Covering Myanmar
So why are the Theravadan Buddhist monks in Myanmar leading protests for democracy? That was my immediate question when I saw the news. In looking over the coverage of the protests, the stories I read mostly said things like the monks are the "highly revered moral core of Burmese society" and then moved on. MSNBC’s "Backgrounder" gave a few suggestive responses to questions about their involvement:
Who are the monks leading the protests?
The Buddhist clergy historically has been politically influential in Myanmar, nearly 90 percent of which is Buddhist. The 400,000-500,000 Buddhist monks have wielded considerable spiritual and political clout among the citizens for centuries. The government has tried to win the support of senior clergy, with mixed success at best. The monks have been called Myanmar’s “saffron army.”To which branch of Buddhism do the monks adhere?
The Buddhists of Myanmar observe the Theravada school, which is typically found in south and southeast Asia. The Theravada school focuses on personal liberation from craving and suffering.
Since my history of Southeast Asia is weak, I had more questions. Why has Buddhism been influential here, in particular? And how connected is that to their Theravadan beliefs (if at all)? If the focus is individual liberation, how does democracy go along with this? I’ve been led to believe that Buddhist social activism is an relatively new, "Western" phenomenon. Are these protests evidence of indigenous "Engaged Buddhism" or something else? And, on a side note, how involved are the Muslims and Christians (the other 10% of the country) in this effort?
Anyone care to, um, enlighten me? (I’ll try to look through more scholarly resources, too, and post what I come up with.)
Image: Sara Heinrichs, Myanmar Buddhist monk meditating.