MYANMAR is one of the earliest Southeast Asian countries, with the establishment of city-states thousands of years ago, and it is rich in both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The government is currently leading efforts to preserve these cultural elements to ensure their long-term survival for future generations. 

As information technology advances, the development of physical structures and the globalization process compel countries worldwide to preserve their national identities and integrity. It is particularly important to sustain and protect intangible cultures. Furthermore, all citizens of Myanmar, regardless of their ethnicities, religions, or languages, share the responsibility of preserving the traditional cultural heritage of all national races. 

Myanmar has steadfastly preserved its own culture and fine arts throughout successive eras. However, after losing its independence, the country has faced the influence of foreign cultures. It is widely acknowledged that traditional performing arts in Myanmar are at risk of disappearing due to rapid technological advancements and the proliferation of modern physical structures.

The ongoing performing arts competition aims to foster friendly relations among different national races and support the preservation and promotion of their traditional fine arts. By encouraging a comprehensive understanding of their cultures, the Myanmar Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competitions play a crucial role in sustaining national cultures and enhancing national integrity. 

The new generation of contestants who participated in the Performing Arts Competition in 1993 are now professional artists, coinciding with the competition’s 25th anniversary. It is gratifying for the national cause that these professional artists are now passing on the fine arts legacy to amateur performers from various regions and states. 

Myanmar is a Union where the major ethnic groups — Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Bamar, Mon, Rakhine, and Shan — live together in harmony, united by a shared national identity. Despite their diversity, the musical instruments of all national races in Myanmar primarily rely on five categories: bronze, string, leather, wind, and percussion instruments.

Since they all share a common heritage in the performing arts, artistes must promote the flourishing of these fine arts across all national races in Myanmar. They should enhance the national spirit among the youth of the new generation. These artists have a responsibility to preserve traditional cultural performing arts against the encroachment of foreign influences, ensuring the sustainable development of traditions and cultures. This effort should draw lessons from past events in cultural heritage, and it must be conducted without discrimination.

A CCORDING to the chronicles, Bagan was founded in AD 107. Anawrahta, the first unifier of Myanmar, established “Theravada, Buddhism” with the help of Buddhist Missionary “Shin Arahan”.

Theravada Buddhism is more of a system of philosophy and practical ethics than a religion, and Buddhism is certainly not a religion.

In the coming October, the Six World Buddhist Forum is slated to take place in the city of Ningbo in east China, Zhejiang Province, with an aim to promote world peace improve the well-being and strength for building a community with a shared future for humanity. The Buddhists, experts, scholars and delegates from about 70 countries and regions around the world shall attend this forum.

Generally, in our childhood, we worship the Buddha, Dhamma and Samga according to traditional Buddhism. In this way, we have been obeying the law, disciplined, and avoiding evil since childhood.

The Five Precepts are the basic moral codes of conduct. Our life would be a truly happy one, and our society would become a much safer and more peaceful place if the Five Precepts were observed in earnest. When we examine the social implications of the Five Precepts, we find that: -

(1) To abstain from taking life (Killing) 

(2) To abstain from taking what is not one’s own by right (Stealing) 

(3) To abstain from sexual misconduct

(4) To abstain from untruthfulness and 

(5) To abstain from intoxicating drinks and drugs

From the olden days to today, we all face absolutism, hegemonism, capitalism, neo-colonialism, fascism, terrorism and many wars because of greediness and anger. At least we can avoid many wars and armed conflicts by obeying the noble Buddhist five placepots and taking advantage of peace. So, the Five Precepts always give the destruction of life and the spirit of tolerance.

Remember the three fierce, unyielding enemies, namely, Greed (Lobha), Anger (Dosa) and Delusion (Mogha), which wage war on us.

“Theravada Buddhism advise every person to strive and work hard to achieve his goals, material or spiritual, through his efforts. It teaches every person to be kind and gentle. Buddhists are peace-loving people and have never made war. Today, there is violence everywhere in our society because many people are selfish and lack kindness.

Besides, Buddha’s “Mangala Sutta” gives us a positive Guideline for our life. If we consistently follow it, we shall progress both materially and spiritually; if we follow it, we will progress towards a happy life.

I think that if we all practice the noble Buddha’s “Mangala Sutta”, the world shall get true peace. The blessings that the Buddha enunciated in the Mangala Sutta are thirty- eight in number. If we carefully examine the thirty-eight blessings, we shall find that each is useful in itself and directly relevant to our lives. The first blessing, for example, tells us not to get involved with evil people and allow ourselves to be influenced by their wicked ways. The second one advises us to associate with good people, for such an association would bring us no harm and happiness and property.

May I say that it is the Buddha’s Dhamma that should be studied by one and all for a new insight into all mental issues that affect it?

Nowadays, there is dissatisfaction almost everywhere, and desertification creates ill feelings.

Ill-feeling creates Hatred. Hatred creates Enmity.

Enmity creates war. War creates Enemies. Enemies create Wars.

War creates Enemies and so on in a vicious circle.

Therefore, it is time for us to work and learn how to live the Buddha’s way successfully. Life, like the sea, has its waves of tricks, but the Buddha-Dhamma winds are strong enough to bring us through each wave successfully.

The noble Buddha, who points the way to eternal peace, has said,

“Victory breeds more Enmity and Hatred. Defeat brings humiliation, Frustration and all kinds of Disharmony. If the cause of strife is removed, there will be no more strife and Enmity and thus peace of mind and body will be secured”.

Every day, in a routine way, we may also strive to gain awareness of the Noble Eight-Fold Path, especially Right thought, speech, action, livelihood and effort. Every time our behaviour, which can be based on the moral (Sila), is free from “Lobha” (Greed), “Dosa” (Anger) and “Moha” (Ignorance), we should obey the virtues of loving-kind (Metta) and volition (Cetana) in connection with all social affairs every day.

