Program Particulars
*Times indicated refer to web version of audio

(01:02) Protests in Rangoon
Perhaps a link to the BBC protest on YouTube.

(01:50–03:05) Music Element
"The Multiples of One"
from Awakening,
performed by Joseph Curiale

(02:20) British Colonial Occupation of Burma
The British and the Burmese were involved in a series of skirmishes during the 19th century that led to a whittling down of territory controlled by the Burmese monarchy. With the British victory in the Third Anglo-Burmese War, the Burmese lost their independence. The British occupied Burma from 1885 to 1948.

U Nu (1907–95) was the first prime minister of Burma following its independence from the British Empire in 1948. His political life began during his university days, when he and Aung San (father of Aung San Suu Kyi) were part of a student union at Rangoon University. During the latter years of British colonial rule, he joined the nationalist movement and founded a pro-independence, socialist organization.

Following the assassination of General Aung San in 1947, U Nu led the movement and signed independence accords with the British. He then served three terms as prime minister between 1948 and 1962. He was deposed in 1962 during a military coup led by General Ne Win. His subsequent years were spent in prison and, later, in resistance and pro-democracy movements against the military. Upon Nu's initiation in 1961, the Burmese Parliament made Buddhism the official state religion.

(02:57) September 2007 Demonstrations
The demonstrations in Burma in September were the reaction of monks and anti-government protestors against the regime's sudden and massive increase in the price of oil and some food staples — in some cases by as much as 500 percent. The regime's failure to apologize for excessive force applied against initial protestors led to the widespread participation of thousands of monks in subsequent protests. The monks were also moved to protest the government's price hikes due to the increased poverty caused by the hikes.

(03:06—05:01) Music Element
"Improvisation (Saung)"
from Myanmar,
performed by Hsaing Waing of Myanmar

(04:01) Aung San Suu Kyi Since 1988
Aung San Suu Kyi (b. 1945) studied at Oxford University in England, and returned in 1988 to tend to her ailing mother's health. She's the daughter of Aung San, a Burmese nationalist who helped lead Burma to independence from the British Empire. She lead the National League for Democracy, a pro-democracy movement, to victory in 1990 under a national, military-sanctioned election — despite being under house arrest. The military prevented her from taking office as prime minister.

In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights." In her acceptance speech, her son spoke:

Although my mother is often described as a political dissident who strives by peaceful means for democratic change, we should remember that her quest is basically spiritual. As she has said, "The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit," and she has written of the "essential spiritual aims" of the struggle. The realization of this depends solely on human responsibility. At the root of that responsibility lies, and I quote, "the concept of perfection, the urge to achieve it, the intelligence to find a path towards it, and the will to follow that path if not to the end, at least the distance needed to rise above individual limitation…". "To live the full life," she says, "one must have the courage to bear the responsibility of the needs of others … one must want to bear this responsibility." And she links this firmly to her faith when she writes, "…Buddhism, the foundation of traditional Burmese culture, places the greatest value on man, who alone of all beings can achieve the supreme state of Buddhahood. Each man has in him the potential to realize the truth through his own will and endeavour and to help others to realize it." Finally she says, "The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of a people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. It is part of the unceasing human endeavour to prove that the spirit of man can transcends the flaws of his nature."

The ruling junta of Burma continues to detain her, except for rare cases when she's allowed to leave her home.

(05:00) Traditional Buddhist Practices of Monks Departing for Forest
The modern practice of retreating to the forest to meditate in seclusion recalls practices of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and his companions and pupils, who first retreated to forests to practice mediation, and later set up monasteries outside cities. The modern practice, originating in Thailand, is viewed as a conservative movement within Theravada Buddhism. Among other things, the idea of retreating to the forest to pursue enlightenment is a reaction against urban tumult and what are viewed as overly-intellectual approaches in other Buddhist traditions.

(05:12) The Teachings of the Buddha
In Buddhism, there are four central concepts which encompass the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha:

» Existence is filled with suffering, and is part of the painful cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth known as samsara;
» Suffering is caused by longing and attachment to worldly objects, places, people and states of being;
» Suffering, like a flame, can be extinguished, and samsara can be escaped;
» The way to the end of suffering is through the Noble Eightfold Path, a series of eight ethical practices outlined by the Buddha. The escape from suffering and from samsara leads to a state of sublime perfection known as nirvana.

