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Myanmar's Spring Revolution
EUROPEAN POLICY BRIEF MYANMAR ’S SPRING REVOLUTION : A PEOPLE ’S REVOLUTION Myanmar’s Spring Revolution is a grassroots, bottom-to-top nationwide resistance against the military ruling class that retook state power in February 2021. It is unprecedented in scale, fascinating in form and shows a profound societal change within the country. Michal Lubina , April 2021 INTRODUCTION A People’s revolution Myanmar’s Spring Revolution is a grassroots, bottom-to-top nationwide resistance against the military ruling class that retook state power in February 2021. It is unprecedented in scale, fascinating in form and shows a profound societal change within the country. EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS The end of hermit country Burma has traditionally been called a hermit country 1 – a designation not uncommon in Asia (Bhutan and especially Korea were similarly named), yet very fitting in the case of Myanmar. Precolonial Burmese kingdoms were generally inward-looking, with periods of sometimes spectacular external expeditions being exceptions rather than the rule. Some believed Burma’s isolation was due to economic self-sufficiency, others ascribed it to geography. Still others looked for explanations in the cultural realm, believing - like Aung San Suu Kyi in her early writings 2 - that Buddhism made Burmese uninterested in foreign ideas. Whatever the reasons, it was only the colonial period that brought Burma into the global, capitalist world, however imperfectly: “Burma had been thrown open to the world, but the world had not been opened up to Burma.” 3 This forceful incursion inflicted wounds that never healed. That is why after the creative and chaotic decade of the 1950s (somewhat similar to the last ten years), Burma reverted to self-isolation after the 1962 1 Gustaaf Houtman, Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, ISLCAA Tokyo 1999, p. -
1 Post-Canonical Buddhist Political Thought
Post-Canonical Buddhist Political Thought: Explaining the Republican Transformation (D02) (conference draft; please do not quote without permission) Matthew J. Moore Associate Professor Dept. of Political Science Cal Poly State University 1 Grand Avenue San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 805-756-2895 [email protected] 1 Introduction In other recent work I have looked at whether normative political theorizing can be found in the texts of Early or Canonical Buddhism, especially the Nikāya collections and the Vinaya texts governing monastic life, since those texts are viewed as authentic and authoritative by all modern sects of Buddhism.1 In this paper I turn to investigate Buddhist normative political theorizing after the early or Canonical period, which (following Collins2 and Bechert3) I treat as beginning during the life of the Buddha (c. sixth-fifth centuries BCE) and ending in the first century BCE, when the Canonical texts were first written down. At first glance this task is impossibly large, as even by the end of the early period Buddhism had already divided into several sects and had begun to develop substantial regional differences. Over the next 2,000 years Buddhism divided into three main sects: Theravada, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. It also developed into numerous local variants as it mixed with various national cultures and evolved under different historical circumstances. To give just one example, the Sri Lankan national epic, the Mahāvaṃsa, is central to Sinhalese Buddhists’ understanding of what Buddhism says about politics and very influential on other Southeast Asian versions of Buddhism, but has no obvious relevance to Buddhists in Tibet or Japan, who in turn have their own texts and traditions. -
Shwe U Daung and the Burmese Sherlock Holmes: to Be a Modern Burmese Citizen Living in a Nation‐State, 1889 – 1962
Shwe U Daung and the Burmese Sherlock Holmes: To be a modern Burmese citizen living in a nation‐state, 1889 – 1962 Yuri Takahashi Southeast Asian Studies School of Languages and Cultures Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney April 2017 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Statement of originality This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources has been acknowledged. Yuri Takahashi 2 April 2017 CONTENTS page Acknowledgements i Notes vi Abstract vii Figures ix Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Biography Writing as History and Shwe U Daung 20 Chapter 2 A Family after the Fall of Mandalay: Shwe U Daung’s Childhood and School Life 44 Chapter 3 Education, Occupation and Marriage 67 Chapter ‘San Shar the Detective’ and Burmese Society between 1917 and 1930 88 Chapter 5 ‘San Shar the Detective’ and Burmese Society between 1930 and 1945 114 Chapter 6 ‘San Shar the Detective’ and Burmese Society between 1945 and 1962 140 Conclusion 166 Appendix 1 A biography of Shwe U Daung 172 Appendix 2 Translation of Pyone Cho’s Buddhist songs 175 Bibliography 193 i ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I came across Shwe U Daung’s name quite a long time ago in a class on the history of Burmese literature at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. -
Dhamma Bell Newsletter
