Each time I visit Myanmar (formerly Burma) I never fail to be charmed by the people’s lifestyle and culture activities along the Ayeyarwady or Irrawaddy River: the people’s strong faith in Shwedagon in Yangon “the land of a thousand Chedis” in Bagan, and the serene life of the folk living on Inle Lake. All are quite fascinating, particularly for first-time visitors.
Myanmar’s current junta seized control of the government in 1988 after violently suppressing nationwide pro-democracy protest. Some people ask, me why I not support a boycott of Myanmar. The answer is simple, only the people, who already live on absolute minimum, get hurt.
In life, the people of Myanmar and Buddhism are inseparable. Local folk start their daily routine by taking food to monks at temples, pray, and then go to work. At the end of the day, on their way back from work, they stop by the temple to pray again before returning home.These actions support a strong belief that the greatest deed in life is to provide support for Buddhism and build chedis (shrines that contain a relic or reminder of the Buddha) for temples.
For the men of Myanmar, entering the monkhood, irrespective of the time commitment, it the greatest expression of gratitude to their parents, as well as helping amass “good deeds” wealth for a prosperous, next life. Today, there are around 800,000 monks in Myanmar of which 100,00 have a lifelong commitment.
Once in a lifetime, the principal pilgrimage for all Myanmar people, rich or poor, is to pay homage to the seven most famous and sacred religious shrines: Shwedagon in Yangon, Shwemadow in Bago, Shwesandaw in Sri Ksetra, Shwezigon in Bagan, Kyaikhtiyoe Chedi (Golden Rock) in Kyaikhtiyoe, Maha Muni in Mandalay and the Floating Buddha at Inle.
For Myanmar people, temple grounds form the center of everyday life; don’t be surprised to see in one corner worshippers in solemn prayer or meditation, while nearby, a number of families enjoy a picnic lunch with children running around cheerfully.
My destination this time is the Golden Rock in Kyaikhtiyoe, a small chedi, painted in gold, atop a big rock on the edge of a cliff. It looks as though the rock could fall at any moment but Myanmar’s faithful believe it will never fall because of the sacred bone of Buddha within the chedi that ensures the rock remains anchored.
Kyaikhtiyoe is halfway between Thaton, and Bago, once Myanmar’s biggest trading center, some 80 kilometers from Yangon.
The journey takes several hours longer than expected because of flood damage on a stretch of road from Bago to Kyaikhtiyoe, hastily repaired by construction gangs. Many road sections are too narrow along the way is interesting and the spectacle of old, World War II trucks, fully laden with passengers, makes the journey more exciting.
After arriving in Kyaikhtiyoe in the late afternoon, we change transport for a big pickup truck for the 9 kilometer hill climb to the Golden Rock. The track is very narrow and we have to wait over half-an-hour at a checkpoint to allow downhill traffic to clear the area. Lucky we get going before sunset. The truck stops in front of Kyaikhtiyoe Hotel, after which we proceed on foot, closely shepherded by a crowd of local porters willing to carry us uphill to the Golden Rock for 3.500 Kyat (about 3 Dollar US) per person. At least the mountain air is fresh and clean.
My prayers are answered as we reach the Golden Rock just in time to see a glorious sunset behind faraway mountains as the fading sun casts a red shadow on the river below. The tranquility of the scene seems even more pronounced when sitting in the shadow of the Golden Rocj, completely surrounded by the beauty of nature.
