58-612: Naing is a word used in Burmese names . The people of Myanmar have no customary matronymic or patronymic naming system and therefore have no surnames . Notable people with Naing in their name include: Burmese name Burmese names ( Burmese : မြန်မာ အမည် ) lack the serial structure of most Western names. Like other Mainland Southeast Asian countries, the people of Myanmar have no customary matronymic or patronymic naming system and therefore have no surnames . Although other Mainland Southeast Asian countries introduced
116-742: A family name . For example, Tun Myint's wife changed her last name to Myint, but Myint is part of his personal name. Honorifics are additions to a given name, commonly used both in written and spoken communication, especially with shorter names comprising one or two syllables. The practice of using honorifics is widespread across all cultures in the Burmese region. While certain ethnic groups may have unique honorifics, these terms are typically recognized and adopted by other groups rather than being translated. For instance, Aung San's parents are commonly referred to as U Pha and Daw Suu. While these could be translated as "Mr. Pha" and "Ms. Suu," they are often used in
174-577: A schism . The schism lasted two centuries before the old order finally died out. Later kings continued to support Theravada Buddhism and its mainly Mon scholarly elite. In the 13th century, the Bamar kings and elites built countless Buddhist stupas and temples, especially around the capital city of Bagan . These acts of generosity were a way to gain merit ( puñña ) and to show that one had phun (glory, spiritual power). Bagan kings presented themselves as bodhisattvas, who saw themselves as responsible for
232-639: A major power in the region through the conquest of the Irrawaddy river valley, which included the Mon city of Thaton . During his reign, Mon Buddhist culture, architecture and writing came to be largely assimilated into the Bamar culture. Though later historical chronicles (like the Sāsanavaṃsa ) state that Anawrahta conquered Thaton in order to obtain the Buddhist scriptures and that a "pure Theravada Buddhism"
290-406: A more informal manner. Some of the common honorifics used in Burmese culture include: According to The Chicago Manual of Style , Burmese names are indexed by the first element unless this element is an honorific. Honorifics are mentioned after the other elements of the name, separated by a comma, or are not stated at all. Many Burmese Buddhists also use astrology (which is determined by
348-498: A way to attract and appease the population and gradually have them accept the new Buddhist religion. Therefore, the spread and dominance of Theravāda in Burma was a gradual process taking centuries (and only really completed in around the 19th century). Hinduism, Ari Buddhism and nat worship remained influential forces in Burma at least until the 13th century, though the royal court generally favored Theravada. The Ari practices included
406-574: Is also known as a great temple builder. Some of his main achievements include the Shwezigon Pagoda and the Shwesandaw Pagoda . However, Anawrahta did not attempt to remove all non-Theravāda elements from his kingdom. Indeed, Anawrahta continued to support some Mahayana practices. He allowed and even promoted the worship of the traditional Burmese nat spirits and allowed their worship in Buddhist temples and pagodas, presumably as
464-872: Is an esoteric system of occult practices (such as recitation of spells, samatha and alchemy) believed to lead to life as a weizza ( Burmese : ဝိဇ္ဇာ Pali : vijjā ), a semi-immortal and supernatural being who awaits the appearance of the future Buddha , Maitreya (Arimeitaya). The early history of Buddhism in Burma is hard to decipher. Pali historical chronicles state that Ashoka sent two bhikkhus , Sona and Uttara, to Suvaṇṇabhūmi ("The Golden Land") around 228 BCE with other monks and sacred texts as part of his effort to spread Buddhism. The area has been recognized as being somewhere in ancient Southeast Asia , possibly in Thaton in lower Burma or Nakon Pathom in Thailand . An Andhra Ikshvaku inscription from about
522-583: Is dated from the mid 5th to mid 6th century, is written on solid gold plaques. The similarity of the script used in these plates with that of the Andhra - Kuntala - Pallava region indicates that Theravada in Burma first arrived from this part of South India. According to Skilling the Pyu and Mon realms "were flourishing centres of Buddhist culture in their own right, on an equal footing with contemporary centres like Anuradhapura." These Mon-Pyu Buddhist traditions were
