An Unusual Alms Round

Another cartoon by the controversial Burmese artist who goes by the name JMP. These images are as complex to untangle and make sense of, especially for non-Burmese without cultural or linguistic cues, and they are also beginning to become a hot topic in online Burmese forums. Let us take one here and attempt to understand it.

First, the translation. The lay supporter on the left is saying, "You will get peace... you will get peace." The general in the middle says, "Are you going to take some more land for planting opium?" Finally, the monk on the right declares, "In your future lives you can travel around in a Bentley."

To contextualize the cartoon, we can presume that the lay supporter is intended to be using the constructs of religion to affirm core Buddhist principles, yet in a way that actively discourages the people from taking any action against the authorities of military or monkhood. He is hitting a small gong, which is typical of lay supporters who walk ahead of monks' progressions, and is used to alert neighborhood about the opportunities to give.

The general's statement is somewhat confusing, as it is not clear who exactly he is addressing about the lands being taken for opium growing. One possibility is that this refers to the military using the propagation of Buddhism as an excuse to occupy ethnic lands near the Golden Triangle, which are then used for profiting from the drug trade.

Finally, the monk is expressing a materialistic perversion of karma, by blessing the general while affirming that despite his bad actions, he will reap prosperous future lives, in the form of a luxury sedan. This has unfortunately become a practice of many prominent monks who have not stood up against the military, but in fact used religious principles to justify their rule.

These cartoons provide a fascinating window in the tensions currently boiling over among Burmese Buddhists as the military coup stretches on.