Two thousand five hundred years have passed since the time of Parinivana of Gautama Buddha. Throughout the centuries, ever since the introducing of Buddhism up to the present time, Arakan professed Buddhism without break.
The present-day Buddhism in Arakan is the Theravada Buddhism using the Pali canon of Tripitaka which are vinaya (conduct), Sutta (Sermon) and Abhidhamma (a mixture of Metaphysics, psychology and mind development) Pitakas.
The Buddhists here worship caityas and stupas. They believe that one can acquire great merit by building and decorating them. The Buddha images are also worshipped after glorifying by conducting a ceremony called Anekasa, that is recitation by a number of monks surrounding the image.
The people worship these caityas, stupas and Buddha images by offering flowers, food, incense, light and prayers. They believe these acts to be meritorious. They believe in the idea of the transfer of merit. That is, by making gift one can acquire religious merits and one can also transfer such merits to one's near and dear ones or their welfare and happiness by performing meritorious deeds like offering alms and the four necessaries to the Sanghas and giving charities to the poor and the needy, and doing good deeds personally or in words or in thoughts, one gains merit and will go to devas abode after death. Where as by doing evil deeds or getting involved in evil acts personally or in words or in thoughts, one falls into downward state of existence, a state of suffering or even to the abyss of hell such as Aauruwa, Avici etc, ...after death.
They believe in the three ways to salvation, i.e., the Arahatship, the Pratyakabuddhahood and the supreme Buddhahood. The lay people strive for Arahatship as the way to Nirvana. They accept the idea that the universe is cyclic and that they live in a Buddha cycle called Bhadrakaipa and are expecting the coming of the fifth Buddha, Maitreya.
There are many members of the Buddhist Order, that is, the monks (Sangha) who wear yellow robes and strictly observe the Vinaya Pitaka. They have given up all the wordly pleasures and lived a pure life striving to attain Nirvana.
The lay people have noviciating ceremonies for boys who spend sometimes, usually a week or more in a monastery under the guidance of revered abbot to experience the life of the monkhood. During his stay in the monastery as a monk, the boy learns for himself the religion of his parents, the abbot guiding him of course. If he likes the life of a monk and wants to forego the worldly pleasures, he can become a monk for life. But he will be qualified for full membership of the Order only after attaining the age of twenty. If not this ceremony can be taken as a preparation for adult life. In Arakan, noviciating of a boy is done only when the boy reaches an age when he can understand and assimilate Buddha's teaching.
Especially during the period of Wasoe (Buddhist lent which falls during rainy season), people are accustomed to keep sabbath taking five, eight, nine or ten precepts. People in more advance stage of piousness mediate to free themselves from ten "fetters", i.e. Samyojana.
Such are the beliefs and practices of present day Buddhists of Arakan. The same is true for the past centuries.
Especially during the period of Wasoe (Buddhist lent which falls during rainy season), people are accustomed to keep sabbath taking five, eight, nine or ten precepts. People in more advance stage of piousness mediate to free themselves from ten "fetters", i.e. Samyojana.
Such are the beliefs and practices of present day Buddhists of Arakan. The same is true for the past centuries.
There are numerous caityas (pagodas), stupa and innumerable Buddha images built and made by the king of these dynasties. Especially Mrauk-U, the last capital city of Arakan, is rich in these religious edifices and images. Miniature stupas, miniature caityas, bronze bells, bronze lamps and many types of bronze Buddha images, crowned and uncrowned were obtained from the relic chambers of the old ruined caityas and stupas. They belong to the period of Danyawaddy and Vesali.
When did Buddhism first introduced into Arakan? And what type of Buddhism was that?
According to tradition and our historical annals, Buddhism was introduced into Arakan during the lifetime of Buddha himself. Keeping tradition part, let us search for concrete evidences which will give of Buddhism introduced.
We have found one Fat Monk image with a line of inscription in Brahmi script used about the beginning of the Christian era. This Fat Monk, Saccakaparibajaka, was related to an incident in Buddha's life. Images of Buddha were also found together with this image. As there were no inscriptions or dates inscribed on them, it is difficult to assign them to the same period as the Fat Monk.
Apart from this image we can search for more concrete evidences. We may take the miniature stone stupas with Ye Dharma verses on them, the stones with Ye Dharma verses fallen out of the ruined stupas or caityas, and inscription found on one of the Mahamuni sculptures as the solid evidence for dating the upper limit of the introduction of Buddhism in Arakan. The dating can be done palaeographically and these writing can be assigned to some time about the 4th or the 5th century AD.
As almost everybody knows, "Yedhama gahta" is the most popular inscription among the earliest records of Buddhism in Myanmar. In Rakhine the earliest" Yedhama gahta" was suggested to have issued in the fourth century A.D. This piece of work is an attempt to trace the Buddhism, in Rakhine, of the period before Yedhama.
The local chronicles traditionally say that during the reign of King Candrasuria in the Danyawaddy city Gotama Buddha, while visiting, converted the court and cast the image, Mahamyatmuni. According to this tradition Buddhism is supposed to be introduced to Rakhine since Buddha's lifetime in the sixth century B.C.
It was also in the Danyawaddy dynasty that Reverend Htayra Maha Yewata was said to have come to Mahinsaka manahala for conversation, after the third Samghayana was held at Pataliputta. Some consider that the present Rakhine was once part of Mahinsaka. However some scholars insist that Mahinsaka was at one time the same of Mysore at the southern part of India.
Above traditions hint that Buddhism came to Rakhine in the 6th century B.C, or 3rd century B.C respectively by means of missionary activities. However, may be unfortunately, no contemporary record is found relating to these traditions.
