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Myanmar Buddhism of the Pagan Period

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Myanmar Buddhism of the Pagan Period MYANMAR BUDDHISM OF THE PAGAN PERIOD (AD 1000-1300) BY WIN THAN TUN (MA, Mandalay University) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2002 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to the people who have contributed to the successful completion of this thesis. First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to the National University of Singapore which offered me a 3-year scholarship for this study. I wish to express my indebtedness to Professor Than Tun. Although I have never been his student, I was taught with his book on Old Myanmar (Khet-hoà: Mranmâ Râjawaà), and I learnt a lot from my discussions with him; and, therefore, I regard him as one of my teachers. I am also greatly indebted to my Sayas Dr. Myo Myint and Professor Han Tint, and friends U Ni Tut, U Yaw Han Tun and U Soe Kyaw Thu of Mandalay University for helping me with the sources I needed. I also owe my gratitude to U Win Maung (Tampavatî) (who let me use his collection of photos and negatives), U Zin Moe (who assisted me in making a raw map of Pagan), Bob Hudson (who provided me with some unpublished data on the monuments of Pagan), and David Kyle Latinis for his kind suggestions on writing my early chapters. I’m greatly indebted to Cho Cho (Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture, NUS) for providing me with some of the drawings: figures 2, 22, 25, 26 and 38. I also desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to my old colleagues from the Myanmar Archaeology Department and many people of Pagan who helped me in various ways on my visit to Pagan on a NUS funded project for recording the mural paintings there: U Nyunt Han, U Aung Kyaing, U San Win, U Kyaw Oo Lwin and U Kyi Lin in particular. My special thanks go to Dr. John Norman Miksic, the primary investigator of this project and my supervisor, who let me take part in this project and gave me generous suggestions as to my thesis. ii CONTENTS PAGE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................iv LIST OF CHARTS..................................................................................................................................vi LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................vii SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. x NOTES ON TRANSLITERATION AND UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS..........................................xi CHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1 2. MYANMAR FAITH................................................................................................................... 13 3. BUDDHISM IN PAGAN............................................................................................................ 38 4. BUDDHISM AND THE PAGAN ECONOMY ......................................................................... 71 5. BUDDHIST SECTS I WHAT WERE THE DIFFERENT BUDDHIST SECTS?.............................................................. 94 6. BUDDHIST SECTS II HOW AND WHEN WERE THE PAGAN BUDDHIST SECTS FORMED?.............................. 120 7. BUDDHIST TEMPLES AND STUPAS................................................................................... 147 8. BUDDHIST MONASTERIES.................................................................................................. 215 9. BUDDHIST ART...................................................................................................................... 254 10. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 285 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................................................303 APPENDICES...................................................................................................................................... 311 iii SUMMARY The Myanmars must have become Buddhists soon after they entered the central plains of Myanmar in about the 9th century AD. Pagan Buddhism, although primarily Theravada, was influenced by Mahayanism and was also mixed up with Brahmanism. In addition, the Myanmars did not forsake their earlier beliefs (nâga-and spirit-worships). Although Pagan had contacts with India before establishing relations with Sri Lanka and throughout the Pagan period, we cannot attribute all the unorthodox practices to India. For instance, the monks’ recitation of the parittas, acceptance of the slaves donated to them, and their possession of money most likely came from Sri Lanka. The existence of Brahmanism and of Mahayana influence in Sri Lanka undoubtedly was the reason why Myanmar Buddhism did not become more orthodox in spite of its continued contacts with Sri Lanka. The most important effect of contacts with Sri Lanka was on the Sangha. In the earlier period (till the end of Kyansittha’s reign [1084-1113]), there seems to have been only a sect of Buddhist monks with Saà titles (Saàkrî, Saàlyaà and Saà). From Alaungsithu’s reign (1113-1161) onwards, the monks’ names with Phun titles ([Phun]mlatkrîcwâ, [Phun]mlatso, Phunsañ, etc.) appear in the inscriptions. That many of these later monks with Phun titles were forest monks connected with the Sinhalese Sangha indicates this sect’s connection with Sri Lanka. The paèsukûlikas also used Phun titles. The Phun monks increased rapidly and seemed to have absorbed the Saà monks. The forest monks with Phun titles initiated the Saàgha reform in the middle of the 13th century. That the Phun sect grew rapidly while the Saà sect began to decline in the second quarter of the 13th century suggests that the Saàgha reform was effected during that time. iv Parallel changes can be seen in architecture and art. Some changes, such as the increasing popularity of small buildings in the later period, certainly must have been connected with Pagan’s contacts with Sri Lanka and thus with the change in the Sangha. The rapid increase of buildings in the latter half of the Pagan period must have been partly due to Pagan’s economic development resulted by the expansion of cultivation that began from the 1190s onwards, and partly to the growth of the Phun sect. The change from the predominance of stupa over temple in the early period to the ascendancy of temple over stupa in the later period as well as the change in painting style very probably resulted from the influx of Indians. As Pagan’s contact with Sri Lanka was through monks, Sinhalese influence is more visible on the Sangha and faith. Since Pagan’s contact with India, on the other hand, was mainly through slaves and laborers, its effects are more noticeable in art and architecture. This does not mean that all the changes are due to these contacts. First, Pagan had contacts with other countries too. More importantly, local preferences must have played a far greater role than any foreign influence, though there is no way to trace them directly. v LIST OF CHARTS Chart Page 1. COMPARISON OF SAÀ AND PHUN MONKS............................................................................. 140 2. SINGLE-IMAGE TEMPLE TYPES (BY SHAPE OF PLAN)........................................................ 164 3. THIRTEENTH-CENTURY TEMPLES (BY THE NUMBER OF ENTRANCES) ........................ 168 4. TEMPLE TYPES (BY THE NUMBER OF IMAGES)................................................................... 197 5. TEMPLE TOPS (BY CENTURY)................................................................................................... 199 6. PAGAN MONUMENTS (BY SIZE RANGE) ................................................................................ 208 7. TEMPLE STUPA RATIO................................................................................................................ 210 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. KHARUIÀ AND TUIK AREAS......................................................................................................... 73 2. PLAN OF ABEYADANA (MONUMENT 1202) ........................................................................... 151 3. GROUND FLOOR PLAN OF HLAINGSHE (MONUMENT 369)................................................ 153 4. PLAN OF MONUMENT 1026........................................................................................................154 5. PLAN OF LAWKAHTEIKPAN (MONUMENT 1580).................................................................. 154 6. PLAN OF LINPYA GU (MONUMENT 56)................................................................................... 157 7. PLAN OF YATSAUK (MONUMENT 155) ................................................................................... 157 8. PLAN OF THAMAN HPAYA (MONUMENT 555) ...................................................................... 158 9. PLAN OF AJAGONA TEMPLE (MONUMENT 588) ................................................................... 160 10. PLAN OF MONUMENT 148........................................................................................................160 11. PLAN OF SHINBINCHITLHAUK (MONUMENT 1667) ........................................................... 161 12. PLAN OF EAST KATTHAPA (MONUMENT 505).................................................................... 161 13. PLAN OF SHWETHABEIK
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