Navigating a Burmese Buddhist Identity
Thinzar Shunlei Yi's relationship with Burmese Buddhism is deeply interconnected with her activism and personal experiences in Myanmar. Raised in a military family and exposed to diverse communities across the country, Thinzar's upbringing in the Buddhist-majority nation undoubtedly shaped her worldviews. However, her journey through activism, particularly during the complex political and social transformations in Myanmar, influenced her understanding and practice of Buddhism. Engaged deeply in social justice, Thinzarencountered the various ways in which Buddhism intersects with daily life and politics in Myanmar. The country's political history, especially the use of Buddhist nationalism by some factions, prompted her to critically examine the role of religion in advocacy and activism. This critical engagement not only shaped her personal practice of Buddhism but also how she integrates these spiritual principles with her commitment to human rights and democratic freedoms. Her nuanced relationship with Buddhism in the context of Burmese society thus reflects a blend of personal faith, cultural heritage, and a progressive approach to social issues, embodying a unique synthesis that supports her broader goals for peace and justice in Myanmar.
“Ma Ba Tha gave us, the young generation, a feel like it’s a shameful thing even to say we are Buddhist. Because the Buddhists in Myanmar already portray nationalism as a way of doing things.”
“I was born into a Burmese Buddhist family. So my mom, my dad, the whole family is all Buddhist. So, I became a Buddhist. I remember the books that I was reading gave me a sense that I need to know what I'm doing. Like, I need to really know what I'm doing. Not because you are you are born into that, that you become Buddhist and then you just go along with it. That's a really lazy kind of doing things! So, I tried to learn more about Buddhism, because I want to know what I'm doing. When I have to pray every day, what is that?
When I was 16, I remember I went alone to the Abhidhamma course in Sule Pagoda. In Sule Pagoda, they offer different free classes in different schools [of Buddhism] and different monasteries. They offer that. I was thinking of learning Abhidhamma first, to learn more about Buddhism, the very basic stuff. At 16, nobody forced me, but I went myself and I was alone. I was the youngest student in the whole class. I found it really interesting. That was so, I would say, ‘eye-opening.’ It has a lot of logic and rationale. But still, of course, there are some things that I can think of that had so much higher thinking that I had to digest on it. But I felt then closer to Buddhism.
Since then, I started reading a lot about from the Abhidhamma point-of-view. It gave me more opportunity to discuss this with a teacher. I asked a lot of questions. And then the teachers tried to answer to me on different things. And yeah, I tried to look for some of the answers. Like, when I was young, how life started. How life started, that's a very basic question of a young kid. I tried to look for it in different books and asked a lot of questions to different people. I didn't get the answer, but one book I found explained to me how it's a waste of time, that you shouldn't think all of this. You have to focus in the present. In a way, that also gave me a sense that sometimes when you think very complicated things, it takes your time. But you have to focus in the present in a way that you will understand based on your practice. So, they give us more sense of how to practice more.
I would say it is Theravāda Buddhism, right? And still a learning process. Even in the Theravāda, there's a lot to learn. But when I became an activist, I learned about how to become more independent. When you are an activist, you meet with a lot of different minorities and different ethnic groups and different religious groups. And then when you identify yourself, ‘I'm a strong Buddhist,’ or ‘I'm a Buddhist,’ it gives you more, ‘I don't want to tie myself with just one religion. I would like to know about other different things, too.’ And I decided to open up myself to learn about other different religions. So, I learned from my friends.
I didn’t become an extreme Buddhist, because in Myanmar, you see, Buddhism is kind of laden with extreme nationalism, right? This is so especially with Ma Ba Tha. It gave us, the young generation, a feel like it's a shameful thing even to say we are Buddhist. Because the Buddhists in Myanmar already portray nationalism as a way of doing things. And whoever you talk to, especially in the older generation, they will say the same key, like Ma Ba Tha. Even my parents, my mom was really dedicated, devoted to Buddhism, a Buddhist person, and my dad as well. My dad's a bit liberal, but my mom is really focused on Buddhism. And when I became an activist, I couldn't even talk to parents in a normal way anymore when I would say something. I remember, I had a big argument with my mom about Rohingya. I was saying how we should be empathetic, sympathetic to our Rohingya and to the Muslim minorities. She was saying things like, ‘No, our teachers told us. No. These Rohingya and these Muslims, they are our enemy.’
I was combating with big arguments. ‘No, our Buddha told us to love everybody; that is no exception. Why are you saying this?’ We had a big argument. I even cried with this. I felt like, ‘Why are Rohingya people so hated even in the loving mother that I know?’ It’s like totally loving mothers were brainwashed that way. And that made me sad. I tried to explain to her. She felt like, ‘Oh, you are such a saint.’ In a sarcastic way, she was saying you are a such a saint. But I still argue with a lot with my parents, my grandparents; I still have arguments. And I felt like, ‘Oh, it's a lot a lot to work on, to change the mind.’ I decided, okay, maybe not change the older people's minds; maybe the younger people we can still be hopeful with it.
With that, now, I still think of the Buddhist philosophy as a way to rely on yourself, to be more sovereignly, like self-awareness, that critical mindset, all from Buddhism and the teachings that I learned from it. And I don't see Buddhism as a religion anymore. It’s more like a way of living, you know? I have tried to adapt that Buddhist philosophy into my way of living, to be more compassionate, to think before I speak, and to be more ‘fair and square’ in whatever I'm doing. And to be consistent with what I'm doing. Yeah, so it's internal work every day. Even if there are a lot of criticisms and hatred towards what I'm doing, I have to be conscious with what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. I'm the only person who knows what I'm doing, good and bad. So, I have to hold myself accountable.
That’s the ideology based on Buddhism; I have to reflect on myself. I have to criticize myself first. I have to train myself. Even the way of thinking, I have to train myself. So, it's my work and nobody else’s work. And even though people hate me, if I know what I'm doing it’s okay. Even though people love me, though I'm doing badly myself, I know myself and that's okay. In a way, more of a focus on myself, my own consciousness, and that integrity that I'm building in myself, it’s just on me. It becomes really intact. I mean, you stand strong on your own ground, despite all the different lokadhammā (Pāli), eight. Like lokadham shiq’ aun (လိုကာ ဓမ္မ ရုစ်) [8 worldly concerns]. Bad things happening to you and good things happening to you, it's life. There are ups and downs, but you stay on and you stay intact. I mean, stay on your own ground. That's also related to my political principles; I stay the same. There is a lot of applause or claps or hate or criticism, but you stay on your own principle.”