The four faces of Buddha

Just as you would imagine, your typical Myanmar Buddhist temple is a haven of serenity. Even the occasional clang of a sacred bell that adherents make only adds to the atmosphere of calm reverence as the chime’s reverberations pulse gradually into silence. The waft of incense is a gentle call to respect the site’s tranquility under the watchful eye of a golden Buddha. This is the kind of face of Buddha that most of us would think of in imagining…

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Myanmar: blessed be the tea house

If the pub can be said to be at the heart of British social life, the same can be said of the tea house in Myanmar. Both may have a male focus but the tea house has none of the drunken bravado of its counterpart, as Buddhism tends to frown upon a lack of sobriety. Sweet, milky tea is dispensed to the masses from the early morning, usually to some time in the afternoon. It is where tales are told,…

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The Nat shrines of Myanmar

  From the serenity of dusty village tracks to the fumes and klaxons of hectic Yangon streets you never have to go far to find a little shelter of spirituality: a nat shrine. Nats are spirits, whose worship predates the arrival of Buddhism and has endured, despite the occasional efforts by the powers that be to quash its practice. In fact it was the 11th century king Anawrahta’s efforts to do so that only served to alienate people from his…

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