580-482: Is named Aung San Suu Kyi ( အောင်ဆန်းစုကြည် ). The first part of her name, "Aung San", is from her father's name at the time of her birth. "Suu" comes from her grandmother. "Kyi" comes from her mother, Khin Kyi ( ခင်ကြည် ). The addition of the father or mother's name in a person's name is now quite frequent, although it does not denote the development of a family name. Other nomenclature systems are used as well. The use of
638-489: Is the most common path undertaken by Burmese Buddhists. This path involves the observance of the Five precepts and accumulation of good merit through charity ( dana , often to monks) and good deeds to obtain a favorable rebirth . The meditation path, which has gained ground since the early 1900s, is a form of Buddhist meditation which is seen as leading to awakening and can involve intense meditation retreats . The weizza path
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#1732776872299696-445: Is the official and state religion of Myanmar since 1961, and practiced by nearly 90% of the population. It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. Adherents are most likely found among the dominant Bamar people , Shan , Rakhine , Mon , Karen , and Chinese who are well integrated into Burmese society. Monks , collectively known as
754-540: The Abhidhammatthavibhavani, and his Manidipa, a commentary on the Atthasalini. He also wrote some works in Burmese, and thus was one of the first pioneers to write Buddhist works in that language. In Lower Burma the Mon people were dominant. The most powerful of the Mon kingdoms was Hanthawaddy (a.k.a. Ramaññadesa ), founded by Wareru . He was a patron of Theravada Buddhism, and also led
812-584: The Kingdom of Ava (founded in 1365), which was still the most populous region in the western mainland, despite all the sociopolitical disorder of the era. However, this kingdom was severely weakened economically (lacking coastal trade access), and continued to suffer from the Pagan era issue of tax free religious estates. The leaders of Buddhist institutions grew in power during this era, assuming administrative and even military offices. While most Ava kings supported
870-514: The Mahavihara tradition . He also purified the sangha of undisciplined monks, such as monks who owned land or other forms of material wealth. The invitation of Sinhalese monks and ordination lineages as a way to reform the sangha was also adopted in Mrauk-U, Ava, Toungoo, and Prome. These Sinhalese Theravada lineages spread throughout the mainland through the different trade routes, reaching
928-745: The Vinayalamkara and a commentary to the Atthasalini, while Jambhudhaja composed a commentary on the Vinayatthakatha. Thalun's successor Pindale (1648–1661) also followed in his father's footsteps, building monasteries and patronizing Buddhist scholarship by figures such as Aggadhammalamkara, a great translator of various Abhidhamma works into Burmese (including the Patthana and the Dhammasangani ). His Taungoo successors also promoted learning and further construction projects for
986-592: The Weikza remained popular throughout Burma. During the reign of King Sanay (1673–1714), a great controversy swept the sangha over whether it was acceptable to wear the monk's robe so as to leave one shoulder exposed. This dispute would consume the sangha for almost a century. In the mid-18th century, King Alaungpaya (1714–1760) established the Konbaung dynasty (1752–1885) after a short period of rebellion and warfare. His son, Bodawpaya (1745–1819), arbitrated
1044-494: The sangha (community), are venerated members of Burmese society. Among many ethnic groups in Myanmar, including the Bamar and Shan, Theravada Buddhism is practiced in conjunction with the worship of nats , which are spirits who can intercede in worldly affairs. Regarding the practice of Buddhism, two popular practices stand out: merit-making and vipassanā meditation . There is also the less popular weizza path. Merit-making
1102-621: The 3rd century CE refers to the conversion of the Kiratas (Cilatas) to Buddhism. These may have been the Mon-Khmer speaking peoples of ancient Arakan and Lower Burma (i.e. the Pyu states and Mon kingdoms). 3rd century Chinese texts speak of a "Kingdom of Liu-Yang," where people worshiped the Buddha, and there were "several thousand sramanas". This kingdom has been located in central Burma. By