Issue 1 Spring 2007 Newsletter Introducing Dhamma Bell Newsletter Dhamma Bell Newsletter shares news twice a year of Tathágata Meditation Center (Nhu’ Lai Thiên Viên), which was formed in 1987 as the Vipassaná Meditation Group under the spiritual guidance of the late Sayádawgyi U Sìlánanda. In 1991, the group founded a meditation center and named it Tathágata Meditation Center. All are welcome to come to Tathágata Meditation Center (TMC) and practice Satipaþþhána Vipassaná meditation. TMC Biographies Saya¯dawgyi U Pandita is a world-renowned meditation teacher. He has taught Vipassaná meditation for well over 50 years, in the tradition of his teacher, the late Mahási Sayádaw. He began to teach meditation to the Vipassaná Meditation Group in 1989 and has been coming to conduct retreats at Tathágata Meditation Center since its founding. Sayádawgyi U Pandita is the founder and head monk of Panditarama Monastery in Burma. He is the author of two books, In This Very Life and The State of Mind Called Beautiful. Venerable Khippa Panno was ordained in Vietnam. After studying Vipassaná meditation in Burma with the late Mahási Sayádaw, he came to the United States to teach Vipassaná meditation, and is now the abbot of Ky Vien Temple in Washington, D.C. and the chief meditation teacher at Thich Ca Thien Vien Meditation Center in Riverside, California. He has been leading a special retreat every year since 1987, first with the Vipassaná Meditation Group and then at Tathágata Meditation Center. Beelin Saya¯daw (U Paññádìpa) is the abbot of Tathágata Meditation Center. He is a former lecturer at Hitakaryi Saògha University in Burma. -
INSIGHT NEWSLETTER PAID Insight Meditation Society Permit No.2 1230 Pleasant St
INSIGHT NEWSLETTER FALL WINTER 2006/2007 IMS Schedules: Practicing with Vedana: The Retreat Center 2007 The Forest Refuge 2007 The 2nd Foundation of Mindfulness An Interview with Christina Feldman Teacher Interview In 1971, Christina Feldman began Buddhist meditation practice in northern India. She was 17 at the time, and had left her native Canada to travel and explore new IMS News horizons. Since then she has played a key role in bringing the Buddha’s teachings and Developments to the West, offering retreats at IMS and co-founding Gaia House in Devon, England. Married with two adult children, she introduced the Family Retreat at IMS in 1982, and the Women’s Retreat in 1984 – both popular mainstays of BCBS 2006/2007 our annual course calendar. Course Schedule Outline Christina, what are the On his journey towards enlightenment, Buddha’s ‘Four Foundations we know that these ascetic practices of Mindfulness’? didn’t work; they did not bring about the freedom from suffering that he First, it’s helpful to describe the historical sought. One of the turning points of context of the Buddha’s teachings. his awakening was the understanding Siddhartha Gautama - the Buddha - that the very aspects of life he was came from a society rooted in the belief trying to overcome actually held the that life was an obstacle to overcome. key to liberation. He then turned The body, the mind and human rela- towards his body, his mind, his tionships were all to be transcended. feelings and towards everything So, once he started his spiritual search, that arose in his consciousness, it was natural for him to become an seeing them as the ground for his ascetic – he left his family and spent awakening. -
1 Engaged Buddhism East and West: Encounters with the Visions, Vitality, and Values of an Emerging Practice Paula Green The
Engaged Buddhism East and West: Encounters with the Visions, Vitality, and Values of an Emerging Practice Paula Green The latter decades of the 20th century witnessed the spread of Engaged Buddhism throughout Asia and the West, championed by Thich Nhat Hanh of Vietnam and building on earlier experiments especially in India and Sri Lanka. Based on wide interpretations of traditional Buddhist teachings, these new practices became tools of social change, creatively utilized by progressive monks, educators, reformers, environmentalists, medical doctors, researchers, activists, and peacebuilders. The experimental nature of a kind of sociopolitical and peace-oriented Dharma brought new followers to Buddhism in the West and revived Buddhist customs in the Asian lands of its birth and development. Traditionally inward and self-reflecting, Engaged Buddhism expanded Buddhist teaching to promote intergroup relations and societal structures that are inherently compassionate, just, and nonviolent. Its focus, embodied in the phrase, Peace Writ Large, signifies a greater magnitude and more robust agenda for peace than the absence of war. This chapter will focus on the emerging phenomenon of Engaged Buddhism East and West, looking at its traditional roots and contemporary branches, and discerning its impact on peacefulness, justice, tolerance, human and environmental rights, and related sociopolitical concerns. It will explore the organizational leadership and participation in engaged Buddhists processes, and what impact this movement has in both primarily Buddhist nations as well as in countries where Buddhists are a tiny minority and its practitioners may not have been born into Buddhist families. Traditional Buddhism and Social Engagement What is socially engaged Buddhism? For a religion that has traditionally focused on self- development and realization, its very designation indicates a dramatic departure. -
