A fatal earthquake shakes a pillar of the Buddhist nation: its monks

Putting the corpse wrapped in the maroon robe as a small group of mourners gathered last week to pay their respect. The Buddhist monks chanted verses, praying for the deceased, who were one of them.

One monk, Ashin Javanar Lincalhara, then carried the robe of his dead colleague on his forehead and whispered the phrase used to announce the death of a member of his family, “Unstable, unfortunately, all formations. “He was holding a thin, thin cotton blanket and slightly torn that belonged to the dead monk, Ashin Benear Tharami, 27.

The funeral of the monk was concluded shortly after, with more burning on that day, instead of the celebrations that continue in the days of the monks.

Myanmar was already in a humanitarian crisis in front of the catastrophe, which was destroyed by a long civil war. On March 28, the earthquake killed thousands of people and hit a devastating blow to a community: Buddhist clerics in the country. Thousands of Religious monuments The buildings were destroyed and many monks were buried under their monasteries. The number of monks who were killed is not known.

Buddhism is the official religion in Myanmar and about 90 percent of its people is committed to faith. The identity of the country and moral law has been formed, but it was also combined with nationalism. In recent years, Extremist It has led to Buddhist mob kills hundreds of Muslims.

Some monks have sometimes stood up to the army, who has ruled Myanmar in most of its history after colonialism. But most of them remained silent after the generals overthrew a civilian government in 2021, and some even give blessings to the new rulers.

But the monks are still in great appreciation and are seen as a source of consolation aid and humanitarian aid, especially after natural disasters such as the last earthquake. Critics say that the bone council was Banked and restricted aid.

The clergy plays a major role in Mandalay, the second largest city in the country and a Buddhist learning center. It is nearly 50,000 monks who live in the city before the earthquake.

When the earthquake hit, the monks of the monasteries in Mandalay were conducting exams to qualify for higher ranks in the city’s religious hall.

Ashin Nanda Saria, a monk, said he was in the building when the earthquake was hit. During its collapse, the hand of his colleague in the room was besieged under a part of the fallen concrete. A rescue volunteer said if the hand is not amputated, he faced a fatal infection. So his friend asked for a knife and cut off his hand. But he never did so.

Nanda said: “I still really feel sad because he had to die like this just because there were no trained workers or suitable equipment in Myanmar,” Nanda said.

The monasteries in Myanmar are more than just places of worship: they work as shelters for homeless and schools and a place for society to gather. Now hundreds of monasteries lie in the rubble. Among them are two influencing Mandalay: ancient and new Masoyeen monasteries, which resemble Buddhist universities for local society.

Also in these centers, the Buddhist National Movement, or what Ba, or the Organization for the Protection of Race and Religion has been formed. He parallel with the military council and continued in a fixed stream of anti -Muslims rhetoric.

“And many other people in Myanmar, they saw the collapse of monasteries and temples” a bad sign, like the country Under a curse“

“It is a sign that old times are ending and the new Myanmar may come,” he said.

U EAINDRA SAKKA VIWUUNTHA is the head of the old MASOEYEIN monastery and the leader of the MA Ba Tha movement. He said that his mother and sister had died in the earthquake, and they were buried under the rivers.

He said: “We do not blame the earth or the sky.” “In Buddhism, we understand that all things arise and died, and even temples, until they live.”

In the aftermath of the earthquake, people in Myanmar are still trying to know what the future hides. In the past five years, they faced the Korona virus’s pandemic, a coup and the war that followed, as well as other natural disasters such as floods. But the housing on the tragedies was not a choice for most.

There is a lot to do. People traveled from far from the country to distribute goods to the needy. While the soldiers stood aside, combing volunteers through the rubble with their hands. The owners of the stores and twisted clothes wore both men and women in Myanmar, to thank the volunteers.

When the earthquake hit, Javanar, the monk who headed the funeral, was in the same monastery of his friend Benear. But he was on the third floor, on top, and survived.

Pyinnyar, which was on the ground floor, did not.

“We learned Buddhism not to ask why this happened, but how we meet it,” said Javanar. “With calm, with care, and mercy for those who suffer.”

It was a feeling shared by other monks who survived the earthquake. The esteemed u zawtika, a great monk, said that the dispute of the earth was a reminder that everything is unstable, not only the lives of people, but even the land below their feet.

He said: “The earthquake is not sent to destroy us, it is simply the transformation of the Earth, as is the case with Hons.” “When the tragedy comes, we are sad. We do not deny our pain. But we also excel, and we contemplate, we remember the words of Buddha:” All that is subject to sign is subject to stopping. “

“In this way, we are not clinging to,” he added. “We are practicing sympathy for the missing, suffering, and even for ourselves. This is how we bear.”

Saturday afternoon in Mandalay, after the end of the Benyar party, another monk’s body arrived with an ambulance. His head was the throat and the maroon and the dust. It was found on Friday afternoon, installed under the debris inside the collapsed religious hall where the monks were gathering.

Gently pour a small monk by water on the hands of the right man with a small bowl, symbolizing its release of worldly attachments.

Then the body was hit in a black body bag and transferred to the city’s incinerators. Then it was placed on the wood on a platform in a piece of open land.

Monk and then spray fragrant powder. It was made of sandalwood, which Buddhists believe was a reminder of the inability of life. After that, the horoscope volunteer lit, and wrapped in the ash in the air.