1160-486: The 4th century, most of Pyu had become predominantly Buddhist, though archaeological finds prove that their pre-Buddhist practices also remained firmly entrenched in the following centuries. According to the excavated texts, as well as the Chinese records, the predominant religion of the Pyu was Theravāda Buddhism . Peter Skilling concludes that there is firm epigraphical evidence for the dominant presence of Theravāda in
1218-651: The Bagan era were Acariya Dhammasenapati, Aggavamsa Thera, Capata (Saddhammajotipala), Saddhammasiri, Vimalabuddhi, Aggapandita and Dhammadassi. Their work focused on the intricacies of Pali grammar as well as on Theravada Abhidhamma . Another key figure of Bagan Buddhism was the Mon Buddhist monk Shin Uttarajīva . He was a leading religious leader during the reigns of Narathu (1167–1171), Naratheinkha (1171–74) and Narapatisithu (1167–1191). Uttarajiva presided over
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#17327768722991276-400: The Buddhist temples put increasing economic strain on the kingdom. To recover some of this wealth in an acceptable manner, kings often saw fit to "purify" or reform the Buddhist sangha (monastic community). However, in the 13th century, no Burmese kings were strong enough to manage and reform the increasingly rich and powerful sangha. The situation was also compounded by drier weather during
1334-561: The Buddhist traditions of India, some of which included the teachings of Mahāyāna Buddhism and the use of the Sanskrit language. In the 7th century, Yijing noted in his travels that in Southeast Asia, all major sects of Indian Buddhism flourished. Archaeological finds have also established the presence of Vajrayana , Mahayana and Hinduism in Burma. In Sri Ksetra, Pegu and other regions of ancient Burma, Brahmanical Hinduism
1392-702: The Burmese language, including the Atthasalini and the Abhidhammatthasangaha . This made the Abhidhamma more accessible to a much wider audience which probably included lay people . At the same time, the Ari "Forest dweller" sect with their large landed estates virtually disappeared in this period due to various economic and political pressures. However, in spite of these changes and reforms, some animist and esoteric practices like nat worship and
1450-631: The Pyu Kingdom of Sriksetra and the Mon kingdom of Dvaravati , "from about the 5th century CE onwards", though he adds that evidence shows that Mahāyāna was also present. The epigraphical evidence comes from Pali inscriptions which have been found in these areas. They use a variant of the South Indian Pallava script . Indeed, the oldest surviving Buddhist texts in the Pāli language come from Pyu city-state of Sri Ksetra. The text, which
1508-481: The Pyu and Mon civilizations. Initially, Burmese Buddhism was dominated by an eclectic Buddhism called Ari Buddhism , which included Mahayana and Vajrayana elements as well animist practices like nat worship and influences from Brahmanism . The Bamar adoption of Buddhism accelerated in the 11th century during the reign of king Anawrahta (Pali: Aniruddha, 1044–1077) who transformed the Bagan Kingdom into
1566-509: The Shan realm never wielded political power as they did in the Burmese regions. In the 14th century, the Buddhist sangha continued to receive patronage from regional Shan kings like Thihathu and scholarly activities continued under their reigns. Meanwhile, Arakan was ruled by the kingdom of Mrauk-u , who also patronized Theravada Buddhism. The main power in the Upper Burma region was
1624-487: The Shan realm, Thailand and Laos. They brought with them Theravada texts, rituals, lowland alphabets and calendars. These changes paved the way for the standardizing Theravada reforms of the first Taungoo dynasty in the mid-16th century. In the 16th century, the Burmese Taungoo dynasty unified all of Burma under energetic leaders like Tabinshwehti (r.1531–1550) and Bayinnaung (r.1551–1581). Taungoo exploited
1682-736: The Sinhala Sangha). Bayinnaung distributed copies of the Pali scriptures, promoted scholarship and built pagodas throughout his empire. One of the main temples built in his reign was the Mahazedi Pagoda at Pegu. Bayinnaung also promoted mass ordinations into the Sinhala Sangha at the Kalyani Ordination Hall in the name of purifying the religion. He also prohibited all human and animal sacrifices throughout
