Burma's Shwedagon Pagoda (full doc)

Shwedagon Pagoda: 2,500 years of Burma’s Buddhist legacy | full documentary

(SLICE Full Doc) According to legend, Shwedagon Pagoda was built 2,500 years ago at the top of the Burmese capital Rangoon (Yangon), and its aura still protects the former capital city today. The stupa (reliquary burial mound), which contains eight strands of the Buddha's hair, is the most symbolic and sacred site in the country, 90% of the population of which is Theravada Buddhist.

The Nine Wonders of the Shwedagon Pagoda

Its architecture is made up of circles and squares (a mandala), which in Buddhist cosmology represents heavenly planes and earth respectively and is further evidence of how sacred it is. The pagoda's vibrant atmosphere is created by the 20,000 gold plates that cover the building and the precious stones that adorn it. Workers and volunteers spend every day at the site continually restoring it and keeping the stupa beautiful. They do this in expectation that their dedication will cultivate good karma (merit) for their future rebirths. #freedocumentary #shwedagonpagoda #myanmar #burma

• VIDEO: Golden Temple: Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma

Documentary: Wonders of Men EP1: Myanmar, The Shwedagon Pagoda (2018). Directed by: Véronique Legendre and Alexis Barbier-Bouvet. Production: ZED & ARTE #documentary #freedocumentary #wondersofmen #shwedagonpagoda #myanmar #monument #yangon #buddhism

• SLICE Full Doc, Nov. 25, 2024; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Golden Temple: Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma

Bagan (Pagan) and Shwedagon Pagoda: The Cosmic Geometry of Burma’s Buddhist Temples | SLICE

(SLICE) Across the vast Asian continent, temples and sanctuaries stretch out in harmony with the land, their horizontal lines reflecting a deep connection to nature and the living world.

At their core lies an intricate sacred geometry inspired by the cosmos, the elements, and the human form — a fusion of spirituality and design that transcends time.

In Burma (Myanmar), this connection reaches its zenith. The Shwedagon Pagoda, gilded with nearly 60 tons of gold, rises as a beacon of faith (saddha, confidence in the Buddha) and devotion, shimmering under the sun.

Its spire points to the heavens (sagga), yet its base remains firmly rooted in the earth (Bhumi) — a symbol of the link between the divine and humanity.

Meanwhile, the plains of Bagan (formerly Pagan), with their breathtaking expanse of over 2,000 ancient temples, monuments, and stupas, showcase an unparalleled architectural legacy.

These temples, born of devotion and ambition, reflect a civilization’s desire to immortalize its beliefs in stone and art.

This profound bond between humanity and the cosmos, visible in Asia’s sacred structures, invites us to marvel not only at the beauty of these monuments but also at the resilience and creativity of the civilizations that built them.

From the serene plains of Bagan to the golden splendor of Shwedagon, these sacred spaces stand as timeless testaments to the spiritual quest for harmony with the universe.

Documentary: Sacred Spaces – Asian Temples: Humans, Nature, and Gods directed by Véronique Legendre. Production: ZED, ARTE FRANCE, CuriosityStream.

SLICE fully owns the rights to the use of the published content. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action. SLICE wants to fill up curiosity! Accessible to anyone from anywhere at any time, this channel is a weekly dose of short docs about curious facts, discoveries, astounding info, unusual stories, weird, fun and instructive. Be smart, have a slice! Subscribe now ► @slicedocumentary. Become a fan: @slicedocumentary. Follow: 👇 In French: slicefr. Facebook: slicedocs. Instagram: slicedocs. #documentary #slice #fulldocumentary #freedocumentary #myanmar #bagan #shwedagon #plains #buddism #buddha #gold #temple #pagoda #religion #asia #amazing #heritage #prayer #pray #nature #god #geometry #relics

• SLICE in Burma, Dec. 12, 2024; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Myanmar Earthquake: destruction, deaths

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Myanmar, Thailand, China 2025 COMPILATION (Part 3)

(Saskia & Mauri) Terrifying experience: We survived Thailand's strongest quake in Bangkok!

