Burma’s military turns to Buddhism for PR

Allegra Mendelson (AJ.com, 1/30/22); Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Buddhist monk in saffron robes holds an alms bowl as he takes part in a protest in support of Myanmar's anti-coup movement. Some monks have joined the anti-coup protests but, in a bid for legitimacy, the generals are working to cultivate the support of senior clergy (EPA file via AJ).

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Burma’s military turns to Buddhism in bid for legitimacy

Than Shwe: Don't blame me. I retired.

Dictator-generals court the Southeast Asian Buddhist country’s monks to try and win respect in an environment where "almost everybody hates them."

A plan is under way for Dictator Min Aung Hlaing, head of Burma’s military and leader of last year’s violent coup against democracy, to build the biggest sculpture of a sitting Buddha in the world -- part of his cynical attempt to forge a fake legacy as a "protector of Buddhism."

But in the last year, soldiers directly under his command have killed nearly 1,500 civilians in a crackdown on the opponents of the military that violates Buddhism’s first and most important principle: to abstain from killing [ahimsa = "doing harm"].

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Asia's Hitler Gen. Min Aung Hlaing

“Their Buddhism is a fake show; they don’t deserve to be called 'Buddhists.' We don’t kill...people. What they are doing right now is all opposite of Buddhism,” said Ven. Agga Wantha, a 30-year-old monk from Mandalay who has been leading protests against the military coup.

“They are just saying that they are Buddhist, but they are doing this just to get a hold of the country.”

Dictator Min Aung Hlaing has turned to methods used in the past to try and claim some kind of legitimacy in this 90-percent Theravada Buddhist country that has been under the thumb of military control for most of the past 60 years.

That has meant alliances with high-profile monks and regular reminders of the high-ranking officers’ devotion to the Buddha, despite a continuing campaign of violence.

Obeisance, alms, and scorched earth

The dictator is courting Sitagu Sayadaw (left), seen at ceremony in Naypyidaw in 2017, who previously defended military's brutal crackdown on Rohingya (Hein Htet/file/EPA).

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In late October, the military initiated a scorched-earth campaign in Thantlang, in northwestern Chin State, destroying hundreds of buildings and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Days later, Dictator Min Aung Hlaing visited several monasteries in Mandalay, Burma’s second-biggest city, making obeisance and giving alms.

Among the monks he met was Bhamo Sayadaw, chairperson of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, a government-appointed body of high-level monks that oversees Buddhism and the clergy in Burma.

Man prays outside former capital of Rangoon's landmark Sule Pagoda Feb. 1, 2022, when military seized power and set up another violent dictatorship (EFA via AJ).

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Most people in Burma are Buddhist. Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing is planning to build the world’s biggest sitting Buddha as a way of showing his devotion and winning support from the monks [the Great Sangha in Burma].

Military leadership visits to high-profile monks are published almost daily in the state-run media as part of the public relations effort. A report from the United States Institute of Peace last month showed that public displays of military support for Buddhism increased almost four-fold after the coup.

“The army has been very clever about using religion as their selling point. If you’re a monk in the society you have the absolute respect of the population.

This is why the military wants to use them because it is a very effective tool for them to manipulate society,” said Sai Thet Naing Oo, Burma country representative at the Pyidaungsu Institute for Peace and Dialogue, which works to bring together different political voices in Burma.

“So even though there are many other things he could be doing, Dictator Min Aung Hlaing always takes time to visit the popular monks.”

"Almost everybody hates them"

If I shave, will you like me?

The military has faced considerable opposition since it deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in a coup it claimed was necessary because of fraud in the November 2020 elections.

A strong resistance movement emerged almost immediately, with demonstrations and a mass movement of civil disobedience leading to the development of a decentralized network of armed groups, known as the People’s Defense Force (PDF), that is now in regular conflict with military troops across the country.

The international community has also condemned the regime with the United States and the European Union imposing sanctions...

With overwhelming resistance at home and a lack of support internationally, the Burmese military dictatorship is desperate for any support it can get, according to Richard Horsey, Burma (Myanmar) adviser at the International Crisis Group.

Hate-filled rhetoric as Dhamma: Ven. Wirathu

In early September, military authorities announced that they had released Ashin Wirathu, a monk known for his hateful Buddhist nationalist views, especially his bigoted stance against Muslims.

Adviser Horsey says that while the Burmese military has maintained some distance from Ven. Wirathu and has not yet fully “thrown itself 100 percent behind the Buddhist nationalist agenda,” they want to keep the hardline factions on hand. More