Buddha Religion
Many people believe in Buddha in Myanmar but there are also other religions such as Christian, Hindi, and Islam. 88% believe in Buddha and it is a graceful thing for Myanmar as we have a lot of Pagodas. This became the official state religion under the Kingdom of Pagan in 1044. Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Bhutan have the most Buddhists in their countries.
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How Buddha Religion started
Buddhism is not started in Myanmar or Thailand. This religion started in Nepal. Later on, Christianity was introduced to the country in the 1700s when Catholic friars entered the Kathmandu valley and Christian missionaries were active throughout the country.
The Buddha, we believe nowadays is Lord Gautama Buddha and there were 28 Lord Buddhas between announcing the preordainment of Lord Gautama. Among all of the planets, Lord Buddhas only exist on Earth. There’s a story about how Lord Gautama became Buddha.
A young man named Thumaida who started to live as a hermit. One day, Lord Buddha would come into the city to make an alms collecting round with his disciple. So the citizens repaired their streets and bridges. At that time, the hermit Thumaida arrived at the town and asked what they were doing. Villagers explained to him and he joined to help them. He had to pile up the quagmire with the earth just in time. Soon Lord Buddha came steadily but he hadn’t finished filling the gap yet. Then he offered his back as a bridge to cross over it. At that time, a young woman named Thumeitta offered him five clusters of lotus and she offered the remaining three to the Lord Buddha.
Thumaida thought to himself that he would become an Arhat as soon as he heard the word of Lord Buddha and he decided to try to become Buddha himself, so he could preach to all the living beings. Then Lord Buddha announced the preordainment that the hermit Thumaida will become Lord Gautama in about four eons and one hundred thousand. Even after preordainment, Karma still follows Buddha and difficulties for four eons and one hundred thousand.
The unique things that only happen in the Buddha religion are telling us about another realm other than Heaven and Hell. It is Nirvana. It is the place where there is no feeling: happy, sad, anger or greed. You would be free from Karma and feel like you are just aura. Heaven and Hell are included in this rotation of Karma so Buddhists are trying to reach Nirvana.
Mythological Stories
Sanda Kinnari & Sanda Kinnara
Kinnari and Kinnara are a couple birds that live on the mountain. Kinnari and Kinnara did not go down from their mountain during the rainy season. They only came down to the foothills in summer and had pollen from the flowers near the gulf. They enjoyed their lives freely by singing songs and dancing.
There was a King of Varanasi. He usually hunted on the Hemawinta Mountain and he enjoyed hunting. One day, he unexpectedly arrived at Sanda Mountain & saw Sanda Kinnari while she was singing sweetly to her husband. The King immediately loved Sanda Kinnari and he wanted to get her so he shot the arrow at her husband, Sanda Kinnara.
When Sanda Kinnari knew that her husband had been killed by the King, she was crying with anger and cursed him. The King was trying to calm her down and told her to come with him and be a Queen. As the Kinnari was very loyal to her husband, she became angrier and rejected to be Queen and she cursed him more with her anger. Finally, the King got mad and left her alone on the foothill. Sanda Kinnari quickly carried her husband to the peak of the mountain.
While she was crying grievously, she wished to the angels that Sanda Kinnara had never done any cruel things and to take care of him. Angels heard her loud wishes with grief and they knew her loyalty. The angels were even sorry for her so they made Sanda Kinnara get well again. After Kinnara got well, they both were very happy and lived happily ever after.
This story shows how a couple birds, Kinnari and Kinnara, are loyal to each other.
Blacksmith Maung Tin Tal (Or) Minn Mahar GiRi
There’s a blacksmith family who makes smith for living. They have three children, Maung Tin Tal, Saw Myat Hla and Mal Htway Pyau. Maung Tin Tal was a really talented blacksmith who could make smith for King and King’s relatives. His sister, Saw Myat Hla is the most beautiful woman in the city.
