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Burmese Ordination Ceremony

The Sangha is very revered throughout Myanmar. Theravada Buddhism was introduced to Burma in the third century BC, and became a common belief among Burmese residents in the eleventh century AD, and has continued to this day. At that time, Anuruddha listened to the advice of the Mon monk Arahant, excluded the Ari Sangpa, and established Theravada Buddhism as the state religion.

Burmese people are benevolent and charitable under the long-term influence of Buddhist thought. In Myanmar, almost every day, some people raise donations, and some people give alms, which has become a habit of the Burmese people. Burmese people don’t pay attention to the preciousness of the items, but pay attention to whether they are willing or not.

There is a saying in Myanmar: “A sincere person gives something as small as a banyan tree seed, and he can get a big reward like a banyan tree; even if a dishonest person gives something as big as a banyan tree, he can only accumulate something as small as a banyan tree seed. The merits.”

The Burmese believe that it is a very good thing to give a cup of cool and clean water to passers-by in the hot summer. Therefore, you will see that at the gates of Burmese people’s homes, at bus stops in the city, or in parks, pagodas and other places, there are always water tanks and cups filled with clean water for passers-by to drink.

Burmese alms and donations can be seen everywhere. Tens of thousands of pagodas and countless temples were donated and built by people; the meals, robes and daily necessities of 320,000 monks and nuns in the country were donated by believers; even the pergola of buses in the city and the pavilions in parks for tourists to rest and the stone benches are also built with donations from believers, and the names of the donors are engraved on them.

The greatest wish of Burmese people in life is to donate money to repair the pagoda. They were reluctant to eat and wear all their lives, and when they were dying, they donated all their savings to build a pagoda, but it was a wish.

In Myanmar, boys generally have to be shaved, so that the Buddhist cause has successors, which is considered to be a matter of accumulation of virtue. For children, it is an honor to be able to “adult” and to be respected by society.

There are generally three forms of shaving for children: shaving one family alone; shaving several families together to shave children; and shaving children in units of government departments, streets, schools or markets. On the afternoon of the day before the shaving ceremony, a grand parade ceremony will be held.

People put crowns on children who are about to be shaved, wear royal clothes, wear colorful ribbons on their shoulders, and ride high-headed horses. Some people lead horses, some hold golden umbrellas, and the team is mighty. A group of girls with Buddhist flags and colorful national costumes walked at the front of the line, followed by a car carrying auspicious drums, the protective deity of the Tripitaka scriptures riding on the backs of elephants, and covered with golden umbrellas, and holding the eight treasures for monks.

The parents of children with shaved utensils, the girls holding betel nut boxes and flower boxes, the wish-fulfilling trees decorated with various daily necessities ready to be donated to monks, etc. In the evening, a troupe is usually invited to sing, all night long.

On the morning of the official shaving ceremony, take a special car to the Shwedagon Pagoda with the accompaniment of drum music, and then enter the temple to shave the children’s hair, wear cassocks, listen to the precepts, and then offer a fasting meal. On the third day, the parents were to gather together and ask the Master to recite the scriptures in the temporary colored booth.

Parents sit on the ground on their knees with a small pot or water in their hands, and while listening to the scriptures, pour the water from the cup or pot onto the plate or the ground drop by drop, which is called “sharing the blessings”. It means that the merits accumulated by shaving children cannot be enjoyed by themselves, but should be shared with everyone.

After the children are shaved, they can usually return to the secular world after being a novice for a week, two weeks, a month or a few months in the temple, and some convert to Buddhism and become Buddhist disciples.

Myanmar is a country with strong religious awareness. In the streets and alleys of Myanmar, monks wearing cassocks and holding black umbrellas can be seen anytime and anywhere. There are more than 100,000 monks in the country. There are more than 20,000 monks in Yangon and Mandalay alone, with an average of 300 monks.

One is a monk. Every man in Buddhists must become a monk when he reaches a certain age. The society recognizes him as an adult, and he can enjoy the right to marry after he returns to the secular world. The age to become a monk is generally around 10 years old. In the past, the shortest was one year, which has been shortened to 7 days.

You can also be a monk for a few months, a few years, or even a lifetime. The procedure for leaving home is very simple. Therefore, there is a saying in Myanmar that it is easy to become a monk, and it is also easy to return to the secular world.