Buddhists from many countries what little I know.

I propose to present to you the whole spectrum of Buddhism in Burma from the eleventh century AD to the present time. My plan is to divide this subject – Buddhism in Burma – into two complementary components, namely, 1) its supporters, and 2) its disseminators, and to allot one talk to each.

The supporters of Buddhism, sāsana-dāyakā, in Burma up to 1886 were kings, some of whom occasionally became Defenders of the Faith, and thereafter people of high status. This first talk will revolve chiefly around those royal and non-royal dignitaries and relate their patronage and their actions to the development of Buddhism since its emergence in Burma as the predominant faith. To make the picture clearer the story will be unfolded in the context of the six major periods in Burmese history. These are 1) the Pagan period, 1044-1354; 2) the Ava period, 1364-1555; 3) the Toungoo period, 1486-1752; 4) the Kon-baung period, 1752-1885; 5) the British period, 1885-1948; and finally 6) the independence period, 1948 up to the present day.

It is generally accepted that Buddhism must have reached Burma from India very early in the Christian era, but we do not have much knowledge of its strength or quality until the eleventh century AD. In that century King Anaw-rahta, 1044-74, obtained copies of the Scriptures in Pali, said to have been derived from Ceylon. Thenceforth, Burma was committed to the Southern School of Buddhism, believed to be the Doctrine of the Elders, Theravada, as settled at the Third Council, held during the reign of King Asoka.

Long before Anaw-rahta there had been a one-way cultural traffic between India and Burma. Indians both from the north and the south had been visiting or migrating to Burma. They brought their religious cults with them.