1740-608: The Tantric Mahayana Ari monks (also called "Samanakuttakas") and their unorthodox ways. Burmese historical chronicles state that Anawrahta was converted by a Mon bhikkhu , Shin Arahan , to Theravāda Buddhism. The king may have been worried about the influence of the forest dwelling Ari Buddhist monks and sought a way to subvert their power. The Ari monks, who ate evening meals, drank liquor, and presided over animal sacrifices and sexual rites, were considered heretical by
1798-573: The Theravada pantheon. Thus, the worship of Lokanatha was accepted in Burmese Theravada as well as the worship of a list of 37 Nats that were royally sanctioned. The influence of these various religions is still felt in folk Burmese Buddhism today, which contains several elements of nat worship, esotericism, Mahayana and Hinduism. The Weikza tradition is particularly influenced by these unorthodox elements. It seems that Bagan Theravāda
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1856-457: The admiration of Sinhalese experts. Besides religious texts, Pagan’s monks read works in a variety of languages on prosody, phonology, grammar, astrology, alchemy, and medicine, and developed an independent school of legal studies. Most students, and probably the leading monks and nuns, came from aristocratic families. The Burmese chronicles give a long list of monastic scholars (and their works) who worked during this era. Some important scholars of
1914-408: The cases of U Nu and U Thant ("U" being an honorific). In the mid-20th century, many Burmese started using two syllables, albeit without any formal structure. In the late 1890s, British scholars observed that Arakanese commonly adopted three-syllable names whereas Burmans were still using one or two at most. As they become more familiar with Western culture, Burmese people are gradually increasing
1972-552: The child's day of birth in the traditional eight-day calendar) to name their children. For instance, a Monday-born child may have a name beginning with the letter "k" ( က ). The following is a traditional chart that corresponds the day of birth with the first letter used in a child's name, although this naming scheme is not universally used today: Buddhism in Myanmar Buddhism ( Burmese : ဗုဒ္ဓဘာသာ ), specifically Theravāda Buddhism ( Burmese : ထေရဝါဒဗုဒ္ဓဘာသာ ),
2030-492: The compilation of the Wareru Dhammasattha , an influential code of law patterned on Bagan customary law and influenced by Buddhism. In spite of their support for Theravada Buddhism, many of the people in Burma during this era continued to practice animist and other non-Buddhist religious rites. Shan, Burmese and Mon elites often practiced animal sacrifice and worshiped nat spirits during this period. Meanwhile,
2088-576: The drinking of alcohol in public ceremonies with pickled tea. The royalty also often promoted orthodoxy and Buddhist reform. The greatest of the Hanthawaddy kings, Dhammazedi (Dhammaceti), was a former Mon bhikkhu who ruled from 1471 to 1492. According to the Kalyani Inscriptions , Dhammazedi carried out an extensive reform of the Buddhist sangha by sending thousands of Buddhist monks to Sri Lanka to receive ordination and training in
2146-430: The forest dwelling Ari monks continued to practice rites in which alcohol was imbibed and animals were sacrificed. However, there were also more orthodox Buddhist movements and tendencies in this era, such as a teetotal movement which was influential from the 14th century onwards, as can be seen from surviving inscriptions of the era. By the 16th and 17th centuries, this movement seemed to have been successful in replacing
2204-792: The higher population of upper Burma along with European style firearms to create the largest empire in Southeast Asia. Taungoo monarchs patronised the Mahavihara Theravada tradition (the Sinhala Sangha). During the First Toungoo Empire , a reform movement led by the Taungoo kings took place, which attempted to standardize the Buddhism of Upper Burma and the Shan region in line with the Mahavihara tradition. These reforms were modeled after those of Dhammazedi. Before
2262-469: The kingdom. In particular, he forbade the Shan practice of killing the slaves and animals belonging to a saopha at his funeral. He also sent Burmese Theravada monks to preach in the Shan realm. During his reign, there were great scholars such as Saddhammalamkara, Dhammabuddha and Ananda (known for his commentary on the Dhammasanghani's Abhidhammamatika). Bayinnaung's reforms were continued by
