According to U Nyanika, cuttings from the one that subsequently grew in
Sri Lanka were taken to
Burma at the time of U Nu’s administration as part of a Buddhist exchange program.
Pointing at the sturdy banyan tree in the compound of Wat Mandalay, U Nyanika says proudly: “The one you are looking at is one of them.”
Wat Mandalay features a variety of sculptures and other artifacts created by Burmese artisans. San Toe’s Buddha image occupies a place of honor in the monastery’s prayer room. U Nyanika told The Irrawaddy that to look after the treasures of Wat Mandalay and to travel the world to promote Burmese Theravada Buddhism is a “life-long responsibility.” For his dedication to Buddhist missions abroad, Burma’s military junta has recently honored U Nyanika by bestowing upon him one of Burma’s highest religious titles.
The first Burmese Buddhist mission occurred in the 13th century, when the leading monk from Pagan traveled to China and brokered a peace agreement between the two warring nations. Some historians also cite archeological evidence from Bodhagaya in India to suggest that Burmese monks had established monasteries and lived in India, also during the 13th century.
After gaining independence from the British in 1948, Burma actively promoted Theravada Buddhism as a point of national pride by sending Burmese monks abroad as part of a Buddhist exchange program. Today Burmese monks still visit neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. State-sponsored programs for such exchanges, however, declined sharply after the late military dictator Gen Ne Win—well-known for his discourteous treatment of Buddhist monks—seized control of the government in 1962.
In the absence of state-sponsored involvement, Burmese monks living outside Burma rely mostly on support from Buddhist donors. Burma’s ruling junta has shown a consistent reluctance to support missions abroad. Maybe that’s understandable, given the big percentage of the nation’s budget allocated for military spending. Walking through the compound at Wat Mandalay, U Nyanika explained that, without the support of both local Buddhist devotees and Burmese communities in Malaysia and Singapore, the monastery could never have achieved its current level of development.
Despite the success of Wat Mandalay in preserving the traditional roots of Burmese Buddhism, U Nyanika and other monks at the monastery fear that other centuries-old Burmese temples in northern Thailand will not be so fortunate. Nine Burmese-founded temples in Lampang, also in northern Thailand, are now headed by Thai abbots. One of them—Wat Sri Chum, founded in 1890 by a Burmese businessman and known in Burmese as Nyaung Wine Khuang—is now registered with the Thai Department of Fine Arts as a national treasure. “These days, we seem to be losing the battle to preserve our heritage,” said U Kawwida, one of Wat Mandalay’s young abbots.
Burmese monks have traditionally occupied the position of abbot at Burmese-founded temples throughout northern Thailand.
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