Monday, March 28, 2016

On my way to Mandalay: Buddhist Burma (video)

Seth Auberon, CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Ben the Man (text); Erikssc; Visbeek
Samantha in Pagan/Bagan, Burma, land of Buddhist shrines and temples (Visbeek/flickr.com)
(Erikssc) A tour of the three most popular tourist destinations in Burma: Bagan (Pagan), Inle Lake, Yangon (Rangoon) for those curious about this newly opened Theravada Buddhist country.
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Mahamuni, Shwedagon Pagoda (1marco1polo)
Bagan, formerly "Pagan," is an ancient Burmese city from the 9th-13th centuries.

It was once the capital of Burma and is currently one of the Southeast Asian country’s main spiritual tourist attractions for adventure travelers.

It was formerly the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, where Theravada Buddhism was and continues to be the main religious tradition in this part of Burma, next to Thailand, China, and Laos.
 
The area, now known as the "Bagan Archaeological Zone," occupies an impressive 26-square-mile area. Marco Polo described Bagan as one of the finest sights in the world. Despite centuries of neglect, looting, erosion, regular earthquakes, not to mention shoddy restoration efforts, this temple-studded plain remains a remarkably impressive and unforgettable vision:

Ferguson votes to approve modified consent decreeBagan’s kings commissioned more than 4,000 Buddhist shrines and temples. On a visit to Shwesandaw Pagoda, a Buddhist temple complex that contains a series of five terraces, topped by a cylindrical reliquary (stupa), which has a jewel-studded umbrella. The pagoda was built by King Anawrahta in 1057.
 
During visits to Bagan, bicycles can be rented that allow one to ride up alongside any Buddhist temple. As Bagan’s most famous sunset-viewing spot, Shwesandaw Pagoda is a graceful white pyramid-style pagoda with steps leading past the terraces to the circular stupa on top, with 360-degree views.

It’s located roughly midway between Thatbyinnyu and Dhammayangyi temples. The temple allows a view of the 4,000 shrines and temples scattered across the sacred plain. The Dhammayangyi in the center is a very large square, a single-story pyramidal temple with six monumental ascending exterior terraces.

Oriented toward the east, the Dhammayangyi's brickwork is finely crafted -- perhaps the finest in Bagan. More

Trip to Burma? Six years ago, art student Veronika Scott accepted a challenge from her college professor: Design something to "fill a need" in the US, even on Detroit streets (CNN).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pres. Obama sent an unmistakable message to Americans ahead of his historic trip to Havana: "Cuba is open for business." Punching fresh holes in the generations-old U.S. embargo, Obama's administration removed the last meaningful restrictions on travel, putting a Cuba vacation within reach for millions of Americans over the coming years. The sweeping changes also clear a path for Cuban athletes to one day play Major League Baseball and other professional sports.

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