Earthquake in Myanmar (Burma) with massive destruction in Thailand, China, people trapped

Where is the fallen Lady Aung San Suu Kyi?

(CINEIST) March 31, 2025: This video details the devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar (Burma) in 2025. It caused significant loss of life and property. The impact of the disaster, the challenges faced by the affected regions, and the ongoing relief efforts are examined.

Corruption, bribes? Only building to collapse was built by China

Apocalypse? Hundreds of millions disappear in China, abandoned villages

What has become of Burmese Pa Auk Sayadaw?

Additionally, insight is provided into the long-term effects on the local population and the role of international aid in the recovery process. The goal is to raise awareness about the struggles of the Buddhist people in Burma and encourage support through this video.

For support and donations and information on how to contribute to the relief efforts, please refer to local and international aid organizations.

Shocking footage: Myanmar-Thailand-China 7.7 earthquake

(Seismic Kiwi) Magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar, Thailand, China (Part 1)

Watch this video to learn more about the Myanmar earthquake and help spread awareness about the challenges faced by those in disaster-stricken areas.

• Pa-Auk Society – International Pa-Auk Tawya Society (IPTS)
• An American monk living in Burma (Ven. Subhuti)

#MyanmarEarthquake #Myanmar2025 #Earthquake #NaturalDisaster #DevastatingEarthquake #DisasterRelief #Aid #Awareness #MyanmarAid #EarthquakeRelief #DisasterArea #NaturalDisasterAid #MyanmarAwareness #RescueOperations #DisasterSurvivorAid #EarthquakeSupport

Burma's Golden Rock Pagoda defies gravity

What kind of miracle hair could explain this?

The marvel of Golden Rock's survival

Entrance to the site protected by lion creatures

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Burmese ကျိုက်ထီးရိုးဘုရာ) also known as Golden Rock [1]) is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Burma (Myanmar).

The rock and its pagoda sit at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo.

• Why is Burma called Myanmar now? The military dictators decided to restore the original name the British could not pronounce (\mee-yan-maa\), which is actually the same as Burma, but it signifies acknowledgement of the illegitimate authoritarian government that took the country by force and savagely repressed the Saffron Revolution and the once-beloved Aung San Suu Kyi, the legitimate heir to power and leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
• Buddhism in Burma or Myanmar (Theravada)

Covered in more gold leaf

It is a small pagoda of 24 feet (7.3 m) built on top of a giant granite boulder covered with real gold leaf pasted on by male devotees.

According to legend, the rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of the historical Buddha's hair [1]. The balancing rock is apparently defying gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of sliding off and rolling down the hill.

Another legend claims that a Theravada Buddhist monk impressed a celestial king (deva raja) with his asceticism and the celestial king used his supernatural powers to carry the rock to its current position, specifically choosing the rock for its resemblance to the monk's head.

It is the third most important Theravada Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after Shwedagon ("Great Golden" Pagoda (of Dagon) in Rangoon (Yangon) and Mahamuni  ("Great Sage") Pagoda [2, 3, 4, 5].

Mahamuni ("Great Sage") Buddha Temple, Burma (Myanmar)

Etymology

In the local Mon language, the word kyaik (ကျာ်) means "pagoda" and yo (ယဵု) means "to carry on the hermit's head." The word ithi (ဣသိ in Mon from the Pali ရိသိ, risi, Sanskrit rishi or "seer") means spiritual "hermit." Thus, Kyaik-htiyo means "pagoda upon a hermit's head" [6, 7].

Legend

The marvel has been going on for long time

The legend associated with the pagoda is that the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama or Shakyamuni), on one of his many visits to the area in ancient times, gave a strand of his hair to Taik Tha, a hermit. The hermit, who tucked it in the tuft of his hair for safety, in turn gave the strand to the king with the wish that the hair be enshrined in a boulder shaped like the hermit's head.

