A Revolutionary Buddhist

"I don’t believe in any kind of religious organization. They are behind this coup, and working with the military government. I like Buddhist thinking, but I don’t want to be "a Buddhist." For me, Buddhism is not a religion. It’s a kind of philosophy of your life. So it’s a way of living, a way of life."

With these few words, Rebel Riot punk frontman Kyaw Kyaw expresses volumes. He differentiates between being a follower of the Buddha's teachings and meditation instructions, while not wishing to see himself involved in any organized religious structure (a wish he made more explicit with the song "Fuck Religious Rules!", which criticized the monastic response to the Rohingya crisis and brought him death threats.)

Once establishing his great respect for the Buddha as a spiritual teacher, he goes on to blame not only traditional Buddhist structure in Burmese society as a general hindrance to the practitioner, but also as a cooperating agent which provided religious cover the manifold sins the soldiers would go on to commit.

Therefore, in Kyaw Kyaw's estimation, these organized religious structures in his country have not only diluted spiritual access to individual yogi, but also played a role in supporting the current crisis.