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In 1992, however, the Thai religious laws were adjusted to require all abbots of monasteries in Thailand to be Thai nationals, regardless of ethnic origin. They must also be ordained by a Thai Buddhist preceptor.

 

U Nyanika has earned the respect of both Thai and Burmese Buddhists. Traditional Burmese religious ceremonies are still celebrated at Wat Mandalay, particularly the one held during the full moon of Kason—the second month of the Burmese lunar calendar—which falls in May on the western calendar. The annual celebration marks three anniversaries: the birth of Siddhartha, his attainment of enlightenment at the foot of the Bodhi banyan tree, and the demise of Buddha. This important celebration has been held at Buddhist temples throughout Burma for centuries.

 

U Nyanika has successfully kept this tradition alive at Wat Mandalay. In this year’s celebration, local Thai and Burmese Buddhists joined together at the temple to pour water at the foot of the banyan tree, recite the precepts of Buddhism and meditate. Men, women and children formed a procession around the compound accompanied by a musical troupe playing Burmese folk music with flutes, cymbals, traditional drums and bamboo clappers, adding a note of boisterous fun to the festivities.

 

The ceremonies marked more than an important Buddhist holiday. Wat Mandalay has stood—in one form or another—for nearly a century and has served the needs of its resident Burmese monks, visiting monks from Burma, and Burmese Buddhists in Thailand. As monks and devotees ceremonially watered the banyan tree and prayed before the monastery’s namesake Buddha image, they were also tending the roots of traditional Burmese culture and spirituality—transplanted to Thailand but still very much connected to Mandalay’s past.

 

U Nyanika said that he still takes great pleasure in his administration of the monastery and that he has considerable strength to carry on despite his age—a strength that also derives from Burma’s past.

 

“Do you know why I can live and work for so long?” U Nyanika asked with a smile. “Because I live in the name of Mandalay.”