Burma: Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon

Buddhism is to Burma as politics is to Washington, DC. Except in Burma everyone 

is running for office. There are some spectacular displays of piety, fantastic amounts 

of wealth devoted to adorning statues of the Buddha in an effort to achieve good karma.

The country is coming out from under a decades-long rule by a military junta. There are 

beautiful, luxurious hotels (some owned by the relatives of the generals) less than a 

kilometer from people living in fairly desperate circumstances. 

I had four free days between finishing the mission in Thailand and starting a gig in Palestine 

with a different group of people. I spent the time touring Burmas with group of people from

the Thailand mission. We visited two cities and one rural area that was peppered with

pagodas. Lots of statues, lots of history. I am very curious to see what Burma will be 

like in twenty years. I am very happy that I had the chance to visit in 2013.

Sacred Fig, Shwedagon Pagoda.
Prince Siddhartha left his
palace at the age of 29,
renouncing his possessions to search for enlightenment.
After many hardships, at the
age of 35, he achieved
enlightenment while meditating
beneath a sacred fig tree, Ficus religiosa. This statue of the Buddha, found on the SE corner of the upper terrace, is sheltered by a F. religiosa thought to be a descendant of the tree that sheltered the Buddha.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is thought to be the holiest site in Burma. Tons of gold, in the form of gold leaf and gold plate applied to the bricks that form the towers, have been used in its decoration. This tradition dates back to the fifteenth century, when Queen Shinsawbu donated her weight in gold to the pagoda.

One of the qualities I found endearing was that the Buddhists don't take it all too seriously. Above is what is called the  "TV Buddha". This statue is thought to be associated with success in politics. The military junta that ruled Burma didn't want anyone other than themselves to be successful in politics, so pilgrims are not allowed to pray before the statue itself, only this closed-circuit image. And it's not even HD!

T