The king had inherited supernatural powers from his father, Zawgyi (a proficient alchemist or more likely a weizza or "wizard"), and his mother, a naga (reptilian) dragon princess. They found the rock at the bottom of the sea, where nagas generally are said to dwell. With the help of the Thagyamin, the king of Tawadeintha (Pali Tavatimsa or the "Space World of the Thirty-Three"), a sensual heaven in Buddhist cosmology, found the perfect place at Kyaiktiyo to locate the golden rock and build a pagoda. There the strand was enshrined.

• This accords with the ancient legend found in Buddhist texts of the Buddha offering some strands of his hair to traveling businessmen from what is now Burma as a token when they requested it after he impressed them with his spiritual outlook and noble demeanor, which became the basis for the massive construction of Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the most impressive Buddhist sites in the world, said to have been built around the original stupa or "burial mound" reliquary for the hair.

Theravada monks gather at the pagoda

It is this holy (magical) strand of hair that, according to legend, prevents the rock from sliding off and tumbling down the hill.

The boat used to transport the rock turned into a stone. This is also honored by Buddhist pilgrims at a location about 980 feet (300 m) from the Golden Rock.

The place is known as the Kyaukthanban Pagoda or stupa (lit. "stone boat stupa") [2, 7, 8]. Legends also mention that Buddhists undertaking the sacred pilgrimage by trekking from the Kinpun Base Camp three times consecutively in a year are blessed with wealth and recognition [9].

Geography

Miracle Golden Rock, 2007

The pagoda is located near Kyaikto in Mon State in the northern part of the Tenasserim coast. Golden Rock is situated at an elevation of 3,609 feet (1,100 m) above sea level, on top of the Kyaiktiyo Hill (also known as Kelasa Hills or Eastern Yoma Mountains); it is on the Paung-laung ridge of the Eastern Yoma Mountains. It is 130 miles (210 km) from Rangoon (Yangon) and 460 feet (140 m) north of Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State [10, 11]. More

• Golden Rock, Myanmar [Amazing Places 4K]; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Who stole Buddhist Burma's royal ruby?

Magazine (bbc.com); MN; Andrew Winn, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Hmm, did England (the British) steal Buddhist Burma's treasured ruby? (myanmars.net)

The world-famous Shwedagon Pagoda housing the Buddha's hair relics, Rangoon, Burma

 

Who stole Burma's royal ruby?

Asian Hitler: Dictator Gen. Than Shwe

When Britain [UK] conquered Buddhist Burma [which its current dictator and his military junta -- who secretly rule from their secretive new capital of Naypyidaw after changing the country name to Myanmar, while Aung San Suu Kyi takes all the heat with no political power but a bully pulpit she dare not use for fear of being deposed or assassinated -- control from behind the scenes directing the military to commit genocide on Rakhine state's Muslim minority Rohingya, whom Suu Kyi calls "foreigners" and "Bengalis"], the last king's most treasured possession -- an enormous, priceless ruby -- disappeared. Who took it, where did it go, and where is it now? More

We found it!

Nga Mauk ruby on British Crown

The reign of the last Burmese royals lasted just seven years when King Thibaw Min was defeated in the Third Anglo-Burmese War and forced to abdicate by the British in 1885.

On November 25, 1885 they were taken away in a covered carriage, leaving Mandalay Palace by the southern gate of the walled city along the streets lined by British soldiers and their wailing subjects, to the River Irrawaddy where a steamboat called Thuriya (the "Sun" or Suriya) awaited. King Thibaw was 27 and Queen Supayalat 26.

The Lady who would be queen of Burma

Queen Supayalat never lost her composure and was said to have asked a British soldier by the wayside for a light to smoke a Burmese cheroot [country cigarette]. She was pregnant and accompanied by her husband, their two daughters, her two sisters, and her mother; the rest of their party followed on foot.

