t is predominantly in the Burmese month of
'Tagu' (March/April), the time of 'Thingyan', the Burmese New Year and
'Waso' (June/July), the beginning of the Buddhist Lent, that 'Shin Pyu'
and 'Koyin' are in the mouths, hearts and minds of all Buddhists in this
country.
Thingyan, means 'change over' or 'transition' and this
transition not only refers to a transition from one season or year to
the next but also for young boys the transition from an ordinary 'living
creature' to a 'human being' as a Buddhist male is accepted as
fully-fledged human being only after he is gone through the shin pyu.
This happens usually sometime between his sixth and twelfth birthday,
mostly at about the age of nine years. This is for a young boy in Burma
the most important moment of his life: the initiation as a 'Koyin', a
'novice' in the order of Buddhist 'Pongyis' (monks) with the 'Shin Pyu',
the 'Initiation ceremony' and his parents consider it as a privilege to
novitiate their son(s).
No man's life is fulfilled and completed
without having been novitiated. In other words, a Buddhist man who has
not at the very least been a koyin once in his early life is looked upon
as someone who has missed out on the most important thing in his
worldly life. Therefore this is a must for Buddhists. But the
significance of this moment is not the only reason for the shin pyu
being traditionally a time of extravagance. Actually, it is not even the
main reason as a noviciation ceremony can in fact also be very simple.
The main reason for this is that Siddhartha Gautama (c 563 to c 483 BC) -
the later Gautama Buddha - was a wealthy and powerful prince. He was
born as the son of the very wealthy head of the mighty Indian warrior
chaste the 'Sakya' (which accounts for the name 'Sakyamuni', meaning
'Sage of the Sakya', the name by which Siddhartha was also known in his
later life), and - becoming a philosopher - he decided in his young
years to depart from his worldly secular life.
He became the
'Seeker of the Ultimate Truth', walked 'The Path of Perfection', became
the founder of 'Buddhism' and finally - after finding 'Enlightenment'
('Buddha', meaning 'The Enlightened One'). The name 'Siddhartha Gautama
Buddha' is, subsequently, his first name 'Siddhartha' plus family name
'Gautama' plus 'The Enlightened One', Buddha.
So, since Gautama
Buddha was a wealthy prince before he became a monk and later Buddha,
young boys in Burma become in imitation of this, symbolically, princes
what explains the traditional grandeur of the 'Shin Pyu Ceremony'.
After
the arrangement of the ceremony the boy's sister(s) - if there is/are
any - announce it to the whole neighbourhood. Everyone is invited and
contributes to the festival (in other words, do acts of 'dhana' or
giving), which is a very costly affair for the boy's parents who if they
are not so wealthy -what is, unfortunately, true for the majority of
them - often go to the limits of their means when their boy(s) is/are
becoming a 'human being', i.e. a Koyin in a Buddhist monks order
although in order to ease the pressure on the budget attendance of mass
noviciation ceremonies and cost-sharing with respect to e.g. cars,
drivers and music troupes so as to get the most and best possible for
the lowest possible price is the order of the day.
Prior to the
shin pyu the young monk-to-be (shinlaung) gets an extravagant makeup, is
dressed in princely garments (the style of which differs from region to
region) of silk embroidered with elaborate sequin work, wears a royal
(often golden) headdress and has a symbolical white horse.
If the
family can afford it it's a real one although it may not be white.
However, the 'mode of transportation' can also be an elephant, a pick-up
or simply daddy's shoulders in piggy-back fashion. Again, that depends
on region, location and family budget.
In any case musicians are
hired to entertain the guests and accompany the boy(s) to the monastery.
The musicians are part of all that what is representing the worldly
goods the novice monk must part with when accepting the rules of the
'Sangha', the 'Buddhist Brotherhood' or 'Order of the Buddha' that
renounces of all personal possessions. Excepted from this are a few very
basic ones such as 3 robes, a hand fan, slippers, a needle (for
sewing), a belt, a strainer for water (to ensure that no living thing is
swallowed), a razor, an alms bowl and an umbrella. However, in reality
monks usually have some additional small items in their possession.
