Burmese Buddhism
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The forms of Buddhism practiced in Myanmar.
Burmese Buddhists are noted for their devotion to Theravāda’s “higher” teachings: the Abhidhamma, the Pāli commentaries, and Vipassanā meditation, which they helped spread across the world.
Caution! Under Construction
Please be aware that this tag is still under construction and as such is missing information and may be changed or removed at any time. For all the content under consideration for this tag, see the “Burmese Buddhism” folder on Google Drive.

Two novices pause to investigate a broken tile in the courtyard of the golden Shwedagon Pagoda in 2008. The observation of impermanence is an important part of Burmese Vipassana practice. (Photo by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0)
Table of Contents
Books (14)
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Readings (17)
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The religious courts that try these cases have the backing of state law enforcement agencies: failure to comply with their judgements is punishable by imprisonment. A guilty verdict has been passed in all seventeen cases to date. There is no opportunity of appeal.
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Known in Burmese as the weikza-lam or ‘Path of Esoteric Knowledge,’ this tradition has as its goal not the termination of saṃsāric life as an arahant, but rather its indefi nite prolongation through the attainment of virtual immortality
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Field-based observations on the young charismatic Phu Taki and his community, as well as on the practice of pagoda worship called Duwae
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There is a contradiction between the spiritual worthiness felt by thilá-shin themselves and the mundane degradation to which they are subject.
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The article discusses the development of Buddhistic cults and secret societies on the Yunnan-Burma border, focusing on how these societies shaped the region’s political and social dynamics from the late 17th century.
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Anthropologists and religious scholars have long debated the relationship between doctrinal Theravada Buddhism, so-called ‘animism’, and other folk practices in southeast Asian societies. A variety of models of this relationship have been proposed on the basis of ethnographic evidence. We provide the first psychometric and quantitative evaluation of these competing models, using a new scale developed for this purpose, the Burmese Buddhist Religiosity Scale.
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A description of some Pāli texts found inscribed on gold in an old Burmese stupa which demonstrate the care with which the Pāli tradition has been preserved even during the early medieval period.
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social welfare activities conducted by nuns in Myanmar enhance their social and religious capital
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I urge you to meditate beforehand, i.e., before you come across old age, sickness and death
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The present nuns in Burma had a great period of revival and prosperity during the sasana reforms sponsored by King Mindon, who built the royal city of Mandalay and held the Fifth Buddhist Council…
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Neither Buddhism, a practice of transforming oneself with love, compassion, and wisdom, nor the Buddha, an ideal description of man enjoying life without harming oneself or others, helped me appeal to those monks who had the author- ity to imprison me. I came to know deeply that these monks did not truly understand that Buddhism is about the practice of love, compassion, and wisdom, even though they all said that they understood.
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A short article on a glasswork depiction of an incident in 1903 in which a tigress sought refuge on the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon.
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Audio/Video (8)
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How to live harmoniously within a community, focusing on the six conditions outlined in the Sārāṇīya Sutta.
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The life of Ledi Sayadaw and why Vipassanā meditation went mainstream in colonial Burma.
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promising him special access to a better future life and even nibbāna, that possesses great appeal to him. […] When people engage in religious behavior, they are trying to see where there is a concentration of power to which they can connect themselves. So, the question is, where do you think such concentrations of power lie?
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A short video on the girls who shave their heads to escape war.
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