Buddhism and Burma
Buddhism was officially adopted by the Burmans, the major racial
unit of Burma, as early as the eleventh century. Indigenous
tradition, however, takes back this introduction even to the life
time of Buddha when, so it is said, the faith came to this country
through the good offices of two Mon merchants, Tapussa and
Bhallika. The Buddha, so says the tradition, graced them with some
hair of his head which they carried and enshrined on the top of the
Singuttara hill, at the place where now stands the famous
Shwedagon. This pagoda, however, is not the only shrine of which
Burma can boast. There are innumerable shrines scattered all over
the country, quite a few of them fairly celebrated, the maximum
number being clustered within a sixteen square mile area at Pagan,
the nerve centre of ancient Burmese Buddhist culture.
Leaving aside the tradition whose authenticity is yet to be proved,
it can be said with some definiteness that Buddhism, particularly
its Theravada form, was implanted at Pagan for the first time as
early as the eleventh century by the Burmese monarch Anawrahta
(104477). Urged by his spiritual adviser Shin Arahan, the king
requested the Mon monarch Manuhal of Suvannabhumi (identified with
Taikkala in the Bilin township of the Thaton district) to kindly
send him a set of the Pali Buddhist scriptures. Unfortunately the
request was rudely turned down whereon Anawrahta waged a fierce war
against the Mon king, humbled him, ransacked his capital and
brought back to Pagan some thirty huge sets of the Pali scriptures.
Fitting honour was extended to the scriptures which were housed
with all solemnity at Pagan in a library specially built for the
purpose. The people envisaged a new order of life obsessed as they
were by the faith of the Aris and other indigenous religious rites
and practices, and with this great acquisition opened a new chapter
in the religious life of the people.
Incidentally, it is worth recalling that according to the
Mahavamsa, a Pali chronicle of the fifth century Ceylon, Buddhism
reached Suvannabhumi as early as the third century before Christ
when emperor Asoka sent there two Buddhist monks, Sona and Uttara,
to preach the teachings of the Master. Though it is somewhat
difficult to determine the genuineness of this statement, yet the
whole affair does not appear to be just a figment of imagination.
It should further be mentioned that researches in archaeology have
proved beyond doubt that as early as the sixth century, if not the
fifth, of the Christian era, Sanskrit Buddhism had found a fair
stronghold at Sriksetra, ancient Prome, which was then the cradle
of the Pyu culture.
After Anawrahta had brought over the Pali scriptures to Pagan, its
study coupled with the pressure put forth by Shin Arahan,
encouraged the king to make Theravada Buddhism the religion of the
state. His enthusiasm ushered an era of religious reform. Pagodas
rose, a new programme of education was adopted, and the cause of
culture was strongly encouraged and advocated. After the death of
Anawrahta, his son Kyanzittha (1084-1113) followed his father's
programme of reform. According to the Shwesandaw inscription of the
year 1093 he sent a mission to India to restore the temple at
Buddhagaya, where Gautama had attained Enlightenment, an act which
became the first official attempt on the part of a Burmese king at
establishing cultural contacts with India. Shin Arahan continued to
be spiritual adviser of the king, and it was to him more than to
anybody else that Burma owes the establishment of Theravada
Buddhism, and the era of pagoda building which he inaugurated was
the most creative age in Burmese religious and cultural history. It
should be mentioned here thit if Anawarahta and his successors were
not able or did not care to exterminate all the other existing
cults, they gradually weakened them by unwavering patronage to the
Theravada. Having command over the seagirt coast of Burma, they
were able to keep in touch with the reigning Buddhist monarchs of
Ceylon, to check their Pali Texts with those of the latter and to
receive and give help in matters religious.
Towards the end of the thirteenth century, Pagan fell before the
onrush of the invading Tartars, and Burma was left in a state of
prolonged anarchy and confusion. Buddhism naturally shared in the
general decline. Religion languished, the Samgha split up into
sects, and though pagodas were built, none of them could rival even
the lesser temples of Pagan. This state of confusion continued till
the second half of the fifteenth century when Dhammazedi (147292)
ascended the throne and a somewhat stable kingdom was set up.
Reform in the Samgha was necessary and the monarch brought it about
Schisms within the Samgha were healed, and once again the ideal of
a unified church with the king as the guardian was attained. With
these reforms Burma entered a new chapter in the history of
Buddhism. Never again was the country so seriously concerned about
its religious orthodoxy and Buddhism became self-sufficient.
