Buddhism in Myanmar Part 3: Mahagandayon Monastery

March 8th, 2013

Taipei, Taiwan

Song of the Day: God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood

Mood: Sore (Yesterday, I biked for the first time in a decade)

As I travel, I connect with different parts of my identity. By being in different cultures, I am able to better reflect on my own culture and understand its strengths and weaknesses.

My identity

Every time I land in a new county, I whip out my passport and feel awesome because if anything happens, the most powerful government in the world will help me. As I walk through customs, the lyrics "I'm proud to be an American" always run through my head followed by a Team America, "Americuh, Yeah!" cheer.

I am staying at the homes of many of my Yale friends while I travel. I feel pride in connecting with my fellow scholars and really enjoy reconnecting.

 

                                               "Yale Hardened" Lock in Singapore                         

Mandalay monks

While in Mandalay, we were able to go to the Mahagandayon Monastery where 1,200 monks line up together and then eat at the same time.

The youngest and least committed trainees wear white 

Each monk must carry his own bowl. They use the bowl in the morning
to beg for food.

They don't talk when they eat. This enables them to be present to their food and their surroundings. This is different than my preferences, and I think it would be a missed opportunity to eat with other people and not connect verbally. I'd rather be present for people than senses.

One of my favorite parts was seeing how some of the monks took pity on street kids that begged and gave them some of their small allotment of food.

 

 

This little kid would receive food, hide it in his shirt and then hold out an empty bag as if he had received nothing.

As well as the monks, there is a whole support system set up to care for their needs. In addition to the people who do the cooking, donors pay for all the food.

Strength in numbers

I am not Buddhist, but I was inspired see a large group of people uniting around a common purpose. In America, I often see this around sports teams, cities/states, or universities. I loved starting the Minnesota Club at Yale and connecting with other Minnesotans. While I travel, it has been a total blast connecting with my fellow Yalies because they understand me in a way that someone I meet on the street here simply can't. We can laugh about shared experiences, talk about similar issues, and connect in deeper ways. Yet, the most meaningful bond for me is Christian community. I want to be united in faith and action through caring for people's physical and spiritual needs with a group of believers. Imagine how cool it would be if there were 1,200 people lined up to provide resources for the impoverished, justice for the oppressed, encouragement for the exhausted, and spiritual wisdom for the spiritually curious!

As I continue to develop my leadership through pursuing an MBA, I want to ensure I am seeking to build communities whose mission I am excited about in order to make the world a better place.