LECTURE No. II: Buddhist Beliefs and Worship

LECTURE No. II

Mention in briefly of Buddhist beliefs and worship that prevailed in Myanmar?

            Before the arrival of Buddhism to Myanmar, they were belief animism and nature worship, animism worship associated with the natural features people belief that mountain, hill, river, lake etc…they were regarded by deities also the big trees were regarded as the abode of the tree gods.

            The natural phenomena worship such as volcanic corruption, storm, thunder earthquake, heavenly bodies and stars were believed to be a cause by supernatural power, heaven bodies and their movements exercised good or bad depended on the impact of the human living being on the earth.

            The ancestor worship was god and goddess spirits of dead ancestor and closed relative are invited to participation in the community and family.

            Hindu Brahmanism was introduced by early Indian colonizer the entire southeast of Asia, the culturally was affected by the population from two countries, that Indian and china and the ten southeast Asian countries may classify into two groups Indianize and Sonionized countries. The Indianize countries comprised Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei. Sonionize countries are Vietnam and Philippine. Myanmar belong to Indianize countries effected by the Indian cultural people worship Hindu deities, astrology and occult science.

           The influence of Buddhist belief in astrology and horoscopes even every important in the family has been consulted with astrologer to precise and prevent the obstacles.