Burmese monks protect Myanmar from the coronavirus by chanting Buddhist suttas aboard a helicopter
Led by the revered Bhamo Sayadaw, the Chairman of State Sangha Mahanayaka Committee, Burmese monks are flown by helicopter over the Golden Land to protect their people from the deadly Coronavirus, COVID-19. They can be seen chanting protective verses and sprinkling water laced with chantings on loving-kindness, and making the Vow of Truth.
In other stunning news, one of the most venerated and respected monks of the entire country, the venerable Tipitaka Yaw Sayadaw (the only living monastic who has passed the examination of reciting by heart the Tipitaka, and who some consider to be fully attained), apparently declared to some of his close devotees that the virus has permanently left Burma, and will not return.
Although no cases have yet been confirmed in Myanmar, the apparent good news needs to be balanced with a shortage of proper testing equipment and a censure on any health workers or doctors being allowed to publicly speak about the virus or preparations being undertaken. Still, the country has canceled the upcoming Water Festival (Thingyan), stopped all buses, and closed all of its international meditation centers.
When watching this video, one cannot help but be reminded by the great 19th century Burmese monk Ledi Sayadaw, who went to plague-invested regions of Burma armed only with protective verses— although back on those days, he went by foot or oxcart. In fact, he once wrote an entire book on how recitations could end plagues, according to Erik Braun in “The Birth of Insight,” called “the Manual on Plague (Rogantaradīpanī), and gave advice on the recitation of protective suttas, called parittas, as well as the recitation of ritual texts called kamma vā (the Burmese term for the Pali word kammavācā). [Ledi’s] remarks show an unequivocal belief in a universe filled with spirits and ghosts and in the power of the chanted word. For example, he recommended that the reciters of kamma vā texts use highly decorated editions, because the sight of such aesthetically impressive dhamma texts would scare away many troubling spirits before one had even begun to read. Such protective practices did not conflict with Ledi’s vision of reality because he did not have a “disenchanted” perspective that robbed his universe of unseen forces… Ledi’s willingness to banish spirits and bring rain, even as he argued for Buddhism’s superiority on the grounds of logic, suggests that he felt no sense of conflict between his traditional worldview and Western learning, including science.”
As we move forward in this uncertain time, it can be helpful to consider how we can similarly balance a belief in a scientific, empirical view with spiritual fortitude and wisdom.
Update to this post: this video was shared by a very well-known Buddhist professor and translator, so it was trusted that the content was accurate. However, it has since come to light that the video was shot some time ago and is not in any way related to the coronavirus. This appears to be more a reflection of misinformation than an intentional hoax, unless more details come to light in the future. We are leaving the text as originally written intact as the remaining information is correct, and also so that there is a record of the initial writing so that further misinformation may not spread beyond.