2320-722: The late 13th century and the 14th century (the Medieval Warm period ), which lowered crop yields. Because of this, the state was weak and divided. It was unable to resist the invasion of new enemies like the Mongols, Hanthawaddy and the Shans. The invasions by neighboring Shan and Mon states as well as the Mongol invasions of Burma (13th century) brought the Bagan Empire to its end (the capital fell in 1287). This era saw
2378-445: The main center of education and by the 18th century the large majority of village males were learning to read and write in these monasteries. As literacy became more common (over 50 percent among males), the cost of transcribing and writing Buddhist texts decreased and they thus became more commonly available. The 17th century saw a growth in the interest of Abhidhamma study and the translation of various classic works of Abhidhamma into
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2436-456: The majority of Burmese with single-syllable names. Former titles, such as min ( မင်း ; "leader") were re-appropriated as part of personal names. For example, Burmese nationalist Aung San 's parents were named Pha ( ဖာ ) and Suu ( စု ), both of which are single-syllable names. His birth name was Htain Lin ( ထိန်လင်း ), but he changed his name to Aung San ( အောင်ဆန်း ) later in life. His child
2494-531: The monarchs of the Restored Toungoo dynasty, who spent much of their efforts in religious projects. An important later king was Thalun (1584–1648), known for building a number of monasteries and chedis in Upper Burma and other acts of donation to the sangha. He also patronized various learned elders of his era, such as Tipitakalamkara, Ariyalamkara and Jambudhaja. Tipitakalamkara is the author of
2552-484: The more orthodox Theravāda circles of monks like Shin Arahan. Anawrahta banished many Ari priests who refused to conform and many of them fled to Popa Hill and the Shan Hills . Anawrahta also invited Theravāda scholars from the Mon lands, Sri Lanka and India to Bagan. Their scholarship helped revitalize a more orthodox form of Theravāda Buddhism, with a focus on Pali learning and Abhidhamma philosophy. Anawrahta
2610-407: The names of one's parents and relatives in personal names has been criticized as an un-Burmese adoption of seriality , although it differs from historical Western practices. Burman names commonly include Pali -derived words combined with native Burmese words, including: Burmese people who marry foreigners or move to countries that use surnames may use their name as if part of it represented
2668-413: The number of syllables in their children's names, by use of various structures. Today, names with up to four syllables are common for men and up to five for women. Scholars such as Thant Myint-U have argued that the rise of complex Burmese personal names resulted from the collapse of the Burmese monarchy, which ended the sophisticated system of Pali-Burmese styles, crown service and gentry titles, leaving
2726-602: The predominant form of Buddhism in Burma until the late 12th century when Shin Uttarajiva led the reform which imported the Sri Lankan Mahavihara school to Burma. From the 8th to the 12th centuries Indian Buddhist traditions increasingly spread to Southeast Asia via the Bay of Bengal trade network. Because of this, before the 12th century, the areas of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia were influenced by
2784-534: The realignment of Burmese Buddhism with the Mahavihara school of Sri Lanka, moving away from the Conjeveram - Thaton school of Shin Arahan . Even though the kings supported the reform and sent numerous monks to Sri Lanka to re-ordain, various Burmese monks of the old order (known as the Maramma Sangha) refused to ordain in the new Burmese Sri Lankan based order (the Sinhala Sangha), and this led to
2842-508: The reform, the Buddhism of the Shan realm and Upper Burma was still heavily influenced by animism, Ari Buddhism and pre-Buddhist ritualism (which included animal and human sacrifice). Even in Lower Burma, where Theravada was more dominant, nat worship and Ari Buddhist practices also remained influential. Bayinnaung attempted to bring the religious practice of his empire more in line with the orthodox Sri Lankan Mahavihara tradition (i.e.
