Presidential adviser sues 13 farmers for trespassing - Online Burma ...

48 the pulse THE MYANMAR TIMES SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2013
The Buddhist school of
rock – and reggae
Yasuto Akaike
BUDDHISTS priests today
do not just chant sutra
at funerals or memorial
services in a stoic, oldfashioned
way. They use
the power of music – guitar, chanson
and even reggae – to expound
Buddha’s teachings.
Whatever genre the priests choose,
they have a common enthusiasm
to bring ordinary people closer to
Buddhism.
A concern that people are
becoming more and more distant
from temples apparently has
prompted the priests to become
more innovative in spreading their
message.
“You can’t take money or jewels
to the next world. All you have is
the way you lived in this world,”
Kisho Watanabe, 66, head priest at
the Koyoji temple in Kamiamakusa,
Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, said
during a recent sermon to about
60 visitors in the main hall of
the temple. “If you go to heaven
believing you lived a worthwhile
life, your ancestors will be very
pleased.”
Then, Watanabe picked up his
guitar to sing an original song, “Dose
Ichido no Jinsei Naraba” (“As long as
we live only once after all”). The song,
accompanied by a light melody, is a
tribute to life.
Watanabe also sings popular
foreign songs, such as “Besame
Mucho” and “You Are My Sunshine”.
He began singing during his
sermons about 20 years ago. His
singing and humorous, entertaining
style has been gaining popularity
through word of mouth. He is now
known as “Guitar Osho” (Buddhist
priest playing a guitar).
“Priests are responsible for
providing complex lessons in an easyto-understand
way,” Watanabe said.
“Temples should make more effort [to
do so].”
Meanwhile, Miruo Nakano, 74,
head priest at the Kannonji temple in
Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, is called
“Chanson Osho” (“Buddhist priest
singing chanson”). Nakano sings
chanson to reinforce the preciousness
of life to people. He usually sings 10
songs after an hour-long sermon.
He became the head priest at the
temple, which is his wife’s parents’
home, after retiring from teaching at
a middle school.
Chanson Osho began practicing
chanson in 2001 and began singing in
public in 2004 so people attending his
sermons would not become bored.
His eldest son drowned in
1970. His songs often focus on the
preciousness of life.
“I hope my sermons reach people’s
minds and my songs touch their
hearts,” Nakano said. “They are
actually closely connected with each
other.”
Tariki Echo, a duo of Buddhist
priests, are more aggressive. They
chant Buddhist sutras to reggae
music. The pair was formed three
years ago by Ippei Tatsuyama, 39,
head priest at the Ryukyoji temple
in Gotsu, Shimane Prefecture, and
Akira Enomoto, 41, head priest at
the Zengyoji temple in Kasukabe,
Saitama Prefecture.
In March last year, they released
an album titled Buddha Sound. They
perform at live events in their free
time.
“We found the modulation of
sutras suits reggae well,” Enomoto
said.
“Sutras have many positive
messages, such as liberating people
from earthly desires,” Enomoto said.
“I hope people listen to it casually,
while driving, for example.”
The duo will release their second
album in the near future.
Behind these activities is concern
over the decreasing number of
opportunities ordinary people have
in coming into contact with temples
or Buddhist priests other than at
funerals and memorial services on
anniversaries of a person’s death.
According to a national survey
covering 600 people aged 40 to
69 carried out by the Tokyo-based
Dai-ichi Life Research Institute
Inc. in 2009, about 70 percent of
respondents said their relationship
with temples probably would decline
in the future.
Noriyuki Ueda, a professor at
Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Center
for Liberal Arts, said, “As traditional
rural collectives and communities
have been declining, temples are
becoming more remote from people’s
lives today. [To cope with the
situation,] I expect Buddhist priests
will make efforts to bring regular
people closer to Buddhism not only
through music but also using other
media and methods.”
– The Yomiuri Shimbun
Buddhist priest Guitar Osho says he plays music during his sermons to help
connect people to Buddhist philosophy. Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Guitars hit the right note with teenagers
Shwe War Lwin
GUITAR sales in Myanmar are
soaring as young people exposed
to international rock music seek to
emulate their heroes – and female
musicians are leading the way, say
retailers.
Store owners have reported a
30 per cent rise in Myanmar-made
guitars over the past year, with the
low-budget instruments, costing
between K15,000 to K30,000 (about
US $15 to $30), meeting a increasing
demand from the nation’s would-be
pop and rock stars.
Instrument-sellers say a growing
number of girls wanting to learn
guitar has contributed to the trend.
“The fact that nowadays girls
also love guitar is a definite factor in
rising sales,” said retailer Ko Arkar,
who works at JM’s guitar shop in
Mandalay.
And while cheap Myanmar guitars
from Yangon, Mandalay and Sagaing
are popular with new guitarists and
those on low budgets, guitar stores
also report that increasing exposure
to bands and performers from around
the world is not only fuelling an
interest in different styles of music,
but also creating a demand for
foreign-made instruments as well.
“Young people have always been
interested in learning the guitar
of course, but sales were steady
in previous years,” Ko Arker said.
“This year we’ve seen a rise in
interest and sales are up in the last
two years. I think that reflects the
Guitar sales are rising across the country as teens take up the tunes. Photo: The Myanmar Times
current popularity of rock music in
Myanmar.”
Among those buying foreignmade
instruments, which retail
from K60,000 upwards, Chinese
guitars are proving popular
according to Ko Arkar, who says
he sells over 30 international
instruments a month. Chinese-made
guitars that incorporate American
technology are particularly in
demand, he added.
Only those with big budgets
look to Japanese makers for their
instruments he said, with prices for
Japan-made guitars starting at about
K250,000 and rising to as much as
K600,000 for top models. Yet those
are proving popular too, reflecting
increasing spending power among
Myanmar’s youth, according to the
retailer.
“The difference of the price of
guitars depends on the quality of
the sound produced, the materials
used, including the texture of the
wood and the paint applied,” Ko
Arker said.
“Myanmar guitars tend to be made
of high quality wood, which tends not
to be the case with Chinese models,
but the Chinese makers often feature
better technology. We haven’t seen
much improvement in the technology
of guitars made in Myanmar, but they
remain a good option for those on
lower budgets.”
Among Myanmar guitars, those
made in Sagaing are particularly
popular, said a representative of
Marshel guitar shop in Mandalay.
He said guitars made in Yangon
were popular in Lower Myanmar,
but rarely found in Upper Myanmar.
However, he added, regional
differences matter less than
craftsmanship.
“If you want to get a good quality
guitar, you have to spend more
money,” said the representative.
He said in Mandalay, his store
sells about 20 Myanmar guitars a
month and receive orders of between
200 and 300 instruments from other
townships, a 30 per cent rise on last
year.