Focused meditation aids in the intuitive understanding of these four concepts.

(06:50) Schools of Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism
Theravada is a branch of Buddhism predominantly practiced in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Sri Lanka, and practiced by approximately 100 million people worldwide. The Theravada tradition takes it roots in the Tipitaka, a collection of 1st century BCE North Indian writings also known as the Pali Canon. In the Theravada tradition, the pursuit of enlightenment is predominantly only within reach of ordained monks and nuns. They attain enlightenment through meditation, moral action, and the apprehension of wisdom. Lay people, meanwhile, can accumulate merit by serving monks or engaging in rituals such as the burning of incense.

(08:56) Halfway Point of the Buddha's 5,000-year Dispensation
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha prophesied that his teachings would remain known in some form for a period of 5,000 years, after which they would be completely forgotten. At that future point, another Buddha would arise in the world and reinstate the teachings. The halfway point of this 5,000-year period was calculated to be 1956 CE, a point in history that would either see a resurgence of Buddhism or the beginning of its decline, according to the prophecies.

(09:14) Sixth Buddhist Council
At several times since the death of the Buddha, Buddhist leaders have convened to discuss and preserve the teachings, doctrines and texts that form the basis of the religion. The first such council took place some time between 540 BCE and 460 BCE, depending on the source. The Sixth Buddhist Council convened in Burma from 1954 to 1956 CE, ending with the day marking the 2,500th anniversary of the Buddha's death and ascension into the exalted state of Parinirvana, or ultimate Nirvana. The Council was convened by U Nu. It gathered together some 2,500 Buddhist leaders and sought to verify, consolidate and make consistent a number of texts in the Pali Canon.

(09:37) Correspondence Between Ben-Gurion and U Nu
David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973) was the first prime minister of modern Israel. A secular Polish Jew who was a prominent Zionist-socialist leader for most of his life, he served as Prime Minister from 1948 to 1953, and 1955 to 1963. He retired from public life in 1970.

The states of Israel and Burma both gained independence in 1948. Burma was the first nation in Southeast Asia to recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, and viewed as a hand of friendship. Ben-Gurion and U Nu began the bilateral relations and it has continued ever since.

(10:07—11:21) Music Element
"Chauk Lon Bat Let Swan Pya (Improvisation on Chauk Lon Bak Drums)"
from White Elephants & Golden Ducks: Enchanting Musical Treasures of Burma,
performed by various artists

(10:30) "Myanmar" vs. "Burma"
In 1989, the military regime changed the country's name from Burma to Myanmar for a number of reasons, most significantly to gain worldwide attention and credibility in foreign press who would report on the name change. The name Myanmar is recognized by the United Nations, but not by the United States or the United Kingdom. The UK's Foreign Office offers this explanation:

Burma's democracy movement prefers the form "Burma" because they do not accept the legitimacy of the unelected military regime to change the official name of the country. Internationally, both names are recognised.

(11:00) Asoka
The Emperor Ashoka (PDF, 1581 kb) was the first leader to rule over a united India in the third century BCE. After a series of wars and a final battle at Kalinga (now Orissa), he declared himself an upasaka, a Buddhist layperson, adopted Buddhist policies of non-violence and social welfare. He abolished wars in his domain, banned the death penalty, restricted hunting, constructed facilities for convalescent care.

To let his edicts be known throughout his lands, he had rocks and pillars engraved with his moral philosophy, grounded in the ideals of Buddhism, stating his revulsion of violence, including the importance of taking care of animals of all kinds. He sent his son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka where they converted the ruler and people to Buddhism. The Third Buddhist Council was held at his capital Pajaliputra, India, in the seventeenth year of his reign.

In 2001, Asoka, a fictional account of the emperor's life story was released on film. It was directed by Santosh Sivan and starred Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

(13:00) Sangha
A Buddhist term meaning "monastic order."

(16:39) Sein Lwin, the "Butcher of Rangoon"
General Sein Lwin (1923–2004) presided over Burma as prime minister for an 18-day period following the July 1988 resignation of General Ne Win, who deposed U Nu in 1962. General Ne Win, upon his resignation, threatened that mounting political strife would be met with harsh military retaliation. Sein Lwin succeeded Ne Win a few days before the August 8, 1988, uprising, and followed up on Ne Win's threats. Sein Lwin's violent repression of the protests, when some 3,000 people were reportedly killed, earned him the title "the Butcher of Rangoon." Amid mounting deaths and casualties, he resigned from office. Shortly after his resignation, the current regime — dubbed the State Law and Order Restoration Council — assumed power.

