Buddhist monks sow seeds of harmony between India and Myanmar

Indian Buddhist monks are sowing the seeds of peace and harmony between the two immediate neighbours that are linked by age-old ties of religion and culture.

As Myanmar moves towards forming a new government, the monks of India and Myanmar have taken upon themselves the task for smooth transition of the powers to the democratically elected government - but through the spiritual route.

"We are basically here for peace and harmony. Since everyone wants to live in peace, we from the Drukpa Lineage are praying for peace in this country which has strong roots with the Buddhism," Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche told this IANS visiting correspondent here.

Thirty-year-old Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, who is leading a foot journey with 60-odd monks and participated in the peace summit here, is the spiritual regent to the Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpa Order with over 1,000 monasteries across the Himalayas.

"This time we have decided on a peace 'padyatra' (journey) in Myanmar as we did in many places in India. We have also brought a sacred bone relic of the Buddha in this country to bless people. In the past one week, the relic - some 2,600 years old -- got overwhelming response from the locals," said Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche.

Tens of thousands gathered at the 2,500 years old Shwedagon Pagoda, which enshrines strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics, to pay homage to the bone relic.

Sitagu Sayadaw, the elderly spiritual guru of Myanmar, said the visit of the Indian monks would help strengthen the relations between the two countries.

"The Buddha relic comes from India, the birthplace of Buddhism but not the birthplace of the Buddha. The Buddha spent 45 years in India. Therefore, this is a very significant sign of the peace and stronger relationship between the two countries -- Myanmar and India," he told IANS on being asked about the relationship between India and Myanmar.

Indian Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya, who also attended the prayer sessions in the Shwedagon Pagoda, said this would definitely help strengthen India-Myanmar relations.

"It's a rare opportunity and definitely a meeting point of two traditions -- the Vajrayana and Theravada schools of Buddhism," he said.

On bringing the sacred Buddha bone relic to this country, Mukhopadhaya said it was rare that the relic had been brought out of the Hemis monastery, the oldest monastery of the Drukpa Order in Ladakh.

"It's very rare that the bone relic of the Buddha has gone out of the country. The people of Myanmar have a lot of faith in Buddhism. This event offers a platform of religious faith between the countries. This will strengthen the historical relations that have been there since the colonial period," he added.

The bone relic arrived in Mandalay by plane on January 21 and it was carried across many prominent towns and villages by the monks of the Drukpa Order. It will return to India on January 29.

Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, who is also the chairperson of Druk Padma Karpo Educational Society which runs the famous Druk Padma Karpo School of the Hindi film '3 Idiots' fame, said he prayed that the ties between the two countries would be better and more strengthened.

Founded in the 17th Century, the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh in India's Jammu and Kashmir houses the most famous holy relics which are thousands of years old.

(Vishal Gulati is in Myanmar at the invitation of Buddhist spiritual leader Gyalwang Drukpa's global charity 'Live To Love'. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)