A Buddhist Orphanage

In this drawing from the Burmese cartoonist JMP, a monk is passing the gates of a monastic school titled, "Greedy Orphanage." The monk, who is not really supposed to be driving, says to a man, "Please give some money so we can buy these poor kids rice soup."

We see similar themes in this cartoon that JMP often hits upon. First, there is the quality of this image transcending its place and time, and one only needs to go back to Charles Dickens to reference an unequal society in which disadvantaged orphans are being used for the manipulative ends of their supposed caretakers. Additionally, JMP is also using this image to criticize the religious clergy in his own country, in this case the Buddhist Sangha, for their supposed abuse of authority.

And like many of the images from JMP, this cartoon both has more than a kernel of truth-telling while also taking the worst examples to unfairly criticize an entire monkhood that in truth has many diverse actors and ideologies.

But to stay on this example for a moment, due to decades of a mismanaged economy in Myanmar, there are very limited opportunities for people to earn a living; and combined with poor health care, this brings about a much shorter life expectancy than other countries. As a result, it is sadly not uncommon that many find themselves missing at least one parent before they ever reach their teenage years. As the military regime has never really seen its rule as anything resembling proper governance-- beyond looking after their own interests-- there is also no real state support of which to speak.

As a result, many Buddhist monasteries have stepped in to fill the gap of taking on both orphans, as well as children coming from such poverty that their families can no longer care for them. Yet where does the funding come from? As a Buddhist mission taking on such a role, it is largely supported through small donations from good-hearted people.

That is all well and good, but JMP's criticism comes in the form of those monks who, harkening back to Dickens' England, end up using these orphans as a way to fund their own extravagant lifestyle. Which is certainly a sad truth at some monastic schools in Myanmar, and which this cartoon seeks to expose.