Our superheroine gone bad

The troops had nicknamed her "Soup Plate," and in the commotion and haste that attended their abduction, some of the crown jewels disappeared including a large ruby called Nga Mauk that Colonel Sladen had insisted on being handed over for safekeeping.

King Thibaw saw an opportunity in 1911 when King George V visited India, and he wrote for the return of the Burmese crown jewels.

Tell them you happy, Suu Kyi, we not kill you.

But he only received a reply that Col. Sladen had died in 1890. Nga Mauk was believed to have subsequently turned up as the largest ruby on the British crown [pure pirate booty from amazing Asia]; it was recognized by Princess of Kyundaung in whose charge the ruby used to be... More

• Could it have been the British royals?
• Share this with Facebook

World Festival of Sacred Music

World Festival of Sacred Music (festivalofsacredmusic.org); CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

Burma's most famous Buddhist monument, the expansive Shwedagon Pagoda complex

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Anatomy of a stupa, pagoda (Sky89/Hintha)

The World Festival of Sacred Music-Los Angeles is a citywide festival that takes place in L.A. every three years.

A 16-day celebration of the rich sacred music and movement traditions of the people of L.A., with events produced in diverse venues ranging from the city's major stages to intimate places of worship.

The Aratani World Series of the WFSM

The Festival was initiated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1999 as part of an unprecedented celebration of the human spirit. The Festival is a largely volunteer and grassroots effort based on the intention to utilize the arts festival model to build genuine community cooperation and understanding. More

RETURN TO MYANMAR with Kyaw Kyaw Naing

The great artist of Burma, Kyaw Kyaw Naing, has lived as a political refugee for 16 years. To witness his music is to enter the deepest regions of the human heart and to dream of another reality -- the reality of hope and ties to the land. More (TICKETS)

Trees and the Buddha's enlightenment

Buddhanet.net (e-learning, Buddhism, Life of the Buddha) edited by Wisdom Quarterly

The future-buddha Siddhartha under the bodhi tree as the tempter Mara attacks (wiki)

(Part 1) 18. Seven Weeks After the Buddha's Enlightenment by Buddhanet.net

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UNDER THE BODHI TREE

During the first week after enlightenment, the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree experiencing the bliss of freedom and peace. He was free from disturbing thoughts, serene and joyful.

GAZING AT THE TREE

The original bodhi tree from cutting, India

During the second week, with thanks and gratitude to the tree that had sheltered him during his struggle for buddhahood, the Buddha stood without moving his eyes as he meditated on the bodhi tree.

Following this example, it is the custom of Buddhists to pay respect to not only the original bodhi tree, but also to the descendants of the bodhi tree that still thrive today.

THE GOLDEN BRIDGE

In the third week, the Buddha saw through his mind’s eye that the devas in the heavens (space) were not sure whether he had attained enlightenment or not. To prove his enlightenment the Buddha created a golden bridge in the air and walked up and down it for a week.

THE JEWELLED CHAMBER

In the fourth week, he created a beautiful jewelled chamber and sitting inside it meditated on what was later known as the "Detailed Teaching" (Abhidharma). His mind and body were so purified that an aura of six colored rays came out of his body: blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and a blend of these five.

Today these six colors make up the Buddhist flag. Each color represented one noble quality of the Buddha: yellow for sanctity (enlightenment-level), white for purity, blue for confidence (faith), red for wisdom, and orange for contentment (desirelessness). The mixed color represents a blend of all of these noble qualities.

THREE GIRLS

During the fifth week, while meditating under a banyan tree, three most charming "girls" called Tanha, Rati, and Raga [Mara's daughters Craving, Ennui, and Lust] came to disturb his meditation. They "danced" in a most seductive manner and did everything to tempt the Buddha to watch their dance. Yet, he continued to meditate unperturbed, and soon they tired and left him in peace.

