Changing Buddhist Practice in Burma - Online Burma Library

or political achievement? If so, what connection does the spiritual practice and
its enlightenment quest have with secular politics, and the state?
Burma and Buddhism
Burma (also known as Myanmar) 4 is situated in the Southeast Asia region and
neighbors Thailand, Laos, China, Bangladesh, and India. It occupies
approximately 261,552 square miles and, in 2000, has a population of about
47.7 million (United Nations Population Division 2004). The country is
composed of peoples of various ethnic backgrounds, speaking different
languages and practising different cultures. Ethnically, the population of
Burma speaks more than 125 different indigenous languages and they live in
different parts of the country. 5 Burma is known to people around the world as
the land of pagodas; its landscape is abundant with pagodas, monasteries, and
shrines, and the religio-social daily life incorporates many monks, nuns, and
laities. In the tradition of Buddhism, there are two well-known Buddhist
schools, Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, which were
established about 500 years after the death of Buddha. Theravada Buddhism,
also known as the Teaching of the Elders, is the traditional religion in Burma. 6
The Buddhist Burmese, estimated as about 85% of the total population,
encompass many different ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. 7
An ideal life for both the Burmese Buddhist Sangha and the laity has three
phrases: young, middle, and elderly. An ideal life for a Sangha is to study and
teach and then to retire and retreat to the forest to strive for self-salvation. In
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