The crowing event in the history of Arakan was the Convention of the Buddhist Council at the top of golden hill of Vesali under the royal patronage of King Dhammawizaya in 638 AD. through joint effort of two countries, Arakan and Ceylon. This momentous triumph of the great council was participated by one thousand monks from Ceylon and one thousand monks from Arakan kingdom. As a fitting celebration of the occasion, the lavish construction of pagodas, statues and monasteries were undertaken for the purpose of inscribing the Tripitaka.
After Vesali, Pyinsa was found by Lemro dynasty in 818 A.D; Pyinsa City (818 - 1103), Parein City (1103 - 1160), Nareinsara Taungoo (1160 - 1250) and Laungret (1250 - 1430) the great king of dynasty was King Mim-Yin-Phru, who turned his attention towards the development of Buddhism, and in 847 A.D. he conveyed the second Buddhist council in Arakan attended by 800 Arahants. Arakanese chronicles report that therein the Tripitaka and Atthakatha were incribed on the golden plate and enshrined. Never has there been impediment in the practice of Theravada Buddhist faith since it has introduced in Arakan. The copious findings of inscription Ye Dhamma verse (gahta) were practical evidence that Theravada was dominant faith if epigraphic and archaeological sources were to be believed. The Royal patronage has always been significant factor contribution to stability and progress of the religion in Arakan.
An inscription discovered at Nagajunikonda in the Andra country of the southern India says…. For the benefit of the fraternities (of monks) of Tambapamna who had converted Kasmira, Gandhara, Cina, Cilata, Tosali, Avaramata, Vamya, Vanavasi, Yuvana (?) Damalia (?), Palura (?) and the Isle of Tambamni. (From Epigraphia India XX, p.p.22-23)
This record was inscribed in the 4th regional year of King Madhariputa. The scholars think this king seems to be identical with King Madhariputa Sri Virapurisadata of the Issvaku dynasty (3rd century A.D.)
Dr. Niharranjan Ray had attempted to identify the Cilata (Kirata) country with the regions of Rakhine and lower Burma (Myanmar). Besides there is a strong tradition that Kirata was a province of Burma as indicated by a bell inscription, though modern (viz.1811 A.D) at the Mahamuni pagoda, Mandalay (Middle area of Myanmar).
As Nagarjunikonda inscription was issued in the 3rd century A.D. The sending of the Buddhist mission must be some time before the 3rd century. If so it would not be far too wrong to conclude that Buddhism had already arrived at Rakhine in the 3rd century A.D. At this point the popular tradition, which says Buddhism came to Rakhine at the reign of King Candrasuria should be considered in the context of Phayre's suggestion of Candrasuria period in the 2nd century A.D.
Ray also suggest, even apart from the tradition of Asoka mission, it is not impossible to assert the prevalence of Buddhism in Burma sometime before the 3rd century A.D. However no indigenous evidence relating to this period is found in Rakhine. Only for the lack of such evidence, we should not consider that Buddhism did not come to Rakhine. Regarding this George Coedes's remark is worthy of note.
"Because of their geographical position it would seem that they ought to have been penetrated by Indian culture earlier and more profoundly than Funan, Champa, and the other kingdoms of father India, they offer, however, only rare and quite late archaeological and epigraphical remains for the period before the middle of the sixth century. It would be imprudent to conclude from this negative argument that they were Indianized later, for various circumstances may have caused the disappearance or delayed the discovery of order remains.The almost total silence of Chinese sources for the period in question is due to the fact that the envoy from China to the kingdoms of the south at that time used the sea route and countries situated farthest from China for seamen were the last to establish with her."
Johnstone suggested the regional duration of king Candrodaya of Anandacandra inscription as 202-229 A.D and was inclined to equate him with Candrasuria of the chronicles. In this Anandacandra inscription the modification for the kings previous to Candrodaya are read ' zealous in doing kindness to the world', 'The able', 'eminent for stoutness',' fair of form' and 'heroic in policy'. Canrodayan and successor were, however, modified as 'approved by the good', ' giving of countless gifts',' want to heaven', and 'eminent in religious practices'. In contrast with the former one the later ones sound a bit religious. This fact also seems to provide us the liability to assume that at the reign of Candrodaya, in the third century A.D., a particular kind of religion had already been introduced in Rakhine.
A large stone slab, probably related the early phase of the Buddhistic introduction to Rakhine, lies close the Anandacandra pillar at the Shithaung pagoda, Mrohaung. On that stone slab, in relief, a couch, a lotus flower and ' dhammacakka' written are found. Lotus flower represents the nativity and 'dhammacakka' the wheel of the law represents the first sermon of the Lord Buddha and were widely used as the symbols of Buddhism in the pre-iconic worship in India. The symbolic worship faded away when the iconic worship got emerged. Those two symbols are the earliest evidences revealing the coming of Buddhism to Rakhine. An inscription consists of three lines on the plinth of an image is found at the Mahamuni, Kyauktaw township, Rakhine. Although almost illegible it is preserved enough to date
The Ye Dharma verse reveals the cream of the teaching of the Buddha. It is very clear that the people who made these stupas and who inscribed the Ye Dharma verses for the posterity professed the type of Buddhism based on the teaching of the Buddha and not on the personality of the Buddha. Again, the word mahasramana in the verse means the Great Monk. By using this word, it is clear that the Buddha was referred to as a Great Monk and not as a God. We have seen a ceti dedicatory inscription from eighth century Vesali. The inscription mentioned one to purify his own mind to attain Nirvana. The three impurities, lobba, dossa and moha should be discarded revealing that the Buddhism practiced at that time was based on the teachings of Buddha. Therefore, we can definitely say that the Buddhism that flourished during this period was neither Tantric Buddhism nor the advanced Mahayana with plenty of Gods and Goddesses. We can infer that the Tantric Buddhism, which is an advanced state of Mahayana Buddhism, never flourished in Arakan.
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