THE MUCALINDA TREE

The Buddha then went and meditated at the foot of a mucalinda tree. It began to rain heavily. And a huge king cobra (naga 7) came out coiling his body seven times around the Buddha to keep him warm. It also placed his hood over the Buddha’s head to protect him from the rain. After seven days the rain stopped and the snake changed into a young man (reptilian) who paid his respects to the Buddha. The Buddha then said:

"Happy are they who are contented. Happiness is for those who hear and know the truth. Happy are they who have good will in this world towards all sentient beings. Happy are they who have no attachments and have passed beyond sense desires. The disappearance of the conceit 'I am' is indeed the highest happiness."

THE RAJAYATANA TREE

The great golden stupa (reliquary mound) at the center of Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma

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During the seventh week, the Buddha meditated under the rajayatana tree. On the 50th morning, after seven weeks of fasting, two merchants came into his presence. They were called Tapussa and Bhallika. They offered the Buddha rice cakes and honey to break his fast. The Buddha told them some of what he had found by his enlightenment.

These two merchants, by taking guidance (sarana) in the Buddha and the Dharma (the "enlightenment teachings of a supremely enlightened being"), became the first Buddhist lay followers.

 

There was no Sangha (monastic order with monks and nuns) yet. They asked the Buddha for something sacred to keep with them. The Buddha wiped his head with his right hand and pulled out some hair to give to them.

These hair relics, called kesa dhatu, were later reputedly enshrined by the merchants on their return home to what is now known as Burma. They became the central relics of the great Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon. More

Seven weeks after enlightenment

Crystal Quintero and CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Buddhanet.net (e-learning)

Prayer flags flutter over Boudha stupa (reliquary), Nepal (Amiraelwakil/flickr)

(Part I) 18. Seven Weeks After Enlightenment (porlandnonsequitur)

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1. Under the Bodhi Tree

During the first week after enlightenment, the Buddha sat under the bodhi (enlightenment, awakening) tree experiencing the bliss and happiness of complete freedom and final peace. He was liberated from all disturbing thoughts, calm and full of joy.

2. Gazing at the Tree

Woodland spirits (foxintree.com)

During the second week, out of thanks and gratitude to the tree that had sheltered him during his quest for supreme enlightenment, the Buddha stood without moving his eyes as he meditated on the bodhi tree.

Following this example, it is the custom of Buddhists to pay respect to not only the original bodhi tree (which centuries later was destroyed by Muslim religious extremists), but also to the descendants of the bodhi tree that still thrive today, particularly on a giant island just off the southern tip of India, which is the location of the oldest documented tree.

• World's oldest tree: Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) located in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: A sapling from the original Bodhi tree in India, under which the Buddha became enlightened was planted in 288 BCE and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a documented planting date (rmtrr.org).

3. The Golden Bridge

Climbing a golden bridge (Vitaliy Raskalov/Krulwich wonders/npr.org)

 
In the third week the Buddha saw through his mind’s eye that the devas [fairies, sylphs, dryads, gandharvas] in the vicinity were not sure whether or not he had attained enlightenment. To prove his enlightenment the Buddha created a golden bridge in the air and walked up and down it in meditation for seven days.

4. The Jewelled Chamber

Triple Gem (thailand-amulets.net)

In the fourth week he created a beautiful jewelled chamber and sitting inside it meditated on what was later known as the "Detailed Teaching" (Abhidharma).

His mind and body were so purified that an aura of six colored rays came out of his body -- blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and a mixture of these five.
 

Today these six colors make up the popular Buddhist flag.

Buddha flags in HK (m.gin/flickr.com)

Each color represented one noble quality of the Buddha: yellow for holiness, white for purity, blue for confidence, red for wisdom and orange for desirelessness. The mixed color represented all these noble qualities.