The
night before the ceremony is a very busy one as a feast is prepared for
all the monks of the order the young boy(s) will join and all the
invited guests including musicians, drivers, friends, etc. Then, in a
festive procession of cars, pickups, trucks, etc., decorated with
'Htihpyus' (white umbrellas) and 'Htishwes' (golden umbrellas) the young
'Prince' soon to be a Koyin (monk novice) is brought accompanied by the
entire family, all invited guests and to the tunes of the 'Do bat'
(small group of musicians) to the Kyaung (monastery) where he will spend
the next days, weeks or months separated from his family under the
strict rules of the Sangha.
This procession is an imitation of the
night when according to Buddhists belief young prince Siddhartha
Gautama left riding on a horse to the woods, leaving his family (incl.
wife, Princess Yasodhara, and son Rahula) and all the royal splendour
and his privileged life in the palace behind to humbly practice ascetic
virtues as forest-dwelling monk and live a life of self-detachment for
the following six years.
In Yangon many go first up to the
Shwedagon Pagoda as this is here the pagoda of choice. They walk one
time clock-wise around the pagoda's central stupa to pay homage to the
Buddha and do meritorious deeds; then they make pictures and proceed to
the monastery where the shin pyu will take place.
Upon arrival at
the monastery it's again time for photo shooting in order to make this
important moment an everlasting one for all the present and future
family members and friends to be seen.
Then the monks are fed elaborately followed by all invited men and finally the women.
As
the ceremony proceeds the novitiate monk's (koyin's) head is shaved,
his hair is when it is falling down collected by female relatives in a
white cloth later to be buried near a pagoda or kept at home where it is
given a special place.
However, the monk attire and equipment is
not handed over to the monk-to-be just like that. It is a very
ceremonial affair and the language used during this ceremony is Pali
because the language of the Theravada canonical texts is Pali. As it is
difficult to speak and pronounce Pali language perfectly the novice to
be has to learn at least one month ahead how to, for instance, ask for
the robe (thingan daung) from the presiding monk, how to pronounce
properly the three venerable (Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha), how to say
beats, the Ten Precepts (seba thila) and so on in.
Upon approval
of his request to enter into monkshood the koyin prostates himself three
times before the 'Sayadaw', the abbot preceding over the ceremony. Then
he is robed (the robes can be white, yellow or maroon), has his
'Thabeik', the alms bowl, hanged over his shoulders and is given an old
Pali name. This is traditionally based on an astrology-based naming
system and given by the Sayadaw. Now the young boy is accepted as a
Koyin. He is ready to walk as Buddhist novice the 'Path of Perfection';
first done by Gautama Buddha and later by his own son 'Rahula'.
As
long as he stays in the kyaung (monastery) the young monk novice may -
even by his parents - be addressed in revered tones only for he is now a
'Son of Buddha'. He on his part addresses his mother as 'lay sister'
and his father as 'lay brother'. But these privileges our koyin has to
earn the hard way as life in the monastery is usually not so easy for
him. During the time spent in the monastery he is subject to the rules
of the Sangha the adherence to which requires a high degree of
discipline and is monitored and mercilessly ensured by a 'Kapya' a sort
of general factotum that assists the Sayadaw. The young novice is taught
the ten basic Buddhist rules of conduct and the basic Pali scriptures.
These include the 'Four Noble Truth', which are:
1. All life is suffering
2. This suffering comes from selfish desire
3. When forsaken selfish desire suffering will be extinguished
4.
The 'middle-path' is the way to eliminate desire. This 'middle-path' is
the 'Eight-Fold-Path' that comprises: right speech, right action, right
thought, right exertion, right attentiveness, right concentration,
right aspiration and right understanding.
At 10:00 P.M. the Koyin
has to sleep and to get up at 03:00 A.M. Two hours before dawn he goes
with the other monks on the daily alms-round announced by advancing
'Pongyi Kyauk thas' (boys from the monastery) on a gong or triangle.
A traditional poem describes this as follows:
"Hark! From the village's brow comes the ting-a-ling of the triangle gong.
Our novice of the bamboo grove kyaung on his alms-round he will come.
Hurry, please with the alms food bowl."
The
food received as alms is his only meal today. After the completion of
the alms-round the monks and the koyin return to the kyaung. His last
solid food for the day he is allowed to take in at 11:00 A.M.
