Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buddhism in daily life
Daily religious life for the Burmese laypeople is mainly concerned with observing the re-
ligion's Five Precepts (a kind of Buddhist five commandments) and accumulating spiritual
merit
through good deeds and alms-giving (
dana
) - all of which, it is hoped, will ensure
a favourable rebirth in the next life.
Meditation
, particularly Vipassana meditation, is also
popular among both monks and laity.
Many Burmese homes have their ownsmall Buddhist shrine, but local
temples
remain very
muchattheheartofreligious,andindeedsocial,life-largerplacescomeequippedwiththeir
own shops, resident palmists and astrologers, food vendors, flower shops (and, nowadays,
ATMs, wi-fi zones and lifts). There is no congregational worship in Buddhism, meaning that
people come to pay their respects at all times of the day and night - early evening after work
is particularly popular.
Worshippers often come bearing
offerings
of flowers, money and quaint paper umbrellas,
while also popular is the practice of rubbing fine slivers of gold leaf on particularly revered
Buddhaimages(thestatueattheMahamuniPayainMandalay,forexample,whosenetherre-
gions have now largely been buried under an estimated two tonnes of additional gold applied
by visiting devotees). Inside the temple the devout will offer prayers, perhaps ringing one of
the gongs with which all temples are equipped in the hope that their prayer will be answered.
Dependingonwhichdayoftheweektheywerebornon,theywillvisittherelevant
planetary
post
and wash its Buddha image, dousing it in water once for every year of their age, plus
once more for luck.
