Hiding Behind the Buddha

This recent image by JMP is quite insightful. A devout Buddhist couple are praying to a Buddha image, saying "We must not make any criticism, otherwise we will go to Hell."

The Buddha image has a noticeably uncomfortable expression as the monk and general are hiding behind, and the words above them indicate "Patriotic Association and Palata." This is a rather complicated wordplay in the Burmese language, as the "Patriotic Association" is a subtle reminder of Ma Ba Tha, the extremist anti-Islam part of the Sangha, and the mischievous pair look obviously worried as to whether their ploy will work.

The implications of this cartoon should be obvious, and deeply disconcerting. JMP is at his peak powers here, showing how the nationalistic monk, teamed up with the genocidal general, are conspiring to combine fear tactics with Buddhist theories to manipulate the mass population of Bamar Buddhists. But it might take some unpacking to understand the more complicated themes here.

It is understood that because Buddhist monks are seen as following a more refined and spiritual path, it is not only unseemingly for lay people to criticize them, but also results in very bad karma. There are many protocols within the monkhood for how they confess and call out their own transgressions, and so it has been seen as inappropriate for lay people to assert their influence in what is essentially an issue that the monastic order should be resolving internally.

This is all well and good, but JMP shows here how this wholesome quality to offer and serve monks, without crossing the line to criticize their decorum, is being manipulated to shield monks (and by extension, their military protectors) from any critical examination, of whatever nonsense or even hateful things they may spout!

It is important that foreign observers understand the complexity of this cartoon. So often, Burmese Buddhism is criticized in blanket ways without a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics at play, and how they developed that way. JMP's insights into how the faith has been manipulated and perverted help us to understood how the country (and practice) has gotten to this point where we are at now.