5. Three Girls

Distractions (dhammawheel.com)

During the fifth week while meditating under a banyan tree, three very charming girls called Taṇhā, Arati, and Raga [Craving, Boredom, and Passion, Mara's three "daughters"] came to disturb his meditation. They "danced" in a most seductive and charming manner and did everything to tempt the Buddha to watch their dance and lead him astray. But he continued to meditate undisturbed. Before long they tired and left him in peace.

• The Buddha's Encounters with Mara the Tempter: Their Representation in Literature and Art (Ananda Guruge)

6. The Mucalinda Tree

Buddha with Mucalinda naga (idewz/flickr)

The Buddha then went and meditated at the foot of a mucalinda tree. It began to rain heavily and a huge king cobra (shapeshifting naga) came out of its den near the tree and coiled its body seven times around the Buddha to keep him warm. And it placed his hood over the Buddha’s head to protect him from the rain. After seven days the rain stopped, and the naga transformed into a young man who paid his respects to the Buddha. The Buddha then said:

Tibetan prayer flags in Nepal, Swayambhunath

"Happy are they who are contented. Happiness is for those who hear and know the truth. Happy are they who have goodwill in this world towards all sentient beings. Happy are they who have freed themselves of attachments and have passed beyond desires for sense-pleasures. The disappearance of the conceit 'I AM' is indeed the highest happiness."

• Deluded "views" as source of misery
• Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research

7. The Rajayatana Tree

Many trees figure into the story of the Buddha: He was born under a sal, strived under a banyan, attained under a pipal, meditated under these two, the mucalinda and rajayatana, lived under others, and chose to recline into final nirvana between twin sal trees (WQ/BM).

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During the seventh week the Buddha meditated under the rajayatana tree. On the fiftieth morning, after seven weeks of fasting, two traveling merchants came by. They were named Tapussa and Bhallika. They offered this awe-inspiring ascetic, the Buddha, rice cakes and honey to break his fast. And the Buddha told them some of what he had discovered during his enlightenment.

Golden Shwedagon stupa (Rohit_saxena)

The two merchants, by pledging to go for guidance in the Buddha and his Dharma (his "teachings"), became the first Buddhist lay followers. There was no monastic order (Sangha), no monks or nuns yet. They asked the Buddha for some sacred keepsake to take with them. The Buddha wiped his head with his right hand and pulled out some hair to give to them.

These sacred "hair relics," called kesa datu, were later reputed to have been enshrined by the merchants on their return home to what is now Burma, in Shwedagon Pagoda in the former capital of Rangoon.

What happened to the original bodhi tree?
Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly (SPECULATION)

Bodhi tree, offspring of the original, India

Once the Buddha, being young, failed to rise for an elder ascetic and pay him the customary honors. That elder ascetic thought the Buddha uncouth and complained wanting to know why the younger wandering ascetic would not honor him as was the proper shramanic thing to do. The Buddha later explained that there was no one he could pay homage to as his superior or elder, not even his parents, which brought his father the king much consternation when he returned to Shakya-land. The reason for this is that for him to do so would cause their head to split into seven pieces. This is a common idiom of the day, which seems to mean "completely destroy." The expression comes up, for example, in Sariputra's Lion's Roar, a sutra where his chief male disciple declares his attainments. The Buddha encourages him to pardon a younger monk making false allegations because, should Sariputra fail to, "his head will split into seven pieces." That is, his karma against a fully enlightened elder teacher, Sariputra, will utterly destroy him. The Buddha did not awaken to everything all at once. He learned as he went along, often pondering what would be the best thing to do in a given situation, looking back to what other buddhas had done before him. Therefore, in this scene, he is innocently paying respect to this one tree, honoring it, in a sense paying homage to it. What happened to this tree? It was utterly destroyed by Muslim extremists, who were outraged that people seemed to be engaged in idolatry, which is against their tradition, much as it is against Jewish and Christian traditions. The same may be said of the very land, now known as the state of Bihar, which the Buddha foresaw would always have a time of it.