Their family is well-known in Bagan because of Maung Tin Tal’s strength to make talented smiths and Saw Myat Hla’s beauty. Even ministers from the palace were jealous of Maung Tin Tal and they spread the rumour to the King that he was planning to fight the King. The King was anxious and planned to kill Maung Tin Tal to protect himself. After Maung Tin Tal heard about the news, he ran away from the King and arrived in Popa town. He met his soulmate Shwe Na Bhay, who is a beautiful female dragon disguised as a human. He had 2 children with her and lived there peacefully with his own family for years.
At the same time, while the King was looking for Maung Tin Tal and happened to meet Saw Myat Hla. His evil minister introduced him that she is a sister of Maung Tin Tal and suggested the King marry a beautiful lady so he would also find Maung Tin Tal. Saw Myat Hla agreed to the marriagement because she thought everything will be fine after the marriage. Years later, Saw Myat Hla became to trust and love the King as he attracted her so well. The King asked her if she could bring back Maung Tin Tal so they all could be together. Innocent Saw Myat Hla agreed happily and asked her brother to come back and told him everything is fine. Once Maung Tin Tal arrived, the King captured him under the yellow-champak tree and burned him down in the flame of hell. His sister, Saw Myat Hla regretted everything and blamed herself for killing her brother. Then she, herself jumped into the fire’s flame. The youngest sister, Mal Htawy Pyau again jumped into the fire as her siblings did.
After this case happened, that yellow-champak tree started to be hunted. Everything, such as cows, people or buffalo that came under the tree died in some situations. People chopped down the tree and threw it into the river. When the tree crossed over the Popa town, the King of Poppa made a shrine for them and they did what everyone wished for. The shrine is still there on Mount Popa and everyone started to call them Minn Mahar Giri as they believe them.
Kyaik Htee Yoe Shwe Nan Kyin
A lady named Shwe Nan Kyin is not an ordinary woman. Her parents are Zawgyi and Dragon. Zawgyi is a person who makes pills with his power.
One day, a female dragon disguised as a woman and came into the human realm. She saw a Zawgyi and had some feelings for him. She spread flowers every day at the place where Zawgyi slept. After a few days, the dragon was caught by Zawgyi when she was spreading flowers. Zawgyi immediately falls in love with the dragon disguised as a beautiful young lady. Lady dragon has been with Zawgyi for the whole time that she couldn't sleep. She didn't sleep because when she slept, the disguise of the lady would disappear.
One day, Zawgyi went out to find things for medicine. She thought it would be a long trip so she slept so deep that she didn't even realize her husband came back. Zawgyi was unbelieve that he was living with an animal and left her alone. When the dragon woke up, her husband, Zawgyi, had not arrived yet. Then she realized that he left her. The female dragon was crying in pain and little did he know, the dragon had babies with him. The female dragon laid two eggs in the cave and left them because she couldn't bring them to the dragon realm. The two hermits came to see the eggs and decided to adopt them. The old hermit adopted one egg which is born to a boy and the young hermit adopted another egg which is born to be a girl. That little girl is named after Shwe Nan Kyin.
Years later, a married couple asked hermits permission to adopt the young girl, Shwe Nan Kyin and her brother. Years later, Shwe Nan Kyin had grown up as a woman.
King decided to build Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda so villagers helped to build it together. Shwe Nan Kyin and her family also went to help them. The King was also there and fell in love with Shwe Nan Kyin's beauty. The next day, he gathered her family to announce that he wanted Shwe Nan Kyin as the country’s queen.
After Shwe Nan Kyin became queen, Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda was built peacefully. She has been living in the palace 24/7. She became bored and bored, thus she asked the King if she could visit Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda. The King allowed and told her to visit with a palace cart but she refused. She said she wanted to visit the Pagoda with her family on foot.
While she and her family were on the trip to Kyike Htee Yoe pagoda, the Tiger followed them. They ran from the bottom of the mountain, her family could escape but Shwe Nan Kyin was too exhausted to escape from the tiger so she could only see the Pagoda. As she saw the pagoda, she put two of her hands together and swore that she wanted to guard the Pagoda after she died.
In the Pagoda, there’s a shrine for Shwe Nan Kyin in front of the Pagoda. If you go to Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda, make sure you visit her shrine. ;)