The
rest of the time until he goes to sleep is spend on prayers and
meditations both individually and together with others as well as with
religious instructions in Theravada Buddhism given by monks. As for
Theravada Buddhism one could say that the name is programme because in
Pali 'Thera' means elders and 'Vada' means doctrine, thus, Theravada,
'The Doctrine Of The Elders'. It is also called 'small vehicle' or
Hinayana, meaning 'lesser vehicle'. By contrast, the second main school
of Buddhism, 'Mahayana' or 'larger/greater vehicle' - dominant in most
of Asia - is centred on the personality of the historical Buddha and its
relation to a person's salvation. The diversion into Theravada and
Mahayana is the result of the Third Buddhist Synod that took place in
235 B.C. at Pataliputra in India and was convened by the deeply
religious king Ashoka.
In Theravada Buddhism a true form of
worship does not exist for which reason the pongyis and the koyin
perform three times daily the recitation of the 'Triratna' or 'Three
Jewels' that goes: "I take refuge in the Buddha (The Enlightened One). I
take refuge in the Dharma (Buddhist doctrine). I take refuge in the
Sangha (Buddhist monastic community/Buddhist Brotherhood/Order of the
Buddha)."
So, life in the monastery is not easy for the young
koyin as its philosophy is diametrically opposed to the worldly life.
For almost all koyins the period of time they stay in the monastery is
not very long. Their life as a member of the monastic community lasts
usually 7 to 14 days. Many of them will repeat their stay in a kyaung on
a yearly basis (mostly during Thingyan) and leave it at that. However,
some hundred thousand pongyis have become ordained at the age of 20, the
minimum age at which one can become full member of the Sangha) or
later. These mostly young men have the intention to devote the rest of
their lives to the learning of 'Pali'. Pali is one of the Indo-Aryan
dialects known as Prakrits and a direct descendant from Sanskrit. It is
the language in which the original Buddhist scriptures are written. They
do not only submit themselves to the studying of Pali scriptures and
the religious instruction of lay people but also to the 227 rules of the
Buddhist order. These rules include the three fundamental rules the
monks have to subscribe to:
1. The renunciation of all possessions except those mentioned previously.
2. The vow to injure nothing and to offend no one.
3. Celibacy.
But
since contrary to Christian religions no vow is taken Buddhist monks
are at liberty to leave the order at any time they wish to do. But
whatever the koyin will decide to do with his life in respect to
religion his spiritual life respectively, it begins with the shin pyu.
Shin
pyus are usually staged before and at the beginning of the three-months
Buddhist Lent season that begins with the full moon of the Burmese
month of Waso (June/July), is followed by Wagaung (July/August), and
Thawthalin (August/September) and ends with Thadingyut
(September/October). While Burmese boys are novitiated in the shin pyu
with all ceremonial splendour, the girls have an unspectacular ceremony
that is of rather social than religious nature. In this ceremony called
Nahtwin that usually coincides with the boys (their brothers)
noviciation and takes place prior to the noviciation ceremony their ear
lobes are pierced. This rather unceremonious ear-piercing ceremony is
traditionally an important one to them. For this reason they are on this
occasion dressed like little princesses. But the ear-piercing ceremony
almost pales into insignificants against the backdrop of the boys '
pompous Shin pyu. But if the boy's sisters (or any other girl or young
woman, for that matter, wishes so she can of course also join a Buddhist
nuns order.
Having reached the end of the monk ordination
ceremony or noviciation ceremony that centres solely about boys it seems
to me only fair to say a few words about Buddhist nuns. In general, so
much is written about monks and all stuff related; but very little be it
scriptures or contemporary writing can be found about Buddhist nuns.
As
so often in life women do, alas, also in matters of religion - in this
case Buddhism and in particular the Theravada Buddhism in Burma (Burma) -
come off badly. This goes for Buddhism and Christianity as well as for
other religions.
Even Buddha himself - who always said that there
was no difference between men and women in terms of attaining nibbana
(Enlightenment) - put the monks on the front seat and it took pretty
much persuasion by his Sangha comprising some 60 disciples (bhikkhus),
his aunt and foster-mother, Maha Pajapati Gotami, and his cousin and
aide Ananda to have him also establish an order for Buddhist nuns. This
he did by ordaining Maha Pajapati Gotami and some of her followers.