(18:41—19:12) Music Element
"Mingala Thiri (Prosperous Majesty)"
from White Elephants & Golden Ducks: Enchanting Musical Treasures of Burma,
performed by various artists

(21:20) Turning Over the Alms Bowl
A Buddhist monk on the path to enlightenment takes a vow to give up worldly possessions. To further understand the concepts of attachment and compassion for the poor, the monk is required to humbly beg for food or alms from lay citizens. To collect such food or alms, the monk simply places an empty bowl before himself and allows the giver to make the donation. Because the monks are viewed as making a great spiritual sacrifice toward an exalted goal, they are held in high esteem by lay citizens, who gain spiritual merit by donating or showing kindness to the monks. This spiritual merit, in turn, is applied toward a person's future life or lives, allowing the person who makes the donation to move one step closer to a life of full monastic dedication and, thus, move closer to the path toward enlightenment. Thus, turning the alms bowl over essentially bars the giver from the path of enlightenment and is tantamount to excommunication.

(24:36—27:43) Music Element
"Thabay Ywet Yi (Auspicious Leaves, The Sign of Victory)"
from White Elephants & Golden Ducks: Enchanting Musical Treasures of Burma,
performed by various artists

(31:32) Dharma/Dhamma
The concept of dhamma (in Pali) or Dharma (in Sanskrit) refers to the teachings of the Buddha and, more broadly, ultimate truth. Dharma is commonly translated as "religious duty" or one's ethical framework in the mundane world. Dharma can be categorized in two forms: sanatana-dharma and varnashrama-dharma. They are not mutually exclusive but serve as complementary approaches to gaining deeper understanding.

Sanatana-dharma alludes to the need for each individual soul to serve a greater force, namely God. It serves as the driving force on issues of equality and inclusiveness at the personal level. Whereas, varnashrama-dharma takes into account an individual's daily tasks and social matters. These are classified according to four divisions of labor and four stages in life, which change as one passes through different stages.

A third form is sadharana-dharma, general codes of moral conduct. They are often defined as yama (prohibitions) niyama, recommended practices (niyama).

The concept of karma, from the Sanskrit meaning action or deed, is the driving force behind the cycles of reincarnation and rebirth in Hinduism and many other Asian religions. Karma is a law of consequences for one's actions, which will come to bear upon the individual in this life or a future life. In essence, morally good actions will produce positive consequences while morally reprehensible deeds will produce negative results. In the Speaking of Faith program "The Heart's Reason," scientist V.V. Raman sees karma as Hinduism's answer to the metaphysical concept of the problem of evil.

(33:13) Sasana
A Buddhist term variously translated as "religion" or "teachings."

(34:19—35:00) Music Element
"Ar Kar Na Ban (Heavenly Space)"
from White Elephants & Golden Ducks: Enchanting Musical Treasures of Burma,
performed by various artists

(39:23) The Four Sublime States
In his teachings, the Buddha describes four emotional states that should extend outward from a person's mind to other living beings: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

(43:41—44:48) Music Element
"Bird of Prey Vanishes into a Bright Blue Cloudless Sky"
from Gone to Earth,
performed by David Sylvian

(45:29) U Pandita
Sayadaw U Pandita (b. 1921) is a teacher of the vipassana meditation technique, and successor to Mahasi Sayadaw, one of the principal teachers at the Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha Meditation Centre and major participant in the Sixth Buddhist Council. U Pandita began his initiation into monkhood at age 7 and was ordained at the age of 20. He is currently living in Burma, teaching meditation at the Panditarama Shwe-taung-gon Center in Rangoon. He has also traveled extensively to the West to teach meditation.

(48:25—52:42) Music Element
"Improvisation (Saung)"
from Myanmar,
performed by Hsaing Waing of Myanmar

(49:06) Reading from Freedom From Fear and Other Writings
The reading is taken from Aung San Suu Kyi's collection, Freedom From Fear and Other Writings:

The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation's development …

It is man's vision of a world fit for rational, civilized humanity which leads him to dare and to suffer to build societies free from want and fear. Concepts such as truth, justice, and compassion cannot be dismissed as trite when these are often the only bulwarks which stand against ruthless power.