Discussion paper on the History and Belief Systems

History and Belief Systems

 (A discussion paper that was presented at The Burmese National Heritage Symposium on September 15, 2007 - by: Kyaw Myaing)

Introductiton:

The aim of studying history is not only to know about the lives of kings and their achievements and failures but to get a glimpse at the way people lived, their hopes, their fears and their dreams.

During the time of the socialist government, more emphasis was placed on the study of the lives of the common people rather than the lives of kings.

From the point of view of getting the most out of history, it is thought that we should study history with a critical eye so that we can extract lessons from history.

Burmese history has been written by Burmese scholars as well as by western historians. One of the well-known history books in the Burmese language was written by U Kala. It is know in Burma as “U Kala Yazawin”. There is also the Kone Baung Set Maha Yazawin Gyi written by U Maung Maung Tin. There may be others written by contemporary historians and writers.

From among the western historians, D.G.E. Hall’s “Burma” is a good starting point for those who wish to study the history of Burma. Another book worthy of mention is the one by G.E. Harvey called “History of Burma”. There are of course many others but these two books make a good starting point.

Then we also have the translation of the “Hman Nan Yazawin” called the “Glass Palace Chronicles” by Professor G.H. Luce and U Pe Maung Tin. This was published by the Burma Research Society and the standard of translation is nothing less than superb. Burmese readers could of course read this book in the original Burmese language and I would recommend this book to any student of the Burmese language. The style is noted for its clarity and gives the reader a glimpse into the type of court language that was used in those days.

There is one important thing to note about the study of history. We should endeavor to read both the English and Burmese texts and make a critical analysis of both points of view before we make any firm decision either way. It should be noted that history as seen by the conquerors of Burma, in this case the British would always be different from history as seen by the court historians or for that matter, any contemporary Burmese historian.

It would be wise to keep abreast of all the recent developments in the field of research on the ground made by the Department of Archaeology and the History Departments of various universities inside the country as well as in other countries.

I wish to paraphrase a saying that is relevant today. If we do not learn from history, we risk repeating the same mistakes.

My suggestion is that we learn and study history not only to pass certain levels of educational tests but to use the information that we have learnt to help us in making correct decisions in our everyday lives. History is important not only for the ruling elite but for all citizens at all levels of society.

We will have a better chance of success in building sustainable communities inside the country as well as abroad if we use our knowledge of history as a valuable national resource.

These are just the personal views and opinions of an individual and I invite all participants to discuss the points I have raised so that we can have a consensus as to how we should proceed further in this area.

Belief Systems

I have deliberately used the term “belief systems” as opposed to “religion” for many reasons. Religion is a very loaded term and has a lot of baggage. In our discussion of how to build sustainable communities abroad, we have to take into account one important fact: the need to promote harmony and understanding. Without harmony and understanding among the different segments of society, we cannot hope to build sustainable communities.

When we say “belief systems” it can mean beliefs that are related to the observance of a certain religious tradition. It can also mean beliefs that are not part of any religious tradition. For example a philosophy that believes only in the validity of scientific experimentation and scientific proof may not be considered a “religion” but never the less a “belief system”. Another example of a belief system is “Communism” as it denies and existence and worship of God as the creator. There are also other belief systems where people worship nature spirits and gods and goddesses but may not necessarily believe in the existence of an omnipotent creator God.

Communities thrive and prosper when there exists a spirit of brotherhood, caring and sharing, deep understanding of other cultures and belief systems and a willingness to forgive and forget and a deep concern for others not as members of a different race or ethnic group but as fellow human beings.

Especially after the events that occurred on 11 September 2001, it became apparent that the people of the world need to know more about each others religion, belief systems, cultures and traditions. If we do not understand each other then there is more chance for religious intolerance and we can become the victims of certain speech makers who would try fan the flames of fear and hatred based on our lack of understanding and ignorance about other countries or other cultures.

We should strive to see each other first and foremost as human beings sharing the same environment and the same planet and endeavor to seek out our commonalities rather than our differences.

In this context, I wish to reproduce here what General Aung San said in his speech on the eve of the now famous Panglong Agreements.

General Aung San said:

"I am the youngest delegate here even though my office gives me precedence. The dream of a unified and free Burma has always haunted me and these last ten years I have been acitively pursuing it. We who are gathered here tonight are engaged in the pursuit of the same dream.

There is this thing called 'racisim' that I want to talk about. In the past we shouted slogans: 'Our race, our religion, our language!' These slogans have gone obsolete now. What is race, after all. What are its tests? We have in Burma many indigenous peoples; the Karens, the Kachins, the Shans, the Chins, the Burmese and others. In other countries too there are many indigenous peoples, may 'races'. China, Japan and the Soviet Union provide examples. In America, though the peoples may speak a common language, they spring from many stocks; there are the British, the Italians, and other peoples, but they have become assimilated, and they identify themselves as 'Americans'.

Thus 'race' does not have rigid values.

Religion is no test either, for it is a matter of individual conscience. In Burma the majority are Buddhists, but there are those who freely accept Christianity, Islam, or animism.

During the war, when I served as War Minister, I had dinner at a Karen battalion. A Karen soldier, speaking on unity, quipped that we were all the same, Burmese and Karen, the only noticeable difference being that the Burmese liked to play cards while the Karen enjoyed fishing in the woods. We can preserve our own customs and cultures, enjoy our own freedom of belief, but on the broader national life we must be together. We must be one. We will have our differences, but, to take an example, if we are threatened with external aggression, we must fight back together with resolute will. The supreme commander of the armed forces may be a Karen, a Kachin or a Chin, but we must all rise and fight under his leadership.

If we want the nation to prosper, we must pool our resouces, manpower, wealth, skills, and work together. If we are divided, the Karens, the Shans, the Kachins, the Chins, the Burmese, the Mons, and the Arakanese, each pulling in a different direction, the Union will be torn, and we will all come to grief.

Let us unite and work together and see what we can accomplish together. We will have to make sacrifices at first. Look at England. The English people are having hard times; they have strict rationing of food and clothing, for example. These they take in good cheer in the expectation of brighter days for all. They are investing for the future.

With unity within our frontiers, we should next look beyond and cooperate with our neighbours, such as Indonesia, India, Indo-China, and other countries of the region. Only by sharing and working together can we achieve the highest levels of life. We must all realize that in this world no nation can stand aloof or alone. Nations must work together in a universal commonwealth.

In passing, I wish to say that though we could not get on with the British when the relation of the ruler and the ruled existed, we will be good friends when the relation ends."

Reference: (Maung Maung, "Aung San of Burma", 1962, Yale University, Southeast Asia Studies, p. 123)

This is the reason why all national races of Burma/Myanmar need to live in harmony although they may have different religious belief or belief systems.

Some suggested points for discussion:

• How do we promote intercultural understanding at the community level?
• Is it a good idea to form Inter-faith councils at the community level?
• If so, how do we form them? Who should take the lead?
• How do we use ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) to promote better understanding among different ethnic groups with different belief systems.

These are some ideas that came to my mind. I am sure others who are more experienced and more knowledgeable than me in these subject matters would be able to give more inputs.

Thank you.