Every Buddhist always pay homage to five Unique Benefactors,

(1) Gratitudes and dignities of Buddha are infinity. (Budda Guno Anando) 

(2) Gratitudes and dignities of doctrines are countless (Dhamma Guno Anando) 

(3) Gratitudes and dignities of monks have no limit. (Samgha Guno Anando) 

(4) Gratitudes and dignities of parents are beyond. (Mata Petu Guno Anando) 

(5) Gratitudes and dignities of teachers are limitless. (Accariya Guno Anando)

(1) We take refuge in the Buddha 

(2) We take refuge in the Dhamma 

(3) We take refuge in the Samgha 

(4) We take refuge in the Parents 

(5) We take refuge in the Teachers

(1) We observe the precept to abstain from attending to and killing living beings.

(2) We observe the precept to abstain from stealing and trying to spend one’s wealth.

(3) We observe the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct and unlawful cruel indulgence in another’s wife or husband.

(4) We observe the precept to abstain from telling all and from speaking filthy language to hurt part and parcel of another.

(5) We observe the precept to abstain from intoxication and drug abuse.

In conclusion, according to the five processes, our life would be truly happy, and our society would become safer and more peaceful, at least in the world. They will be able to live happily in a way that is genuinely Buddhist.

Source- The Global New Light of Myanmar

IF the December 2023 figures of 700 foreign visitors to Inle (pronounced Inn Lay) are anything to go by, it would be a case study of a major tourist attraction in ‘perpetual recuperation mode’.

Recalling the heydays during the 2013 to 2016 periods, when boatmen had difficulties finding slips for their motorised sampans, said Aung Lin, one of the few remaining boatmen, playing their trade transporting visitors around the real Venice of Asia. Now, many of them have either given up or been toiling and praying for their daily continuance after getting bruised for four consecutive years due to the double jeopardy of COVID-19 and politics.

Gone were the days when thousands of domestic and foreign visitors descended upon Inn Lay Lake to enjoy the uniqueness of nature, putting this vast lake up on top of an enormous plateau. People have to queue just to get onto the sampans. Jetties were precious assets, and tourists waited for their turns to get on board. The expansive lake is bustling with activities, from the feeding of the seagulls, admiring fishermen on skiffs, stepping on floating strips of islets used for growing tomatoes, visiting many unique attractions, and simply waving each other from mechanised sampans.

I went to Inn Lay in the middle of January to check out the reality of the circumstances. Alas, the flight from Yangon was packed for both legs. A group of Korean tourists were spotted on the same flight with us. Sadly, on our boat ride to the hotel, during our three-night stay or on tours of the attractions, we ended up ‘Waving into Thin Air’, crisp and freezing, in this desolate beauty of nature, disheartened and dispirited by ineluctable causes, perforce.

As Confucius once said, ‘We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope’. The glimmer of hope arises just like a phoenix arising from the ashes of its previous life, starting with the resort that we stayed in. Only with a couple or so of villas occupied during our mini break, Villa Inle Boutique Resort is keeping its operational costs to a minimum by growing its own organic vegetables and operating a small poultry farm producing organic eggs – An ultimate combination of freshness and nature perhaps. I have spoken to a few other hoteliers around the lake; they also have upcoming batches of visitors from abroad to add whatever little vibrancy they can to the destination. I also spoke to car leasing operators. All have downsized their operations and possessions for their continued survival. One such operator, Thura, has already sold off two of his vehicles and is now just operating with one car. He said he did not have a choice and knew no other way of earning a living now.

Adding to their despair is the deficient infrastructure, poor law and order and present high-security environment. Electricity supply has always been a shortcoming in Myanmar, but the situation is made worse by NNCP terrorist at tacks on electrical infrastructure and government despondency to implement any major infra projects during and after COVID-19. This is adding woes to the hotels as the first question most domestic tourists and local visitors typically ask would be, ‘Would there be a 24-hour electrical supply during my stay?’. Even in boutique hotels such as Ville Inle, which charges around $100 a night, the cost of running a generator to affect uninterrupted power supply would be set back by more than per night revenues from a couple of rooms. More so for larger hotels. With a significantly reduced number of visitors during this peak season, this is a promise that hotels simply cannot fulfill.

Recent shortages in fuel supply have all the hotels and other businesses scrambling to get limited supply at exorbitant prices, exacerbating operational losses for all wanting to put on a better show during this holiday season.

Political changes and anti-government activities have made the law and order situation worse, too. Even crooked villagers became more daring, attempting a variety of methods to extort money out of good businesses operating in and around Inn Lay.

The security situation all across the country is demanding the creation of barbicans and barricades at multiple junctions around Inn Lay, and this is forcing visitors and the general public to stay home after sunset. This is a stark contrast to lively night scenes as late as five years ago.

Can Inle survive?

Just like in war, speed is essential to survival. Speed of action, strategy and successful implantation. The difficulty here is not in individual attempts but in teamwork that involves government (ministries), businesses, media and private individuals from here and abroad, pushing the wheels of improvements into motion.

Government help is needed in infrastructure (especially electricity), security, nationwide promotions and convincing people to support local attractions. Businesses must also find innovative ways to promote, survive, and generate alternative income. Media assistance is most needed to reflect the truth about Myanmar, combat fake news that infected the minds of international visitors and prevent tourist arrivals en masse. Visitors from home and abroad must also adjust their expectations and increase their support for the local economy of Inle through spending on handicrafts and tours and enjoying longer vacations.

Without such efforts, the laggard attraction will continue to remain in the doldrums for many years to come. It may end up being in a slow death and becoming a desert of dejection and despair, doomed due to despondency from all stakeholders concerned.

Source- www.moi.gov.mm