2900-525: The rise of various fragmented warring kingdoms (Burmese, Shan and Mon) all vying for power. During this period, the western mainland remained divided between four main regional political-ethnic zones. In the Shan Realm, the Shan people established a loose confederation of valley kingdoms . The Shan kingdoms supported Theravada Buddhism in imitation of the Burmese elites, though the Buddhist institutions in
2958-411: The sangha, one infamous ruler, Thohanbwa is known as a king who pillaged and destroyed many monasteries and temples and massacred numerous monks. In spite of the political weakness of the kingdom, Buddhist scholarship flourished during this time, with prominent scholars like Ariyavamsa, Silavamsa and Ratthasara composing numerous works. Ariyavamsa is known for his Manisaramañjusa , a sub-commentary on
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#17327768722993016-426: The sangha. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Theravada practices became more regionally uniform, and the hill regions were drawn into closer contact with the basin. The consistent royal support of the Mahavihara Theravada tradition and the pacification of the Shan hill region led to the growth of rural monasteries ( kyaungs ), which became a near universal feature of Burmese village life. The rural monasteries were
3074-481: The spiritual merit of their subjects. They also saw themselves as Dharma kings ( Dhammaraja ) who were protectors and promoters of the Buddhist religion. Bagan kings also promoted themselves as manifestations of the god Sakka . The scale of state donations to Buddhist temples grew throughout the 13th century and many of these temples were also given arable land grants which were tax exempt as well as slaves . Over time, this flow of wealth and agricultural capacity to
3132-441: The using of surnames in early 20th century, Myanmar never introduced the using of surnames and lack surnames in the modern day. In the culture of Myanmar , people can change their name at will, often with no government oversight, to reflect a change in the course of their lives. Also, many Myanmar names use an honorific , given at some point in life, as an integral part of the name. Burmese names were originally one syllable, as in
3190-438: The worship of Mahayana figures like Avalokiteśvara ( Lawka nat ), Tara and Manjushri . The worship of Brahmanical deities, especially Narayana , Vishnu, Ganesha and Brahma , as well as the nats, also remained popular. These gods were worshiped in their own temples (such as Vaisnava Nathlaung Kyaung ) as well as at Buddhist temples. Burmese Theravada did not ignore these practices, and in some cases incorporated them into
3248-482: Was also a strong rival to Buddhism and was often in competition with it. This is attested in the Burmese historical chronicles. Prominent Mahayana figures such as Avalokiteśvara , Tara , Vaiśravaṇa , and Hayagriva , were included in Pyu (and later Bagan) iconography. Brahmanical deities such as Brahma , Vishnu , Shiva , Garuda and Lakshmi have been found, especially in Lower Burma. The Bamar people (Burmese) also adopted Buddhism as they came into contact with
3306-401: Was established during his reign, it is likely that Theravada was known in Bagan before the 11th century. Furthermore, Bagan Theravāda was never truly "pure" as it included local animist rites, Naga worship and Brahmanical rites associated with Vishnu officiated by Brahmin priests. Anawrahta implemented a series of religious reforms throughout his kingdom, attempting to weaken the power of
3364-726: Was mainly supported by elite city dwellers, with over 90 percent of religious gifts being given by royalty, aristocrats, military officers and temple artisans. Meanwhile, the peasants in the countryside tended to be more associated with the animistic nat based religion. At its height, the Bagan Kingdom became an important center of Theravāda scholarship. According to Lieberman: At the great capital itself and some provincial centers, Buddhist temples supported an increasingly sophisticated Pali scholarship, part of an international tradition, which specialized in grammar and philosophical-psychological ( abhidhamma ) studies and which reportedly won
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