The Social, Political and Humanitarian Impact of Burma's Cyclone Nargis
Volume 6 | Issue 5 | Article ID 2763 | May 03, 2008 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus The Social, Political and Humanitarian Impact of Burma's Cyclone Nargis Donald M. Seekins The Social, Political and Humanitarian where it is most needed. Impact of Burma’s Cyclone Nargis Donald M. Seekins Summary This report provides background information and analysis concerning the humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Nargis when it passed through the densely populated Irrawaddy Delta and Burma’s largest city Rangoon (Yangon) on May 2-3, 2008. One of the largest natural disasters in recent history, it caused the death Survivors of the cyclone of as many as 130,000 people (the official figure on May 16 was 78,000) and resulted in In the days following the storm, the SPDC between one and two million people losing placed major obstacles in the way of the rapid their homes and property. distribution of relief goods and services by the United Nations, foreign governments, international non-governmental organizations and local volunteer groups – a situation that has continued despite warnings from aid experts that a second, man-made disaster – the systematic neglect of people gravely weakened by thirst, hunger and disease and many more fatalities – is on the verge of occurring. On May 10, the SPDC carried out a referendum on a new military-sponsored constitution, though the vote was postponed to May 24 in the townships most affected by the cyclone. Observers wondered why the referendum was Fatalities are likely to rise both because of the considered so important by the SPDC, given the extremely unsanitary conditions in the disaster scale of the natural disaster and the need to area, and the slowness of the State Peace and commit resources immediately to its alleviation. -
Osaka University Knowledge Archive : OUKA
Title ビルマ作家たちの「日本時代」 Author(s) 南田, みどり Citation 大阪大学世界言語研究センター論集. 7 P.285-P.311 Issue Date 2012-03-08 Text Version publisher URL http://hdl.handle.net/11094/8939 DOI rights Note Osaka University Knowledge Archive : OUKA https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/ Osaka University 大阪大学世界言語研究センター論集 第7号(2012年) ビルマ作家たちの「日本時代」 “Japan Khit” (The Days of Japanese Occupation in Burma) for Burmese Writers 南 田 みどり* MINAMIDA Midori Abstract: Burmese Writers passed so called “Japan Khit” (1942-45, the literally meaning is ‘the Japanese days’) in several ways. Although few went abroad and joined anti-Fascist activity, most of them stayed in their mother country. While some of them continued writing and publishing, the others put down their pens. Furthermore some took part in the organizations established by Japan and the others did not take part in them at all. In this paper two lists are presented. The List I is in principal the roster of Burmese writers who wrote books or articles in “Writer”, the periodical magazine for Burmese Writers’ Association in this period. The List II is the catalogue of books published in this period. The List I also involves those who took part in the Writers’ Association and cultural activities in the public organizations or those who operated publishing and printing businesses. The personal histories of some writers are unknown still now. There is a possibility that they used unknown pen names. Such pen names are frequently found in “Writer” [Minamida 2011a]. In addition the List I makes no mention of their Anti-Fascist activities. Any more research might well be needed except [Minamida 1987] [Minamida 1994]. -
The Parinirvana Cycle and the Theory of Multivalence: a Study Of
THE PARINIRVĀṆA CYCLE AND THE THEORY OF MULTIVALENCE: A STUDY OF GANDHĀRAN BUDDHIST NARRATIVE RELIEFS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN ART HISTORY MAY 2017 By Emily Hebert Thesis Committee: Paul Lavy, Chairperson Kate Lingley Jesse Knutson TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ii INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1. BUDDHISM IN GREATER GANDHĀRA ........................................................... 9 Geography of Buddhism in Greater Gandhāra ....................................................................... 10 Buddhist Textual Traditions in Greater Gandhāra .................................................................. 12 Historical Periods of Buddhism in Greater Gandhāra ........................................................... 19 CHAPTER 2. GANDHĀRAN STŪPAS AND NARRATIVE ART ............................................. 28 Gandhāran Stūpas and Narrative Art: Architectural Context ................................................. 35 CHAPTER 3. THE PARINIRVĀṆA CYLCE OF NARRATIVE RELIEFS ................................ 39 CHAPTER 4 .THE THEORY OF MULTIVALENCE AND THE PARINIRVĀṆA CYCLE ...... 44 CHAPTER 5. NARRATIVE RELIEF PANELS FROM THE PARINIRVĀṆA CYCLE ............ 58 Episode -
Contesting Buddhist Narratives Democratization, Nationalism, and Communal Violence in Myanmar