Obama and Clinton in Buddhist Burma (photos)

Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; Telegraph.co.uk; BBC.co.uk, 11-13-14

How can I avoid all the traffic from the imperial leader's visit? Golden stupa sits atop the Buddha's enshrined relics, Shwedagon Pagoda (Rohit_saxena/flickr.com).

Barefoot Pres. Obama and former U.S. Sec'y of State Hillary Clinton tour Theravada Buddhist Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, Burma renamed "Myanmar" by dictator (AP/Carolyn Kaster).

Aung San Suu Kyi welcomes Obama, whose historic visit is meant to show U.S. support for Burma's transition to [the appearance of] democracy. The White House has cautioned that Obama's trip to the former pariah state should not be viewed as a "victory celebration" but as an opportunity to press for urgent action still needed -- such as freeing political prisoners and ending ethnic tension in remote areas (EPA/Khin Maung Win).

• PHOTO GALLERY: Obama in Burma (Telegraph.co.uk)
• Spreading capitalism and sham-democracy to extract resource-rich Buddhist Burma to benefit the West and junta:

Burmese reforms: Obama "confident" of change

Jonah Fisher (BBC.co.uk) edited by Wisdom Quarterly

Can you ask the dictator if he'll sell us the forests? - He doesn't want to hear it. Will you pay more than China is offering us? And will you also buy our blood gems? Package deal or no deal, and we want arms, weapons, bombs, jets. Pres. Obama and Pres. Sein at the regional parliament building in impoverished Rangoon for photo-op (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty).

  

Obama, watch out for this guy. - Ellen Page

U.S. Pres. Obama has said he is "optimistic" about the political transition process in Burma during a visit to the country -- but added that "change is hard." His comments came after a night-time meeting with Burmese Pres. Thein Sein.

 

Mr. Obama had earlier met Burmese lawmakers, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In an interview published on Wednesday, he had accused the government of backsliding on [nominal democratic] reforms. The U.S. president is in the military dictatorship's new bunker-dotted capital Nay Pyi Taw, relocated from Rangoon, for the East Asia summit.

 

Gen. Than Shwe, Burma's dictator.

Following the hour-long meeting with Pres. Sein, Obama said that "the democratic process in Myanmar is real" -- referring to the country by the dictatorship's name for Burma. "We recognize change is hard, and you do not always move in a straight line, but I'm optimistic," he added.

 

Pres. Sein, a former general hand selected by the military junta, the ruling dictators behind the scenes under General Than Shwe, whom many call the "Asian Hitler," said the talks had been candid, according to the Associated Press news agency.

In 2010, Burma held elections that replaced official military rule with a military-backed "civilian" government of former-general-turned-president Thein Sein [a man who apparently still does the bidding of Gen. Than Shwe]. More

• Has Myanmar's reform journey ground to a halt?
• Timeline: Reforms in Burma/Myanmar
• What is ASEAN?

• Burma/Myanmar profile
• Burmese reforms stalled - Suu Kyi
• Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi
• Profile: Burma President Thein Sein

Theravada Buddhist monks hold up Burmese and U.S. flags. Burma was a dictatorship for the past half century until last year when a nominally civilian government took office and stunned the world with a rapid rush toward reforms, largely an act (EPA/Nyein Chan Naing).

Students wave flags and try to force smiles as they wait to welcome the arrival of U.S. Pres. Obama at Rangoon International Airport in Burma, which is still a police state with a growing facade of democratic reforms (AP/Khin Maung Win).

Buddhist monks climb outside of massive main stupa, reliquary mound, Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, Burma (Touristing/flickr.com).

Stupa ruins in ancient Pagan/Bagan, Burma near Mandalay (Platongkohphoto/flickr.com).

Asian Hitler?

(US Campaign for Burma) Ellen Page: "Burma, it can't wait 19"