Giving
existing scriptures the credit to be reliable sources Buddha's reason
for not being so happy with the admission of women to the Sangha was
that he thought that this would have a negative effect on its strengths
and, subsequently, on the lengths of its life (too much temptation is as
I think what he means). And this negative attitude towards nuns
(bhikkhunis) or Thilashins (owners of virtue), as they are called in
Burma lives on in both Sangha and society till today.
This finds
its expression and becomes visible in many things. It begins with
Buddha's laying down more rules of discipline for nuns (for the
bhikkhunis 311 compared to the bhikkhus 227 in the Theravada version)
and his making it more difficult for them to be ordained. To top it all
he also made them subordinate to monks. This is what I call
discrimination, which in my view constitutes a problem. Sure, there are
monks who think differently (meaning they are of the opinion that nuns
should be admitted to the Sangha) and those who do not even give this
problem a thought (meaning either way is OK with them) but the simple
truth is that the governing council of Burmese Theravada Buddhism has
ruled that there can be no valid ordination of women. All of this
together kind of sanctions that Buddhist nuns are not given the status,
respect and financial support they deserve by both monks and lay people.
And
the inequity continuous as you can see from the following example. For
most Buddhist lay people (ordinary lay people) in Burma feeding the
monks with delicious meals comprising thamin (cooked rice), curry (Hin),
vegetable (Hin thee hin ywat), soup (Hin yay), etc. is an important
ritual in order to obtain much merit, to ensure them a fortunate rebirth
and even luck in their present lives. This does by no means go for
nuns. Whereas monks are offered elaborately cooked meals nuns get only a
few odd things such as a small amount of Kyat (pennies actually), a
spoon or two of uncooked rice (Sa), a sweet, a tomato (Kha yan chin
thee) or an onion (Kyat thun ni), etc.
Speaking in more general
terms it is very obvious that the Buddhist lay people in Burma make a
great show of offering new robes to the monks and money to the pongyi
kyaungs but that they pay very little attention to the nuns and their
monasteries.
In plain English, feeding monks and financially
supporting their monasteries results in plenty of merits for the
afterlife but feeding nuns and give financial support to their nunneries
does not give anything in return; so why giving something (if anything
at all) to them? So it's business or what? Very selfish, wouldn't you
say so? For this reason I donate for nuns rather than monks. The nuns
know that and never fail to stop at my doorsteps when they make their
daily rounds.
Here is another example; Buddhist monks enjoy
highest status in society, even presidents and elder statesman kneel
before them, but nuns (even higher ranking bhikkhunis) are paid, at
best, (never mind the few exceptions from the rule) the respect that any
ordinary woman receives.
When the topic religious study comes
into the picture the discrimination against women in Buddhist sisterhood
does not stop. The highest level a Buddhist nun in Burma can ever reach
is called Dhammacariya and is a Buddhist university degree equivalent
to a civilian bachelor. To the Buddhist universities that offer master
degrees in Buddhist studies nuns are not admitted.
I could go on
and on with giving you examples of the discrimination of Buddhist nuns
that still persists in Burma (not in other Buddhist countries) but I
think it is enough now. No? OK then, here is one more; but this is
really the last one: When a Buddhist monk (not koyin) - no matter how
young and healthy - is entering, for instance, a bus it is a matter of
course that he is unhesitatingly going to the front seats because he
knows that almost everyone is eager to offer him his seat (actually the
seats in front are whenever possible kept free for monks in pretty much
the same way in which in other countries seats are reserved for old and
disabled people); even pregnant woman and elder people will do that. If,
however, a nun (no matter how old or fit) is entering a bus almost no
one is paying any attention. How much worse can it get, I ask you?
All
of this may account for the fact that there are about 500.000 Buddhist
pongyis in Burma and only a handful of thilashins. Estimates are that
their number is about 40.000. As a final note I want to mention that for
all the a.m. examples of discrimination it seems to me that the life of
a thilashin has become somewhat more attractive in Burma. However,
unlike in e.g. Sri Lanka or Thailand - where the endeavours for
restoring the Bhikkhuni order are slow but continuously gaining
strengths - in Burma similar attempts are inconsiderable.
I am German by birth but am living since 25 years in
Burma/Myanmar and know the country, its people, its culture and its
history very well. This has made me an authority on Burma. When it is
about books on Burma, stick with the expert. After retiring in 2012 I
turned writer and am writing books on Burma the country I am privileged
to call home. Please do also see my Professional Photos and my profile.
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