Policy Studies 71 Contesting Buddhist Narratives Democratization, Nationalism, and Communal Violence in Myanmar Matthew J. Walton and Susan Hayward Contesting Buddhist Narratives Democratization, Nationalism, and Communal Violence in Myanmar About the East-West Center The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the US Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for infor- mation and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options. The Center’s 21-acre Honolulu campus, adjacent to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is located midway between Asia and the US main- land and features research, residential, and international conference facilities. The Center’s Washington, DC, office focuses on preparing the United States for an era of growing Asia Pacific prominence. The Center is an independent, public, nonprofit organization with funding from the US government, and additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and govern- ments in the region. Policy Studies an East-West Center series Series Editors Dieter Ernst and Marcus Mietzner Description Policy Studies presents original research on pressing economic and political policy challenges for governments and industry across Asia, About the East-West Center and for the region's relations with the United States. Written for the The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding policy and business communities, academics, journalists, and the in- among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the formed public, the peer-reviewed publications in this series provide Pacifi c through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. -
Buddhism in the Late Konbaung Period(1819-1885)
BUDDHISM IN THE LATE KONBAUNG PERIOD(1819-1885) PhD DISSERTATION KO KO NAING DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY UNIVERSITY OF MANDALAY MYANMAR JUNE, 2010 BUDDHISM IN THE LATE KONBAUNG PERIOD(1819-1885) University of Mandalay BUDDHISM IN THE LATE KONBAUNG PERIOD(1819-1885) A Dissertation Submitted to the University of Mandalay In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in History Department of History Ko Ko Naing 4 PhD(R)-Hist-22 Mandalay, Myanmar June, 2010 ABSTRACT This paper is an analysis of Buddhism in the late Konbaung Period. How Buddhism was introduced into Myanmar is discussed. How the Myanmars professed a mixture of Buddhism and their traditional beliefs is explained. Among the seven kings who supported the Religion in Myanmar, two—Kings Badon and Mindon—reigned in the late Konbaung Period. King Badon’s personal views and progressive ideas concerning the Religion are touched upon. How the kings purified the Religion partly to facilitate their rule is discussed. The monks formed separate sects in the late Konbaung period even though they did not differ from one another in robes, literature, doctrine or goal. However, the kings’ support was important for a sect to stand on its own. In the late Konbaung Period, the Fifth Buddhist Synod, which was the first Buddhist Synod held in Myanmar, was convened. That the Buddhist synod convened by King Mindon was not necessary for the Religion and that he convened it only to defy the British who had annexed Lower Myanmar and to assume the title Pyinsama Thangayanatin Mintaya (the Convener of the Fifth Buddhist Synod) are discussed. -
Modern Living in Southeast Asia
Appreciating Asian modern : mASEANa Project 2015-2020 mASEANa Project 2017 modern living in Southeast Asia The Report of mASEANa Project 2017 4th & 5th International Conference 2015 - 2020 The Report of mASEANa project 2017 : 4th & 5th International Conference modern living in Southeast Asia Introduction Why Are We So Interested in modern architecture in Asia? -The Story behind mASEANa Project 2015-20 and a Report on its Fiscal 2017 Activities- Shin Muramatsu 09 The Housing Question Ana Tostões 11 CONTENTS Part1: modern living in Southeast Asia Part2: Inventory of modern Buildings modern living in Southeast Asia - Inventory of modern Buildings in Yangon - Setiadi Sopandi, Kengo Hayashi 16 History of modern architecture in Yangon Friedrich Silaban Inventory & Research, 2006-2018 Win Thant Win Shwin, Su Su 65 Setiadi Sopandi 18 Inventory of modern Buildings in Yangon 67 - 1. Sports and Modern Urbanisim - - Inventory of modern Buildings in Jakarta - The Role of Sports Facilities in Metro Manila’s Urban Living from the 1930s to 1970s History of modern architecture in Jakarta Gabriel Victor Caballero 22 Setiadi Sopandi, Nadia Purwestri 77 The Shape of Sports Diplomacy: Inventory of modern Buildings in Jakarta 79 Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, and the Fourth Asian Games Robin Hartanto 26 Modern Architecture Literacy Development: The mASEANa Project in 2017 Kengo Hayashi 88 PHNOM PENH 1964: Architecture and Urbanism of GANEFO Masaaki Iwamoto 30 Transformation of modern Living in Japan after WWII: Washington Heights, Tokyo Olympic and Yoyogi Sports Complex Saikaku Toyokawa 34 Acknowledgment 92 - 2. Modern Projects, Changing Lifestyles, Resilience - Living in KTTs – the Formation of Modern Community in Vietnam Pham Thuy Loan, Truong Ngoc Lan, Nguyen Manh Tri 36 Pulomas: A Social Housing Project which Never Was Mohammad Nanda Widyarta 40 Modernization of Tatami, Shoji, & En Yasuko Kamei 44 Collective Housing in Japan Toshio Otsuki 48 - 3.